CityUHK lecture series kicks off with focus on skills for social mobility

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The inaugural event in the Distinguished Lecture Series on Global Sustainability hosted by City University of Hong Kong (CityUHK) deals with issues that affect the quality of life and future prospects of millions of people around the world. 

The aim is to shed light on different aspects of social and economic development, with an emphasis on the importance of environmental factors, education and careful management of resources as an essential guiding principle.  

This aligns with the 17 Sustainable Development Goals, or SDGs, championed by the United Nations and it will be an opportunity to identify and address specific challenges confronting Hong Kong, the Greater Bay Area, and the wider Asia-Pacific region. 

“CityUHK has been actively exploring innovative solutions to address global development challenges. Through these lectures, we hope to lay the foundation for collaboration and unite all sectors of society in building a sustainable future.” said Professor Lee Chun-sing, Provost and Deputy President of CityUHK, in his welcome remark. 

The inaugural lecture in the series, delivered on June 24 by Professor James Heckman, Director of the Center for the Economics of Human Development at the University of Chicago, examined the thinking behind key policies and the steps that can or should be taken to address inequity and give young people the best possible start in life. 

The main theme of his talk was “Promoting skills to promote equality and social mobility”, with the focus on practical ideas and intelligent actions that enhance next-generation welfare and will lead to prosperity in all segments of society.  

“We can use research to create much better policies to tackle aspects of poverty, inequality and social mobility,” said Heckman, a Nobel laureate in economics who, in recent years, has been an active supporter of initiatives to assist rural communities in some of the poorer areas of China. “What’s missing is an…