March 24th, President Xie Heping met with Mr. Rajib Shaw, co-chair of the Advisory Committee of UN Asian Institute of Technology, senior researcher of the Institute for Global Environmental Strategies (IGES) and professor of Keio University. Vice-president Yan Shijing, together with the heads of relevant departments of SCU, attended the meeting.
President Xie expressed SCU’s desire to draw upon the international influence of Chair Rajib Shaw, as a world-renowned expert on disaster and environmental management, to attract more elites and research forces specialized in disaster prevention, in a bid to further promote the cultivation of high-end talents and innovative research in cutting-edge disaster-related science and technology in its Institute for Disaster Management and Reconstruction, and contribute to sustainable development of human’s disaster prevention and mitigation causes.
Rajib Shaw represented that it is an honor for him to participate in the research project of SCU’s Institute for Disaster Management and Reconstruction; then he voiced his expectation to leverage the convergence effect of the “Asian University Network of Environment and Disaster Risk Management”(AUEDM) to gather international high-level scientific research forces in disaster risk reduction, and promote cooperation, innovation and information sharing between SCU’s Institute for Disaster Management and Reconstruction and its peers in the world, so as to nurture more and better young talent echelons to cope with the threats and challenges of various natural disasters.
The Institute for Disaster Management and Reconstruction co-built by SCU and the Hong Kong Polytechnic University is the world’s first of its kinds. It employs Prof. Kalonji, UNESCO’s Assistant Director-General, as its Dean. The Institute brings together a group of international high-caliber experts and scholars, built the first globalized, topnotch and interdisciplinary base nationwide for scientific research and professionals in related domain. It is committed to cultivating internationalized talents in disaster risk treatment and management for international organizations, and providing professional service to countries or regions affected by geological disasters as well.
According to presentations, “Asian University Network of Environment and Disaster Risk Management” (AUEDM), led by Kyoto University, has been joined by 24 universities from 17 Asian countries. It is committed to supporting capacity building to meet the growing demands of young professionals in the field of environmental and disaster management, sharing experiences and leveraging others’ experiences, and building a platform for collective learning.
