Li Zou, the Center for Social Development’s international director, participated in two high-profile events this summer in Beijing.
On the invitation of the China Social Work Research Center at Peking University, Zou attended the “Dialogue with Muhammad Yunus: Social Work and Financial Inclusion” in July. Yunus and the Grameen Bank are the joint recipients of the 2006 Nobel Peace Prize for “efforts to create economic and social development from below.”
Yunus is a Bangladeshi social entrepreneur, economist and civil society leader who founded the Grameen Bank and pioneered the concepts of microcredit and microfinance. He shared his thoughts on how to repair systems to raise people out of poverty. Zou engaged him with questions and discussion.
Zou also was invited to judge a student presentation competition at the Belt and Road Global Youth Leaders Summit 2018, organized by Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Peking University, the Beijing Municipal Government and Shougang Group of Beijing.
More than 300 student leaders from 28 countries and regions attended the summit. The theme was “Transforming VISION into ACTION.” Working in small groups, the students looked for practical solutions to such critical challenges as poverty alleviation, education for all, and building sustainable communities. Given Zou’s expertise, she was one of the two judges for the poverty alleviation theme.
“I greatly enjoyed the opportunity to learn from talented and energetic student leaders working hard to solve real-life poverty challenges,” Zou said. “These students are the change agents who will bring real benefits to their local communities.”
Both Peking University and Hong Kong Polytechnic University have been collaborators with the Center for Social Development for two decades.