GEEF

1. Background & Rationale

 Intensive development in modern megacities has triggered a chain of environmental stresses that collectively degrade urban water quality. As impervious surfaces expand in urban areas, pollutants from road runoff and domestic wastewater are increasingly washed into nearby rivers and lakes during rainfall events. Moreover, rising temperatures and frequent heatwaves elevate water temperatures and promote algal proliferation, intensifying large-scale algal blooms and further depleting dissolved oxygen. However, efforts to address these problems through excessive use of chemical substances or equipment have resulted in secondary environmental damage. 

 In alignment with GEEF 2026 theme, “Time for Action: Emerging Technology & Global Solidarity,” this session will discuss successful eco-friendly pollutant removal and restoration technologies for urban bodies of water. In detail, it will introduce GENKS’ technological aid in restoring Seokchon Lake. As a major urban recreational and tourism asset, Seokchon Lake is a prime example of urban water degradation caused by limited self-purification capacity, inflow of polluted water from the Han River, and rising temperatures, resulting in unpleasant odors. Its restoration case offers valuable insight into how emerging, eco-friendly technologies can contribute to the recovery and stable maintenance of urban ecosystems.

2. Session Objectives

In this session, we will examine the challenges of pollution in urban water bodies and discuss the application and effectiveness of eco-friendly restoration technologies, drawing on the case of Seokchon Lake.

3. Potential Outcomes and Future Directions 

Through this session, we suggest 3 practical actions that universities, policymakers, or institutions can take to promote sustainable development.

   1) Public Sector

Local governments should provide urban lakes and rivers as testbeds for demonstrating eco-friendly water purification and restoration technologies. They should also establish long-term monitoring systems to evaluate effectiveness and guide future applications.

   2) Corporate Sector

Corporations, as part of their ESG strategies, can increase investment in the development and practical implementation of eco-friendly water purification technologies. They can support technology providers through funding, joint pilot projects, and adoption of proven solutions in urban water environments.

   3) Technology Providers

Technology firms should focus on refining innovative, low-impact water treatment solutions and adapting them to the specific conditions of urban lakes and rivers to ensure effective, scalable implementation.

1. Background & Rationale

The global waste trade has expanded dramatically over the past three decades, with annual trade volumes increasing from approximately 4.56 million tons in 1992 to over 22.26 million tons by 2018. This rapid growth has transformed waste from a domestic management issue into a complex transboundary challenge intersecting environmental policy, international trade, development cooperation, and human rights.

The 2017 Chinese import ban on plastic waste marked a critical turning point, redirecting waste flows toward Southeast Asian countries and exposing the structural vulnerabilities of the global waste governance system. Despite the Basel Convention's framework, illegal waste shipments, inadequate enforcement mechanisms, and capacity gaps in receiving countries continue to undermine effective regulation. Meanwhile, developing countries often bear disproportionate environmental and health burdens while lacking the infrastructure and institutional capacity to manage imported waste safely.

Furthermore, the translation of international environmental norms into domestic legislation remains uneven across countries. Legislative processes in national parliaments—shaped by political ideology, civil society pressure, and committee deliberations—play a crucial role in determining how effectively international commitments are implemented at the national level.

This session addresses the urgent need to understand the political economy of international waste trade and develop more equitable, effective governance frameworks. By bringing together perspectives from international relations, environmental law, development studies, legislative politics, and regional expertise, this forum will examine how domestic politics, international norms, and economic incentives interact to shape waste trade patterns and policy responses.

2. Session Objectives

1) To analyze the structural determinants of international waste trade flows, including the role of political regimes, governance quality, and regulatory capacity in shaping export and import patterns between developed and developing countries.

2) To evaluate the effectiveness of existing international frameworks, particularly the Basel Convention, in regulating transboundary waste movements and identify institutional gaps requiring reform.

3) To examine the linkages between waste trade and Official Development Assistance (ODA), exploring whether aid serves as a compensation mechanism for waste acceptance and how environmental technology transfer can strengthen receiving countries' management capacities.

4) To analyze how international waste norms are translated into domestic legislation, with particular focus on the Korean National Assembly's bill initiation and passage processes, identifying which political conditions and actors (legislator ideology, environmental NGOs, committee deliberation structures) influence legislative outcomes.

5) To assess the environmental justice implications of waste trade, documenting how environmental burdens are distributed across communities and identifying policy mechanisms to protect vulnerable populations.

6) To develop actionable policy recommendations for strengthening global waste governance through enhanced transparency, accountability mechanisms, and multi-stakeholder cooperation.

3. Potential Outcomes and Future Directions 

Through this session, we suggest 3 practical actions that universities, policymakers, or institutions can take to promote sustainable development.

