On July 8, 2016, the Committee of 100 hosted a high level Global Chinese Philanthropy Symposium in Beijing convening one hundred leading Chinese philanthropists from across Greater China.
RELEVANT LINKS: EVENT PHOTOS | TRANSCRIPT OF BAN REMARKS | PRESS COVERAGE
This first-of-its-kind event at Diaoyutai State Guesthouse was held in honor of United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, and featured top U.N. officials and other dignitaries including the Right Honourable Gordon Brown, former U.K. Prime Minister and U.N. Special Envoy for Global Education; Minister Qiu Yuanping, Director of the Overseas Chinese Affairs Office of the State Council of P.R. China; Ambassador Liu Jieyi, Permanent Mission of P.R. China to the United Nations, a distinguished delegation of twenty Committee of 100 members, and many other luminaries.
C-100 Chairman Frank H. Wu gave opening remarks, addressing some of the world’s most generous Chinese individuals, whose contributions to society total in the billions of dollars. C-100 member Ronnie Chan welcomed the group in a video message, and former Chairman Clarence Kwan facilitated a substantive dialogue engaging participants to share their philanthropic experiences and aspirations. Discussions were framed to promote strategic alignment around the United Nations post-2015 global development agenda. C-100 cofounder Shirley Young introduced the U.N. Secretary General, noting that her stepfather, diplomat Wellington Koo, was the first signatory of the U.N. Charter in 1945.
Setting aside time from his packed visit with Chinese leaders last week, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon delivered an inspiring keynote speech during lunch, commending Committee of 100 members and other leading philanthropists in the room for their long history of contributions to social progress. He also called on attendees to be part of a “serious 15-year partnership” to help achieve the U.N.’s global goals. (Click here to read the transcript of Ban Ki-moon’s speech, with Chinese translation)
At the end of lunch, Committee of 100 presented Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon with the C-100 “Global Leadership Award” recognizing his spearheading efforts to promote global philanthropy as part of the U.N.’s Sustainable Development Goals, and in particular, for championing partnerships with Asian philanthropists in the post-2015 global development agenda.
This event is the first in a series of Committee of 100 high-level convenings of Chinese philanthropists from the United States, Greater China and around the world. Through these efforts, C-100 aims to elevate the profile of Chinese philanthropy as a collective force for good and strengthen strategic alignment of individual action towards a shared vision of global prosperity.
HIGHLIGHTED PRESS COVERAGE:
PARTICIPATING COMMITTEE OF 100 MEMBERS:
Committee of 100
Extraordinary Chinese Americans
Office Address:
6 St. Johns Lane, 5th fl
New York, NY 10013
Mailing Address:
C100, Church St Station
PO Box 3504
New York, NY 10008
c100@committee100.org