Annual meeting of Global Youth Dialogue held virtually

China's progress in protecting world heritage and enhancing ecological conservation in the new era was highlighted at the sixth annual meeting of Global Youth Cultural Dialogue, which was shared online from Beijing's University of International Business and Economics, or UIBE.

Under the theme of World Heritage and Youth Creativity, experts, scholars, and young people from China, Germany, Hungary, Mexico, Pakistan, Russia, Saudi Arabia, the UK, and other countries discussed through an online video conference the power of young people in world heritage protection.

Wen Jun, deputy Party secretary of UIBE, said in her speech that young people are the inheritors of the cause of world heritage protection and that they act as a bridge for exchanges and cooperation between China and other nations while also assuming important missions in promoting dialogue among civilizations.

On behalf of the hosts of the World Heritage and Youth Creativity VLOG contest, Chen Jie, director of external cooperation for UNESCO's International Center for Creativity and Sustainable Development, or ICCSD, noted that young people are a group of great concern to UNESCO, and that ICCSD has always been interested in supporting the capacity building of young people around the world.

Bai Gengsheng, vice-chairman of the China Writers Association, said China has attached great importance to the protection of cultural heritage in recent years and that, from rescue protection to inheritance, the nation has come a long way and made valuable contributions. It is necessary to have academic institutions and educational platforms to support efforts in the protection of cultural heritage and the development of cultural heritage theories, Bai said.

Zahid Aawar, vice-president of Pakistan's University of Peshawar, said young people are the leaders of the future and have the potential to drive change and that it is important to help the younger generation realize the importance of resources and cultural heritage and to involve them in heritage conservation.

Hans d'Orville, former assistant director-general of UNESCO, noted that protecting cultural heritage plays a key role in building a peaceful future for all civilizations. Dissemination of knowledge about world heritage sites and their value is one of the central tasks committed by all states and parties to the Convention Concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage, including China. Cultural heritage-related exchanges and education, therefore, play a vital role, especially for young people, d'Orville said.

In the Youth Dialogue session, 16 videos from young people in China, Mexico, Pakistan, Russia, and Saudi Arabia were commended.

Ahmed S. Badrais, vice-chairman of the board of governors at Canada's New Westminster College, and Lefteris Emmanuel Heretakis, a faculty member in the graphic design and illustration department at Bucks New University, along with Tan Youzhi, a professor at the School of International Relations within UIBE, held a dialogue with young representatives about their work and creative processes.