On Friday, July 12th 2019 the 42nd UNEP/UNESCO/BMU International Postgraduate Course on Environmental Management for Developing Countries came to an end with 21 fellows representing 21 countries, receiving their postgraduate diplomas, but having so much more in their minds and hearts (and probably also their suitcases) to carry back home – certainly, a cohort of new experts in environmental management, but also CIPSEM ambassadors was formed during this past 6 months in Dresden and Germany.
Prof. Dr. Hans Müller-Steinhagen, Rector of TU Dresden
The potential impact CIPSEM courses can have was highlighted in a video message by Mr. Erik Grigoryan, Minister for the Environment in Armenia and CIPSEM alumnus (30th UNEP/UNESCO/BMU International Postgraduate Course on Environmental Management for Developing Countries in 2007). He congratulated his follow-up peers and encouraged them to implement the gained knowledge confidently.
This years “Best Final Paper Awards” for this course were given to:
Ms. Oleksandra Lohunova (Ukraine), for “Land use planning aspects regarding tailings management facilities safety”
Ms. Urvana Menon (India), for “Towards effective conservation of transboundary ecosystems – the case of Indo-Bhutan conservation region”
Mr. Marcio Alvarenga Junior (Brazil), for “Payment for ecosystem services: an alternative for the Brazilian Amazon”
Additionally, warm words were also provided by representatives of the course itself. Hence, Ms. Saba Raffay (Pakistan) and Mr. Ireneo Jr. Silverio Piong (Philippines) summarized the time at CIPSEM in general, but each also with a very personal and also funny note respectively.
According to Douglas Adams’ ‘The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy’, 42 is the Answer to the Ultimate Question of Life, The Universe, and Everything. As we all are aware, these are challenging times for our planet in terms of sustainable development. Fortunately, today the 42nd (!) UNEP/UNESCO/BMU International Postgraduate Course on Environmental Management for Developing Countries has started at TU Dresden. We do not exaggerate when we say that looking at the inquisitive and motivated faces of the newly arrived 21 (coincidentally = 42/2) environmental experts makes us more than confident, that they will find answers – perhaps not to the Life, The Universe, and Everything – but at least to the question of how we can make further progress in sustainable development. 💚🌍💙
Though a sudden and unexpected snowpocalypse caused some adventurous arrival days with plenty canceled, delayed and rescheduled flights, nearly all the participants made it in time to the opening ceremony taking place in the festive hall of the TU Dresden rectorate. After inspiring and motivating speeches, the much appreciated musical entertainment by the string quartet of the Dresden Philharmonic orchestra, and the cheerful reception with lots of chatter and laughter, we are now looking forward to the next six months with the EM42 participants from Armenia, Bolivia, Brazil, Burkina Faso, Cambodia, China, Ethiopia, Ghana, India, Kenya, Mexico, Myanmar, Nepal, Nigeria, Pakistan, Peru, Philippines, Rwanda, Ukraine, and Vietnam!
On Friday, November 2nd, twenty participants of the Sustainable Cities course – including managers and decision-makers of 19 different countries – gathered together one last time at the Closing Ceremony of the 75th UNEP/UNESCO/BMU International Short Course on Environmental Management for Developing Countries – Sustainable Cities.
During their stay in Germany, participants have gained state-of-the-art expertise as well as environmental communication and mediation skills to be able to contribute to the sustainable development and management of urban communities in their respective countries.
The ceremony ended the 1-month course with words of encouragement and appreciation from Anna Görner (CIPSEM Course Director), Clemens Helbach (BMU representative), and Prof. Bernhard Müller (Executive Director of the Leibniz Institute of Ecological Urban and Regional Development). Also, student representatives from Sudan and Brazil shared some final thoughts on the course, their whole experience during their stay in Germany, as well as some lessons to take back home. A refined selection of classical music, performed by a quartet of the Dresden Philharmonic Orchestra, delighted the participants.
The CIPSEM team wishes to congratulate once again all participants on their successful participation and for all the hard work and positive thinking! We hope you have arrived back home safely and we look forward to keeping in touch with all of you. “From now on, we are all responsible to give back what we got, by changing our reality, by exchanging knowledge, by leading initiatives, by keeping networking with each other and with our host institution here in Germany, and by being the change we aspired to see. […]”
– Ms Wala Bashari, Sudan “Scientists say that we are made of atoms, but a little bird told me that we are made of stories (quoting Eduardo Galeano) […] So, bear this in mind and let us go back to our home countries to be authors and writers of the social changes we all seek.”
On July 12th 2018 another 21 fellows from 21 countries were awarded with the Diploma in Environmental Management after spending 6 months at CIPSEM and now return home and will continue to work towards a more sustainable management of our natural surroundings we all depend on.
