Youth Innovation Competition on Global

Governance

Review of Past Year Activities

School of International Relations and Public Affairs,

Fudan University

Foreword

On the 14th of July 2007, the inaugural

Youth Innovation Competition on Global

Governance came to a successful close at Fudan University’s Guanghua Towers. Of

the 23 participating teams coming from 13 different countries, the team from

Hamburg University outshone the rest and walked away with the title of the most

creative team. All 82 participants were then regrouped into nine different teams. The

F team comprising of participants from India, Italy, China, The Philippines, America

and Korea eventually won the most valuable proposal. The announcement of the

competition results coupled with the well wishes of the experts and feelings built up

by all participants heightened the atmosphere of the closing ceremony. Back in

October 2006, these were all just part of the imagination of a group of youths who

had the idea of bringing the world together, and the fruits of a brainstorming session

between teachers and students.

Long Yongtu, Secretary-General of the Boao

Forum for Asia, Dean of Fudan University

School of International Relations and Public

Affairs, was extremely praiseful and

supportive of the idea of organizing such a

global competition. He first helped to contact

the United Nations Development Program to

discuss the details of co-organizing the competition. Next, he also helped to contact

and garner full support from Volvo Group China. Under the encouragement and

support of the Dean, the organizing committee of the competition, guided by

teachers from Fudan University’s School of International Relations and Public Affairs,

took a series of actions to prepare for the competition. These included the set up of

the competition website, the formulation of the competition rules and schedule, as

well as the contacting of participants from different countries.

On 22nd January 2007, the opening ceremony of the Youth Innovation Competition

on Global Governance was launched in Fudan University Guanghua Towers. UNDP

Resident Representative in China, Head of UN Human Development Khalid Malik;

Secretary-General of the Boao Forum for Asia, Dean of Fudan University School of

International Relations and Public Affairs Long Yongtu and Fudan University

Principal Wang Shenghong attended the welcome ceremony. The competition theme

for that year was Global Governance and A Harmonious World. From that point, the

competition started a brand new chapter.

Upon learning of the competition,

participants continually started to register via

the internet and telephone. Plans for the first

phase of the competition started to kick off -

experts from various regions were invited to

join the judging panel; recruitment for

volunteers began; students from different

faculties in and out of Fudan University

joined in the preparations for the competition.

Volvo Group China held its first press release

and donation ceremony to YICGG at Fudan

University on the 4th of July. The competition’s

focus on global issues, especially those on

climate and environmental problems received

widespread concern from society. On the basis of

the various preparations in place, the inaugural

YICGG marked its opening at Fudan University…..

Competition Slogan

Our World, A Shared Responsibility

I’m In!

Competition Objectives

To pay close attention to global public affairs

To stimulate youths’ innovation

To evoke global civic awareness

To create a harmonious home shared by all human beings

The Competition Stage

The arrival of the Japanese participants at 12.30am on 11

July marked the end of registration of the participations.

Each participant received a handbook, a T-shirt and a hat.

In the morning of the second day, all of them would wear the

same shirt and attend the competition welcome ceremony at

Fudan University’s Center of American Studies. The second

phase of the competition would take place in the form of

exhibition and commentary.

At the welcome ceremony, Fudan University School of International Relations and

Public Affairs General Party Branch Secretary Mdm Shen Lanfang and Vice Director

of Fudan University Center of American Studies Mr Shen Dingli announced the start

of the competition by introducing the competition flag. The flag was

made from recycled materials such as old bicycle tires, magazines,

newspapers and plastic bottles, symbolizing the organizing

committee’s awareness and responsibility towards “Global

Governance”. After a round of simple introduction, each team

marked their home country on a world map using a sticker of the

competition flag.

In the morning of the 11th of July, the second round of the competition was held after

the welcome ceremony. The lobby of the Center of American Studies was decorated

into an exhibition hall, displaying contents of the

reports submitted by the participating teams during

the first round. Each team would convey their

thoughts and ideas through their exhibitions. All

teams would have to listen to other teams’

presentations and rate each other. At the end, the

judging panel would decide on “The Most Creative

Team” based on the results combined from the first and second rounds, with each

round taking up forty and sixty percent of the total marks respectively.

