The Thematic Forum for the Inclusive and Equitable Quality Education was held in Beijing on July 23. More than 200 representatives all over the world attended the forum online and offline. Photo: LI Junhui/China Youth Daily

More than 200 government officials, representatives from international organizations, youth organizations and businesses, education experts and scholars, shared their experiences and opinions online and offline.

Shahbaz Khan, Director of UNESCO Beijing Office, stated that the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development pledges to leave no one behind. He stressed the importance of active engagement of youth in sustainable development efforts, and called on countries to ensure inclusive and equitable quality education for a just, fair, open and inclusive world, where the needs of the most vulnerable are met as well.

Rebecca Ivey, Chief Representative Officer, China Office, World Economic Forum Beijing, pointed out that over the past two years, the COVID-19 pandemic has led to the closure of many schools, affecting 1.6 billion children and exacerbating education inequality. She called for making full use of scientific and technological means to innovate in teaching, and preparing young people for the arrival of Industry 4.0 with comprehensive skills.

GUO Meijian, Chair of the China Youth Development Foundation, shared the story of Project Hope, one of the most widely participated and influential public welfare projects in China, which has helped millions of youths go to school in underdeveloped areas. He called for greater collaboration between social welfare organizations and other actors, such as governments, markets and NGOs.

YAO Ming, Vice President of All-China Youth Federation, Chairman of the Chinese Basketball Association, Founder of YAO Foundation, shared his experience of growing up through basketball and helping rural youth enjoy fair and quality physical education. He called on contemporary youth to recognize the importance of sports, develop a lifelong habit of sports, and bring the happiness of sports to more children through physical education.

WANG Hongyan, President of the All-China Youth Federation, held dialogues with youth ministers and representatives from BRICS countries. She said that international cooperation in youth development should be strengthened, especially among the developing countries like BRICS. She called for building up a platform for exchanges and cooperation for youth development, encouraging youth to participate in global governance and development, and practicing true multilateralism. 

The forum was also attended by: Andreas Schleicher, Director for Education and Skills, OECD; Nurzhan Zhetpisbayev, Chairman of the Youth Wing “Jastar Rukby” under the “Amanat” Party of Kazakhstan; Alvin Tan, Minister of State, Trade and Industry and Culture, Community and Youth, Singapore; Kenneth Fok Kaikong, Vice President of All-China Youth Federation; ZHANG Mingzhou, President of International Board on Books for Young People; WANG Xiaoxiao, Secretary-General of Global MOOC and Online Education Alliance, etc. Some volunteers and students also shared their stories and experiences in the field of education.

The Thematic Forum for Inclusive and Equitable Quality Education was organized by the China Youth Development Foundation. It was one of the four sub-forums of the World Youth Development Forum, which was hosted by the All-China Youth Federation.

Reporting by HU Wenli