On December 10, the Beijing Municipal Government Information Office held a press conference on 2024 Beijing Forum on Swift Response to Public Complaints".

Scheduled for December 18-19 at the National Convention Center in Beijing, the forum is themed "Modernizing for People-Centered Urban Governance."

Serving as a platform for exchange and mutual learning, the forum has invited theorists from both home and abroad, alongside officials from central and local government departments and representatives of grassroots workers to jointly explore the direction and path of urban governance modernization.

Since 2019, Beijing has adhered to the concept of people-centered development and carried out urban reform by using "12345 hotline as the  platform and party-led “Swift Response to Public Complaints" mechanism, and has innovated practices for modernizing the mega-city governance.

Mr. Shen Binhua, Deputy Secretary-General of the Beijing Municipal Government and Director of the Beijing Municipal Bureau of Government Services and Data Management, said at the press conference that the reform of "Swift Response to Public Complaints" mechanism has been ongoing for six years, during which a large number of urgent, difficult, and worrying issues raised by the public have been efficiently resolved. Over the past six years, the 12345 hotline has received 150 million requests from residents and enterprises, with the resolution rate increasing from an initial 53% to the present 97%, and satisfaction rate rising from 65% to 97%, thus having significantly enhanced the people's sense of gain, happiness, and safety. The quick handling of public appeals has not only resolved residents' "small matters" but also addressed the "big challenges" of urban governance.

This forum will feature an opening ceremony and main forum, six parallel sessions, supporting activities, and a closing ceremony. It is expected to attract over 3,100 participants, including more than 160 international guests from over 40 countries, officials from central government units and from cities such as Shanghai, Tianjin, Chongqing, Hangzhou, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, and renowned scholars from universities like Peking University, Tsinghua University, Renmin University of China, as well as representatives from grassroots levels, residents and enterprises. 

During the forum, guests will visit "12345" hotline, immersing themselves in the "Swift Response to Public Complaints" process and feeling the warmth of "Beijing Service."

The forum will release a series of theoretical achievements of "Swift Response to Public Complaints" mechanism reform. Research teams from the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, Peking University, Tsinghua University and others will study and analyze the innovative reform of "Swift Response to Public Complaints" mechanism from the perspectives of theoretical innovation and practical reform in China’s urban governance, the improvement of grassroots governance efficiency, and digital intelligence development.

Furthermore, the participants at the forum will share 11 research outcomes presented in English, and learn from "Chinese Governance" practices.

Based on the outcomes of discussions at the forum and building on international consensus, the forum will issue the "Beijing Declaration 2024 on the Modernization of Urban Governance" to contribute wisdom to building a global community of shared future for cities.