From the afternoon of 11th of July till the afternoon of 12th of July, the participants

started a new round of discussion and interaction based on the arrangements of the

World Teams and discussion rooms as announced by the organizing committee the

day before. They made use of the school’s internet resources and help from the

volunteers. Participants from different countries

and education backgrounds came together to do

a report and speech based on their discussion

outcomes. When help was required, they could

approach any of the volunteers for assistance in

printing, photocopying and information sources.

Refreshments were available at the lobby for

participants to take a break.

In a more relaxing environment, they could interact with their

teammates and more importantly, participants from other teams.

All teams submitted their new reports before 6pm on the 12th of

July and started to prepare for the question and answer

session for the second day in the evening.

On the 13th of July, judges coming from different fields of

expertise, including economics and finance, managerial

science, environmental studies, law and international

relations, listened to the presentations of the nine World

Teams. In this round, the judges would decide on 70% of

the total marks for each team. Each team were given a

scoring sheet to peer rate the other teams to make up the

remaining 30% of the total score.

After the presentation, the judges started a discussion

behind closed doors regarding the

participating teams’ performance. The

organizing committee prepared a cultural

night and night tour around the Huangpu

River. Whilst sight- seeing on the boat,

the participants put up performances in their

own traditional ethnic costumes, fostering a

closer bonding between each other.

The closing ceremony on the 14th of July was the

highlight of the entire competition. UNDP Resident

Representative in China,

Head of UN Human

Development Khalid Malik;

Secretary-General of the

Boao Forum for Asia, Dean

of Fudan University School of International Relations

and Public Affairs Long Yongtu, Fudan University

Principal Wang Shenghong, and Volvo Group China’s

Vice President of Communications and Branding Mdm Jiang Lan attended the

closing ceremony, giving their ending speeches and comments. All participants

came in formal wear. After collecting the group photograph and certificate of

participation at the registration counter, they walked across the red carpet, leaving

their signature on the world map. Each team once again took the stage and did a

showcase, this time in the identity of a World Team, singing songs in teams to

express their feelings. The winning teams gave thank-you speeches when receiving

their awards. Dean Long Yongtu accredited the winning teams’ works and gave his

well wishes to all youths present. Lastly, the

organizing committee and all volunteers sang

“Hand in Hand” on stage, bringing to life the spirit

of the competition slogan “Our World, A Shared

Responsibility”. They also expressed their

warmest gratitutde towards all who had supported

the event in one way or another.

Earlier in the afternoon, the organizing committee

organized a tour to Yuyuan to reward the

participants. The participants deepened their

understanding about China and Shanghai by

visiting the Chinese Street, Jiangnan Silk Museum,

tasting Chinese food and watching Chinese street

performance.

The competition spanning across four days had

come to an end. Everyone involved in the event, be it the participants, judges or the

organizing committee, walked away with new insights, experiences and friends.

Past Activities

YICGG Past Year Venues, Themes

Time Venue Theme

2007 Fudan University

Shanghai, China

Human Security in the Age of

Globalization

2008 Rome Tor Vergata University

Italy, Turin

Global Governance: Growth and

Innovation 2020

2009 Ilia Chavchavadze State

University

Tbilisi, Georgia

Global Governance and Innovation

2020: the Challenge for One Economy,

One Environment, One Finance, One

Security, Many Cultures

2010 Fudan University

Shanghai,China

Glocalization

General Agenda

Phase Content Outcome

First Phase

Creative Proposal

Design

Participants pick a theme regarding global

public affairs related to the competition

and design a global governance proposal

with creativity and foresight. The

competition committee will confirm the

participating teams of the second round

based on the opinions of the experts. Most Creative

Proposed Solution

Second Phase

Creative Proposal

Exhibition and

Q&A

Participating teams arrive in Shanghai for

the competition. Each team uses an

exhibition space of 3-4 square metres to

showcase their work. Proposals with

topics belonging to the same fields will be

exhibited in the same area.

Third Phase

World Team On-

The-Spot

Competition

The organizing committee will regroup all

participants into “World Teams” by

drawing lots randomly. They will also

announce the allocated topic based on the

competition theme. The “World Team”

would have a discussion centered round

the topic in a specific time limit.

Thereafter, they would have to produce a

report about a proposed solution with

creativity, feasibility and maximum

effectiveness.