Who are those fresh alumni and what do they think about CIPSEM:
During the ceremony four “Best-Final-Paper-Awards” were given to:
Ms. Alexandra Aguiar Pedro (Brazil), for
“Urban community gardening as a strategy for avoiding the expansion of informal settlements over vacant land and making the informal surroundings greener“
Ms. Vika Ekalestari (Indonesia), for
“Optimization of facultative aerated lagoon system: Strategy in complying with the newly enacted wastewater effluent standard in Indonesia“
Mr. Ramoudane Orou Sannou (Benin), for
“Pastoral communities and participatory forest management in Benin: A case study from the Three Rivers Forest, Borgou Region“
Mr. Eduardo Francisco Esteves Vélez (Ecuador), for
“Rehabilitation of mined land by using compost“
The very important other event taking place in the CIPSEM-world today is the marriage of Trupti and Carlos. Coming from India and Bolivia, they got to know each other during the 65th UNEP/UNESCO/BMUB International Short Course on Ecosystem Management – Biodiversity and Restoration Ecology in 2015. Today, they have married in Copenhagen. We send our best wishes and are very happy with and for you!
This goes to show that love and determination can get us a long way – in everything.
Today, we could welcome the participants of the 41st UNEP/UNESCO/BMUB International Postgraduate Course on Environmental Management for Developing Countries. From the first impression, we can be glad to work with a group of dedicated individuals on the manifold aspects of environmentally sustainable development during the next six months. We will keep you updated!
Here are some impressions from the opening ceremony (pictures by Harald Schluttig).
On September 26th the 71st UNEP/UNESCO/BMUB International Short Course on Ecosystem Management – Conservation of Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services came to an end in festive manner … but first let’s have a look back a few days into the course programme, where the participants got to know a guest lecturer from Brazil, invited with the support of TU Dresden’s Internationalisation Strategy. Mr. Nicholas Locke is in charge of the private reserve “Reserva Ecologica de Guapiaçu” (REGUA) in the Atlantic Rainforest in the state of Rio de Janeiro and not only shared his thoughts on the ongoing restoration projects on the property, but also talked about the challenges in building, maintaining and expanding such ambitious work. In addition to presenting valuable facts and insights, he was also able to transfer some of his very own passion to the group – here are some quotes on his lectures:
“Passionate and visionary person…Motivation 100% – Thanks!”
“Mr. Locke is a wonderful man, inspirational and full of good energy. We could learn a lot from this practical example.”
“I liked the passion behind the hard work Mr Locke has done in Brazil through his voice and presentation. I feel very inspired to go to my home country and make a difference. I feel privileged to meet such a great man.”
“From the great work that Mr.Locke had done in Brazil, the most important (and influential) for me was the point that he lived in the environment that he worked on. I am very motivated to do the same now.”
“It was an amazing presentation and gave us a lot of motivation for working in nature conservation even the difficulties.”
reflection on the past 4 weeks
“our heart beats for education”
Mr. Nicholas Locke during his speech at the award ceremony
With this motivation we release 23 course graduates back to their duties. We are sure their positive influence is to be noticed and a change towards the better is possible and these 23 individuals are among “those people who do understand what we’ve lost are the ones who are rushing around in a frenzy trying to save the bits that are left.” (Douglas Adams, Last Chance to See, 1990).
It’s ordinarady to be born in a place rather in a country unless your mother delivered precisely on an international boundary. That would be incredible indeed. However, no lesser is to celebrate your born day in different country with the people born in different country which is something equally special. Ms. Eunice from Ghana enthusiastically invited all the representatives from different country in her party. Food was delicious of course. Spicy: just like the participants. Cakes, balloons and beers were more part of the celebration. Music was really the catalyst. Dancing on beats of music which you don’t understand but can feel it was even more seductive. Songs from East European, Asian, Latin American and more so African. Grooves were dominated mainly by african, obviously. Azerbaijan and Brazil really tried though. It was fun. The international birthday. Perhaps, more birthdays and celebration to come. So, no less we shall enjoy as one family in this diverse world.
Authors: Adrian Lauer, Aliya Orozakunova, Natalia Jiménez
On 16 May, the UNEP/UNESCO/BMUB Centre for International Postgraduate Studies on Environmental Management (CIPSEM) celebrated its 40th anniversary at the Alte Mensa ballroom in Dresden. Together with partners UNEP, UNESCO, BMUB, UBA; CIPSEM Secretariat, current fellows, alumni, supporters, facilitators of the Program and other guests celebrated the success of environmental education. During these decades of steady work, this programme has trained specialists from 140 countries, coming from government, civil society, specialized consultancy, and academia, empowering them to become change makers.
The ceremony started with welcoming inspiring speeches made by Prof Dr. rer. nat. habil. Hans Georg Krauthäuser, Vice-Rector for Academic and International Affairs of TU Dresden, Ms Jame Webbe, Head of UNEP Environmental Education and Training, Dr Harry Lehmann, General Director of Division I “Environmental Planning and Sustainability Strategies” at the German Environment Agency (UBA) and Mr Uwe Gaul, State Secretary, Saxon State Ministry for Higher Education, Research and the Arts. Prof Krauthäuser emphasised the strong focus of TU Dresden on environmental research, as the work of ca. 25% of professors is related to environmental affairs. Ms Webbe mentioned the need for skilled professionals in the field, praising the practical and interdisciplinary approach of CIPSEM and the programme’s contribution to UNEP’s global training platform, while Dr Lehmann highlighted to role of CIPSEM in building professional capacities for specialists around the world in a context of evolving environmental institutions and frameworks and the urgency of preserving science as the prime source of knowledge for decision making in environment. Finally, Mr Gaul pointed out to the gender-balanced selection of fellows as an advantage for building a fair discipline and society.
