Celebrating the 10th Anniversary of UNESCO-ICHEI — Words from the Editor-in-Chief of CLOUD
2026.06.08
Mr. SHEN Xiaoli
Chief Culture Officer of UNESCO-ICHEI; Chief of CLOUD Editorial Board
Charge the void to reckon with being; knock upon silence and seek out sound.
— LU Ji, Wen Fu (Rhapsody on Literature)
The 159th day of 2026.
The 3,650th day of UNESCO-ICHEI's life.
Ten years, completed today.
As though everything before this moment was preparation.
Ten years ago.
This very place.
Southern University of Science and Technology —
where the clock first ticked.
On this day in 2016,
on the campus of SUSTech,
a brand-new plaque gleamed brightly in the sunlight:
International Centre for Higher Education Innovation under the auspices of UNESCO.
These have been ten years of building something from nothing.
Led by Founding Director Professor LI Ming,
Supported by UNESCO, by Shenzhen Municipal Government, by SUSTech, by everyone who believed before there was anything to believe in,
Carried by a spirit of relentless exploration and bold innovation,
a UNESCO Category 2 Centre took root in this city.
Call it what it is: a Shenzhen miracle.
A great mission, planted in Shenzhen city that was itself once a blank page —
to lift higher education in the developing world,
to blaze a trail through sheer effort,
to embrace the world through vision.
Ten years of finding the path by walking it.
IIOE was born — co-founded with universities and enterprises across the globe,
IIOE national centres established where they were needed most,
a platform opened to learners everywhere.
Micro-Certifications. Pioneer Award. Smart Classrooms
bringing digital infrastructure to universities across Asia and Africa.
Connecting leaders online for university digital transformation,
CLOUD— flagship of UNESCO-ICHEI's own making, a journal without borders,
rooted in the belief that knowledge, shared, multiplies,
commited to serving the digital capacity building of higher education across the developing world.
Ten years of glory and of dreaming.
Ten years — from zero to one, from local to global,
a complete journey of pioneering and transformation.
As a witness,
My bond with UNESCO-ICHEI runs through most of ten years.
Standing at the side,
I have almost lived through an entire growth of the innovative community,
from its first spark to full flame.
A chance on the surface, a destiny beneath.
There exists a living model of innovation:
the wisdom of leadership,
the atmosphere of trust and inclusiveness,
the international storytelling by a team of young blood.
A corps built on professionalism,
A culture driven by efficiency,
A system grounded in openness,
A formation standing at the forefront.
This journey,
Marked by colleagues working tirelessly across the globe,
Inspired by partners engaging with the world with confidence and grace.
Along this journey,
I witnessed the institution sowing seeds and tending fields,
I appreciated its perseverance, and celebrated its harvest.
The new succeeds the old,
Each day, born fresh, is moving forward without pause,
Ten years of walking, and the heart still blazes.
Now we are standing on the threshold of time:
Beneath our feet, an urgency gathers force,
In our ears, a call echoes.
As Emerson said —
What time truly tells can never be grasped in fleeting moments.
The future cannot be predicted, but the future can be made.
May we stay forever young, forever moved to tears, forever on the road...
