Bahk Eun-ji has been with The Korea Times since 2012, building a career across multiple desks. She began at the Business Desk, where she conducted in-depth interviews with key figures in Korea's corporate world. Later, she moved to the Politics & City Desk, focusing on education policy and social affairs. She later served as team leader of the digital content team, leading curation efforts on the newspaper’s homepage and reshaping print stories for social media audiences to enhance digital reach. Now back on the Politics Desk, she covers the National Assembly and the Ministry of National Defense, with a renewed focus on political developments.
Yonsei University to host global forum on sustainable development, global partnerships
A poster for the Global Engagement and Empowerment Forum on Sustainable Development organized by Yonsei University / Courtesy of Yonsei University
By Bahk Eun-ji
By Bahk Eun-ji
Yonsei University will hold a global forum virtually this week to discuss the impacts and challenges that the coronavirus pandemic has presented with regards to international cooperation, as well as how to raise awareness of sustainable development.
Under the theme, “3Ps Beyond Security: Peace, Prosperity and Partnership,” the Global Engagement and Empowerment Forum on Sustainable Development (GEEF) will take place on Thursday and Friday, according to the university.
The conference is aimed at discussing partnerships and the path forward to accelerate the achievement of the U.N. Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), with reviews of the global crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
The event will begin with a congratulatory address by Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha, and speeches from former World Bank President Jim Yong Kim and Deputy Secretary-General of the U.N. Amina J. Mohammed.
During a special session, Ban Ki-moon, the honorary chair of the Institute of Global Engagement and Empowerment at Yonsei University, along with UNHCR Special Envoy Angelina Jolie, will discuss global issues about refugees, women and children, who have often been marginalized in the coronavirus response.
Experts, scholars and government officials from dozens of countries were initially invited to participate in person, but the forum will be held online due to COVID-19, as well as broadcast live on YouTube, the university said.
For the roundtable session, World Health Organization former Director General Margaret Chan, Columbia University professor Jeffrey Sachs and Bangladesh Foreign Minister A.K. Abdul Momen will share insights on global partnership during and after the COVID-19 pandemic.
In featured sessions, scholars will discuss the progress and prospects of sustainable development, global partnerships and the role of higher education.
Yonsei hosts the forum every February to increase awareness of the importance of sustainable development.
The university launched the Institute of Global Engagement and Empowerment in 2017 to strengthen its social responsibility to nurture future leaders of our society under the three main values of engagement, innovation and excellence.
“Yonsei University is committed to serve as an engaged academic partner to promote the sustainable development of our society,” Yonsei President Suh Seoung-hwan said in a statement.