Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham was invited to the UNESCO World Higher Education Conference (WHEC), which recently took place in Barcelona, Spain. UNESCO recognized Amrita as one of five universities of excellence worldwide for its performance in gender equality.The WHEC aims to reshape ideas and practices in higher education to ensure sustainable development for the planet and humanity, as well as to define and prepare a roadmap for a new era of higher education.
As the world comes out of COVID-19, the WHEC’s goals and strategic scope remain, and the new timeframe represents an opportunity to deepen and expand common efforts of knowledge production, policy dialogue, exchange, and networking.Swami Amritaswarupananda Puri, President of Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham, participated in a round table called “Universities’ Contribution to Gender Equality: A global perspective”. Adding to his views Swami Amritaswarupananda expressed how Amrita is making a difference in terms of gender equality and which policies have been put into place at the university level.
Gender equality is number five in the United Nations’ list of 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). He explained how the culture of gender equality is not implemented only in terms of policies within Amrita, but also practiced in spirit.The round table included Dr. Gloria Bonder, UNESCO Chair on Women, Science and Technology; Dr. Ricardo Vilanueva Lomeli, Rector General, University of Guadalajara; Ms. Elizabeth Shepherd, Leader of the Consultancy team, Times Higher Education; and Dr. Victoria Galan-Muros, Chief of Research and Analysis, UNESCO.
Dr. Maneesha V. Ramesh, Amrita’s Provost and UNESCO Chair on Experiential Learning for Sustainable Innovation & Development, and Dr. Bhavani Rao, Dean, Amrita School of Social and Behavioral Sciences and UNESCO Chair on Gender Equality and Women's Empowerment, were present as well representing Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham.During the session, an international report published by UNESCO, Times Higher Education (THE), and the Institute for English Literacy (IELSAC) was presented on how global universities are performing in terms of gender equality.
The report showcased Amrita as a case study for excellence in institutions for promoting SDG5: Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls.In terms of the conference overall, more than 2,000 stakeholders attended the event in person and 10,000 online, including intergovernmental organizations, UNESCO Chairs and university networks, regional organizations and development banks, country policymakers, universities, researchers, leaders of community service programs, students and youth organizations, the private sector, NGOs and civil society groups.UNESCO considers the process of collective construction as the greatest richness of this gathering, and that vision was expressed well in terms of the diversity of participants.
With a big picture vision of ensuring that no one is left behind, the WHEC focused on five goals:
1.Opening the door to new, innovative, creative, and visionary models of higher education.
2.Highlight higher education opportunities and priorities in the upcoming decade.
3.Anticipate and prepare youth for their role in tomorrow’s society.
4.Pave the way for a future learning community that is inclusive of all lifelong learners.
5.Define and prepare the roadmap for a new era of higher education systems.
With the youth of today as the leaders of tomorrow, the WHEC includes a platform for young people that fosters an open knowledge collective process, innovation in entrepreneurship, and artistic expression to teach problem-solving.
About Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham
Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham is a multi-campus, multidisciplinary university accredited with an A++ rating, the highest possible, by the National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC). It is also ranked as India’s 5th Best University in the 2021 National Institution Ranking Framework (NIRF). On the international level, Amrita is ranked 41st in the world, the only Indian university in the top 50, by the Times Higher Education (THE) Impact Rankings, 2022—a system of global indicators to assess the progress of universities towards the UN's 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). In addition, the United Nations has awarded the university two UNESCO Chairs, namely the UNESCO Chair for Experiential Learning for Sustainable Innovation & Development and the UNESCO Chair on Gender Equality & Women’s Empowerment.
Amrita is headquartered at Coimbatore and spread across seven campuses in four states—Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, and Andhra Pradesh. The university globally partners with academic, industry, and governmental institutions to accomplish human-centered, translational, and groundbreaking research. To date, Amrita has more than 500 collaborations from more than 200 signed Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs). Some of its partners include Harvard University, Columbia University, King’s College London, KTH - Royal Institute of Technology, VU Amsterdam, the British Geological Society, University of Oxford, Italian National Research Council, Deakin University, and the University of Tokyo. Sri Mata Amritanandamayi Devi (Amma) is a world-renowned humanitarian leader who is the founder, Chancellor, and guiding light of Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham. Amma’s words, thoughts, and vision for education and research founded upon universal values have shaped the university’s mission and vision.