World Youth Development Forum highlights youth role in global progress

The 2025 World Youth Development Forum was held from Monday to Thursday in Suzhou, east China's Jiangsu Province, drawing about 500 participants from over 100 countries and regions as well as 17 international organizations.

Themed "Unleash Youth Potential for Global Development," the four-day event welcomed youth affairs ministers, leaders of youth organizations and youth representatives from around the world to share insights in areas such as technological innovation, green development and cultural exchanges.

At the opening ceremony, the 100 Excellence Actions of the Action Plan for Global Youth Development 2025 was unveiled and the Acceleration Week for Global Youth Development was officially launched.

The event serves as an important occasion to pool youth strength for implementing the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the China-proposed Global Development Initiative, Global Security Initiative and Global Civilization Initiative.

"[We expect to] empower the project through promotional tours, case studies, entrepreneurial salons, project matching and other methods, to provide youth solutions for global sustainable development," said Liu Kai, deputy secretary-general of All-China Youth Federation.

"The World Youth Development Forum provides a wonderful platform. And the significance of this forum is that it shows the commitment of the government of China, of the United Nations, of national and international partners, to promoting youth leadership and development. This is a vital platform and opportunity for engagement, for exchange of ideas and for creating connections across countries," said Nadia Rasheed, United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) representative to China.

During the forum, delegates also engaged in thematic sessions focused on green consumption and sustainable development, artificial intelligence and technological innovation, and the protection and preservation of cultural heritage. A series of workshops, training camps and field visits were also held in Jiangsu.

The forum is co-hosted by the All-China Youth Federation, United Nations in China and the organizing committee of the forum. The first edition of the forum was held in 2022.

World Youth Development Forum highlights youth role in global progress

Officials from the European Union (EU) and Finland have voiced concerns after the White House said it has been discussing "a range of options" to acquire Greenland, including the use of the military.

EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas told a press briefing in Cairo on Thursday that the message from the U.S. is "extremely concerning," and "not really helping the stability of the world."

Kallas called on all parties to stick to international law, adding that relevant response measures has been discussed among EU members.

"The international law is very clear, and we have to stick to it. It is clear that it is the only thing that protects smaller countries, and that is why it is in the interest of all of us. And we discussed this today, as well, that we uphold the international law on all levels," she said.

Finnish Foreign Minister Elina Valtonen on Thursday described recent remarks by U.S. President Donald Trump and members of his administration on Greenland as "worrying," while reiterating Finland's support for Denmark and Greenland's right to self-determination.

"Finland and the other Nordic countries have exceptional expertise in Arctic conditions, and we are happy to make use of that together with our North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) allies to strengthen Arctic security, but it cannot be done by threatening allies," she said at a press conference at Finnish parliament after an extraordinary meeting of the parliamentary Foreign Affairs Committee.

Johannes Koskinen, chair of the Foreign Affairs Committee, said it was "unprecedented" for threats of violence to be made within NATO against another member in connection with seizing territory, adding that such threats run counter to the United Nations Charter and that their inconsistency with international law should be underscored at all levels.

EU, Finnish officials express concerns over US remarks on Greenland