After the first part, two CIPSEM alumni, who came to Dresden on the occasion of the anniversary, took the podium: Prof Dr Bert Kohlmann (Costa Rica/Mexico), participant of the 5th environmental management course (1981/1982) and Ms Rachel Boti-Douyoua (Côte d’Ivoire) participant of the 38th long course (2015). With exciting speeches, they shared their own experiences at CIPSEM, and the impact the programme continues to have on their professional life. They, like over 2200 participants who have been involved in CIPSEM’s trainings over 40 years, are nowadays agents of change in numerous disciplines around the world.
At the end of the ceremony, Prof. Dr. Rattan Lal, distinguished Professor of Soil Science and Director of the Carbon Management Sequestration Center at the Ohio State University, gave a lively keynote speech in emphasizing the importance of environmental education and “building bridges across nations”. Supporting the CIPSEM approach he also highlighted that environmental education is not only giving information and raising knowledge, but also training and creating awareness, inspiring responsible attitudes, fostering sensitivity and imagination, providing practical learning by bringing nature indoors and the class outdoors, and, by all means, linking these aspects with ecological, economic, social and political issues.
Photo: by Harald Schluttig
The uplifting, innovative music by Roger Tietke (saxophon) and Moritz Töpfer (piano) invited the audience to reflect on the importance of a humanist approach to environmental education, involving culture and art. Everything is connected.
The celebration was also a candid space to share. “Friendship”, “connections”, “international exchange”, “inspiration for changing the world”, “experience from Germany” were some the impacts of CIPSEM trainings named during an informal exchange held by CIPSEM alumni and current participants before the ceremony. They all agreed that this programme was the starting point for taking action and making the difference.
(Photo: Harald Schluttig, weissraum)
Numerous friends and supporters are joining the 40th anniversary celebration (photo by Sean Townsend)
(Photo: Harald Schluttig, weissraum)
(Photo: Harald Schluttig, weissraum)
(Photo: Harald Schluttig, weissraum)
Let the discussions begin! (Photo: Harald Schluttig, weissraum)
Some of the speakers and supporters gather before the ceremony: Rattan Lal (Ohio State University), Harry Lehmann and Ralph Wollmann (German Environment Agency), Anna Görner and Roman Kiesshauer (CIPSEM), Gabriela Königsberg (German Ministry of the Environment, Nature Protection, Building and Nuclear Safety), André Lindner and Angela Francke (CIPSEM) (Photo: Harald Schluttig, weissraum)
Our wonderful moderators of the alumni exchange (Photo: Harald Schluttig, weissraum)
In best CIPSEM spirit: plenty of room for exchange (Photo: Harald Schluttig, weissraum)
(Photo: Harald Schluttig, weissraum)
(Photo: Harald Schluttig, weissraum)
(Photo: Harald Schluttig, weissraum)
Wonderful music by Roger Tietke and Moritz Töpfer (photo by Sean Townsend)
Some CIPSEM alumni and participants come together before the ceremony (Photo: Harald Schluttig, weissraum)
(Photo: Harald Schluttig, weissraum)
(photo by Sean Townsend)
Dr. Harry Lehmann and Mr. Uwe Gaul (Photo: Harald Schluttig, weissraum)
(Photo: Harald Schluttig, weissraum)
Ms. Rachel Boti-Douayoua, CIPSEM alumna from 2015 (Photo: Harald Schluttig, weissraum)
Prof. Dr. Hans-Georg Krauthäuser, the Vice-Rector for Academic and International Affairs welcoming all guest on behalf of TU Dresden and says “… our university is in an excellent position to provide the inter- and transdisciplinary framework required for global environment- and energy- related issues.” (Photo: Harald Schluttig, weissraum)
(photo by Sean Townsend)
Dr. Harry Lehmann, General Director of Division I “Environmental Planning and Sustainability Strategies“, German Environment Agency, sharing the perspective of UBA (Photo: Harald Schluttig, weissraum)
Mr. Uwe Gaul points out the importance of international collaboration when speaking on behalf of the Saxon State Ministry for Higher Education, Research and the Arts (Photo: Harald Schluttig, weissraum)
Cheers to empowering environmental education (photo by Sean Townsend)
CIPSEM Alumnus Prof. Bert Kohlmann shared his experiences as a course participant in the early 1980s (Photo: Harald Schluttig, weissraum)
(photo by Sean Townsend)
And gave some examples of his ongoing collaboration with Germany (Photo: Harald Schluttig, weissraum)
(Photo: Harald Schluttig, weissraum)
Prof. Dr. Dietrich Uhlmann has been involved in the establishment of the course programme in 1977 and has, for a long time, facilitated classes (photo by Sean Townsend)
UNEP/UNESCO/BMUV course program 