   1) Universities

Establish interdisciplinary research programs and curricula on global waste governance that integrate political science, environmental law, development studies, and engineering. Universities should develop longitudinal databases tracking international waste trade flows, policy changes, and environmental outcomes as public resources for evidence-based research. Additionally, universities can foster international academic networks to conduct comparative studies on waste legislation and governance across countries, training the next generation of scholars and practitioners in this critical field.

   2) Policy makers

Strengthen domestic legislative frameworks by conducting systematic reviews of existing waste-related laws and their alignment with international norms such as the Basel Convention. Policymakers should enhance transparency requirements for waste import/export permits, establish robust monitoring systems with civil society participation, and ensure that legislative deliberations incorporate environmental justice considerations. Furthermore, policymakers should advocate for stronger enforcement mechanisms and penalty provisions in international forums including UNEA, G20, and Basel Convention COP meetings.

   3) Institutions

International development agencies (such as KOICA, JICA, and multilateral organizations) should develop targeted capacity-building programs that strengthen waste management infrastructure and regulatory capacity in receiving countries. These programs should prioritize technology transfer, institutional development, and community engagement in facility siting decisions. Additionally, institutions should establish multi-stakeholder platforms that bring together governments, civil society, academia, and the private sector to monitor waste trade flows, share best practices, and coordinate responses to illegal waste trafficking.

1. Background & Rationale

The Social Engagement Fund (SEF) program, launched in July 2018 by IGEE at Yonsei University, was established to support a diverse range of research activities aimed at advancing the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Student researchers from around the world were invited to submit proposals for research and projects that addressed and assessed the impact of the SDGs. These researchers not only exchanged knowledge but also delivered tangible results. Their work was evaluated by expert panels, and the teams developed innovative solutions to global challenges by bridging local communities with international research institutions. Outstanding teams were recognized and awarded for their contributions and impact on the SDGs.

For 2026, the Grand Prize was awarded to Team 25-12 for identifying the causal public health impacts of Uganda’s rapidly expanding two-wheeled motorcycle (boda boda) sector through mixed-method research and stakeholder interviews, proposing a sustainable transport transition integrating health, environment, and industry.  

Three Excellence Prizes were awarded as follows: Team 25-9 for advancing SDG 12 by proposing a circular economy model that addressed one-time festival costume consumption through a rental system and upcycling initiative, establishing a practice-oriented sustainable consumption framework on campus (Yonsei University). Team 25-4 for developing and testing a community-based climate action model addressing regional climate inequality, integrating international law, ESG, and SDG frameworks to design participatory governance and policy-driven local energy transition strategies. Team 25-11 for empirically evaluating composting practices in rural and peri-urban Telangana, India, and implementing community-based education and field interventions to develop an evidence-based climate-adaptive organic waste management strategy.

2. Session Objectives

• Introduction of activities and research on various SDGs-related topics among SEF teams, and networking.
• Enhancing Yonsei University undergraduate students’ research and academic capabilities through participation in international academic events.
• Discuss the lessons learned, challenges faced, and opportunities identified through the implementation of SEF projects, aiming to inspire and inform future initiatives in sustainable development, regional resilience and coordinated response mechanisms.

3. Potential Outcomes and Future Directions 

Through this session, we suggest 3 practical actions that universities, policymakers, or institutions can take to promote sustainable development.

Encouragement of university students' contributions to and research of the SDGs. Development of collaborative projects among students, universities, policymakers, and corporate leaders to promote the SDGs.

Enhanced public awareness and engagement in SDGs initiatives through student research projects.

   1) Universities

Through this session, universities are encouraged to expand interdisciplinary, field-based sustainability research and embed real-world challenges more deeply into curricula and campus initiatives, strengthening the role of student-driven innovation in institutional transformation.

   2) Policy makers

This session serves as a platform connecting policymakers with the younger generations. By showcasing rigorous student research, the session highlights how locally grounded, field-based evidence can inform more responsive and community-centered sustainability policymaking. 

   3) Institutions 

The session highlights the potential for institutions to collaborate with student researchers to pilot community-based sustainability initiatives and scale evidence-based solutions beyond the academic setting, while fostering strong synergies between students and institutional partners. 

1. Background & Rationale

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is triggering a new "Great Divergence," where data, computing power, and talent are heavily concentrated in a few major economies. Unlike previous technological waves, AI is spreading faster yet more unequally, creating a "double inequality" between and within nations. While AI brings prosperity, without proper governance, it risks creating permanent structural gaps rather than shared growth.

This session posits that AI’s success depends not merely on technology, but on an ecosystem of "Three Pillars": Talent, Institutions, and Experimentation. Universities sit at the center of this ecosystem but often lag behind the rapid pace of AI innovation. To bridge this gap, universities must transform into "Agile Universities" that restructure curricula every 2-3 years and remove departmental barriers. Furthermore, nations must shift from rigid regulation to becoming "Experimenting States" that utilize regulatory sandboxes to foster innovation.

