From May 7 to 8, the 10th Multi-Stakeholder Forum on Science, Technology and Innovation for the Sustainable Development Goals (STI Forum) was held at the UN Headquarters in New York.
Professor Gong Ke, WFEO Past President and Chair of the WFEO Task Force on Engineering Capacity Building for Africa, was invited as a distinguished speaker to participate in the thematic session on “Scaling up STI financing and capacity building and strengthening research infrastructures for sustainable development”.
Taking the WFEO-led Engineering Capacity Building for Africa Program (ECBAP) as an example, Prof. Gong elaborated on a development approach centered on digital capacity building and emphasized the principle of “teaching people how to fish” in capacity development. He pointed that ECBAP adopts a collaborative model based on demand-driven, locally implemented, and academia-industry coordinated strategies. Through sustainable mechanisms such as government-authorized engineering certification and a reasonable training fee system, ECBAP provides a replicable solution for engineering capacity building in Africa.
Prof. Gong Ke, WFEO Past President and Chair of the WFEO Task Force on Engineering Capacity Building for Africa
In addition, Prof. Gong was invited to speak at several side events. At the side event co-hosted by the Permanent Missions of China and Zambia and the China Association for Science and Technology (CAST) on “International Cooperation on AI Capacity Building” he shared practical actions in implementing UN General Assembly resolutions and the Global Digital Compact, using the ECBAP as a case study. He proposed a focused implementation strategy featuring: prioritizing AI technology, focusing on Africa, and building a diversified international cooperation platform. At the WFEO-hosted side event on “AI Empowerment to Accelerate the SDGs”, he delivered a keynote titled “AI for Engineering & Engineering for AI” offering insights into new paradigms for engineering capacity building in the age of intelligent technologies, which sparked lively discussions among attending experts.
The side Event “Leveraging AI to Accelerate Sustainable Development and the SDGs” organized by WFEO on 6 May 2025
During the forum, Prof. Gong also participated in in-depth discussions with representatives from:
- the Consulate General of China in New York,
- the Permanent Mission of China to the United Nations,
- the Office of the UN Secretary-General’s Envoy on Technology,
- the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN DESA),
- the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO),
- the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE),
- and the Engineering Societies of America (ESA), reaching broad consensus on advancing cooperation under the ECBAP.
With Marc Beebe (right), Senior Director at IEEE, on visit to their office in New York
This year’s STI Forum was the first to be held following the adoption of the Pact for the Future and the Global Digital Compact by UN Member States. It brought together representatives from governments, the private sector, academia, and civil society around the world. As a successful case in fulfilling these two global commitments, the ECBAP effectively demonstrated a viable pathway and cooperation model for leveraging digital technology to drive capacity building and promote sustainable development, earning wide attention and positive feedback from participants.
For more information:
Engineering Capacity Building for Africa Programme (ECBAP)
Global Digital Compact webpage
Report on WFEO participation at the 2025 UN STI Forum
WFEO-CECB Chair Eng. Dr. Martin Manuhwa met with CAST Leadership and ECBAP IPO
MAY
2025