Lingnan University partners with UN agency and Chinese foundations to host Innovative Dialogue on World Humanitarian Day
Prof Albert Ko Wing-yin (left), Director of Service-Learning and Lingnan Entrepreneurship Initiative of Lingnan University, with the event host Prof Zhang Qiang (right). Prof Zhang is the Director of Innovation Centre for Risk Governance of Beijing Normal University.
Speakers (from left to right) include Ms Qiu Lili, Founder of Peaceland Foundation; Ms Marwa Shabbar, Head of the Legal Department of the ICRC Delegation for East Asia; Ms Yi Chunyao, Deputy Chief, External Relations and Partnerships Section, Financing and Partnerships Division, UN OCHA; Mr Hu Bo, Chairman of Yuanmeng Public Welfare Foundation; and Mr Liu Yanfeng, New Media Partner at the China Social Enterprise and Impact Investment Forum.
Group photo of Prof Albert Ko Wing-yin (left), Director of Service-Learning and Lingnan Entrepreneurship Initiative of Lingnan University, Prof Zhang Qiang (middle),event host and Director of Innovation Centre for Risk Governance of Beijing Normal University, and Mr Adrian Lo Chun-kwong (right), Product Design Lead of the Office of Service-Learning of Lingnan University.
As part of World Humanitarian Day, Lingnan University collaborated with the Yuanmeng Public Welfare Foundation and the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UN OCHA), supported by the Peaceland Foundation, to host a hybrid event, 2024 World Humanitarian Day Commemoration: Innovative Dialogue on 19 August 2024 at Lingnan@WestKowloon. There were parallel sessions in Beijing and Paris, with livestreaming on the social media platforms of Lingnan University's Office of Service-Learning, the Peaceland Foundation, and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC).
Innovative Dialogue aimed to spread greater awareness and action in support of humanitarian initiatives, broadening public understanding of vital aid work and emphasising the importance of #ActForHumanity. Key speakers included Ms Yi Chunyao, Deputy Chief, External Relations and Partnerships Section, Financing and Partnerships Division, UN OCHA; Ms Marwa Shabbar, Head of the Legal Department of the ICRC Delegation for East Asia; Ms Qiu Lili, Founder of the Peaceland Foundation; Mr Hu Bo, Chairman of Yuanmeng Public Welfare Foundation; and Prof Albert Ko Wing-yin, Director of Service-Learning and Lingnan Entrepreneurship Initiative of Lingnan University. “The diverse panel of experts we have assembled represents our commitment to #ActForHumanity across various sectors and disciplines,” the organisers note.
In interactive discussions, participants delved into topics such as humanitarian education, research, and innovation, and the role of new media platforms in shaping the public perception of humanitarian work. Bringing together local and global perspectives, the dialogue sought to foster new approaches and models for providing humanitarian assistance.
