| General Information
Press Conference of Beijing Forum 2010
Approved by the Chinese Ministry of Education, under the auspices of the Beijing Municipal Government, the seventh annual conference of Beijing Forum -- Beijing Forum 2010 is to be held from Nov. 5th to 7th, 2010 in Beijing. It is co-sponsored by Peking University, Beijing Municipal Commission of Education and The Korea Foundation for Advanced Studies. This grand academic gathering, with the theme of “The Harmony of Civilizations and Prosperity for All -- Commitments and Responsibilities for a Better World”, will attract more than 300 noted scholars and celebrities from over 40 countries and regions, over 200 of whom are from overseas.
The annual theme of Beijing Forum 2010, “Commitments and Responsibilities for a Better World”, is of particular practical significance under the present circumstances. Since the beginning of historical time, human beings have traditionally celebrated the great advancement of human civilizations. However, even as we take pride in our establishment of high civilizations upon the earth, we cannot turn a blind eye to the enormous natural devastation that human civilizations have left in their wake, and the way it has dramatically upset the equilibrium and harmony of the natural order of things. Moreover, since today’s society has been driven to pursue personal economic advantage and unprecedented material gain, the result has been a growing social deterioration and a deepening ideological and spiritual crisis. Thus, it has become important and imperative that we should give serious thought and reflection to the impact our social development has exerted on our external surroundings and on our internal spiritual world; and that we should properly deal with the issues that are of strategic importance to human survival and development.
There will be seven panel sessions, one student panel, two special panels and a dialogue at this year’s Forum. The seven panel sessions will probe into the theme of the forum from the perspectives of philosophy, environmental science, international relations, urban development, medical science, economics and education, with their sub-themes being: “Faith and Responsibilities: Spiritual Reflections on Global Issues”, “Addressing Global Environmental Challenges: Policies and Actions”, “Global Governance and the Role of China”, “Building the Harmonious World City”, “Health for All: Conscience and Commitment of Medicine”, “Global Imbalances and their Solution” and “Education Reform and Research in the Era of Transition: Responsibility and Future”. Beijing Forum 2010 sets great store by the combination of arts and science, and natural science is well integrated into the discussion of the proposed topics.
The Forum this year will for the first time hold a student panel with a view to broadening the Forum’s coverage and influence, and cultivating an academic new force by encouraging students to incorporate their knowledge and skills to the discussion of global issues. More than fifty students from Yale University, Stanford University, National University of Australia, Waseda University, Peking University, Tsinghua University, Fudan University and other world-renowned universities will gather in Beijing for this event to discuss the theme entitled “Challenge, Responsibility, Vision: We are the Youth in a Globalizing World”, their discussion is expected to center on Environmental Protection and Green Development, as well as the response of the world youth to the challenges resulted from worldwide environmental damage and eco-deterioration.
In addition, this year the Forum continues its cooperation with the most prestigious universities and organizations around the world, it will co-organize two special panelswith University of Cambridge and the University of Chicago, focusing on the topics of "Information Access for a Better World: Provenance, Privacy and Charging" and "Post-Crisis Development: Whither the China Model?" respectively. And for the first time, the panel session on “Faith and Responsibilities: Spiritual Reflections on Global Issues” is organized in partnership with Yale University and the Tony Blair Faith Foundation.
“Dialogue” is strongly believed by Beijing Forum to be an effective communication style best linking eastern and western civilizations, because it is based on an equal and friendly inter-cultural exchange. Therefore, in the wake of the “Islamic-Confucian Dialogue” conducted last year, the Forum this year will organize another dialogue, namely a “Christian-Confucian Dialogue: Ecology and A Culture of Peace.”
The Forum will be honored to have the attendance of Luo Haocai, Former Vice-Chairman of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference and President of China Society for Human Rights Studies; Hao Ping, Vice Minister, Chinese Ministry of Education; Tony Blair, Former British Prime Minister; Ernesto Zedillo, Former President of Mexico; Michael Ussery, Former US Deputy Assistant Secretary of State and Former US Ambassador to Morocco; Mustafa Ceric, Grand Mufti of Bosnia-Herzegovina; Pheng Sok, Secretary of State, Ministry of Health, Royal Government of Cambodia; Jürgen Moltmann, Professor Emeritus of Systematic Theology, Tübingen University; Pan Wenshi, Professor of the School of Life Sciences, Peking University; and many other distinguished guests from home and abroad. UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon will specially send Beijing Forum a message to offer his congratulations on its opening. Also present are nearly 20 ambassadors and counselors from a number of foreign embassies to China. Mr. Tony Blair, Dr. Ernesto Zedillo, Professor Jürgen Moltmann and Professor Pan Wenshi will each deliver a keynote speech or specially-invited speech at the Forum.
Initiated in 2004 and held annually ever since, Beijing Forum has become one of the most influential academic conferences in the international community of humanities and social sciences. Beijing Forum is devoted to promoting the study of humanities and social sciences in the Asia-Pacific region and boosting the academic exchange and social advancement of this region as well as the whole world, so as to make contribution to the progress of humankind. Over the past seven years, with the general theme of “The Harmony of Civilizations and Prosperity for All”, Beijing Forum has been holding up the banner of “harmony”, advocating the notion of “harmony” and in the meanwhile, seeking ways to achieve “harmony”. |