Most Valuable

Proposed Solution

Fourth Phase

World Café

All teams engage in a discussion

centered on the most valuable

proposal. Participants will be seated in

groups of 5, each headed by a judge

from the judging panel. The teams will

take turns to move around the tables

after one hour of discussion. At the

end of the discussion, a most

workable proposal will be formulated

and submitted to the relevant

department of the United Nations.

Eventual Proposal

YICGG 2008 Review --

Youth “Olympic” Academic Symposium Outlook 2020 Global Development

From the 18th to 26th of August 2008, the 2nd Youth Innovation Competition on Global

Governance (YICGG 2008), which earned its title as the Youth “Olympic” Academic

Symposium, was held in Rome, Italy. Having successfully created and organized the

competition in 2007, Fudan University worked with Rome Tor Vergata University,

Turin School of economics and Political Science and two other organizations for the

competition that year. The theme for 2008 was set as “Outlook of 2020: Global

Growth and Innovation.”

The second YICGG attracted over a hundred youth post-graduates from 27

universities coming from over 20 countries. Close to 30 experts and professors from

many countries also delivered speeches and held a seminar to discuss various

global issues at the event.

After 9 days of intense competition, the team representing Fudan University

comprising of 4 students from Fudan University School of International Relations and

Public Affairs and School of Management walked away with the first prize. Their

report “East Asia’s Lifelong Model Community

2020 Outlook : Objectives, Framework and Operations” was published on the June

2006 issue of Europe’s leading academic journal, Transition Study Review.

The Youth “Olympic” Academic Symposium as a learning platform for youths

around the world

The second YICGG was divided into 2 segments. In the first segment, the

competition committee first released 12 topics. All participating teams had to choose

one topic and submit a thesis, research report or creative design. The committee

would then eliminate these entries and decide on the teams which would be able to

enter the second round of the competition. The teams selected would form 12 “World

Teams.” In Rome, all World Teams would

have to combine their individual reports into a

team report. The judging panel would select

the teams to walk away with the respective

awards of the competition based on the

combined score of the first and second

segments. Because of how YICGG puts a

heavy emphasis on global connectivity,

innovation and competitiveness, it is known

by participants as a “Youth Olympic Academic Symposium.” Indeed, the competition

has provided a platform for youths coming from all around the world to interact and

learn from one another.

First, the competition provided students with an

opportunity to interact and foster better

understanding with each other through

cooperation. The “World Teams” resulted in

international cooperation, which taught the

students the importance of dissolving

misunderstandings and learning from each other.

Second, students could also express their

opinions about various global issues at the competition. As an annual competition,

YICGG drew the attention of the international society to a group of dedicated youths

who expressed their thoughts on different global problems. Similar to the first year,

all award-winning reports would be

submitted to the United Nations Developing

Program and published on The Transition

Study Review.

Fudan University Shines

In this year’s competition, 7 teams from China made it into the second round of the

competition. This became a highlight of the event. After intense competition, the

“Future Depend on Us” team representing Fudan University eventually walked away

with the first prize with their report “East Asia’s Lifelong Model Community 2020

Outlook : Objectives, Framework and Operations”. After intensive research on

lifelong learning and the challenges faced by East Asia, Fudan University’s

representing team designed a framework to boost East Asia’s lifelong learning and

trans-regional cooperation and governance in the

“EALLC2020 Proposal”. The team perceives

lifelong learning as not just a means of survival,

but also a basic need of mankind which is soon

to become a fundamental value of human society.

Encouraging lifelong learning is no longer a task

to be completed by countries; it is an

international challenge.

The core idea of their design is to set up an “East

Asia Lifelong Learning Community Organization”,

formed by East Asia’s leading

schools, multi-national co-

operations and social

organizations. This

organization would work with

the existent “10 + 3” framework, designing and coordinating

education projects customized to the different learning needs of

different regions. In this way, the organization would provide

lifelong learning services to various education institutions and

companies in countries within East Asia.

In the process of working together as “World Teams”, the Fudan team worked

closely with partners from Italy and Thailand on a comparative study about the

current situation and future developments of lifelong learning in East Asia and

Europe. The team produced a report. In the end, the judges decided to award Fudan

University with the first prize for their outstanding performance in both segments of

the competition.

Assistant Professors Gu Limei and Jiang Changjian of Fudan University each

delivered themed lectures at the competition. Assistant President of Fudan

University, executive vice-dean of School of International Relations and Public

Affairs, Professor Sang Yuchen honoured the closing ceremony, presenting the

winning teams their awards.

