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SAR webinar “Free Universities: Putting the Academic Freedom Index Into Action Through the UN Human Rights Systems”, 15 April


25 March 2021

Scholars At Risk (SAR) organises the webinar “Free Universities: Putting the Academic Freedom Index Into Action Through the UN Human Rights Systems” on 15 April from 15.00 to 16.00 CEST.


The webinar will present the Academic Freedom Index (AFi), which draws on contributions by some 2,000 country experts from around the world and covers 175 countries and territories over the period from 1900 to 2020. It is a robust instrument that can inform research and drive human rights policy debates among government officials, parliamentarians, research funders, university administrators, academics, students, and advocates.

The webinar will feature guest speakers:

  • Irene Khan, Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of freedom of opinion and expression
  • Koumbou Boly Barry, Special Rapporteur on the right to education
  • Mikel Mancisidor, Member of the UN Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (CESCR)
  • Janika Spannagel, Research Fellow at the Global Public Policy Institute (GPPi).

Academic freedom is a universal right and essential to quality education, teaching and research. It is a driver of innovation, enhances the capacity of scholars and students to acquire and generate knowledge, and thereby protects societies’ capacity for self-reflection.

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