UN Under-Secretary-General unveils Asia’s first UNU Hub at Lingnan University strengthening collaboration in AI and humanitarian innovation
From left: Dr Georgina Curto Rex, Senior Researcher and Team Lead at UNU Macau, Dr Huang Jingbo, Director of UNU Macau, Prof Tshilidzi Marwala, Rector of the UNU and Under-Secretary-General of UN, Mr Ernest Chan, Vice-President (Administration) of Lingnan University, Prof Albert Ko, Founding Director of the UNU Hub on Humanitarian Innovation and Technology at Lingnan University.
The official plaque unveiling ceremony of Asia’s first UNU Hub on Humanitarian Innovation and Technology at Lingnan University (UNU Hub at Lingnan University) was held on 25 October, marking a new milestone in advancing international collaboration between Lingnan and the United Nations. The ceremony was officiated by Prof Tshilidzi Marwala, Rector of the United Nations University and Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations, and Mr Ernest Chan, Vice-President (Administration) of Lingnan University.
The plaque unveiling was part of the AI Education Day, a key component of the UNU Macau Milestone Series celebrating the United Nations’ 80th anniversary and the UNU’s 50th anniversary. The event underscored the growing importance of artificial intelligence (AI) and technology in humanitarian innovation, with the UNU Hub on Humanitarian Innovation and Technology set to capitalise on Lingnan’s expertise in data science to pioneer new pathways for humanitarian solutions in the Global South.
Founding members of the UNU Hub at Lingnan University. From left: Ms Belinda Lau, Mr Adrian Lo, Prof Albert Ko, and Prof Nicole Lee.
Lingnan University also participated in the UNU Hubs Milestone Session, a high-level discussion with six other universities from the Global South, including Tsinghua University, Tongji University and Northwestern Polytechnical University, chaired by UNU Macau and attended by Prof Marwala. Prof Albert Ko, Founding Director of the UNU Hub at Lingnan University, described successfully setting up the first UNU Hub in Asia, and its ongoing initiatives in humanitarian innovation and technology.