On 6 July, UNU Rector Konrad Osterwalder addressed an audience of almost 1,000 participants from 148 countries at the second World Conference on Higher Education, at UNESCO Headquarters in Paris. Attendees included government ministers, university rectors, faculty and students as well as representatives of the private sector and regional and multilateral institutions.

The conference drew on the experiences of distinguished academics in the field of higher education, including Philip Altbach, Monan Professor of Higher Education at Boston College, and Sir John Daniel, President and CEO of the Commonwealth of Learning.

Rector Osterwalder focused on the key themes of internationalization, regionalization and globalization in light of the trend towards commercialization and commodification at all education levels, and especially in higher education. These themes were also the focus of a parallel session at the conference.

In a time when market rationales seem increasingly to permeate social transactions, Rector Osterwalder urged decision makers in higher education to redouble their efforts to bring about about a new dynamism, relevance and vigour to teaching and research in tertiary education, saying that “higher education institutions must make a leap in global leadership if they are to remain at the forefront of human progress”.

The Rector called for greater flexibility among higher education institutions so that they may address, in the most efficient and sustainable manner, the present and future challenges and crises confronting our planet.

The conference closed on 8 July with a call to governments to increase investment in higher education, encourage diversity and strengthen regional cooperation to serve societal needs. “At no time in history has it been more important to invest in higher education as a major force in building an inclusive and diverse knowledge society and to advance research, innovation and creativity,” says the final communiqué adopted at the end of the conference.