The 2nd Global International Organization Youth Talent Development Summit Forum (Hong Kong SAR, China) Successfully Held

Grounded in the ongoing transformation of the global governance system, responding actively to the nation’s strategic direction of improving global governance, and aligned with the HKSAR’s blueprint for building an international education hub and a magnet for top-tier talent, the 2nd Global International Organization Youth Talent Development Summit Forum (Hong Kong SAR, China) opened on 23 July 2026 at City University of Hong Kong. The Forum was co-hosted by the Department of Public and International Affairs of City University of Hong Kong, the Hong Kong Sino-Foreign Exchange Centre, and the Global SDGs and Leadership Development Center (GSLDC).

Carrying forward the founding purpose of the inaugural edition — encouraging Chinese youth to engage with international affairs and strengthen their global competence — this year’s Forum sought to help more outstanding young people from China take up posts in international organizations and participate in multilateral agendas, master prevailing international norms, accumulate hands-on multilateral experience, and build well-rounded capabilities for international engagement. The Forum drew more than 300 outstanding young people from the Chinese Mainland, Hong Kong and Macao, and brought together representatives of United Nations entities, leaders of international organizations, scholars from renowned universities, and community leaders committed to youth development, with a distinguished line-up of speakers and an agenda closely attuned to current affairs.

The program featured four keynote sessions, a closed-door expert meeting and two thematic roundtable forums, fully embodying the Forum’s hallmarks of “two-way engagement between international organizations and universities” and “direct dialogue between speakers and youth.” More than 20 universities and over 10 international organizations and NGOs took part in the exchange, jointly leveraging Hong Kong’s unique strengths as a gathering place for global governance talent and a regional hub for multilateral institutions, and working together to nurture a new generation of globally competent young people.

(From left: Prof. Michael Jinghan ZENG, Head, Department of Public and International Affairs, City University of Hong Kong; Ms. ZHOU Jingni, Secretary-General, Hong Kong Sino-Foreign Exchange Centre; Counsellor WANG Jian, Director of the International Department, Office of the Commissioner of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People’s Republic of China in the HKSAR; Prof. Alfred Tat-kei HO, Dean, College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences, City University of Hong Kong; Mr. Frank LI, Chairman, Hong Kong Sino-Foreign Exchange Centre; Mr. Satya S. TRIPATHI, Former Assistant Secretary-General, United Nations; Ms. Judy CHEN, Chairman, Hong Kong Committee for UNICEF; Dr. Ismail SERAGELDIN, Former Vice President, World Bank; Co-Chair of the Nizami Ganjavi International Center (NGIC); Prof. Teresa CHENG GBM, GBS, SC, JP, Secretary-General, International Organization for Mediation; and from right: Ms. Grace GAO, Executive Director, Global SDGs and Leadership Development Center; Mr. LI Haiou, Party Secretary, University of International Relations; Prof. Yike GUO, Provost, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology; Mr. Duncan CHIU, Hong Kong Deputy to the National People’s Congress; Prof. Wen Jung LI, Vice-President (Talent and International Strategy), City University of Hong Kong)

【City University of Hong Kong: A Node in the Multilateral Knowledge Network and the Global Public-Good Character of Talent Development】

Speaking as host and co-organizer, Prof. Wen Jung LI, Vice-President (Talent and International Strategy) of City University of Hong Kong, noted that CityUHK’s Department of Public and International Affairs is one of the few departments in Asia with deep expertise in both public governance and the multilateral work of international organizations, and that its public administration program ranks 7th globally and 1st in Asia in the ShanghaiRanking Global Ranking of Academic Subjects. He stressed that CityUHK is committed to building platforms that strengthen young people’s capacity to participate in global affairs, and encouraged participants to make full use of the Forum for their own growth.

(Prof. Wen Jung LI, Vice-President, City University of Hong Kong)

【Hong Kong’s Locational Value and Institutional Advantages as a Hub for Global Governance Talent】

Delivering remarks on behalf of the organizers, Mr. Frank LI, Chairman of the Hong Kong Sino-Foreign Exchange Centre, described the Summit Forum as the Centre’s flagship annual event and thanked the experts from United Nations entities, representatives of Hong Kong-based international organizations, and university leaders and scholars for their presence. Now in its second edition, he noted, the Forum has moved into substantive collaboration with a wide range of international organizations, universities and NGOs. Drawing on Hong Kong’s core advantages as a gathering place for global governance talent and a regional hub for multilateral institutions, the Centre has, since its establishment, worked with regional strengths and expert resources from international organizations to develop and further complete a coordinated framework for youth talent development for multilateral institutions. He expressed the hope that the Centre will cultivate many more outstanding young Chinese professionals for international organizations in the years ahead.

