On December 8, Chinese Academy of Science and Technology for Development (CASTED), together with China Science and Technology Exchange Center (CSTEC), jointly organized the 2035 Sci-Tech Think Tank Lecture Series. Prof. Shahbaz Khan, Director of the UNESCO East Asia Multi-Sector Regional Office and winner of the 2019 China Friendship Award was invited to give an academic lecture on the theme 'China’s STI Development from the Perspective of International Organizations.' The event was attended offline by the Department of International Cooperation of MOST, CSTEC, International Science and Technology Cooperation Center, and Science and Technology Daily, and was attended online by Hebei Institution of Sci-tech Innovation Strategy.

Prof. Shahbaz Khan took UNESCO's mandate and the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals as a starting point to describe, from the perspective of international organizations, China's active contributions in promoting global scientific and technological innovation cooperation, forming ethical consensus, and building multilateral science frameworks. He also discussed the practical cooperation between China and UNESCO in areas such as artificial intelligence, open science, and science diplomacy, leveraging cooperation platforms like UNESCO Category I and II centers. Prof. Shahbaz Khan stated that China's development concepts of being 'people-centered' and 'pursuing common prosperity' are essentially aligned with UNESCO's principle of 'leaving no one behind,' and that UNESCO and China share common goals in the field of scientific and technological innovation. In the future, both parties have broad opportunities for cooperation in supporting green development concepts, promoting research on science and technology ethics, and facilitating South-South scientific and technological cooperation. Additionally, Prof. Shahbaz Khan offered opinions and suggestions on promoting the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals and building a more inclusive and sustainable global innovation ecosystem.

During the Q&A session, participants discussed China's practices in promoting open science, the role of UNESCO in international scientific and technological cooperation, and UNESCO's future cooperation with China.