Academic Freedom Under Threat

Tuesday 17 June 2025

15:00 – 16:30 (CEST)

Online

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Academic freedom is facing unprecedented threats worldwide. Scholars, educators, and students are increasingly vulnerable to contemporary challenges to the right to explore, express, and exchange ideas without fear of reprisal. Challenges to the right to teach, learn and research range from ideological polarization and censorship to misinformation, undue influence in funding and surveillance. This erosion of academic freedom undermines the quality of education, hinders scientific progress, and weakens the foundations of open and democratic societies.

In response to these challenges, NORRAG will support stakeholders to stimulate evidence-informed action to address contemporary threats to academic freedom through a series of interconnected activities. This initiative recognizes that in an increasingly polarised and rapidly changing world, the ability of education institutions and their personnel to engage in unfettered learning, teaching, and research is paramount. NORRAG is also establishing an Academic Freedom Fellows Initiative to complement those established in 2024 in Africa, Asia, Latin America and South-East Asia. This Fellows Initiative will, in the same way as in the other regions, support critical research, foster dialogue, and promote the defence of academic freedom.

Programme

• Welcome
  • Moira Faul, Executive Director, NORRAG
  • Noah W. Sobe, Chief of Section for Higher Education at UNESCO

• Roundtable 1, Q&A
  • Delal Aydın, Visiting Scholar, Anthropology and Sociology Department (ANSO), Geneva Graduate Institute
  • Marie-Anne Persoons, Chair of the Council of Europe’s Steering Committee for Education (CDEDU)
  • Iveta Silova, Professor and Associate Dean, Arizona State University
  • Oakleigh Welply, Professor and Deputy Executive Dean of People and Culture, University of Durham

• Roundtable 2, Q&A
  • Kwadwo Appiagyei-Atua, Director of the Africa Coalition for Academic Freedom (ACAF)
  • Bencharat Sae Chua, Director of the Southeast Asia Coalition for Academic Freedom (SEACAF)
  • Camilla Croso, Director of the Coalition for Academic Freedom in the Americas (CAFA)
  • Frank Geary, Director of Scholars at Risk Europe
  • Iris Kimizoglu, President of the European Students’ Union (ESU)

• Close & launch of the Academic Freedom Fellows in Europe Initiative 
  • Moira Faul, Executive Director, NORRAG

Partners