UN Beijing event taps sci-fi and women's voices to envision 2060

Experts in science, technology, art and sustainability gathered at the U.N. compound in Beijing on March 8, International Women's Day, to explore what urban life could look like by 2060, at an event hosted by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in China and the Future Affairs Administration.

An all-women panel is held during the "My 2060: Making a Sustainable Future Happen" event in Beijing, March 8, 2026. [Photo courtesy of the Future Affairs Administration]

The event built on UNDP China's "My Sustainable City" campaign, launched on World Cities Day 2025, which uses science fiction and AI-generated visuals to make long-term urban planning tangible and open to public debate.

The event also served as the in-person finale of the Future Affairs Administration's Science Fiction New Year Gala, which invited 13 female writers from five countries to publish original sci-fi stories online for Chinese readers during the Spring Festival.

"When combined with emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence, imagination becomes even more powerful: it gives form to abstract ideas and opens up new ways for people to engage with sustainability," said James George, UNDP China resident representative ad interim.

"Looking toward the 2030 deadline to achieve the SDGs, and beyond to 2060, the question before us is not whether technology will shape our cities — it will. The real question is how it will shape them, and for whom," he added.

The campaign previously invited 12 science fiction writers from several countries to contribute short stories envisioning how cities may look and function in 2060. AI creators then interpreted the scenarios and translated them into visual works.

"Science fiction is a way of thinking about possibilities, and possibilities, by definition, are diverse. In that sense, thinking in terms of possibility offers an endless kind of charm," said Ji Shaoting, founder and CEO of the Future Affairs Administration. "When more women participate, what kind of future might that create? Ultimately, I believe the most fascinating thing about sci-fi is its ability to ask questions."

Participants viewed a screening of "The Future is NOT Recyclable," an AI-generated film based on the writers' stories. It depicts a 2060 city where ecosystems, technology and human-centered values are interwoven, from buildings wrapped in vegetation to shared spaces designed for people of different ages, abilities and backgrounds.

A series of TED-style talks followed, featuring women leaders from architecture, spaceflight, art and engineering. The speakers explored how imagination can surface practical choices and ethical questions around urban design, inclusion and sustainability.

The event concluded with an all-women panel linking the sci-fi scenarios to present-day development challenges, underscoring that decisions about technology, urban systems and the collective future must be guided by diverse perspectives.