Focusing on the role of "Middle Powers" like Korea, this session explores how to build a Global Talent Circulation Ecosystem. By serving as hubs that educate talent from the Global South and providing pathways for industry experience and return, universities can turn the AI threat into an opportunity for inclusive global development.

2. Session Objectives

This session aims to explore strategies for building an inclusive AI future through the lens of human capital and institutional reform. Specifically, it seeks to:

Redefine the AI Ecosystem: Move beyond a technology-centric view to focus on

• the "Three Pillars" (Talent, Institutions, Experimentation) as the drivers of inclusive AI.

• Promote Agile University Reform: Identify strategies for universities to reinvent themselves through flexible curricula, performance-based incentives, and open collaboration with industry to secure global competitiveness.

• Establish Global Talent Circulation: Discuss actionable models, such as the "Triple Contribution Model" (Study → Work → Return), to prevent brain drain and foster capacity building in developing countries.

Advocate for Experimentation-Based Governance: Propose policy frameworks like regulatory sandboxes that allow for safe innovation and minimize the "double-edged sword" risks of AI for emerging economies.

3. Potential Outcomes and Future Directions 

Through this session, we suggest 3 practical actions that universities, policymakers, or institutions can take to promote sustainable development.

    1) Universities

Adopt "Agile & Open" Governance: Restructure academic systems to allow curriculum redesign every 2-3 years and implement performance-based incentive systems (e.g., HKUST model) to attract and retain top global AI talent.

   2) Policymakers

Shift to "Experimentation-based Governance": Move from regulation-centered policies to creating "Regulatory Sandboxes" that allow new technologies to be tested freely with clear guardrails, fostering innovation while managing safety.

   3) Institutions

Build a "Global Talent Circulation Ecosystem": Establish frameworks (like the "Triple Contribution Model") that allow talent from developing countries to study in hubs like Korea, gain industry experience, and return home to foster their national development, thereby reducing the global AI divide.

1. Background & Rationale

The rapid expansion of artificial intelligence (AI) is transforming the international development and humanitarian sectors, reshaping project design, implementation, monitoring and evaluation, communications, and internal operations. In particular, the widespread use of generative AI enables NGOs to process data, documents, and content more efficiently, even with limited human and financial resources, thereby improving operational efficiency and responsiveness.

At the same time, AI adoption introduces new risks and responsibilities. Challenges such as data protection and privacy, bias and discrimination, opaque decision-making, and misinformation highlight the need for NGOs to adopt AI in line with human rights–based, accountable, and safety-oriented principles. In addition, gaps in AI capacity and access may deepen inequalities across organizations, countries, and partnerships.

As AI becomes an established global trend, NGOs must actively consider how to maximize its benefits while managing its risks. This includes defining appropriate principles and governance frameworks, establishing risk mitigation mechanisms, and clarifying the role of NGOs in shaping international norms and standards for AI.

This seminar aims to examine the changes and challenges NGOs face in the AI era and to identify concrete action items that advance the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) while safeguarding core civil society values such as human rights, inclusion, and accountability.

2. Session Objectives

This session aims to examine how the diffusion of AI technologies and digital transformation are reshaping the operations and program delivery of NGOs in the international development and humanitarian sectors, and to identify practical action items from a civil society perspective to promote responsible AI use and advance the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

To this end, the session will pose the following three questions to three organizations—Good Neighbors, Global Care, and Korea Food for the Hungry International (TBC)—and share their responses to draw insights that can be applied in field settings:

Q1. How are AI and digital transformation affecting nonprofit organizations?
Q2. What action items can leverage AI to advance the SDGs?
Q3. How do NGOs and individual staff members perceive and utilize AI technologies?

Through these discussions, the session will clarify:
(1) key implications of AI and digital transformation observed in NGO field operations;
(2) priority action items for advancing the SDGs; and
(3) gaps in AI capacity at both organizational and individual levels, as well as related support needs.

Ultimately, the session aims to lay the groundwork for future collaboration and follow-up actions.

3. Potential Outcomes and Future Directions (Including 3 Action Items)

Through this session, we suggest 3 practical actions that NGOs can take to promote sustainable development. Each action item will be drawn from the three organizations’ responses.

1. Background & Rationale

In an era marked by protracted conflicts, geopolitical fragmentation, and intensifying economic competition, the concept of sustainable peace demands approaches that move beyond traditional, state-centric diplomacy. Public diplomacy builds trust, shapes international narratives, and deepens mutual understanding among societies, while industrial diplomacy promotes economic cooperation, resilient supply chains, and shared growth across borders. When these two dimensions are strategically aligned, they create mutually reinforcing pathways for reducing tensions and addressing structural drivers of instability. In this context, Korea’s own experience—such as the large-scale defense exports to Poland introduced by Ambassador Lim Hoonmin, former Ambassador to Poland—offers an instructive case. The Korean–Polish example illustrates how industrial cooperation in a sensitive sector like defense can be embedded in broader diplomatic engagement, enhancing national image, expanding inter-industry linkages, and demonstrating how corporate actors can emerge as meaningful stakeholders in peace and stability.

