"Star guest" of the conference in the Lichthof of ETH's new chemistry buildings on the Universtitätsstrasse was Klaus Töpfer. This long serving minister of the environment in the government of Germany's Chancellor Kohl has been head of the United Nation's environmental programme, UNEP, whose headquarters are in Nairobi since 1988. Amongst other things the agency is responsible for the early recognition of risks to the global environment, the setting up of environmental norms for the international community, like the Cartagena Protocol on biosecurity, and it endeavours to establish know-how, particularly to developing countries that are often most burdened with environmental problems. UNEP's core activities include climate change, the quality of air and drinking water, the protection of the ocean and the soil, and risks caused by waste products and environmental toxins. "Environmental policies is the peace politics of the future," is how Klaus Töpfer summed up the understanding of his mandate.

Scientifically sound policies

UNEP had a huge amount of data at its disposal, said Töpfer. What was missing however, was a scientific foundation. Töpfer emphasised the importance of the latter by citing the improvement of soil quality, allied with the hope of lifting low levels of agricultural productivity, particularly in Africa, to the levels of comparable regions in Asia. Other examples were the way of dealing with the regions destroyed by the 2004 tsunami or with regard to China's development of mobility. The world would be facing a problem a problem if–in this huge country–private transport developed along the lines of the west. Such problems called for technological alternatives.

With ETH Zurich on board, UNEP has now gained a new institutional partner to help find answers to the problems. A "Memorandum of Understanding", signed on Friday last between ETH President Olaf Kübler and UNEP Director Töpfer, is the basis for a collaboration that deals with the early recognition and the monitoring of environmental problems. ETH was duty bound to use its expertise to help the greater, underprivileged part of the world to find solutions to their problems, said Kübler. People in these countries should also be able to perceive the future as a chance–in keeping with ETH's Jubilee motto "Welcome Tomorrow“, said President Kübler.

Common goals, but no financial responsibilities

ETH's contribution to this goal could come from empirical and applied research, in an advisory capacity or from the transfer of knowledge and training. As set out in the memorandum ETH researchers are guaranteed the free publication of their results. However, the agreement entails no financial responsibilities for ETH. Within the ETH since 2002 competencies in the fields concerned have been collated under the umbrella of NIDECO, a network for international development and co-operation. NADEL, the post-graduate course of study for developing countries, is part of this. The latter has been the means, for the past 35 years, for ETH to offer training and further educational programmes to experts from development and co-operation agencies.

ETH Zurich and UNO's environmental programme, UNEP, formally agree future co-operation. UNEP Director Klaus Töpfer (right) and ETH President Olaf Kübler signing the Memorandum of Understanding Friday last. large

In her address, ETH economics professor Renate Schubert (1) focused on the inextricable link between the quality of the environment and the fight against poverty. The vulnerability caused for example by salty soils or tainted drinking water was increased by the poverty of the people concerned. Schubert criticised that existing national and international political concepts were treating the two issues in isolation and were not sufficiently co-ordinated to bring about substantial change. What was needed was a consistent coupling of both goals at institutional levels, for instance within UNO or at the WTO, as well as the on-site implementation.

Education holds the key

Another speaker who pleaded for a paradigm shift in developmental policies was Calestous Juma, Harvard professor for international development. For him, the focus of development cooperation needed to move from aid towards the long-term establishment of local know-how of problems and solutions. "Research and innovation will become a central theme of development cooperation" according to Juma. This means that higher education, for example in Africa, cannot be overestimated as the motor of development. His contacts at the highest levels showed that this is also recognised today amongst Africa's leaders. "For instance, Thabo Mbeki is personally involved in a reform of South Africa's system of higher education," said Juma.