（Photo by Wu Sheng & Du Lijun/Xinhua Daily）

The 2025 World Youth Development Forum opened in Suzhou City on July 15, gathering around 500 youth representatives from over 100 countries and 17 international organizations.

The plenary session speakers included a crew member from China’s research icebreaker Xuelong 2 (or Snow Dragon 2), a Paris Olympic gold medalist in artistic swimming, and the lead archaeologist from the Sanxingdui Ruins excavation.

During the forum, the second batch of 100 model projects under the Global Youth Development Action Plan was unveiled, alongside the launch of the Global Youth Development Project Week.

The forum includes three themed panel discussions focusing on green consumption and sustainable development, artificial intelligence and technological innovation, and cultural heritage preservation and development. Activities during the Global Youth Development Project Week also include training camps, business matchmaking events, field visits and exchanges.