BEIJING, Oct. 18, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- A report from China Daily:
A prestigious financial event is to commence on Friday in Beijing, where senior government officials, along with experts, scholars and representatives from global financial institutions, will deliver keynote speeches.
The Annual Conference of Financial Street Forum 2024, running until Sunday, is co-hosted by the Beijing government, the People's Bank of China, the National Financial Regulatory Administration, the China Securities Regulatory Commission, Xinhua News Agency and the State Administration of Foreign Exchange.
This year's event is to attract more than 500 distinguished guests from more than 30 countries and regions around the world.
Over the course of three days, participants will engage in discussions on current economic and financial hot topics, aiming to enhance mutual trust, deepen win-win cooperation and share development opportunities.
The theme of this year's forum is "Trust and Confidence — Work Together to Promote Financial Openness and Cooperate for Shared Economic Stability and Growth".
"Trust is the cornerstone of international cooperation and confidence is the support for economic development," said Liu Dongwei, executive secretary-general of the forum's organizing committee and head of Beijing's Xicheng district.
"This theme fully reflects the deep consensus among the forum's organizers, financial institutions and industry insiders, highlighting the development concepts of co-consultation, co-construction, co-governance and co-sharing.
"It also showcases the inclusiveness, the role of demonstration and leadership of the Financial Street Forum," he added.
This year's forum is structured around a main forum plus parallel forums and a fintech conference. It features 25 thematic activities and three investment and financing matchmaking events.
The main forum includes opening and closing ceremonies, as well as six thematic activities focusing on such topics as improving the modern central banking system, deepening capital market reforms, empowering industries through finance to lead high-quality development, and enhancing mutually beneficial international trade and investment cooperation.
The activities will also provide authoritative interpretations of international and domestic economic development trends and financial regulatory policies.
Additionally, the international level of this year's forum has been enhanced. It has set up three sub-venues in Hong Kong, Luxembourg and Tokyo, inviting local governments and enterprises to participate. And, for the first time, it has invited the Hong Kong Financial Services Development Council to host thematic activities in Beijing.
The closing ceremony will be held in conjunction with the Hong Kong sub-venue, inviting representatives from the governments and institutions of Beijing and Hong Kong Special Administrative Region to participate in an in-depth discussion on the theme of "green finance", promoting financial exchanges and cooperation between the Chinese capital and the SAR.
Also, it will continue to host high-level dialogues with former central bank governors from major global economic and financial countries, like China, the United Kingdom and Switzerland.
The parallel forums will focus on "strengthening economic and financial cooperation for coordinated development" and "finance supporting sustainable economic development", setting up a series of professional, cutting-edge and in-depth activities.
The fintech conference, serving as a specific segment of the forum, will run until Tuesday. It will feature 17 events, focusing on artificial intelligence plus financial innovation; data elements plus financial applications; fintech development and achievements; and bridging the digital divide through fintech.
Liu highlighted five major features of this forum, one of which is the richer thematic setting. For instance, the forum has, for the first time, invited the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology and centrally-administered and State-owned enterprises to host themed activities. These aim to emphasize the forum's role as a platform for positive interaction between finance and the real economy.
The forum has also innovated the path of sci-tech transformation by creating a fund-themed forum and holding corporate roadshows and industry-finance matchmaking meetings.
This year, the forum offers a variety of supporting activities, making it not only a professional exchange platform for financial industry practitioners but a grand event for the public.
For example, during the forum, a large-scale cultural performance will be held at the Beijing Tianqiao Performing Arts Center, covering various art forms such as dance, song, music and opera.
In addition, the forum will conduct a large-scale series of shopping activities. Starting from Oct 1 and lasting nearly a month, these activities are taking place mainly at Beijing's Seasons Place luxury shopping mall and its surrounding areas.
They include a coffee market, auto shows, electronic product roadshows and outdoor dining experiences. There will also be a global product launch and sale event, offering substantial discounts and consumption vouchers to the public.
** The press release content is from PR Newswire. Bastille Post is not involved in its creation. **
Hot topics set for discussion in Beijing
SINGAPORE, Oct. 18, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- The National Institute of Early Childhood Development (NIEC) hosted its inaugural international conference on 17–18 October 2024 at the Marina Bay Sands Expo and Convention Centre, in celebration of its 5th anniversary. The event gathered more than 1,000 local and overseas early childhood (EC) leaders, experts, and educators to share insights, foster connections, and explore the latest trends in early childhood education.
NIEC Director & CEO Mrs Loke-Yeo Teck Yong reflected, "I am truly inspired by the vibrant discussions and exchanges that took place at NIEC Conference. This event puts EC educators at the heart of practice and successfully provided a platform to share insights on their professional development, wellbeing, and best practices for children. NIEC is committed to working with our partners to support and empower the early childhood fraternity to give their best to children and families. Together, we are laying the groundwork for a brighter future for our youngest learners."
