Transforming Higher Education: Global Collaboration on Visioning and Action
IAU Participates in the Launch of UNESCO’s 2026 Global Roadmap for Higher Education Transformation
The IAU was pleased to participate in the 12 March 2026 launch of the UNESCO publication “Transforming higher education: Global collaboration on visioning and action,” a landmark roadmap designed to reimagine and strengthen the higher education sector worldwide. The launch event, held at UNESCO headquarters in Paris, marked a significant milestone in the ongoing effort to transform higher education for a sustainable and inclusive future.
IAU Secretary General Hilligje van’t Land joined a distinguished panel of global higher education leaders during the launch event. The panel also included Doretty Okello, Dean, Makerere University, Uganda; Jacob Blasius, Executive Director, Global Student Forum; Iveta Silova, Associate Dean, Arizona State University, USA; and, Simon Roy, Head of Higher Education Policy, OECD.
The discussion was chaired by Noah Sobe, Chief of Section Higher Education at UNESCO, with closing remarks by Borhene Chakroun, Director of Policies and Lifelong Learning Systems at UNESCO.
Higher Education as a Global Common Good
A central theme of the event was the need for higher education to evolve in order to address pressing global challenges. Iveta Silova emphasized, “Quality must be anchored in mission,” underscoring the importance of aligning educational quality with the broader goals of equity, sustainability, and social impact.
Similarly, Dr. van’t Land stressed the importance of viewing universities as a global common good:
“Understanding higher education as a global common good reminds us that universities are not only national institutions; they are global actors within the shared knowledge ecosystem. Strengthening cooperation, expanding open knowledge, and reducing inequalities in research capability will be essential if higher education is to fully realize its potential as a resource for humanity for today and into the future.”
This perspective calls for a paradigm shift in how higher education is perceived and supported. Universities must transcend national boundaries to foster international collaboration, share resources, and address global challenges collectively. By doing so, they can amplify their impact, ensuring that knowledge and innovation benefit all of humanity, not just a privileged few. This approach is critical in tackling issues such as climate change, social inequality, and technological disruption, which require coordinated, cross-border solutions.
The Roadmap: A Blueprint for Action
The newly launched roadmap, “Transforming higher education: Global collaboration on visioning and action,” builds on the outcomes of the 2022 UNESCO World Higher Education Conference (WHEC2022). It presents seven guiding principles to reshape higher education:
Committing resources to equity and pluralism
Promoting the freedom to learn, teach, research and cooperate internationally
Fostering inquiry, critical thinking and creativity
Establishing a human-centered role for digital technologies and AI
Embracing an ethic of collaboration and solidarity
Centring sustianability, stewardship and regeneration
Supporting enriched understandings of quality, excellence adn relevance
As a longstanding partner of UNESCO, the IAU is deeply committed to advancing these principles. Through advocacy, capacity-building, and global initiatives, the IAU supports universities in embracing their role as agents of change. By championing values-based leadership, internationalization for the common good, sustainable development, and digital transformation, the IAU helps ensure that higher education remains an essential player in societal transformation.