Fudan University Participates in 3rd YICGG organized by Ilia Chavchavadze

State University University of Georgia

The third Youth Innovation Competition on Global Governance (YICGG) was successfully

held at the Ilia Chavchavadze State University, Georgia from the 12th to 19th of July 2009. 12

teams from China, Italy, Armenia, India, Poland, Georgia and other countries participated in

the competition. Fudan University’s team was headed by Mr Chen Yugang from the School

of International Relations and Public Affairs. The team comprised of 5 graduate students

from The School of International Relations and Public Affairs, the School of Foreign

Languages and School of Law.

YICGG was first created and organized by Fudan University’s School of International

Relations and Public Affairs in 2007. It aims to raise civic awareness among students from

all over the world by encouraging them to follow global affairs closely as well as igniting the

creativity among them to create a harmonious home for all human kind. The competition

seeks proposed solutions to solve global governance issues from education institutions

around the world. It is currently the first youth innovation competition in the world that

combines creativity and academics on a large-scale international event spanning across

different fields of expertise aimed at achieving a breakthrough from traditional theories. The

competition requires participants to register in groups. There are no specific requirements on

the forms which the proposed solutions must take, except that it must be creative and

constructive with definite foresight. China’s Fudan University in Shanghai and the University

of Rome Tor Vergata were the organizers of the competition in the first two years.

This is the third year running that YICGG is taking place. It will be held in the capital of

Gerogia, Tbilisi. As the organizer, Ilia Chavchavadze State University, Georgia had decided

on the theme of the competition to be “Outlook of 2020 in Global Governance: Challenges

faced when A Unified Body of Economics, Environment, Finance and Security Meets

Multiculturalism”, hoping that the participating students could discuss on the new problems

faced by the world in these fields.

The welcome ceremony was held in Ilia Chavchavadze State University. Mayor of

Tbilisi Gigi·Ugulava, Principal of Ilia Chavchavadze State University Gigi·Tevzadve,

Ilia Chavchavadze State University Professor、Ex Georgia Minister of Education

Gia·Nodia, University of Tor Vergata Professor Giorgia·Dominese and other

academia and local officials attended the ceremony and delivered speeches.

After the official launch of the competition, the participating teams gave a

presentation on the basis of their proposals submitted before the competition. Their

speeches were centered on various topics regarding education, finance, culture,

environmental protection and security.

The opening ceremony

Before the ceremony The speech given by Gigi·Ugulava

Megi from Georgia pays close attention

to the educational reforms in Georgia

David from Poland discusses the possibility of regional

security organization reforms using theoretical analysis

Representatives from Fudan comments

on the issue of “Child Soldiers”

Under the assistance of the organizing committee, teams working on similar topics formed

World Teams.

Within the World Teams, students from different countries and education

backgrounds put their thoughts together through communication and interaction,

thereby improving on their original ideas to produce a team report

Students from Zhengjiang Normal University designed a new model of governance on how

to achieve a balance between environmental protection and economic development

Amrita from Jawaharla Nehru University, India,

raises a proposal of cooperation between strong

countries and societies

During the meeting, the participating academia introduced to students the latest

trends in their respective fields of expertise by giving themed lectures.

The organizing committee took care to prepare a series of cultural activities within

the few days of tight schedule.

Professor Dominese from

Italy excitedly introduces a

book about global

governance to students

Professor Cardilli from

Italy is introducing law

problems related to global

governance

Professor Chen Yugang from Fudan

University’s School of International

Relations and Public Affairs is shares

his concerns and ideals about global

climate change in his lecture

With a book introducing Georgia, we

start our exciting journey

These Orthodox Churches and castles witnessed

Georgia’s history. Today they are still telling tourists the

extraordinary stories which happen on this land

The judging panel made exciting remarks about each World Team’s research findings at the

closing ceremony. They encouraged the participating students to make the effort to stay in

touch via internet tools after the competition while realizing their ideals about global

governance. The organizing committee presented every participant with a certificate of

participation.

In the course of travelling,

we played our parts as

“ambassadors” for the

Shanghai Expo

The nightlife of Tbilisi is extremely vibrant!

Everyone is excited after finally receiving their hard-earned

Certificates of Participation!