NIEC to be the Centre of Excellence for Early Childhood Leadership
Guest of Honour, Minister for Education Mr Chan Chun Sing, announced plans for NIEC to become the Centre of Excellence for Early Childhood Leadership. Since its inception in 2019, NIEC has played a vital role in uplifting EC educator training, enhancing their professional development and facilitating professional exchanges in the area of EC leadership. As the Centre of Excellence for Early Childhood Leadership, NIEC will serve as a thought leader in EC leadership development by engaging and collaborating with NIE Centre for Research in Child Development (CRCD) and the NUS Centre for Holistic Initiatives for Learning and Development (CHILD) on research projects related to early childhood leadership.
NIEC will also facilitate the formation of communities of practice and networks for EC centre leaders, promoting best practices through peer learning and mentoring. As the key EC leadership training institute, NIEC will ensure quality professional development through robust training that incorporates various modalities and innovative methods. Partnering the Early Childhood Development Agency (ECDA), NIEC will take bearing from the sectoral Leadership Development Framework to ensure consistency of its EC leadership-related training to meet ground needs.
A new initiative, "Coaching Matters," supported and funded by the Lien Foundation, will develop a pool of trained and certified early childhood leadership coaches to mentor aspiring leaders from NIEC leadership programmes. This initiative aims to transform the dynamics between leaders and teachers, promoting a culture of coaching and sustainable practices where educators uplift one another to enhance quality in the early childhood sector.
Ms Desiree Tan, Quality Assurance Manager at E-Bridge Pre-school Pte Ltd, lauded the initiative, stating: "The Centre of Excellence for EC Leadership is an outstanding initiative as it offers a common platform for professional discourse amongst early childhood leaders. Through this, there will be more collaborative efforts amongst EC leaders and this greatly benefits children's learning and development".
NIEC as a Home for all EC Educators
In NIEC's efforts to build a supportive fraternity and help professionals foster strong bonds in the early childhood sector, Minister Chan emphasised that NIEC would serve as a home for all EC educators. To this end, NIEC is committed to establishing a welcoming environment for educators to interact with faculty, fellow professionals, current students, alumni, and other experts.
In 2026, NIEC will consolidate its current headquarters and CET operations at the premises made available at Ngee Ann Polytechnic. This consolidation will allow NIEC to gather EC educators together to exchange ideas, engage in professional development initiatives, and interact with one another.
Ms Joyce Teo, Vice Principal at Little Skool-House Kent Vale, expressed her appreciation for this development: "It's reassuring to have a community to return to, where I can connect with people who share similar goals and challenges. Being part of the NIEC community makes me feel more connected with other early childhood educators, and less isolated."
Although programmes will continue to be conducted at the Institute of Technical Education, Ngee Ann Polytechnic, and Temasek Polytechnic campuses, all NIEC students and staff are welcome at the consolidated campus to engage in greater cross-campus collaboration, share learning and teaching resources, and foster robust support networks.
Highlights of the NIEC Conference
The conference features three main topic strands—Professional Development, Pedagogy and Curriculum, and Trends, Policy and Local Research—highlighted by presentations from distinguished speakers:
Professor Kenneth Poon highlighted the significance of the event, "The NIEC Conference is a landmark gathering that brings together stakeholders from across the early childhood sector to address pressing issues. By integrating findings from international research, local expertise, and practical wisdom, the conference fosters a deeper understanding informed by evidence and grounded in the realities of local practice. This is a fitting celebration of NIEC's 5th anniversary, showcasing its valuable contributions to the sector."
Professor Patricia Jennings also emphasised the importance of holistic approaches in early childhood education, "The NIEC conference underscores that improving early childhood programming is multifaceted. It requires system-level changes that provide educators with the necessary support, alongside professional learning opportunities that help them develop the well-being, social, and emotional competencies needed to create and maintain environments that promote child development."
Professor Lynn Ang remarked, "It is amazing to see the journey that NIEC has undertaken in the last five years. Excellent early childhood education requires excellent preschool teachers. It is a fantastic achievement to see so many early childhood educators engaged in training and professional development to ensure all children in Singapore thrive and flourish!"
NIEC extends its gratitude to all sponsors, partners, and participants who contributed to the success of this event.
For more information about the conference, please visit the NIEC Website.
About the National Institute of Early Childhood Development (NIEC)
NIEC is the national training institute set up in 2019 by the Ministry of Education to deliver quality training to Singapore's early childhood (EC) educators at every career stage. NIEC provides a full range of certificates and diplomas for post-secondary students and mid-careerists embarking on their EC journey. In-service educators may also take Post-diplomas and Continuing Professional Development (CPD) courses with NIEC to deepen their EC skills. For more information, please visit www.niec.edu.sg.
** The press release content is from PR Newswire. Bastille Post is not involved in its creation. **
NIEC Celebrates Success of 5th Anniversary Conference: "Inspiring Excellence in Early Childhood Practice"