(Mr. Frank LI, Chairman, Hong Kong Sino-Foreign Exchange Centre)

【Global SDGs and Leadership Development Center: From Capacity Building to Career Pathways — A Full-Chain Model for International Organization Talent】

Ms. Grace GAO, Executive Director of the Global SDGs and Leadership Development Center (co-organizer), said the Center is dedicated to opening a full-chain pathway for young people, from capacity building through to careers in international organizations. The Center has established partnerships with a number of international organizations and universities, and has launched the “Global SDGs Youth Scholar Residency Research Program” together with practice-oriented micro-courses. These are designed around authentic governance scenarios such as international treaty negotiation, multilateral project delivery and cross-cultural consultation, covering frontier fields including AI governance, digital cities and international law. Through a progressive “training–internship–employment” pathway, participants are connected to international conference participation and in-residence study opportunities, allowing them to build frontline practical experience in real working settings. Ms. Gao emphasized that the Center positions itself as both a “connector” and a “translator” — converting frontline experience and expert resources from international organizations into learning platforms and growth pathways that universities and young people can genuinely access.

(Ms. Grace GAO, Executive Director, Global SDGs and Leadership Development Center)

【The Institutional Mission of the International Organization for Mediation and Building an Ecosystem for Multilateral Dispute Resolution】

Prof. Teresa CHENG GBM, GBS, SC, JP, Secretary-General of the International Organization for Mediation, noted that the organization is the world’s first intergovernmental international legal body dedicated specifically to mediation. It signed its convention with 37 countries on the day of its establishment and now has 45 signatory states. As the first intergovernmental international organization headquartered in Hong Kong, it will continue to refine its talent development mechanisms, and she welcomed more outstanding young people to take up careers in multilateral legal affairs.

(Prof. Teresa CHENG GBM, GBS, SC, JP, Secretary-General, International Organization for Mediation)

【Repositioning the Multilateral Development Banks: The Logic of Governance Restructuring】

Dr. Ismail SERAGELDIN, Former Vice President of the World Bank, and Co-Chair of the Nizami Ganjavi International Center (NGIC), revisited the historical mission of the Bretton Woods system and stressed that, amid the current restructuring of the international framework, the World Bank and related institutions must evolve with the times. He encouraged young people to develop a deep understanding of the UN financial system, to engage with sustainable development, and to become a backbone of international organizations in the future.

(Dr. Ismail SERAGELDIN, Former Vice President, World Bank, Co-Chair of the Nizami Ganjavi International Center (NGIC))

【Midterm Review of the 2030 Agenda: The Governance Capacity Deficit and Structural Adjustment of Human Resources Systems】

Mr. Satya S. TRIPATHI, Former Assistant Secretary-General of the United Nations, pointed out that the 2025 ten-year review of the 2030 Agenda showed only about 18% of the Sustainable Development Goals on track and a further 17% making modest progress — far short of expectations. Beyond external shocks, he argued, the key bottlenecks are structural contradictions in global governance: imbalanced talent mobility, a disconnect between education systems and the demands of the SDGs, shortages of qualified faculty, and an insufficient supply of ESG professionals. He urged young people to treat the delivery of the SDGs as a career direction, to build their capabilities proactively, and to contribute to advancing global governance.

(Mr. Satya S. TRIPATHI, Former Assistant Secretary-General, United Nations)

【From Children’s Rights to Intergenerational Equity: Institutional Design for Protecting Vulnerable Groups in International Organizations — “The Other Shore of Education”】

Ms. Judy CHEN, Chairman of the Hong Kong Committee for UNICEF and guest of honor at the Forum, delivered an address entitled “The Other Shore of Education,” stressing that education is far more than grades, credentials or reputation — it is a bridge connecting the classroom to the world and a powerful instrument of change. Citing global figures, she noted that 258 million children and young people remain out of school, while 617 million children are in classrooms yet still unable to master basic literacy and numeracy. She called on participants to see education as both a right and a responsibility, and encouraged students and educators to carry what they learn into everyday conversation, into their communities and into daily practice — using knowledge to solve real-world problems and speaking honestly on the issues that matter, so as to understand how education realizes its true impact beyond the classroom.

The Forum also convened a high-level closed-door expert meeting on “New Coordinates for International Organization Talent in the Age of AI,” chaired by Prof. Michael Jinghan ZENG, Head of the Department of Public and International Affairs at City University of Hong Kong, and Ms. Grace GAO, Executive Director of the Global SDGs and Leadership Development Center. Two high-profile roundtable forums followed, exploring “From Rule Takers to Rule Makers: Competency Transformation and Institutional Participation for International Legal Talent” and “China and Global Governance: Participants and Contributors within the Multilateral System.”

