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Global Universities Call for Academic Freedom

June 27, 2022

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The U7+ Alliance of World Universities, 45 research universities from around the world, has issued a new statement on academic freedom.

“Academic freedom is an essential contributor to the advancement of knowledge and prosperity, yet it faces limitations around the world,” the statement says. “Academic freedom has two interrelated components, institutional and individual. The resurgence of autocracy has stripped many universities of the institutional autonomy necessary to fulfill their core mission—the creation and dissemination of knowledge and education of future generations. The crisis of democracy, evident in rising political extremism and polarization, has threatened the freedom of some university faculty as individual scholars to address controversial topics in research and teaching. The U7+ is committed to working with the G7 in insisting that academic freedom, open and respectful dialogue and debate are critical to a well-functioning democracy. In particular, we call on the G7 member countries to act to ensure that university faculty are able to conduct their work free from domestic and international political interference, and that they receive sufficient protection in their role.”

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