Higher Education Must Drive More Inclusive Ways to Produce, Share Knowledge, Deputy Secretary-General Stresses, Citing Research-Policy-Society Nexus

Following is the text of UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed’s video message to the Coimbra Group Conference on Sustainable Universities in the Twenty-First Century, in Prague today:

It is an honour to address this prestigious and timely conference.  When I had the pleasure of visiting Prague in 2018, I learned of the long tradition of Charles University and the Coimbra Group member institutions in advancing inter-university cooperation.

My message today is that higher education institutions have a crucial strategic role to play in this Decade of Action to deliver the Sustainable Development Goals.

The COVID-19 pandemic threatens progress across the Goals — including access to education, which is the bedrock of a sustainable future.  This crisis makes it all the more pressing for us to find more open, integrated and impactful approaches in how we acquire, share and produce knowledge for the common good.

Universities have been at the forefront of scientific research to develop a vaccine, analyse the patterns of the pandemic and inform policy.  This response reflects the critical nexus between research, policy and society.

The major transformations required today to end poverty, hunger and inequality, and to reduce the impact of climate change, call for innovative tertiary education systems.  Gearing university programmes to contribute to the Sustainable Development Goals, fostering more transdisciplinary approaches and encouraging open science are all imperative if we are to unlock solutions that serve the public good.

Our approach must be universal to enable better access to knowledge and scientific capacity in low- and middle-income countries.

Higher education itself faces the challenge of responding to an unprecedented learning disruption.  Despite commendable efforts to offset the upheaval caused by the pandemic, students everywhere are struggling with access to remote learning, social isolation and economic strife.

Education and research budgets are at risk of being cut.  The consequences could be devastating at a time when the societal mission of higher education has never been more critical.

The pandemic must be a springboard to bolster collaboration between universities, governments, private partners and the United Nations to increase resilience and catalyse innovation for people, planet and prosperity.  I thank you for your engagement and wish you an excellent conference.