The 2024 Shanghai Cooperation Organization Youth Development Forum, themed "Cultivate and Develop New Driving Forces and New Skills," was held on Nov 7 in Qingdao, Shandong province, gathering about 170 youth representatives from 10 SCO member countries and two observer states to discuss on the forum's theme.

During the forum, the Global South Young Leaders Initiative was launched, implemented by the All-China Youth Federation, which also sponsored the forum.

The initiative focuses on inviting young leaders from Global South countries to China for research and studies, organizing international youth-centered conferences, and launching cooperation projects for youth development. Its aim is to foster modernization talent in the Global South while advancing the global youth agenda and promoting international youth action.

"Youths are both essential beneficiaries and drivers of cooperation within the SCO," said Hu Baijing, vice president of the All-China Youth Federation.

In recent years, youths from SCO member states have actively collaborated, achieving substantial progress in fields such as innovation and entrepreneurship, the digital economy, distance education and cultural exchange, he said.

Mokhtari Behrooz, counselor of the Secretariat of the SCO, said the SCO has always prioritized youth initiatives. "Youth development needs national support, and governments should encourage youth entrepreneurship and the establishment of incubators, creating conditions for young people to acquire the professional skills needed in today's society," Behrooz said.

The forum unveiled the list of SCO Youth Exchange and Cooperation Projects for 2024-2025, featuring 18 projects in the fields of education, culture, sports, talent development, employment and entrepreneurship, economic cooperation and green development.

A flagship youth program under the SCO framework, the forum is part of the 2024 SCO Youth Campus and has held eight sessions since its inception in 2016.

According to the organizers, the group of SCO representatives will also visit leading manufacturers in Qingdao, including CRRC Qingdao Sifang, Haier and Hisense, to experience the city's industrial strength firsthand.

Qingdao was designated as the tourism and cultural capital of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization for 2024 to 2025, according to the Astana Declaration issued by leaders of the SCO member states in early July.

"Qingdao continues to support youth development by providing favorable policies to encourage young people to work and live in the city," said Zhang Hui, deputy secretary of the Communist Party of China Qingdao Municipal Committee.