UNITAR and IAA Convene Global Leaders at UN to Champion Sustainable Development Through Arts and Culture

26 June 2025, New York, USA —  The United Nations Institute for Training and Research New York Office (UNITAR-NYO), together with the International Academy for Arts and Cultural Studies (IAA), successfully co-hosted the Arts for the Sustainable Development Forum at the UN Headquarters in New York.

The event was organized by the Global Ballet Centre (GBC), with support from North America Tsinghua Alumni Association of Academy of Arts & Design, Lingnan University, Tsinghua Alumni Association, and Sotheby Institute of Arts.

Aiming to spotlight artistic expression as a central pillar in shaping innovative and inclusive global solutions for the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the forum convened international delegates, artists, and academic leaders to participate in intercultural collaboration.

Officially opening the forum, Dr. Zeng Jinsong, Secretary General of the Institute of Global Industry at Tsinghua University and Chairman of the Beijing Global Ballet Center, set the stage for a series of compelling keynote speeches from distinguished figures in the art world. Prof. Ann-Marie Richard, Director of Sotheby’s Institute of Arts, discussed the history of sustainability in art. Prof. Claudio Rocca, Former Director of the Accademia di Belle Arti di Firenze, spoke on the beauty of arts. José Félix Bentz, President of the Reial Cercle Artístic, delivered a speech on “Art and Culture as Architecture for Peace.” Prof. Lu Xiaobo, Director of the Tsinghua University Art Museum, Senior Professor of Liberal Art at Tsinghua University, and Vice President of the 9th Chinese Artist Association, spoke on the possibility of co-creating the future of humanity through cultural diversity.

The day's discussions delved deeper during three expert panel sessions. The first, titled “Cross-disciplinary Dialogue: Artists and Technologists - Is AI a tool or a Creator?”, featured expertise from EuiChul Jung, Professor & Dean at the Department of Design of the College of Fine Arts at Seoul National University; Lijun Ma, Assistant Professor at Lingnan University, Hong Kong; Donato Nitti, Avv. Donato Nitti, PhD, of Studio Legale Nitti e Associatti; ChuangHwan Suh, Founder & CEO of WAIS Co., Ltd. ; and Boqing Zhang, Chairman of Beroni Group, Ltd..

The second panel addressed the “Future Landscape of Education and Arts: Innovation and Development in the Era of Globalization”. Its speakers were Tianhua Liu, Lecturer at the Academy of Arts & Design, Tsinghua University; Emanuele Amodei, Single Administrator/CEO of Palazzo Spinelli, Istituto per l'arte e il restauro; Xinyuan Cai, Dean of the School of Design at Huazhong University of Science and Technology; Leilei Chen, Professor at Grand Valley State University; and Xuling Tang, Founder of New Century Education and Zhongtian Art Museum.

A “Youth Special Session” focused on the “Artistic Expression and Future Responsibility of the New Generation”. The panel included Boqi Han, Doctor of Design at the Central Academy of Fine Arts; Weijia Kong, International Council Member at UCCA Center for Contemporary Art; Keming Li, General Manager of Beijing Ruzui Cultural Development Co., Ltd.; Yi Li, Founder of ArtAlpha (Beijing U&ART Technology Development Co., Ltd.); Rebeca Méndez, an Independent Artist; Dan Shi, Director of Valen Art Vogue (Hong Kong) International Limited ; and Nan Zhao, a Designer at Beijing Xingxin Cultural Center.

Along with the conference, an art exhibition at the South Wall of the United Nations Headquarter by multiple visual artists provided a tangible display of artistic innovation, with an introduction by Qihong Xie, Director of the Education Center of Academy of Arts & Design, Tsinghua University.

The event culminated with closing remarks from artist Zhuo Fumin, Founder of V Star Capital, and Ambassador Marco A. Suazo. Ambassador Suazo reaffirmed the hosts' commitment to integrating cultural initiatives into global development strategies, expressing optimism for future partnerships that will continue to build a more sustainable and equitable world through artistic expression.