Peking University, Beijing, November 6, 2008: The closing ceremony of Beijing Forum 2008: “The Harmony of Civilizations and Prosperity for All—The Universal Value and the Development Trend of Civilization” was held at Overseas Exchange Center of Peking University (PKU) on November 9, 2008. Sha Zukang, UN Under-Secretary-General, Prof. Xu Zhihong, President of PKU, and Kim Jae-youl, Secretary General of the Korea Foundation for Advanced Studies attended the ceremony and made speeches. Prof. Hao Ping, the President of Beijing Foreign Studies University, Prof. Wu Zhipan, Vice-Secretary of CPC PKU Committee, Prof. Zhang Guoyou, Vice-President of PKU, and Prof. Li Yansong, President Assistant of PKU were present. The ceremony was hosted by Prof. Yang Ke, Executive Vice President of PKU.
Mr. Sha Zuqi was first to speak. He gave congratulations to the organizers of the Beijing Forum 2008 for their success in holding it, including the Beijing Government, PKU, and the Korea Foundation for Advanced Studies. He said that the topics of the Forum were related with philosophy, economics, art, history, and ecology, which were discussed deeply by related experts and scholars. These topics enriched people’s minds, promoted cooperation and was helpful to create a better life. He also introduced the efforts and the achievements gained by UN on peace and security, development and human rights. He pointed out that a lot of the UN work ideas were in common with the themes of Beijing Forum, such as promoting cross-cultural communication, understanding and tolerance, and harmony and prosperity of all civilizations. And he also pointed out that freedom, equality, harmony, prosperity, and responsibility were fully reflected in the Forum. He finally stressed that economic development, social development, and environmental protection were becoming common concerns for people all over the world.
Prof. Xu Zhihong said in his speech that the aim of the Beijing Forum was to provide a platform for the experts and scholars from all over the world to exchange their knowledge and ideas. Through this, we can enhance mutual understanding and achieve harmony and prosperity of civilizations. He also said that it was a grand humanities and social forum in which there were all-round discussions on the topics about the common value of global civilizations. The academic contributions given by the scholars in the Forum will be echoed in academe. Finally, he pointed out that the Beijing Forum 2008 was a milestone and also a new start by recalling the history of the forum over the past-five years. Also, the Beijing Forum will continue to concentrate on the problems of social and human development and treat it as its sacred duty to provide its wisdom for the development of a harmonized world.
Mr. Kim Jae-youl expressed his appreciation to the Beijing Government and to PKU in his speech. He said the Beijing Forum was a broad and open platform in which people could bring in new information and their understanding on the harmony and prosperity of civilizations. He hoped the Beijing Forum could make more contributions for the world peace, development and the harmony and prosperity of civilizations through the support of experts worldwide.
The main theme of this year’s Forum was “The Universal Value and the Development Trend of Civilization”. There were five sub-forums: “Ecological Civilization: Environment, Energy and Social Evolution”, “Traditions and Modernity: State-Structures and Political Cultures”, “Transcendence of Arts and the Development of Civilizations”, “Olympic Spirit and World Harmony”, “Continuities and Changes in World Politics: Globalization or Glocalization” and one Round Table Conference: “International Cooperation and University Development”. In the past two days, the Forum attracted many experts and scholars from different countries to express their minds and have fruitful achievements.
At the end of the Closing Ceremony, it announced that the Sixth Annual Beijing Forum will be held in Beijing from November 6 to November 8, 2009.
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