Tsinghua advances PPP in partnership with UNECE

Tsinghua University, City University of Hong Kong (CityU), and the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE), on Wednesday announced at the United Nations Office at Geneva the co-founding of the UNECE PPP China Center.

Tsinghua Vice President and Provost Yang Bin, CityU Vice President Horace Ho-shing IP, and UNECE Executive Secretary Christian Friis Bach signed the founding agreement.

The new center will aim to help achieve Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) through multi-dimensional research on Public-Private Partnership (PPP), promote PPPs in China, and strengthen cooperation between China and the UN.

Based in both Beijing and Hong Kong, the Center will actively participate in developing PPP standards, especially those in the field of public transport logistics (i.e., roads, subways, and high-speed railways), and will report on the best PPP practices.

It will also be responsible for plans laid out in an agreement between UNECE and China’s National Development and Reform Commission, including a PPP Forum, PPP training courses, and promotion of PPP demonstration cities.

"The collaboration indicates our general consensus and uniform act to tackle the challenges of SDGs,” said Yang Bin, adding international cooperation has always been essential to research and education at Tsinghua.

"With the new PPP China Center, Tsinghua is ready to offer unique Chinese perspectives on PPP research and help solve the most pressing any problems in China with latest PPP models."

In the recent years, there has been considerable developments in the research and applications of the PPP model in China, with a number of policies and regulations on PPPs published. Tsinghua University has already introduced education and research projects into PPPs.

According to Bach, UNECE is dedicated to enhancing regional cooperation on PPPs. A number of regional PPP centers have been established, including centers in India, Spain and France. The new center in China will mark another significant progress on PPPs for UNECE.

With a plan to establish 27 PPP standards centered on the 17 SDGs, UNECE has set up International PPP Center of Excellence and PPP Business Advisory Board.

(From Office of Global Communications and Outreach)