Global challenges are increasingly interconnected. How can we bring people together to foster meaningful collaboration? In an era of accelerating technological innovation,how can we develop transferable global competencies and leadership skills? At the ZIBS Global Competency Workshop, ZIBS invited HUA Jingdong, ZIBS International Advisory Board (IAB) Member, and Dr. YU Jiefeng , Global Technical Lead of UN Sanitation and Hygeien Fund, to join students in exploring how global challenges translate into real-world practice.
A 30-Second Icebreaker
Cross-Cultural Collaboration in International Organizations
If you had just 30 seconds, how would you build trust with someone? Dr. YU Jiefeng, who has long been engaged in international development cooperation and global health, posed this question to the students.
As students reflected, she shared a story about her first meeting with a key partner of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. In a high-stakes meeting, jumping straight into a project proposal could easily lead the conversation nowhere if the idea failed to capture the other person's interest. Instead, she noticed a painting hanging in the partner's office bearing the words Chinese Business. Seizing the opportunity, she began by asking about the partner's past experience in China, using this shared point of reference to establish a connection.
The key to the first 30 seconds of a conversation is to make the other person willing to settle down and listen to the next 30 minutes of what you have to say, she explained.
Building trust, however, is only the first step. How can multiple stakeholders be brought together to drive a complex project forward? Dr. YU Jiefeng drew on his first-hand experience with the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank's (AIIB) Kenya Road Corridor Project to offer students an in-depth look at the dynamics of multi-stakeholder coordination. Large-scale cross-border infrastructure projects typically prioritize road connectivity and trade facilitation, while public sanitation has long been treated as a peripheral concern. Yet gaps in sanitation facilities for workers and mobile populations along project corridors can create persistent public health risks, ultimately undermining the long-term effectiveness of infrastructure development.
To address this often-overlooked governance gap, Dr. YU led the Sanitation and Hygiene Fund (SHF) in its deep engagement with the project. On one hand, the initiative drew on policy experience from China's Toilet Revolution while adapting solutions to local conditions, developing sanitation systems that are climate-smart, water-efficient, and scalable. On the other, it brought together multiple stakeholders, including government authorities at different levels in the host country, public utilities, private sector actors, and financial institutions. By integrating infrastructure operational efficiency, public health security, and local needs into a unified framework, the initiative helped elevate sanitation from a supplementary concern to an integral part of the project's overall design and implementation framework.
This really resonated with me, shared LIU Hongbo(2026 iMDS). Taking a project from conception to implementation requires not only aligning the interests of different stakeholders, but also finding feasible solutions within resource constraints. It made me realize that, beyond a solid professional foundation, communication, coordination, resource integration, and big-picture thinking are equally essential capabilities.
Making Trust Verifiable
A Benchmark for Global Financial Sustainability
What makes a business project attractive to investors? How can we determine whether a project is truly worth investing in?
Drawing on his extensive expertise in sustainable finance and global governance, HUA Jingdong, Member of the ZIBS International Advisory Board (IAB) and former Vice-Chair of the International Sustainability Standards Board (ISSB), offered an in-depth analysis of the real-world financing challenges facing projects with social impact.
He pointed out that the key reason high-quality projects struggle to secure funding in international capital markets is not a lack of compelling narratives or good intentions, but rather the failure to develop standardized sustainable assets that meet international standards and are investable, verifiable, and traceable.
Taking the World Bank's green bonds as an example, he explained that simply labeling a project as green is far from sufficient. Independent third-party verification is essential to ensure that funds are genuinely allocated to emissions reduction projects, while annual impact reports must be published to disclose measurable outcomes. Digital tools can further track the entire journey of funds and monitor implementation results, ensuring that every investment is verifiable and accountable. In this process, trust is no longer merely a matter of perception or communication; it becomes an institutional framework built on verification and traceability.
In his view, finance is a key lever for unlocking inclusive value. Capital investment can accelerate progress toward sustainable development goals, but achieving sustainable investment also requires collaboration with the private sector to explore a mutually beneficial model of Doing Good, Doing Well. This means integrating commercial returns, employment generation, and social impact into investment decisions. For students, this highlights an important dimension of global competence in international finance: the ability to balance commercial logic with social value and build a lasting, credible value proposition in global capital markets.
HUA's insights gave me a more comprehensive understanding of the financial system. Capital and markets are only part of the picture; more importantly, the financial system plays a role in shaping which social issues are prioritized, said Palita Sripratak(2025 GCM).
Human Values and Conviction
Building Global Governance Competence in the Age of AI
During the face-to-face exchange, the two guest speakers drew on their extensive frontline experience in international organizations and global governance to engage students in discussions on global development and business innovation in the age of AI. They also addressed students' questions on how to navigate the changing landscape, define their roles, and build distinctive strengths in an AI-driven world.
Drawing on his own career journey, HUA Jingdong noted that while AI can expand the boundaries of knowledge, it cannot replace human experience, judgment, and wisdom. He encouraged students to embrace change with an open mind and remain resilient in the face of failure, turning mistakes into opportunities for learning and growth. It is through continuous exploration and experimentation that new possibilities emerge.
From the perspective of international development and cross-cultural collaboration, Dr. YU Jiefeng highlighted the importance of understanding complex realities and respecting local cultures. While AI can bridge language barriers, it cannot replace human interaction and connection. Only by engaging deeply with local communities, understanding their cultural contexts and practical needs, and fostering multi-stakeholder collaboration and community participation can innovation truly reach the last mile.
Technology continues to push boundaries, but what ultimately determines how far we can go remains our capacity for sound judgment, meaningful connections, and resilience. It is about understanding complex global challenges, coordinating diverse stakeholders in governance, and making trust and value verifiable and sustainable.
Grounded in real-world global governance practices, the ZIBS Global Competency Workshop continues to strengthen students' global competence and leadership. We look forward to seeing students carry these insights with them as they step onto an even broader global stage.
