On 28 June 2021, at the invitation of Beijing Normal University (BNU), Prof. Shahbaz Khan, Director of UNESCO Beijing Cluster Office attended the opening ceremony of the first Jingshi Students International Exchange Week, joined in the panel discussion on “Youth Global Competency”, and had an official meeting with Prof. Zuoyu Zhou, the Vice President of BNU.
Hosted by Prof. Saini Yang, Prof. Khan attended the panel discussion together with Mr. Guoguang Zheng, Mr. Yansheng Ma, and Prof. Xiaodong Zeng. Prof. Khan shared his insights and expectations of Chinese youth on how to boost their global competence and qualifications for international organizations.
Youth has to face up to global challenges, such as inequality and climate emergency issues. UNESCO has launched programmes including Global Citizenship Education (GCED) and Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) to empower learners of all ages with the knowledge, skills, values and attitudes to address the interconnected global challenges we are facing and to encourage them to become active promoters of more sustainable societies. Meanwhile, it is also important for Chinese youth to know about the Chinese government’s 14 Five-year Plan. This new Five-year Plan sets eco civilization and green development as a priority, with an ultimate goal to achieve shared benefits. The Chinese youth are expected to play a significant role in this process.
After the opening ceremony, Prof. Khan met with Prof. Zuoyu Zhou, Vice President of Beijing Normal University accompanied by Prof. Xiaodong Zeng and Prof. Saini Yang to discuss collaboration in terms of rural revitalization, quality education for all, disaster risk reduction etc.
