University presidents from around the world are coming together to address global issues affecting youth, including the ethical uses of artificial intelligence.
The UN Secretary General's Youth Envoy will speak in a live public debate on the global role of universities.
WHEN:
Tuesday, November 24, 2020
8:30-10:00 Chicago (UTC -6)
17h30-19h00 France (UTC +1)
23:30 - 25 November, 1am Japan (UTC +9)
WHERE: Please join the plenary session via this link.
WHO: In addition to remarks by the UN Secretary-General's Envoy for Youth, Ms. Jayathma Wickramanayake, the plenary session will include leaders from the world's top universities, including :
Paul Alivisatos, Executive Vice Chancellor and Dean of the University of California, Berkeley
John J. DeGioia, President of Georgetown University
Frédéric Mion, Chairman of Sciences Po and Chairman of the Executive Committee of U7+.
Gerry Rosberg, Senior Executive Vice President, Columbia University
Morton O. Schapiro, President of Northwestern University
Please register here
Intergenerational justice will be the main theme of dialogue among more than two dozen university presidents who will gather virtually from November 22 to 24 for the U7+ Summit of the International Alliance of University Presidents, hosted by Northwestern University.
The U7+ Summit is the annual meeting of the U7+ Alliance, the first coalition of university presidents from Europe, Asia, North America, South America, Africa and Australia dedicated to identifying concrete actions that universities can take to collectively address global challenges in coordination with government leaders from the G7 countries and beyond.
As educators of millions of young people around the world, universities have a responsibility to foster intergenerational justice and to put the interests and rights of young people and future generations at the centre of efforts to address the global challenges they will inherit," said Northwestern University President Morton Schapiro. "We are honored to host this important gathering of university leaders committed to this endeavour.
Northwestern University will host the summit in partnership with Columbia University, Georgetown University and the University of California, Berkeley. This is the first time an American institution has hosted the U7+ Alliance, which French President Emmanuel Macron helped launch last year at Sciences Po.
Topics on the agenda of this year's summit include the U7+ Alliance's engagement with the G7, ethical applications of artificial intelligence and ways to foster intergenerational dialogue on global issues. The summit will bring together young people from around the world and will conclude with new and renewed commitments to promote educational and economic opportunities for the next generation.
The agenda of the 2020 Summit was influenced in part by the first U7+ Global Student Forum, where university students from countries such as Ghana, Morocco, Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom, Italy, France, Germany, India, Singapore, Korea and Japan presented their recommendations on how universities can better prepare them to actively engage in efforts to address pressing global challenges, including climate change, inequality and injustice in its many forms.
Students played a central role in the process of setting the agenda for this year's summit and will catalyze our discussions at the summit, as the global pandemic of VIDC-19 has a disproportionate impact on the hopes and future of young people around the world," said Annelise Riles, Associate Vice President of Global Affairs at Northwestern University. "As an Alliance of Universities, we are committed to collective action on behalf of the young people we serve as well as future generations who will face increasingly complex and urgent global challenges.
After their first meeting in 2019, U7+ universities set targets for collectively reducing their own greenhouse gas emissions, identified best practices for a less carbon-intensive globalization, began to demand courses on climate, biodiversity and sustainability for students in all fields of study, and established guidelines for the ethical use of artificial intelligence and digital technology.
Members of the media and the general public are invited to the summit's main plenary session on November 24 at 8:30 a.m. CST (UTC-6) where the presidents of Northwestern University, Columbia, Georgetown, California, Berkeley and Sciences Po will share their views on how universities should engage with the G7 and other multilateral organizations to address global challenges; the plenary will also include a performance by the a cappella student group Purple Haze. Media and members of the public can follow the plenary session live here.
About the U7+ Alliance
The U7+ Alliance is the first international coalition of university presidents aimed at structuring and advancing the role of universities as global players on the multilateral agenda. Alliance members meet annually to set a common agenda and identify key areas for coordinated action. Together, U7+ university presidents take stock of their universities' unique civic and social responsibilities and commit to taking concrete action on behalf of their institutions to address the world's most pressing challenges at the local, regional and global levels.
If you have any questions, please write to U7summit@northwestern.edu.