On November 23, 2025, the 21st General Conference of the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) was held in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Academician Chen Deliang from the Department of Earth System Science (DESS), Tsinghua University, was invited to serve as an international juror for the inaugural One World Sustainability Award, and delivered the award citation at the conference’s award ceremony.

Launched by UNIDO for the first time in 2025, the One World Sustainability Award is its flagship prize, established to recognize enterprises, institutions and individuals with outstanding contributions in sustainable industrial development, green innovation, women’s empowerment, sustainable supply chains and other related fields. The award is judged by a panel of global experts under rigorous criteria covering sustainability, innovation, impact and scalability as core indicators.

At the ceremony, Academician Chen Deliang delivered the official citation. He spoke highly of the winners’ remarkable achievements in advancing industrial green transition, promoting inclusive development and addressing climate change, and emphasized the pivotal roles of innovation, cooperation and science in building a sustainable future. He noted that serving as a juror for the inaugural One World Sustainability Award represents both trust and honor. The award showcases the latest progress of the global industrial community in sustainable development, and he expressed hope that closer partnerships will be built among research, industry and government in the future.

This marks the first time an expert from the Department of Earth System Science (DESS), Tsinghua University, has participated in the judging of a top-tier global award for sustainable industrial development, signaling the growing international influence of Chinese scholars in the fields of sustainable development and climate change research. Moving forward, Tsinghua DESS will continue to deepen strategic cooperation with UN agencies and global partners, and contribute more Chinese insights and solutions to key issues including sustainable development, green transition and global governance.

Chen Deliang (third from left) addresses the award ceremony.

Edited by Jiayin Wang

Reviewed by Rui Geng