Chinese lecturer is invited to speak at the EU Global Challenge Forum

Dr Haili Ma, Senior Lecturer in Chinese Studies and Dean of the Beijing Normal-Cardiff Chinese College, has been invited to speak at the EU Global Challenge Forum – Ahead of the Curve which takes place in Berlin this May.

The invitation comes jointly from the Robert Bosch Academy and the German Commission for UNESCO.

This forum consists of 35 critical thinkers and leaders in creative and cultural fields from around the globe. It will explore the 2005 UNESCO Convention and the 2015 Re-Shaping Cultural Policies on the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions and its relevance to our contemporary world. The event is chaired by former German President, Richard von Weizsäcker and the German Commissioner for UNESCO, Ms Christine M. Merkel, who are both contributors to the latest UNESCO policies.

Dr Ma has built a long-term working relationship with cultural experts from UNESCO. Collaborative projects include comparative studies between China-EU-UK cultural policies, entrepreneur artist development and the evolution of traditional art forms and their contribution to sustainable global social, economic and political development. Dr Ma’s work is making a direct impact and contribution to UNESCO policy making and influencing global critical thinkers and leaders.

This July, Ms Christine M. Merkel will visit Cardiff to deliver a keynote speech at the 6^th International Marxist Aesthetics Conference: Creativity, Critique and Globalisation which is co-hosted by Dr Ma together with School colleagues, Dr Heiko Feldner and Professor Fabio Vighi. The conference is in collaboration with Zhejiang University, China and has attracted over 50 academics from leading Chinese research institutions. Themes on culture and creativity and its contribution to global sustainable development will be further explored, with direct dialogue with UNESCO commissioner.