Global affairs, second half of 2026

Three days of workshops, negotiation exercises, and conversations that ran well past their scheduled end times led, on the final afternoon, to the most significant stop of all: UN Headquarters itself. Two Tracks, One Mission Among the delegation were two names new to the international stage: Kaitlyn Cheung, nominated by JCI Peninsula, and Hilary Yip, nominated by JCI Lion Rock, both stepping forward as Hong Kong's Youth Ambassadors. Theirs was a track built for beginnings — Model UN Simulation, Diplomacy & Negotiation, Public Speaking & Advocacy, Global Issues & Youth Action — four pillars meant to turn promise into practice.

Alongside them, a group carrying years of chapter leadership into a new arena: JCI Executive Vice President Ben Mak, National Vice President Rycho Cheuk, National Director Katrina Ng, JCI Hong Kong Jayceettes President Connie Kwan, Sharon Lau, JCI Harbour's Toby Wong, and JCI Queensway's Parco Ho. Their days in New York City crackled with energy — sessions on economic empowerment, the art of storytelling, the ethics of artificial intelligence, the architecture of digital leadership — delivered as live conversation with the people shaping these issues right now: voices from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the UN Global Compact Network USA, the UN Foundation, UN Women, the Ban Ki-moon Foundation, the International Chamber of Commerce, AIESEC.

The two tracks collided often — at the opening ceremony, at shared plenaries, at a Global Leadership Fireside Chat where ambassadors in training traded questions with sitting diplomats and UN officials — and every time, the line between "emerging" and "established" leader blurred a little more. A Resolution, Signed Together Then came the final day, and with it, the United Nations.

It was here, inside UN Headquarters, that three days of speeches and simulations found their purpose. Alongside youth advocates, diplomats, and institutional partners from across the world, the Hong Kong, China delegation joined the Closing Plenary — and put their names to the Youth Action Resolution.

A resolution, after all, is simply a promise written down. And this one now carries the fingerprints of young people from every continent in that room, Hong Kong, China's included. More Than a Headcount What stayed with this group long after the energy of that final day settled was the range they represented. Two Youth Ambassadors, nominated by two different chapters, stepping onto the international stage for the first time. Chapter leaders from across the organisation's floors, each walking away with a different piece of what it means to lead globally.

That range is the real story. An organisation built to develop leaders through active citizenship proves its mission not through numbers, but through the people willing to show up, speak up, and put their name to something bigger than themselves.

For JCI Hong Kong, China, the Global Youth Summit 2026 was never just a trip to New York. It was another step forward in making our global impact.