From August 10 to 12, the Global Youth Leadership Training Program, co-organized by United Cities and Local Governments(hereinafter referred to asUCLG), UCLG Asia-Pacific Section, Xi'an Municipal People's Government and Xi'an Jiaotong University, was held online. Thanks tothe active coordination and promotion of the Beijing Foreign Affairs Office and China Communist Youth League Beijing Committee,15 youth social workers from Xicheng District, Chaoyang District and Yanqing District in Beijing were also invited to join this program. They discussed the sustainable development goals and shared urban governance experience as well as their thoughts on the future with over 100 young friends from 16 countries including Japan, the Philippines, and Indonesia.

The three-day training program focused on the study and discussion on five themes, namely "China's Contribution to Achieving Sustainable Development Goals," "Poverty Alleviation and Rural Vitalization," "Population and Sustainable Development of the Society," "Public Security Precision Governance," and "Advancing Ecological Civilization with Urban Governance." The program received overwhelmingly positive feedback, and participants said that the governance cases and experience introduced in the lectures were highly inspiring and informative, which not only broadened their global perspectives in carrying out primary-level work but also improved their sense of responsibility and purpose in devoting to youth work in the community.

As a member of UCLG, Beijing has been promoting multilateral exchanges and cooperation between the city and UCLG in various fields and advancing opening-up to a higher level through platforms provided by international organizations. In this program, the Beijing Foreign Affairs Office coordinated quality diplomatic resources and gave full play to its resource advantages. It also facilitated the implementation of "whenever a township is in need, the relevant authorities come to help" policy put forward by the Beijing Municipal Party Community, effectively served the grassroots, provided an interactive platform for frontline youth social workers to participate in international exchanges so as to broaden their knowledge of foreign affairs and diplomatic skills.

Further information

Founded in 2004, United Cities and Local Governments (UCLG for short) is the largest international non-governmental organization composed of cities and local governments in the world. It aims to build a global network to connect local governments, promote understanding and cooperation, and help local governments to cope with various challenges. Beijing joined the organization in October 2006 as a member of UCLG Asia-Pacific Section and World Association of the Major Metropolises. In April 2007, Beijing was elected as a member of UCLG World Council and Executive Bureau and has been re-elected since then.