IAU 16th General Conference Programme 

Relevance and Value of Universities to Future Society

IAU invited its Members and the global higher education community to rethink and reimagine higher education for the future. The Conference discussed how universities must harness the transformative power of higher education and leverage its ever expanding landscape of knowledge and ideas.  

Facing the future necessitates overcoming local and global challenges: pandemics and their multifarious consequences, climate change and ecological crisis, the depletion of natural resources, growing social and economic inequality, disruptive technologies and labour markets, loss of human and democratic rights, scepticism of the scientific process. The value and relevance of universities and other higher education institutions (HEIs) also hinges on how they address issues of inequality, intolerance, xenophobia, racism, social injustice, human rights violations, the possibility of ecological collapse and weakening democracy.

The IAU 16th General Conference debated how the higher education sector can engage in a meaningful and system-wide discussion on these issues. What are new models and strategies of engagement across the sector and at local, national regional and global level to better cooperate and synergise resources?

Browse speakers' presentations and watch the session recordings: to view the speakers' presentations or watch the session recordings, simply click on the relevant session title below. All available presentations and recordings are listed below the relevant session description in the pop-up window.

Download the full Conference concept note here

Consult the list of members of the Conference Programme Committee 

Programme at a Glance