This week, Northwestern University hosted the U7+ Alliance of World Universities Presidential Summit, bringing together 100 academic leaders from 48 different universities spanning 17 countries. The three-day virtual gathering, which ends on Wednesday, focused on the theme of intergenerational justice, or making policy decisions in dialogue with the next generation.
University presidents convened to explore “how universities can work together across borders to respond to issues of global relevance,” said Northwestern University President Dr. Morton Schapiro. “Amid a pandemic impacting the hopes and futures of so many young people, it has never been more important for universities to work together in coordination with leaders across sectors to address global challenges impacting youth.”
The U7+ Alliance – which launched in France last year, with the help of French President Emmanuel Macron – is the first coalition of university presidents from North America, South America, Europe, Asia, Africa and Australia. The goal of the alliance is to promote collaboration in addressing global problems alongside policymakers in G7 countries and others. This year, Northwestern hosted the alliance’s annual meeting in partnership with Georgetown University, Columbia University and the University of California, Berkeley.
At the summit, university leaders unanimously voted to work with international government leaders to create new opportunities for “mutual understanding and equitable resource sharing across generations,” in addition to honoring previous U7+ Alliance commitments like confronting climate change and advocating for the ethical use of artificial intelligence and digital technology.
The alliance was built to allow universities “to voice their role as global actors,” said Frédéric Mion, president of l’Institut d’Etudes Politiques de Paris, or Sciences Po. He wants to see university leaders collectively commit to actions that can help their communities.
Dr. Annelise Riles, executive director of Northwestern’s Roberta Buffett Institute for Global Affairs, pointed out that universities are well-situated to affect change on global problems – like climate change, economic development, poverty and human rights – in a time of deep political divides.
“We’re one of the few remaining actors that everyone sort of still respects whatever side of the political spectrum you’re on,” she said. “We speak with authority based on science and based on nonpartisan research. We want to use that authority collectively for the global good.”
