Global youth leaders converge at 2024 Youth Digital Leaders Campus in China to drive innovation

Guangzhou (ILO News) -- On 16-20 July 2024, the Youth Digital Leaders Campus of the 2024 World Youth Development Forum was successfully held in Guangzhou in Guangdong Province, China, themed 'Youth Power, Digital Future’. This Campus is one of key activities of the Youth Digital Leadership Programme jointly launched by the International Labour Organization (ILO) and All-China Youth Federation (ACYF) at the 2023 World Youth Development Forum (WYDF) - Thematic Forum on Digital Development. More than 40 participants, including senior representatives of the ILO, ACYF, China Youth Daily, KAB National Promotion Office in China, international and national experts in youth entrepreneurship and skills, and youth digital leaders from 19 countries joined the campus, sharing insights on digital innovations through seminars and on-site exchanges and learning about digital development to advance the Sustainable Development Goals through the one-week study visit. Young participants were nominated by partners of the ILO-led Global Initiative on Decent Jobs for Youth.

In the opening remarks, Deputy Director of ILO Country Office for China and Mongolia, Xiaochu DAI expressed that the world is at the crossroads of a digital revolution. Innovations such as AI, big data, blockchain, and 5G are transforming our economy and society. Digitalization offers unprecedented opportunities for productivity growth, the creation of new markets and jobs, and more. However, it also brings significant challenges connected to the persistent digital divide that limits access to technology, skills, and infrastructure across nations, regions and social groups. Xiaochu DAI encouraged youth to leverage the power of digital technology, innovation, and creativity, to find solutions to some of the world's most pressing problems, drive sustainable development and create a better future for all.

Deputy Secretary-General of the ACYF, Kai LIU highlighted that the young generation is the driving force of digital innovations and the protagonists of the digital economy. In the context, the Youth Digital Leaders Campus aimed at providing a platform for young digital talents worldwide to exchange ideas and strengthen cooperation. The representative of China Youth Daily, Dezu WU encouraged the youth representatives to further contemplate how to take advantage of the rapid digital development and mitigate its risks to contribute to the UN 2030 Sustainable Development Goals and the Global Development Initiative.

We must be committed to promoting inclusive growth, ensuring that the dividends of digitalization are shared equitably across society, to fully release the immense potential of digital technology to foster youth employment, entrepreneurship, and decent work.

Xiaochu DAI, Deputy Director of ILO Country Office for China and Mongolia

During the Campus, ILO Senior Youth Employment Specialist Susana PUERTO delivered a keynote speech on the structural changes in youth employment in the context of digitalization. She emphasized the importance of strengthening digital infrastructure, promoting digital skills development for youth, and establishing a more inclusive digital economy. Similarly, Jianxin GE, professor at the Central University of Finance and Economics of China, elaborated the role that digital technologies play in empowering Chinese youth to start businesses in their hometowns contributing to the rural revitalization of China.

Following the keynote speeches, interactive lightning talks by youth representatives showcased their actions and innovations leveraging digitalization and technology-based solutions in the fields of green and low-carbon development, education, and industry upgrading, among others.

Through the one-week Campus, youth digital leaders not only participated in digital entrepreneurship seminars facilitated by ILO experts, senior KAB trainers in China and digital experts from various sectors, but also paid on-site visits to leading enterprises which fully adopt digital technologies in different industries including agriculture, biomedical engineering, construction, communications and finance.

The long-standing collaboration between the ILO and the ACYF translates into a joint commitment to the promotion of youth employment, entrepreneurship and skills development in China and beyond. In this context, the Campus served both as an exchange and learning platform, and a stage for showcasing youth-led innovation and creativity fostering collaboration and bridging mutual understanding. In the closing ceremony, youth representatives from various countries acknowledged the valuable knowledge and experiences acquired from the Campus, which inspired them to leverage digitalization to advance social development in their home countries and contribute to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals.