Global experts at Tsinghua: Communication and trust central to bridging global divides

The Fourth Global Development and Health Communication Forum recently concluded at Beijing's Tsinghua University, bringing a focus to the urgent need to mend fractured global relations.

Under the theme "Communication to Rebuild Trust and Consensus," the event drew nearly 200 influential figures – from major international bodies and media to academia and the private sector – to hammer out strategies for leveraging effective communication to bolster international cooperation.

Jointly organized by the Tsinghua School of Journalism and Communication and the Xinhua Institute for International Communication Studies, and hosted by the Global Development and Health Communication Center (GDHCC), the forum was timed to coincide with the 80th anniversary of the United Nations' founding and the final five-year push toward the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals.

Communication fuels collective action

Speakers emphasized that while technological advances continue to drive progress, trust remains the essential underpinning for collective global action. Zheng Zhijie, director of the Gates Foundation China Country Office, underscored this critical relationship, saying that "Trust is the fuel, and communication is the spark that ignites collective action." He stressed that effective communication is paramount to building a robust global trust ecosystem necessary to meet the foundation's goals of ending preventable deaths and eradicating extreme poverty.

This sentiment was echoed by UN Resident Coordinator in China Siddharth Chatterjee and World Health Organization (WHO) Regional Emergency Director Dr Gina Samaan, in their video keynotes. Chatterjee highlighted that misinformation is one of the gravest threats to global trust, citing the UN Global Risk Report 2024, and called for communication rooted in shared humanity and empathy.

Samaan congratulated GDHCC on joining the WHO Global Outbreak Alert and Response Network, highlighting the importance of community education and risk communication tools, such as the "WHO BRIDGE" framework.

Reliable information: A critical global public good

The vital role of accurate, reliable information was a recurring theme. Yang Jianyue, deputy director of the Gates Foundation China Country Office, championed reliable information as an undervalued but vital public resource, describing it as "as essential as air" and indispensable for effective policymaking and international cooperation.

Further analysis by Professor Zhou Qing'an, dean of Tsinghua's School of Journalism and Communication and GDHCC director, revealed an emerging trend from over 100 of the GDHCC's newsletters: health communication is shifting from purely technical discussions to becoming intertwined with geopolitical governance debates. This trend, he suggested, necessitates future communication strategies that skillfully interweave science with diplomacy and data with ethics.

Transparency and responsibility in the AI era

A high-level roundtable discussion featured communications chiefs from global organizations, including the WHO and the Pandemic Fund. Panelists agreed that rebuilding public confidence requires complete transparency, narrative driven by evidence-based storytelling, and genuine multi-sector partnerships.

The forum also dedicated attention to the dual challenges and opportunities presented by artificial intelligence (AI). Discussions in the sub-forums addressed the growing trust deficit in global health crises, with experts sharing frontline experiences in fact-based reporting.

Crucially, sessions on AI governance focused on ethical challenges, improving information reliability through human–machine interaction, and the media's responsibility in combating AI-driven misinformation, emphasizing the need for media ethics in the new digital landscape.

Concluding the event, Professor Zhou Qing'an reaffirmed the GDHCC's commitment to strengthening communication as the bedrock of trust, saying, "The pursuit of accurate information and high-quality health communication must never waver." The forum underscored the indispensable role of communication in bridging global divides and guiding joint action toward a more equitable and sustainable future.