2. Session Objectives

This session, titled “Sustainable Peace: Public and Industrial Diplomacy,” aims to explore how these two forms of diplomacy can jointly contribute to peace that is not only negotiated, but sustained over time. Bringing together policymakers, former diplomats, corporate representatives, and academic experts, the discussion will examine practical pathways through which diplomatic engagement, economic partnerships, and institutional cooperation can mitigate conflict risks and support long-term stability. Particular attention will be given to how Korean experiences—such as the case of defense exports to Poland—can shed light on the ways corporate participation contributes to national image-building and creates new arenas for diplomacy. By examining how K-branded “waves” and industrial capabilities become interconnected, the session will raise key questions about how companies can function as actors in public and industrial diplomacy, what opportunities and risks this entails, and what policy tasks must be addressed to ensure that such engagement genuinely supports sustainable peace.

3. Potential Outcomes and Future Directions 

Through this session, we suggest 3 practical actions that universities, policymakers, or institutions can take to promote sustainable development

   1) Universities

Universities should strengthen education and research in public diplomacy, international relations, and political economy by fostering interdisciplinary programs and policy-oriented research centers. They can also serve as neutral platforms for dialogue, training future diplomats and practitioners with practical skills in conflict prevention and international cooperation.

   2) Policymakers

Policymakers should integrate public and industrial diplomacy into national peace and foreign policy strategies, emphasizing trust-building, economic partnerships, and multilateral engagement. They are encouraged to support institutional mechanisms that align diplomatic initiatives with industrial and economic cooperation for conflict-affected and fragile regions.

   3) Institutions

Institutions, including think tanks and international organizations, should facilitate cross-sector collaboration among governments, academia, and industry to design and evaluate peace-oriented cooperation models. By documenting best practices and monitoring outcomes, institutions can help translate diplomatic efforts into sustainable and scalable peacebuilding initiatives.

1. Background & Rationale

This Yonsei Graduate School session offers a platform for graduate students to showcase research achievements related to the SDGs. This session acknowledges the critical role that graduate students have as pioneers in solving globally interconnected problems and encourages active engagement in addressing global sustainability challenges. Moreover, this session fosters an environment of intellectual exchange and inspires the audience to think critically about topics related to the SDGs.

This session aligns with the GEEF 2025 theme, “Time for Action: Bridging Divides for a Sustainable Future” by encouraging graduate students to explore topics related to the SDGs through proactive research. As future leaders, these students play a crucial role in identifying and assessing global challenges that need to be addressed. Hence, this session recognizes exemplary research efforts in SDGs related topics to inspire future leaders to take an interest in universal challenges and discover innovative solutions. Moreover, this session plays an important role in the Graduate School Innovation Project and BK21 Education Research Group. It also emphasizes the collaborative effort between the Ban Ki-Moon Foundation and Yonsei University to pursue their shared goal of fostering global leaders.

Ultimately, this session aims to foster academic innovation and bridge divides. These efforts would lead to advancement in academic discourse along with the birth of a new generation of motivated global leaders.

2. Session Objectives

This session aims to encourage graduate students conducting SDGs-related research and motivate them to further engage in efforts related to sustainable development and bridging divides. Specifically, this session explores SDGs #7, 9, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, and 17 through the following topics:

• Electric Vehicle Charging Scheduling with Mobile Charging Stations

• Comparative Analysis of the Effects of Waste Shell Aggregates on the Material Properties of Cement Mortar

• Balancing Preservation and Utilization: Window Retrofit Strategy for Energy Efficiency in Historic Modern Building

The sustainable development goals are critical goals that are to be reached by 2030. With only five years left, it is critical to provide a platform for researchers to vocally advocate for change. By providing graduate students from Yonsei University a space to showcase their research efforts that will aid in solving SDGs, this session will be a call to action for the general audience and global leaders.

3. Potential Outcomes and Future Directions 

This session will not only provide graduate students with a platform to present their work and give motivation, but also educate the audience on global challenges that lie ahead, encouraging them to take action. The presentations and the subsequent discussions will highlight the importance of future global leaders actively engaging with and exploring SDGs related topics.

• Awareness on diverse topics: Participants will gain insight on various topics related to SDGs. 

• Encouraging SDGs related research: This session will further inspire students to take interest in and conduct research projects on SDGs related topics

• Bridging the divide: Underrepresented students will have a chance to grow as future leaders and become an active participant in the global discourse.

Collaborating for a better future: The session will further strengthen the ties between Ban Ki-Moon Foundation and Yonsei University, reinforcing their shared commitment to building a sustainable future.