4th World Young Leaders Forum

Going Sustainable – Towards Quality Growth in China and the World

19–23 Sep 2013, Beijing

For more than three decades, China’s economy has experienced unparalleled growth rates. Never before in the history of mankind have more people been lifted out of poverty more quickly. An even larger number of people are presented with entirely new opportunities.

The steady and sustained growth comes with a prize, however. Its impact on the environment and resources threaten to undermine some of its achievements. China’s geographical position makes the country particularly vulnerable to the effects of climate change. And no policy effort so far has been able to stop the growing gap between urban and rural areas.

In China, as elsewhere, the question of how to meet these challenges has long since stopped being a matter exclusively of the ruling elite. A growing number of social actors and civil-society initiatives are developing creative and hands-on solutions for social problems big and small. And although NGOs are tightly controlled and many issues continue to be off-limit, more and more new actors are taking advantage of the broadening opportunities.

All this strengthens our conviction that it is time for China.

During the 4th World Young Leaders Forum in Beijing, we want to find out more about civil society’s answers to China’s challenges. We are particularly interested in solutions that promote a shift from quantitative to qualitative growth – a task faced not only by China but also by the rest of the world.