PRME Joins the Second Annual Conference of the China Academic Committee for Responsible Management Education and the China Forum on Responsible Management Education

Authors of this article: Haifeng Huang, Hualiang Lu, Min Yan, Zijing Liu

The Second Annual Conference of the China Academic Committee for Responsible Management Education (RME) and the China Forum on Responsible Management Education and Sustainable Development were successfully held in Suzhou and Changzhou, Jiangsu Province, China from May 17th to 19th, 2023. The conference was themed "Embracing Global Management Education Transformation: Responsible Leadership."

Under the guidance of the Principles for Responsible Management Education (PRME), Changzhou University and Xi'an Jiaotong-Liverpool University collaborated and received support from the Taihe Institute, Asia Education Beijing Forum, Macao Doctoral Think Tank, UNESCO HK Association, and the China Academic Committee for Responsible Management Education. More than 20 institutions, including Peking University, Tsinghua University, The Chinese University of Hong Kong (Shenzhen), Beijing Technology and Business University, Northwestern Polytechnical University, and the Johns Hopkins University-Nanjing University Center for Chinese and American Studies (HNC), jointly organized the event with the participation of leaders, experts, and scholars from both domestic and international arenas, aiming to create a brighter future.

The conference featured keynote speeches, thematic speeches, deans' forums, interdisciplinary forums, youth forums, academic symposiums, and other activities focusing on responsible management education, responsible leadership, sustainable development, and the transformation of business management education. The event showcased the aspects of responsible leadership, including leadership, innovation, collaboration, learning, responsibility, and influence. During the conference, the China Institute for Responsible Management Education and Sustainable Development was established.

Dr. Mette MORSING, Head of the Principles for Responsible Management Education (PRME), an initiative of the United Nations Global Compact, said education is the top priority for transforming the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). PRME hopes to achieve curriculum adjustment, improve personal skills, and practical operation through education so that more youth can have leadership and achieve sustainable and healthy global development.

Professor Mohan MUNASINGHE, former Vice-Chair of the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) and co-laureate of the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize - analyzed the role of RME in achieving balance and sustainable development. He pointed out that society is currently facing many problems, such as the deterioration of the ecological environment and the widening gap between the rich and the poor, and sustainable development is the key to solving these problems. Humanity can promote sustainable development of the world through RME.

Professor LU Hualiang of Changzhou University, as key organizer, introduced the establishment of the China Academic Committee for RME. He believes that the world is facing unprecedented significant changes in a century, and it is urgent to promote the realization of stronger, greener, and healthier global development and to build a global development community.

Professor HUANG Haifeng, PRME Global Board Member and one of the important organizers, said that since its establishment, the China Academic Committee for RME has been practicing the concept of sustainable development put forward by the United Nations, fully promoting the active cooperation between Chinese universities and enterprises in the field of sustainable development in the Chinese society, promoting China's achievement of the SDGs, and looking forward to working with government, companies and institutions to build an innovation platform for RME and sustainable development.

Dr. LIU Jinghui, a Senior Researcher at Taihe Institute, proposed to cultivate young people with a sense of responsibility, global vision, and innovative spirit, to realize the combination of academic research and practical work, and contribute Chinese solutions to global sustainable development. Dr. LIU Jinghui proposed that Chinese organizations and individuals should have "Global Competence" to contribute Chinese wisdom to building a community with a shared future for humanity, and effectively communicate and cooperate with countries, regions and ethnic groups worldwide to jointly shape a better future for humanity.

Dr. JIA Feng, former director and chief expert of the Center for Education and Communications of Ministry of Ecology and Environment (CEEC) pointed out that global environmental problems are severe, and human beings need to become a community of shared future. He called on everyone to take responsibility in the uncertain crises. He hoped that RME and environmental education would be further integrated in the future to jointly cope with the challenges of the global ecological environment.

Dr. Ellen E. TOUCHSTONE, Associate Dean of XJTLU Business School, introduced XJTLU Business School's active exploration of responsible and sustainable business education. She launched the "15 Ways in 15 Weeks" carbon reduction initiative with her team, raising the public awareness and encouraging people to join low-carbon, energy-saving and environmental protection.

Scholars such as QIAN Xiaojun, KONG Ying, ZHANG Bohui, GUO Yi, TONG Jinping, LIU Yipei, ZOU Weikang, HU Xiaohan and FANG Eddy, who have served as leaders in the fields of economics and management at universities and have significant academic influence in business schools, have also expressed brilliant ideas.

In addition, experts and scholars from the fields of environment, society, management, culture, and other fields, including LUO Hongbo, YAN Min, CHEUNG Karen, AN Xiaopeng, HU Tao, LUAN Shengji, LI Shizhong, LIN Haiying, BU Maoliang, CHEN Fuxing, WANG Min, NI Huan, Christiane M. HERR, Milenko GUDIC and RUAN Hongmei etc., have also insightfully shared their perspectives. The most unforgettable event was the Youth Forum, where 20 students from more than ten universities announced their insightful and forward-looking academic perspectives through learning about sustainable development in university education, which received praise from participating experts.