The 2026 World Youth Development Forum with the theme “Youth Leading Development, Jointly Building a Better World” was held in Wuhan from June 15th to 17th. More than 500 outstanding young representatives gathered in Wuhan, including youth ministers, heads of youth organizations, core staff of youth development programs and distinguished young people from all walks of life. They came from UN agencies, 12 international youth organizations and over 120 countries. The participants shared friendship, discussed opportunities and planned development initiatives together, pooling youthful energy to advance the building of a community with a shared future for mankind.
Young faculty and students from China University of Geosciences (CUG) took an active part in all forum sessions throughout preparation and the event itself. They delivered solid expertise and global vision across academic exchanges, volunteer services and project matchmaking, bringing distinctive CUG insights and voices to this major international youth gathering.
United for a Youthful Gathering
During the main forum opening ceremony, FAULO JAMES WAL TOUR, a South Sudanese PhD student from CUG’s School of Earth Resources, was invited as a guest attendee. A beneficiary of the Belt and Road Initiative education action plan, Tour acts as a bridge linking Chinese and African youth. He drew on his study experience in Wuhan to hold in-depth dialogues with young people from other countries on global development topics, sharing his thoughts and practices promoting inter-civilization exchanges and mutual learning.
This year’s forum featured three thematic sub-forums. Among them, the Sub-Forum on Creative Economy and Trend Culture was hosted by the All-China Youth Federation and the World Youth Development Forum Organizing Committee, co-organized by the China International Youth Exchange Center, Hubei Youth Federation and Wuhan Youth Federation, and co-sponsored by CUG. Distinguished guests delivered speeches, including Nadia Popova, UNFPA Representative in China; WANG Yi, Vice Chair of the All-China Youth Federation; HU Yabo, Vice Governor of Hubei Provincial Government; and Aytan Aliyeva, Chair of the Silk Road International Youth Union.
Nearly 200 young leaders joined the sub-forum, including industry experts and creative talents from over 40 countries. WANG Fu, Deputy Party Secretary of CUG, attended the opening ceremony. In panel discussions, CUG youth representatives centered on the theme Empowering Sustainable Development through Creativity. Drawing on the university’s strengths in earth sciences, they held deep talks with global youth on cutting-edge issues: leveraging technology to protect river civilizations, balancing geological safety and cultural heritage in urban renewal, and more. They integrated scientific spirit into cultural creative solutions, responding to worldwide development challenges with unique geoscience perspectives and enriching the forum’s core discussions.
Pooling Wisdom to Safeguard River Civilizations
Young people are core innovators and a vital force driving global sustainable development. At the 2026 Global Youth Development Project Matchmaking Week held alongside the forum, CUG student science and innovation teams and volunteer groups were invited to discussions with tech innovation enterprises and youth startup organizations worldwide. CUG proposals won wide recognition from international youth partners after rounds of talks, and secured preliminary cooperation with two overseas partners.
In the project showcase session, CUG teams presented technical pathways for digital preservation and communication of the Yangtze River culture, highlighting cross-disciplinary practices that apply geoscience expertise to cultural heritage protection and ecological restoration. The model combining hard-core technology with soft cultural heritage offered a new solution to challenges in global heritage conservation, laying a solid foundation for future project implementation and resource sharing.
ZHANG Jiahui, a doctoral candidate of the School of Economics and Management and leader of the Chujiang Remains Volunteer Team for Yangtze River Protection, shared her experience: “Face-to-face exchanges with young people from river basin countries including Turkey and Egypt revealed our shared aspiration to serve society across different civilizations. We also presented CUG’s research on Yangtze cultural inheritance and ecological protection to the international community, and look forward to partnering with more global youth to deepen efforts to preserve river civilizations.”
Taking Responsibility to Support the International Gala
CUG attached great importance to volunteer work to guarantee smooth forum operations. 41 undergraduate and postgraduate volunteers from 12 schools were selected, all skilled in foreign language communications and trained through multiple specialized sessions. They were a key support force for smooth running of all sessions.
Over the three-day forum, volunteers were assigned to teams for exhibition management, publicity, security, sub-forum coordination and volunteer services. Their duties included guest guidance, exhibition setup, order maintenance, information consultation, video shooting, media planning and intangible cultural heritage promotion. Volunteers fully delivered every assigned task and earned unanimous praise from the forum organizing committee and Chinese and foreign guests.
LIANG Mengjie, student lead of CUG volunteer team, from the School of Materials and Chemistry and, reflected: “From overall coordination to on-site execution, my 40 teammates and I served this international event with professionalism and enthusiasm. This experience taught me that young people’s global vision grows through every act of dedication and responsibility. Listening closely to voices from youth worldwide also helped me understand the mission of new-era youth to connect the globe and step up to global challenges.”
This year marks the fifth anniversary of President Xi Jinping’s proposal of the Global Development Initiative, and the fifth time the World Youth Development Forum has been held in China. Since its launch in 2022, the forum has attracted a total of 7,000 guests and youth representatives from all corners of the world.