Participants in the closed-door meeting:

(Dr. Ismail SERAGELDIN, Former Vice President, World Bank and Co-Chair of the Nizami Ganjavi International Center (NGIC); Mr. Satya S. TRIPATHI, Former Assistant Secretary-General, United Nations; Prof. Yike GUO, Provost, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology; Prof. Albert CHAU, Vice-President, Hong Kong Baptist University; Prof. ZHONG Weihe, President, Macau Millennium College; Prof. Alfred Tat-kei HO, Dean, College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences, City University of Hong Kong; Mr. REN Hao, former Director-General of the Liaison Department, Red Cross Society of China; Mr. Rza ALIYEV, Secretary General, Nizami Ganjavi International Center; Prof. XIAO Shengxiong, Director of the International Exchange Office, Shanghai Normal University; Prof. Michael Jinghan ZENG, Head, Department of Public and International Affairs, City University of Hong Kong; Ms. Grace GAO, Executive Director, Global SDGs and Leadership Development Center; Prof. HUANG Hua, Assistant President, Macau Millennium College; Ms. ZHOU Jingni, Secretary-General, Hong Kong Sino-Foreign Exchange Centre)

Thematic Forum I, on the competency transformation and institutional participation of international legal talent, was moderated by Prof. Lu CHENG of Sichuan International Studies University and brought together experts and scholars from The University of Hong Kong, City University of Hong Kong, Sichuan International Studies University, Jiangxi University of Finance and Economics, and the Global SDGs and Leadership Development Center.

(From left: Prof. Lu CHENG, Associate Professor, Sichuan International Studies University; Prof. Jiangyu WANG, Professor, School of Law and Director of the Centre for Chinese and Comparative Law, City University of Hong Kong; Mr. Zhenhua JIN, Secretary-General of the Compliance and Risk Management Committee, Global SDGs and Leadership Development Center; Prof. Ling CHEN, Associate Professor, Jiangxi University of Finance and Economics)

Thematic Forum II, “China and Global Governance: Participants and Contributors within the Multilateral System,” was moderated by Prof. Michael Jinghan ZENG, Head of the Department of Public and International Affairs at City University of Hong Kong (co-organizer), with experts and scholars from the World Bank, The University of Hong Kong, City University of Hong Kong, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, China University of Petroleum (East China), United Nations University and the Nizami Ganjavi International Center (NGIC). Speakers examined Hong Kong’s institutional advantages as a “testing ground” for international governance agendas, the relationship between China and global governance, and how to act as both participant and contributor within a multilateral system — in a lively discussion followed closely by the audience.

(From left: Prof. Michael Jinghan ZENG, Head, Department of Public and International Affairs, City University of Hong Kong; Dr. Ismail SERAGELDIN, Former Vice President, World Bank and Co-Chair of the Nizami Ganjavi International Center (NGIC); Prof. Alfred Tat-kei HO, Dean, College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences, City University of Hong Kong; Mr. Rza ALIYEV, Secretary General, Nizami Ganjavi International Center; Prof. Brian WONG, Assistant Professor, Department of Philosophy, The University of Hong Kong; Prof. Tim SUMMERS, Assistant Professor, Centre for China Studies, The Chinese University of Hong Kong; Dr. Serge STINCKWICH, Senior Research Fellow, United Nations University Paris Office; and from right: Prof. Yuanyue ZHANG, Associate Professor, China University of Petroleum (East China))

The Forum was co- organized by the Global SDGs and Leadership Development Center (GSLDC), Hong Kong Sino-Foreign Exchange Centre, and the Department of Public and International Affairs of City University of Hong Kong, and co-hosted by the University of International Relations, City University of Hong Kong and Macau Millennium College, with support from the Nizami Ganjavi International Center (NGIC). The Forum was widely covered by media partners at home and abroad, including Bauhinia New Media (Hong Kong), People’s Daily, China Daily, Hong Kong Commercial Daily, KinLiu and China Youth Daily, reflecting the growing international attention to Hong Kong as a meeting point for the development of talent for international organizations.

Looking ahead, the Global International Organization Youth Talent Development Summit Forum (Hong Kong SAR, China) aims to establish itself as a leading platform in Hong Kong for preparing young people for service in international organizations. The Forum will continue to widen its network of multilateral institutions, universities worldwide, NGOs and public bodies, opening direct access for emerging talent to experts across the United Nations system and other international organizations, and working with these partners to build a talent development framework and practice platform aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals and the evolving needs of global governance.

Organizing Committee, the 2nd Global International Organization Youth Talent Development Summit Forum (Hong Kong SAR, China)

23 July 2026