Young innovators from nearly 70 countries and regions submitted 866 public policy proposals under the theme “Preserving Cultural Diversity” to the 2026 Global Development Public Policy Youth Innovation Contest. The competition attracted more than 4,000 participants from over 200 universities, with 15 teams advancing to the final round held at Renmin University of China on July 21.

Launched in 2025, the competition aims to encourage young people to address global challenges through public policy innovation. Its inaugural edition, themed “Food Security and Poverty Eradication,” attracted more than 1,400 young participants from six continents. This year's competition, inspired by the Global Civilization Initiative, more than doubled both the number of participants and proposal submissions. Topics ranged from language preservation and traditional craftsmanship to historic district conservation and digital culture.

In a video address, Fabrizio Hochschild, former UN Under-Secretary-General and Special Adviser to the Secretary-General, commended the initiative. RUC President Ma Huaide noted that protecting cultural diversity requires not only effective public policies but also the creativity and global vision of young people. He said the competition provides a platform for youth worldwide to contribute to public governance and foster mutual learning among civilizations.

During the event, organizers released Global Development: Youth Solutions for Preserving Cultural Diversity, a collection featuring 53 outstanding policy proposals selected from this year's competition. The publication showcases innovative youth perspectives on cultural governance, public communication, social integration and inclusive preservation.

Many teams grounded their proposals in field research.Guo Mingzhu, a student from RUC’s School of Journalism, and her team studied the Dongting South Road Historic District in Yueyang, Hunan province. Through interviews with residents, shop owners, intangible cultural heritage practitioners, and tourism operators, the team developed a community-centered model integrating culture, tourism, and local businesses. The team is now working with local enterprises to further develop the proposal and explore its practical application in heritage preservation and community renewal.

A team from Dublin City University in Ireland focused on increasing the everyday use of the Irish language. Although about 1.87 million people report being able to speak Irish, fewer than 72,000 use it daily. The team proposed a three-year pilot program to expand opportunities for using Irish in communities, public services, and digital spaces.

While some teams concentrated on revitalizing cultural practices within local communities, others explored how emerging technologies could help document, transmit and sustain endangered knowledge and traditions.

A team from the Diplomatic Academy of Vietnam collaborated with ethnic minority artisans to develop iLocal, a digital platform that combines AI-powered translation with e-commerce to help traditional handicrafts reach wider markets. A team from City University of Hong Kong applied artificial intelligence and internet of things technologies to create digital archives of traditional nutmeg cultivation practices in Indonesia's Banda Islands. Meanwhile, students from Kenya Methodist University proposed using multimodal AI to digitally preserve traditional herbal knowledge and medical practices from more than 40 tribal communities.

Participants said the competition offered more than an opportunity to present their policy ideas — it created a platform for dialogue across cultures.

"Although we come from different countries, we share one identity here: young people committed to taking action to protect cultural diversity," said Yara Nieves Handschin from the University of Oxford team.

Following the final, participants will take part in a weeklong field study in Beijing and Suzhou in Jiangsu province, where they will examine case studies including the conservation of the Great Wall World Cultural Heritage Site, the revitalization of Suzhou's Pingjiang Road Historic District, and the integration of digital technologies with traditional culture. Through site visits and exchanges with local practitioners, the teams will further refine their proposals and consider how their ideas can be adapted to different cultural and social contexts.

Established by Renmin University of China, the Global Development Public Policy Youth Innovation Contest seeks to bring together young people from diverse countries and cultural backgrounds to tackle shared global challenges through dialogue, collaboration, and innovative public policy solutions. By connecting global perspectives with locally grounded research, the competition seeks to turn young people’s ideas into practical solutions for sustainable and inclusive development.