On November 9, 2024, the 1st “China-Arab Youth Summit” successfully took place at Fudan University. The summit focused on key issues such as global development, security, civilization, and youth growth, aiming to build consensus, foster mutual development, and enhance global leadership among Chinese and Arab youth.

       In the opening ceremony, Walid Salameh, Senior Advisor to the Arab Universities Association, delivered a keynote address on "Enhancing Education and Skills for Youth Empowerment." He highlighted the achievements of the "10+10" in academic and research collaboration.

       Faisal Swedan, Deputy Director of the Training Department of the League of Arab States (Arab League), delivered a keynote speech, stressing the importance of cross-cultural dialogue in fostering youth cooperation and understanding. He commended Fudan University for its youth training initiatives for Arab League officials and expressed hopes for deeper collaboration in the future.

       Yijia Jing, Dean of the Institute for Global Public Policy (IGPP), presided over the session and underscored the crucial role of Chinese and Arab youth in addressing global challenges and driving change. He emphasized the institute's commitment to creating platforms for collaboration and knowledge sharing to address the multifaceted challenges facing the global community.

       The summit introduced 16 youth representatives from China and Arab countries through a video presentation, showing their accomplishments and commitment to promoting China-Arab friendship and global governance.

       Mostafa Mohamed Hesham Helmy, from the Legal Affairs Department of Arab League and also a master's student at IGPP and Ziteng Fan from IGPP provided a concise overview of the discussions held among youth representatives from both sides.

       Subsequently, each group presented their reports on four key themes: global development, global security, global civilization, and youth development. On the topic of global development, Zilong Wu, from Huaganglong Biotechnology Co., Ltd., and Roni Chaaban, from the Department of Development and Social Policies of Arab League, discussed how to draw on each other's successful experiences to promote sustainable socio-economic development.

       On the topic of global security, Xianda Pei, from the Macao Trade and Investment Promotion Institute, and Ali Ammar Majeed Beram, from the Department of the Horn of Africa and Sudan of Arab League, focused on the multidimensional security challenges by cybersecurity and the climate crisis.

       On the topic of global civilization, Noha Sobhy Aiad, from the Department of Civilizational and Cultural Dialogue of Arab League, and Hao Wang, from New Oriental Education Technology Group, highlighted the opportunities for China-Arab youth exchanges in the face of significant global challenges to civilization.

       On the topic of youth development, Shangda Wu, from Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd., and May Ali, from the Department of Civil Society of Arab League, emphasized the importance of fostering internationally competitive youth talent through high-quality education and vocational training.

       Following extensive discussions and consultations, the youth representatives jointly drafted a declaration, presented by Mutassembelah Alshawwa from the Arab League and Huijing Jin, an MPA student from Fudan University. The declaration embodied the collective wisdom and consensus of youth representatives from China and Arab countries. The representatives firmly believed that only through close collaboration could they create a model of South-South cooperation in global governance.

       Afterward, Faisal Swedan and Xu Yao from the Fudan Development Institute exchanged gifts as representatives of China-Arab youth.

       Earlier that morning, Hayam Al-Sallal from the Arab League and a master’s student at IGPP, along with Jingyuan Xu from IGPP, delivered speeches on behalf of Chinese and Arab youth.

       At the closing ceremony, Yijia Jing delivered a speech, stating that this summit exemplified the theme of the 2nd China-Arab Global Development and Governance Forum: “Global Leadership and South-South Cooperation.” He highlighted the importance of fostering cognitive interaction among Chinese and Arab youth to promote their mutual growth and development and provided recommendations for the summit’s future development.