Bayer, the world's pharmaceutical and chemical giant, has recently announced it will invest US$1 million in the Shanghai-based Tongji University over the next five years to establish professorship and scholarship on environmental protection.

"This is an important part and a milestone of the Bayer-United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) Partnership Programme, aiming at raising the youth's awareness of environmental protection," said UNEP Executive Director Klaus Topfer.

Through the understanding of memorandum between Bayer and Tongji University, Bayer will support the initiative with funding and non-cash contributions worth US$1 million for an initial period of five years.

"The co-operation enables both sides to offer international students a first-class programme of studies in the area of environmental protection," said Wan Gang, president of the Tongji University.

It will accept graduate students for a course of study specializing in the environment and sustainable development, and will be the first time UNEP has joined hands with a university on a postgraduate programme.

By signing a partnership agreement with UNEP in June 2004 on the youth programme, Bayer became the first private-sector partner with UNEP in the field of youth-oriented environmental programmes, with an initial length of three years to globalize the two parties' previous collaboration in Asia.

Since then, Bayer has teamed up with UNEP to develop youth networks in Asia, Latin America and Africa, and to establish a global environmental summit attended every two years by about 200 delegates from national youth environmental organizations around the world.

Further joint initiatives include a global children's painting competition that takes place each year in connecting with World Environment Day and Tunza, the quarterly magazine published for youths.

Bayer not only provides the funding of 1 million euro (US$1.2 million) annually for these joint activities, but also implements them, together with its own projects.

Each year, about 50 "Youth Environmental Envoys" from 16 countries in Asia, Latin America, Africa and East Europe participate in a study trip to Germany. To date, a total of 5,000 youngsters have applied for the envoy programmes and entered tough competitions.

In a scientific forum taking place every two years in the Asia-Pacific region, students of various disciplines meet with professors to develop practical concepts for sustainability issues.

An annual photography competition held in several East European countries helps local people increase their awareness of ecology and the environment.

"Of particular emphasis in the programme is to help the young people's demands and proposals to be taken into account in the political decision-making process. A list of such demands was therefore given to the participants of last year's annual United Nations Conference of Environment Ministers," Topfer said.

"The co-operation with UNEP as well as the Tongji University are an expression of our corporate social responsibility of committing ourselves to the society's sustainable development," said Udo Oels, member of the Board of Management of Bayer.


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