Frequently Asked Questions

Q. What is IHE's relationship with the Chinese government?
A. IHE is a non-government organization (NGO) approved by the Chinese government. This approval allows IHE to work in China, but IHE has no ties, officially or otherwise, to any part of the Chinese government. Additionally, IHE receives no funding from the Chinese government. Nonetheless, IHE does work closely with many Chinese government departments, ministries, and agencies, especially the State Environmental Protection Administration (SEPA) and the Environment and Resource Committee of the National People's Congress (NPC).

Q. From where does IHE get its funding?
A. IHE is a non-profit organization that works autonomously in China, often in consultation with the Chinese government. However, IHE receives no funding from the government. All of IHE's funding comes from grants from multinational corporations, international environment organizations, and foundations. IHE welcomes inquiries from organizations interested in contributing to IHE and participating in new or existing projects. Email IHE.

Q. Does IHE maintain a database on specific environment issues? Can it answer specific questions related to China's environment?
A. IHE does not maintain an environmental database, and so probably cannot respond to requests for information on specific issues. However, there are several ways IHE may be able to help you in your search for information:

1) Explore IHE's available publications. IHE's USA office maintains a stock of several hard-to-find and proprietary publications, and one or more of these publications may be helpful to you.

2) Commission a report from IHE. IHE can produce a report for you on specific issues related to China's environment and/or development. IHE feels that the reports it produces contain high-quality information and unique insight that would be unavailable from any other source. IHE can present a brief proposal, including costs and areas to be covered, on a case-by-case basis. Contact IHE if you are interested in this option.

In addition, IHE is developing two additional means to obtain information on China's environment:

1) IHE's Publications Retrieval Service. This service, which should be in operation by mid-summer 1999, will offer publications on China's environment that are only available within China. IHE will not keep these items in stock, but will obtain and ship publications once they have been ordered. Keep an eye on the "publications" section of www.ihe.org for more information.

2) China Environment and Development Report. IHE is planning to introduce this monthly report on China's environment and development once start-up funding has been secured. Each issue will include news, sector and regional reports, exclusive interviews, and exclusive contributions by leaders in the Chinese and global environment community. The China Environment and Development Report will be available by subscription.

Q. Does IHE offer internships?
A. IHE has no official college internship programs, but has offered internships before in its Beijing, China and Virginia, USA offices. In general, internships are unpaid, and duties often include a combination of administrative support and assistance on current IHE project work. Please contact IHE's USA office for more information.