The members of U7+, the international alliance of universities of which Aix-Marseille University is a member, met in Tokyo at Keio University for their annual summit.
On this occasion, the 75 representatives of the member universities drafted a declaration urging the G7 leaders to put peace and security back at the heart of the debate.
As the G7 prepares for its next summit in Hiroshima in May, U7+ members take a sobering look at the state of play in the statement that punctuates the debates that have animated their meetings. Between declared armed conflicts and thinly veiled threats, the world is facing major challenges to peace and security.
"The world has seen important innovations in the field of war; it is now time to innovate in the field of peace and security," reads a statement from the U7+ Alliance.
For U7+ members, it is therefore urgent :
- Invest in peace and security education at all levels
- to integrate the most recent research into peace and security policies
- diversify the range of stakeholders involved in high-level policy discussions on these issues
- defend academic freedom and reduce barriers to student exchange
The international alliance of universities is committed to working with governments, communities and industries to achieve these goals.
At this week’s summit, under the theme "The Pen is mightier than the Sword," U7+ members reiterated the central role of universities in the fight for global peace and security. As places of learning and research, institutions of higher education guarantee freedom of expression, a formidable blade that everyone should be able to arm themselves with.
In anticipation of the G7 summit, U7+ members are committed to :
- continue to train tomorrow’s leaders to give them the keys to analyze current and future conflicts,
- develop and share research on these topics
- ensuring security and academic freedom
- create opportunities for those who have had to leave conflict areas
These statements were formally recorded in the declaration that was officially delivered to Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida who will open the next G7 summit.
The U7+ Presidential Summit is the annual meeting of the U7+ Alliance, the first coalition of university presidents from Europe, Asia, North America, South America, Africa and Australia dedicated to identifying concrete and collective actions that universities can take to address global challenges, in coordination with government leaders from the G7 and beyond.
Learn more about U7+
