In 2021, a herd of wild Asian elephants in Yunnan roamed all the way north, trekking over 1,300 kilometers across cities and fields. The elephants’ safe journey marked China’s devotion and achievements in biodiversity conservation.
This year, global youth have joined in this biodiversity conservation journey and contributed youth wisdom through Rong Chang Cup Youth Innovation Competition on Global Governance 2023(YICGG2023). The theme of this year, Biodiversity Breeds Prosperity, looks at how people can join hands and rise to unprecedented global challenges such as environmental governance and biodiversity loss, and stand united to build a shared future for all life on earth.
At the YICGG2023 opening ceremony held in Dali City, Yunnan Province on July 12, Jin li, president of Fudan University, expressed his wishes for all contestants to join hands and contribute their wisdom to build a shared future for all life on earth. He stressed the significance of exploring diversity for human phenotypes when sharing his latest findings in human phenome project genome.
Yang Guozong, Party chief of Dali Bai Autonomous Prefecture, Wang Jianming, executive chairman of Shanghai Rong Chang Public Welfare Foundation, Li Tao, Party chief of Dali University also delivered speeches at the opening ceremony.
Arkebe Oqubay, former senior minister and special advisor to the Prime Minister of Ethiopia, British Academy Global Professor at the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London, distinguished professor of Fudan University, emphasized the impacts of climate change on biodiversity and called upon the international community to take actions such as reducing carbon emissions and promoting clean energy to create a better environment for the conservation of global biodiversity.
Experts and scholars shared their insights into international norms, the roles of different stakeholders, and China’s efforts in promoting green transition and conserving global biodiversity at the Panel Talk session. The talks led to a heated discussion among contestants, with many of them giving insightful answers and exchanging ideas with the guests on governance plans and implementation.
“The competition brings people from different backgrounds together, and allows us to have different perspectives,” said Zephyr C Piranese Aptekar, an international student from Shanghai University, who asked Prof. Arkebe a question about youth’s role in governance, and agreed that youth can make a difference in biodiversity conservation. “The youth should have a voice and exert more influence on policy making,” he said.
Biodiversity is a necessary foundation of human survival and development. From COP14 to COP15, as one of the major countries of biodiversity conservation, China has been cooperating with international stakeholders, contributing experience and wisdom to the world.
Hosted by Fudan University, Dali University and Shanghai Rong Chang Public Welfare Foundation, organized by the School of International Relations and Public Affairs of Fudan University and the International Exchange and Cooperation Division of Dali University, YICGG2023 focuses on the global challenge of biodiversity loss and gathers wisdom from global youth. This year, the event comes to Dali, a place of significance for global biodiversity conservation, which not only represents an extended bond between Fudan University and Dali, but shares with the world China’s practice and experience in building ecological civilization as well.
The 64 finalists of YICGG2023 come from 29 countries, including Portugal, Jamaica, and Somalia, and 19 universities, such as Cambridge University, Columbia University and Nanyang Technological University. They have put forward innovative proposals in the preliminary round, such as building up the world network of Seed Bank, Environment DNA, and the use of Bionics in urban agriculture and the small hydropower station model for ecological conservation.
In the upcoming days, the finalists will be randomly divided into 9 World Teams to participate in 6 sessions, including Ignite Talk, Sparkling Debate, Field Work, World Café, We Youth Common Agenda and Final Presentation. Among them, Sparkling Debate is a brand-new session, aiming to inspire new ideas through debates. During Field Work, contestants will align themselves with COP15 by visiting its recommended case-study site, Yunlong National Nature Reserve, where the Ant Forest Snub-nosed Monkey Habitat Restoration Project is located. After the proactive sessions, contestants will devise their final proposals around the competition theme Biodiversity Breeds Prosperity and make final presentations on the last day.
This year marks the 17th anniversary of YICGG. From 2007 to 2023, YICGG has gradually become the cradle for young leaders of global governance. The event is expected to plant a seed of care for nature, for biodiversity, and most importantly, for further international cooperation in building a shared future for all life on earth.
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Presented by Fudan University Media Center
Source: School of International Relations and Public Affairs
Writer: Xie Yi, Zhang Ao
Photographer: Yan Yiping, Fu Pengcheng
Editor: Wang Mengqi, Li Yijie
Designer: Ling Yiqi
