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Location: Beijing Contents: The Social Innovation and the Third Sector Conference, which was jointly organized by the British Council and State Administration for NGOs of P.R. China, opened on 4 December 2008 in Beijing, bringing together nearly 150 participants from China and the UK with governmental, third sector or academic backgrounds to have in-depth and constructive discussions on the themes of common concern.
In his opening speech, Mr Sun Weilin, the Director-General of State Administration for NGOs stressed the great importance that the Chinese government attaches to the development and management of NGOs, saying that "the government at all levels should strengthen the work in fostering, regulating and governing NGOs, allow them to be self-adjusted and self-governed when necessary, carry out social management and provide public services. The government should actively cooperate with NGOs and engage them through encouragement and instruction. " Meanwhile, he also introduced the rapid development of Chinese NGOs and highly appreciated the important roles that Chinese NGOs played in disaster relief after the Sichuan earthquake as well as during the Beijing Olympics. Following was the opening speech by Ms Barbara Woodward, Charge d'Affaires of the British Embassy, who summarized the strong support by the UK government for a thriving third sector and the clear relevance of this conference to the direction of both countries' policy and practice in promoting social innovation and the development of the third sector. As she commented, the conference provides an excellent platform for the two countries to share experience and learning.
In the morning session, seven speakers delivered keynote speeches: 1. Social Innovation and the Development of the Third Sector - by Professor Wang Ming from the Institute of NGO Research, Tsinghua University Download
In the afternoon, the participants were split into three groups to have further discussions on particular topics, followed by key points reporting to the conference and the Q & A session. The third group talked about social organisations and voluntary services, covering topics including the accurate definition of volunteers ( is volunteer a type of new citizen?), the necessity of managing volunteers or voluntary organisations and the way to manage, the capacity building of volunteers and voluntary organisations. The partcipants agreed that with the social and economic development, volunteering has become a new lifestyle, laying solid foundation for scaling up voluntary services. The civil society innovation in the future will rely on everyone around us. The conference ended with an awarding ceremony for the top 10 entries from the Call-for-paper on Social Innovation and the Third Sector which was run through September and October.
Robin Rickard, Director British Council Beijing and Deputy Director British Council China, pointed out in the closing remarks that "scaling up social innovation involves a two way exchange of ideas and has a strong emphasis on mutuality. What China has achieved in mobilizing and channelling volunteers to provide various services for the Beijing Olympics is definitely a good reference for the London Olympic Games in 2012. At the same time the concept of social enterprise and the various models prevalent in the UK are being discussed and tested in China." Parallel to the conference were the China-UK social innovation photo exhibition and the social enterprise product display. A total of 48 pictures selected from the two countries and the delicate handicrafts made by community residents and minority women living in the poor area vividly demonstrate how the third sector is driving social innovation, addressing social challenges, strengthening social cohesion and promoting social justice.
The participant also broke into four groups on 5 Dec to visit some local NGO/ social enterprise in Beijing such as the Sun Village Special Children Aid Centre, Hetong Yuetan Elderly Home, Jiu Xian Qiao Street and Haidian Volunteers Association. The field visits offered a good opportunity for them to witness the third sector innovation that is flourishing in nowadays China. The success of this conference not only marked the fruitful end of China-UK Social Innovation Project that the British Council has been carrying out during the past three years, but also initiated a new starting point for more cooperation between China and UK in the future. Part of the conference record is available now, please click to download. |
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© British Council |
The conference
Mr Sun Weilin 
Ms Barbara Woodward
Anne McGuire MP 
Professor Wang Ming
Group discussion and Q& A session
the awarding ceremony
The social innovation photo exhibition
The social enterprise product display
