Youth Dialogue – Youth Livelihoods and Wellness through South-South Cooperation: Innovation, Technology and Entrepreneurial Training (29-30 Mar, 2018)

Date: 29-30 March 2018
Time: 09:30-16:00 (29 March) | 9.00- 16.00 (30 March)
Venue: Rooms 1-3, Level 3, Core F, Cyberport 3, Cyberport  Hong Kong

Organised by Government of Hong Kong (Cyberport), The United Nations Office for South-South  (UNOSSC), and UNESCO HK Association

Sponsored by Government of Hong Kong (Cyberport), Gratia Christian College (GCC), HK – Centre for Business/ Social Sustainability and Innovations, Gratia College, The Institute of Certified Management Accountants (CMA)

Supported by City University of Hong Kong, College of Business, EMBA

Introduction

A rapidly changing World offers many challenges and opportunities for the Youth, particularly in the Global South countries. Among these challenges are high levels of unemployment with the escalation of use of artificial intelligence challenging opportunities for work among many youths. Furthermore, the pressure to keep up with educational demands and social integration results in many young people being left isolated.

Although Hong Kong is highly developed, as a Special Administrative Region of the People’s Republic of China it shares the endeavor not only to solve the problems of the Youth, but to share the development solutions with other youth in the Global South. In the past few years Hang Seng Management College’s Centre for Corporate Sustainability and Innovation (CCSI) and the UN Office for South-South Cooperation have convened knowledge sharing events between youth from Hong Kong, mainland China, Indonesia and Philippines. The potential to share lessons learnt between young people on economic and social issues is the driver for the convening of such a forum.

Objective of the Forum

The Sustainable Development Agenda calls for development that leaves no one behind. Therefore, it is important to instill ideals to work together between the future entrepreneurs. It is particularly important to bring together youth from countries such as China and from other developing countries. The objective of the workshop is to kick-start a nexus of young people working together in particular in Asia, Africa and Oceania.

Furthermore, the Forum will provide a basis for resource mobilization effort for an expanded entrepreneurship programme facilitated by the United Nations Office for South-South Cooperation.

Organisers

Cyberport is the renowned centre for entrepreneurship training led by the Government of Hong Kong. Entrepreneurs trained here have proceeded to grow their own companies. Holding the event at Cyberport will not only provide excellent facilities, but will also encourage the youth to seek excellence as entrepreneurs and social entrepreneurs. Some of the presenters will include Cyberport Management and graduates (entrepreneurs).

The UNOSSC continually seeks to showcase and transfer forward-thinking Southern development solutions to development partners to meet the critical development challenges of today. Furthermore, UNOSSC seeks to work with Specialised UN Agencies, governments and the private sector in the areas of their competency to strengthen development through South-South Cooperation.

UNESCO as the specialized UN Agency on education, science and Technology as well as culture is uniquely positioned to understand the challenges of the youth today. Besides its global outreach can help provide that global understanding of youth issues in Asia, Africa and other continents. UNESCO officials have stated that education should transform lives, help to build peace, eradicate poverty and drive sustainable development.

This Forum will benefit from the input of the three organisations to facilitate dialogue on solutions on technology, innovation, entrepreneurial activities to 1) fight against poverty; 2) to enhance economic growth via women empowerment and innovation; and 3) create knowledge for sustainable development via new ways of thinking and promotion of mind and body wellness.

Specific Outcomes of the Forum

The Youth Forum is committed to promote the sharing of ideas, in a structured way, including feasible solution development applying modern with technology, innovations and entrepreneurial activities. The following Objectives should be attained by end of workshop:

• Trained Youth will prepare proposals for action on return;
• Proposals or business plans will be vetted by judges and winner will receive award;
• Ideas generated for a South-South Annual Forum to scale up exchanges;
• A network of youth entrepreneurs created.

Participants

Cyberport, UNOSSC and UNESCO Hong-Kong will convene a 2-day Youth Forum led by Youth of the ages of 15-24, in Hong Kong, on solutions for: creating jobs, creating business, creating sustainable development knowledge, and creating a new way of looking at (well-being) and entrepreneurship.

Invited participants will be from countries that have already cooperated with UNOSSC and Hang Seng Management College under the MoU signed in 2016. These countries are Indonesia, Philippines, and Malaysia. The organisers will liaise with the Africa Union to provide names of youth to participate from Central, Eastern, Southern and Western Regions in Africa. At least each region will have one representative. The participants will be the focal points for future training.

29 March 2018

  30 March 2018

Judges: 

Dr. Shirley Mo Ching Yeung

Head of School of Business/ Associate Professor at Gratia Christian College, Hong Kong

Dr. John Leung

EMBA, Programme Director at City University of Hong Kong

Prof. Allen Wong

Senior Vice President at CMA (Global) Hong Kong