On September 21, 2024, the United Nations "Summit of the Future Action Days" side event, titled "Skills for a Sustainable Future," was held in Beijing. The event was organized by the China Vocational Education Association and co-organized by the UNESCO International Centre for Engineering Education (ICEE) and the Europe-China One Belt One Road Culture and Tourism Development Committee.

The side event was attended by Ambassador FU Cong, Permanent Representative of China to the United Nations; ZHANG Baijun, Vice Chairman of the China Vocational Education Association; YUAN Si, Executive Director of ICEE and former Vice President of Tsinghua University; Istvan Ujhelyi, Chairman of the Europe-China One Belt One Road Culture and Tourism Development Committee (by video); and Sami Parviz, Education Counsellor of the Embassy of Tajikistan in Beijing. The event was chaired by WANG Songtao, Deputy General Secretary of the China Vocational Education Association.

UN Summit of the Future Action Days Side Event Site

FU Cong emphasized in his video speech that skills training is a key element of the Sustainable Development Goals, contributing not only to its own advancement but also to critical objectives such as poverty reduction, hunger eradication, full employment, and youth empowerment. He highlighted that the "Future Contract" specifically underscores the importance of vocational training. He expressed hope for further strengthening global consensus on building a sustainable future through skills development, and encouraged more countries to prioritize and invest in vocational education.

ZHANG Baijun said in his speech that the China Vocational Education Association actively engages in and supports international exchanges and cooperation in vocational education. For several consecutive years, it has advocated for vocational education at the annual meetings of the United Nations Human Rights Council. He expressed the Association's commitment to taking practical steps toward building a community with a shared future for humanity, contributing Chinese insights and solutions to global challenges.

YUAN Si delivered a keynote speech at the event, highlighting ICEE's work and achievements in advancing engineering education and talent development. He introduced ICEE's involvement in the preparation and publication of the second UNESCO Engineering Report, the revision of the International Engineering Alliance's "Graduate Attributes and Professional Competencies (GAPC) Framework," the development of a MOOC platform, and collaborations with global partners for engineering practice training. YUAN Si emphasized that ICEE will continue to make significant contributions to supporting the Sustainable Development Goals in engineering education by enhancing international cooperation.

YUAN Si Delivers a Keynote Speech

Officials from the embassies of Tajikistan, Spain, Ethiopia, the Central African Republic, Nigeria, Botswana, and other countries in China delivered speeches, expressing their commitment to collaborating with China and other international partners to jointly advance the development of global vocational education.

The Summit of the Future is a high-level conference convened by the United Nations to address pressing global challenges. It was held at the UN headquarters in New York on September 22-23, 2024. The conference aims to explore pathways for achieving more sustainable development through international cooperation, laying a strong foundation for the future. The Summit seeks to drive nations toward adopting the "Pact for the Future," an action-oriented document designed to promote reform and progress in global governance.

WANG Sunyu, Deputy Director and Secretary General of ICEE, along with QIAO Weifeng, Associate Professor of Research; SHEN Ye, Assistant to the Secretary General; postdoctoral fellows FU Jie, HE Shiyu, CHANG Xiaohan; and research assistant LI Chao, attended the event.