The annual Beijing Forum, a world-class academic roundtable on the humanities and social sciences, begins today and is scheduled to last through Sunday in the nation's capital Beijing.
Co-sponsored by Peking University, the Beijing Municipal Commission of Education and the Korea Foundation for Advanced Studies, the forum promotes the study of social progress in the Asia-Pacific region and contributes to the development of all people, organizers said.
With the theme of "the harmony of civilizations and prosperity for all - the universal value and development trends of civilization", this year's event includes a convocation of university presidents discussing international cooperation and five panel sessions on current issues.
More than 300 noted scholars and experts from over 40 countries and regions will attend the academic gathering.
Among the speakers are Harry Thomas Dickinson, renowned historian and vice-president of the Britain's Royal Historical Society and Historical Association, Mohan Munasinghe, Nobel Prize winner and vice-chairman of the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, Hiroshi Komiyama, president of the University of Tokyo and noted chemical engineer, and Wang Qisi, dean of the School of International Studies at Peking University.
Forty-one internationally recognized university presidents from 25 countries participate in in-depth discussions.
Subjects that will be discussed include:
Ecological civilization - the environment, energy and social progress
Traditions and modernity - State structures and political cultures
Transcendence of arts and the development of civilization
Olympic spirit and world harmony
Continuities and changes in world politics - globalization or localization
Making use of the collective wisdom of the participants, the forum is expected to provide academic support to sustainable development of the host city Beijing and the wider world, organizers said.
Continuing commitment
Since its founding in 2004, the annual event has kept the theme of "Harmony of Civilizations and Prosperity for All" unchanged, "attesting to Beijing Forum's unswerving commitment to promote the harmony and prosperity of all civilizations in the global community," organizers said.
Under the general theme, the forum has advocated the concept of harmony and seeks ways to achieve it between diverse civilizations.
"The theme answers the call of the times, and it is consistent with the global trend adopted by the world's humanitarian leaders in seeking to resolve international problems," organizers noted.
Warmly received by participating scholars and world experts at previous Beijing Forums, the concept has garnered wide support for future friendship.
The theme has also received a great deal of attention from the media, both at home and abroad, and such far-reaching interest has helped spread the concept of global harmony and prosperity from Asia to the rest of the world, organizers said.
Setting goals to be international, academic and influential, the Beijing Forum has established its reputation in the worldwide academic community, organizers stressed.
Organizers note "being international" means basing the forum itself at Peking University and opening it to Asia and the world, so as to pool global wisdom.
They define "being academic" as addressing specific problems from the perspective of culture and civilization and interpreting the role humanities and social sciences play in fostering social progress and world development.
"Being influential" centers around hot issues and highlights their impact on the world, organizers explained.
Expanding influence
Sha Zukang, under-secretary-general of the United Nations (UN) will attend the forum's closing ceremony and make a speech on Sunday.
Both previous and current UN Secretary Generals - Kofi Annan and Ban Ki-moon - have sent congratulatory letters praising the forum's contribution to promoting peace and building a harmonious world.
UN Under-Secretary-General Joseph Verner Reed and former Under-Secretary-General Maurice Strong have both attended the Beijing Forum and delivered speeches.
Between 2004 and 2008, more than 2,100 renowned scholars participated in the forum and presented over 1,200 academic papers on politics, economics, philosophy, history, arts, law, environment, language, education, archaeology, physical education, government administration, international relations, public health and mass media.
Forum topics are also becoming increasingly multidisciplinary.
"I have long been advocating that the Western civilization based on analysis and Eastern civilization based on synthesis should learn from and integrate with each other to develop harmoniously for a common prosperity," wrote Ji Xianlin, professor with Peking University, in a congratulatory letter to the forum in 2005.
"By reviewing the global situation, we can see clearly that the current trends of development will help to ease bilateral or multilateral tensions among major powers," said University of California at Berkeley professor Robert Anthony Scalapino at last year's forum.
"This does not mean that problems to be controlled or solved are insignificant. Non-governmental organizations like the Beijing Forum can play a crucial role in promoting governments to take action."
The collaborative participation of the leading intellectuals from a wide cross-section of academic institutions and public organizations and from a myriad of countries and backgrounds have brought rich cultural experience and thought-provoking ideas to the Beijing Forum, making it a truly unique international event, organizers said.
Source: China Daily
|
Comment
Tell A Friend
Print Format
Save Article