From July 1-3, the 2024 Global Youth Summer Camp was held at the Southern University of Science and Technology (SUSTech). With the theme of “A New Generation, A New Future”, the camp brought together more than 200 outstanding young people from 50 countries, who, after in-depth cross-cultural exchanges, formed a consensus and released the 2024 Global Youth Shenzhen Initiative: A New Generation, A New Future.

Shenzhen Initiative

Ting Gu, Vice President of the Shenzhen People’s Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries, emphasized that the world needs diversified perspectives in these time of both challenges and opportunities. He encouraged young people to stand at the forefront of the era, shoulder their social responsibilities, actively participate in the research and discussion of world issues and global governance, reflect on regional and global issues, and contribute their wisdom and solutions.

He hoped that the global youth can deepen their understanding through mutual exchanges and become ambassadors of friendship between Shenzhen and the world. This would foster better understand of Shenzhen and China and contribute to promoting people-to-people communication and building a shared future for all humanity.

Global Youth Summer Camp opens at SUSTech

During the three-day event, young people from around the world interacted with Li Jin, Vice President of SUSTech and Director of the International Center for Higher Education Innovation under the auspices of UNESCO (Shenzhen), and Jiansheng Dai, Dean of the Institute of Robotics. They discussed global competence, artificial intelligence, technological revolution, and industrial change.

Heated discussions were held on the topics of “Youth Global Competence and Global Governance”, “Contemporary Global Youth: Indigenous People in the Age of AI”, and “Youth Health and Future”. The youth from different countries visited the campus, academies, and laboratories of SUSTech, as well as Shenzhen enterprises such as Mindray and Huawei. They also explored landmarks like Lotus Hill Park, Civic Center, and Dapeng Peninsula to experience the charm of the city as the capital of reform, opening up, and innovation.

The participants agreed that, in the face of challenges and uncertainties, global youth should respect cultural differences with open and tolerant empathy. They should enhance cross-cultural communication and understanding, advocate for peace and prosperity, and embody global competence.

Shenzhen Initiative proclaimed at SUSTech

Annex: Original text of the initiative

July 2, 2024

Shenzhen, China

Shenzhen Initiative – A New Generation, A New Future

We, the young from all over the world who meet in Shenzhen for our common ideals “A New Generation, A New Future”, will face the challenges and uncertainties, shoulder our social responsibilities, respect cultural differences with open and tolerant empathy, enhance cross-cultural communication and understanding, advocate for peace and prosperity, and be the youth with global competence. Here we jointly make the “Shenzhen Initiative”:

1. Hand in hand with young people from all over the world, play an active role in cross-cultural exchanges by strengthening cooperation and communication, resolve conflicts and contradictions, enhance understanding and build trust for the noble cause of the peaceful development of humankind.

2. Support the global sustainable development goals, actively participate in the study and discussion of world issues and global governance, seek to understand the progress of human civilization and the world development dynamics, reflect on regional and global issues, enhance connectivity, and contribute youth’s solutions for sustainable development, human health and well-being.

3. Respect the diversity and differences of human civilizations, appreciate different cultures, and understand each other.

4. Explore the profound change of generative AI on the reform of societal-economic system, safely and effectively use AI to solve practical human problems and address global challenges. Be curious, adhere to lifelong learning and self-improvement, and explore the integration of humanities, science and technology.

5. Apply new technologies, new concepts and new ideas to solve global issues such as climate change, resource scarcity, food security, hunger, poverty and human health. Link personal career development with global destiny, and be practitioners of a community of shared future for mankind in the new era.