Through this competition, not only did the participating students broaden their

horizons and deepen their understandings of global governance , they also made

friends with other youths from all over the world and experienced Georgia’s unique

history and culture. The Fudan University team seized the opportunity to advertise

Shanghai Expo and Fudan University, allowing more university students from other

countries to know more about China.

Review of the 4th Youth Innovation Competition on Global

Governance (YICGG 2010)

The 4th YICGG was successfully organized at Fudan University from the 17th to 21st of July

2010. Nearly 70 university students from 23 universities coming the United States, Germany,

Italy, Holland, Bulgaria, Kazakhstan, Korea, India, China and 8 other countries gathered at

Fudan with a common goal of coming up with a most creative proposal to address global

governance problems.

YICGG was first created and co-organized by Fudan University and the United Nations

Development Program in 2007. It is the first youth academic innovation competition to be

organized by a higher education institute in China. It has earned its title as the “Youth

Olympic Academic Symposium.” After the 2008 and 2009 competitions were held in Rome

and Georgia, Fudan University is back to hosting the 4th YICGG in 2010.

The theme for this year’s competition is “Glocalization”. This theme is in sync with one of the

performances “City Planet” in the Shanghai Expo. In the future world, Globalization and

Localization will become closer concepts. Sometimes, a process of Globalization may also

be a process of Globalization moving towards Localization. Cities could become an

important melting point of Globalization and Localization. There could be higher possibilities

for Glocalization to take place in more places. It could become an important strategy for

corporations moving into the global market, a diplomatic measure between countries, or a

new model of global governance.

On the 18th of December 2009, the 4th YICGG Launching Ceremony was held at the

auditorium of Fudan University Yifu Building. Long Yongtu, Secretary-General of the Boao

Forum for Asia, Dean of Fudan University School of International Relations and Public

Affairs honoured the ceremony and gave a

welcome speech. The recruitment of

volunteers for this year’s competition started at

the ceremony. The guest of honour pinned on

the competition badge on the representative of

the YICGG competition committee.

On the 17th of July 2010, the official Opening

Ceremony was held at Fudan University.

Executive vice-dean of School of International

Relations and Public Affairs Lin Shangli started the ceremony by giving a welcome speech.

Vice Dean of Fudan University School of International Relations and Public Affairs, Prof. Wu

Xinbo of the Center of American Studies,who is also the Vice President of the US-Sino

Relations Club, Vice President of the Shanghai-American Club, Expert of Consultant

Committee of Taiwan Affairs Office of Shanghai Government, researcher of Taiwan Affairs

Office of the state council, gave a lecture on “Globalization and Global Governance.”

One of the traditions of the competition is to disperse the students and regroup them into

“World Teams” at random. Considering that the city could become an important meeting

point of Globalization and Localization, the topic given to the World Teams to work on this

year was “Glocalization and City Life.” During the course of the competition, the organizers

made special arrangements for the participants to visit the Shanghai World Expo. The visit

was not just for fun, however - the participants had to look for inspirations for the competition

within the premises of the expo, especially from the UBPA Best City Practice case study.

A day of visit proved to be a huge inspiration to the participants. Valeria Risgulia from LUISS

commented that the Shanghai World Expo was very exciting and eventful. It brought much

inspiration and insights to her research. She felt that the future world cities exhibited at the

Expo was very worthy of further research and development.

Eventually, the team from Beijing Foreign Studies University won the title of the “Most

Valuable Proposal (MVP)” with their research topic of “UNESCO (United Nations

Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) Project on Conserving Endangered

Languages”. World Team Number 6, comprising of participants from Fudan University, Tor

Vergata University and other universities walked away with the award of the “Most

Innovative Team (MIT)” with their project aimed at establishing a special educational

system in social communities with floating populations to address the education problems of

the 2nd generation.

Party Secretary of Fudan University School of International Relations and Public Affairs

Shen Lanfang presented the MVP and MIT teams with their awards at the closing ceremony.

The Vice Head of Fudan University’s External Affairs Department Xin Qiang represented the

school in giving the closing speech at the ceremony.

Exective vice-dean of the School of International Relations and Public Affairs, Professor Lin

Shangli commented that as the creator of YICGG, Fudan University’s School of International

Relations and Public Affairs will continue to organize this signature event in the years to

come. By doing so, the school will involve students to help in organizing for the competition,

thereby accomplishing one of the school’s missions to nurture students with global

perspectives.