9–11 July 2025 · The University of Hong Kong
Future Communities · Global South International Forum
Fifty-two participants from academia, civil society, and business gathered to explore how sustainable, future-oriented communities in the Global South can be defined and built together.The three-day forum connected participants from Mainland China, Hong Kong, Nepal, Malaysia, Cambodia, Laos, Pakistan, the United Kingdom, the United States, and beyond. The programme combined thematic presentations, roundtables, and small-group dialogues around resilience, innovation, and transformation.
Conversations moved between people-to-people connection, cross-cultural engagement, social entrepreneurship, faith and development, infrastructure, and community-centred governance. A recurring question was how local knowledge and participation can shape development while remaining connected to wider regional and global networks.
The gathering concluded with a commitment to continued exchange through research networks, online platforms, and collaborative projects. It positioned community development not simply as a technical task, but as a space for civilizational dialogue, institutional learning, and shared action.
Hosted by the HKU Global Society and Sustainability Lab, with partners in Beijing, Hong Kong, Hangzhou, and across the Global South. The forum was sponsored by the Institute for Global Civilization.
Scenes from the forum
