City University of Hong Kong (CityUHK) marked a defining moment in its promotion of global sustainability by welcoming His Excellency Mr Ban Ki-moon, the 8th Secretary-General of the United Nations (UN) and President of the Assembly and Chair of the Council of the Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI), to deliver a speech in CityUHK’s Distinguished Lecture was held in conjunction with the School of Energy and Environment 15th Anniversary Symposium on Global Sustainability and Energy Innovation on 6 December. As one of the world’s most influential voices in sustainable development, Secretary-General Ban’s presence highlighted CityUHK’s exemplary progress in advancing the United Nations’ 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and its unique position in bridging international sustainability initiatives with Hong Kong’s environmental leaders.

In his Distinguished Lecture, Secretary-General Ban shared about his passion for international cooperation and sustainable development and urged everyone to work together to fight the climate crisis. “We have witnessed again and again throughout history how we the global community can come together to turn common challenges into opportunities. And we must do that now and work to fight the climate crisis with sustainable development and adaptation.” His insights drew on decades of experience championing global environmental initiatives and fostering international collaboration for sustainable development.

 

His tenure as UN Secretary-General (2007–2016) was marked by significant achievements in global cooperation. He worked to build bridges and give a voice to the world’s most vulnerable and marginalised people. His legacy includes spearheading the adoption of the Paris Climate Agreement in 2016 and establishing the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development with its 17 SDGs, which address a range of global challenges, from climate action to affordable clean energy.

Today, as President of the Assembly and Chair of the Council of the GGGI, he has been instrumental in encouraging GGGI members to adopt the green growth and the environmentally sustainable and socially inclusive model of development.

The Distinguished Lecture was held in conjunction with the School of Energy and Environment 15th Anniversary Symposium on Global Sustainability and Energy Innovation. Fifteen years ago, CityUHK established Hong Kong’s first School of Energy and Environment (SEE). Today, SEE proudly celebrated its achievements in nurturing over 1,160 environmental professionals, and developing innovative solutions for promoting sustainability such as the electricity-free cooling paint for buildings to reduce heat stress and save energy, printable perovskite solar cells for carbon neutrality, and eco-engineered structures for enhancing marine biodiversity on manmade seawalls.

This distinguished event gathered notable leaders and experts, including Mr Tse Chin-wan, BBS, JP, Secretary for Environment and Ecology, the Honourable Mr Duncan Chiu, Legislative Council Member for the Technology & Innovation Constituency, and other guests from various sectors, demonstrating CityUHK’s creation of a collaborative network dedicated to a more sustainable future.

 

Professor Freddy Boey, President of CityUHK, emphasised in his opening remarks that the UN’s 17 SDGs form the backbone of CityUHK’s sustainability initiatives. He stressed that sustainability requires both global vision and local action, highlighting CityUHK’s efforts. “Adopting an interdisciplinary approach, we have drawn on the expertise of various academic units while working in partnership with government bodies, industry and international institutions to drive progress on these global targets.”

Reinforcing this commitment to action, Mr Tse thanked CityUHK’s “outstanding contributions” on innovation combating climate change in his remarks. He said, “While it is a challenge to combat climate change, the green transition brings new opportunities to all sectors of our community.”

The Distinguished Lecture included a dynamic panel discussion featuring prominent experts, with Ms Margaret Fong, Chief Executive of the Hong Kong Trade Development Council, giving the opening remarks. Professor Sung Jin Kang from the Department of Economics at Korea University; Mr Leong Cheung, Chief Strategy Officer of the Exchange Fund Investment Office at the Hong Kong Monetary Authority; Ms Nova Li from GGGI; and Professor Virginia Harper Ho from CityUHK’s School of Law, shared valuable perspectives on sustainable development. The discussion was moderated by Professor Zheng Wang, Associate Vice-President (Strategic Research) of CityUHK. The SEE’s 15th anniversary symposium also featured many other world-renowned researchers and industry practitioners, who exchanged views, experience and insights in keynote speeches and various presentations.

CityUHK is committed to translating high-level discussions and advanced research into concrete action. CityUHK has created a “living laboratory” of sustainability on campus, driving innovative solutions to reduce our carbon footprint and foster long-term ecological change. For example, as part of our commitment to SDG 7 (Affordable and Clean Energy), CityUHK has collaborated with CLPe to install nearly 2,000 high-efficiency bifacial solar panels on more than 30 campus buildings. The project will also incorporate scientific research by testing electricity-free, passive radiative cooling paint developed by i2Cool Limited, a start-up under the University’s HK Tech 300 programme.

CityUHK recently strengthened its global influence by signing a landmark Memorandum of Understanding with the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) at COP29 in Baku, Azerbaijan, to explore new collaboration in research, training and community engagement across the Asia-Pacific region. Through such international partnerships and scalable sustainability solutions, CityUHK is setting new benchmarks for universities in addressing global environmental challenges—exemplifying Secretary-General Ban’s vision of transforming environmental aspirations into concrete action.