Co-organized by Shaw College at CUHK and The National University of Malaysia, the inaugural ‘World Youth Leaders Forum’ (WYLF) was held from 20 to 22 July. With the theme ‘Re-shaping the Post-crisis World Order’, WYLF invited almost 70 young leaders from over 10 countries and regions to exchange views.

The opening ceremony of the event was officiated by Prof. Joseph J.Y. Sung, Vice-Chancellor of CUHK; Prof. Yeung Yue-man, convenor of Organizing Committee of WYLF; Dr. Lam Kin-chung, adviser to the Organizing Committee and patron of WYLF; Prof. Dato’ Dr. Laily bin Din, director, Alumni Relations Office, The National University of Malaysia; and Prof. Andrew C.F. Chan, Head of Shaw College. Prof. K.C. Chan, Secretary for Financial Services and the Treasury, Hong Kong SAR Government, was invited as the keynote speaker to share his insights into ‘Reshaping the Post-crisis World Order’ from an economic perspective. He offered some key observations on Chinese and Western economic development and his analysis on Hong Kong’s role and direction under the world’s new economic order. The keynote speaker on the second day of forum, Mr. Ronnie Chan, chairman of Hang Lung Group, addressed the theme from a political perspective. With his in-depth understanding of current affairs, Mr. Chan analysed the new global political order, arousing heated discussions among the participating young leaders. Prof. Lui Tai-lok from the Department of Sociology, The University of Hong Kong, keynote speaker on the last day, led the participants to think about the rationality of certain social phenomena from historical and social perspectives.

Young leaders from prestigious tertiary institutions around the world presented their papers on various economic, political and social sub-themes during the three-day forum. Topics included ‘The Relationship Between Financial Crisis and Credit Rating Agencies’, ‘Fair Trade’, and ‘The Reform of International Monetary Fund and World Bank’.

The event marked the grand finale of Shaw College’s silver jubilee celebration. Shaw College will hold the second WYLF next year to offer a platform for young leaders worldwide to exchange views on various global and regional topics.