IN 2020, the UN special rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression issued a report summarizing the protection of academic freedom under international law.
A Working Group on Academic Freedom (WGAF), with the involvement of the GSF – represented by its Executive Director Sebastian Berger, was formed to continue that work and specifically to encourage the strengthening of monitoring and protection mechanisms for academic freedom across all levels and mechanisms of the United Nations, including among UN offices and systems, as well as among UN Member States.
Over a period of twelve months, the working group drafted these ‘Principles for Implementing the Right of Academic Freedom,’ inviting input and consultation from a wide range of stakeholders interested or engaged in the protection of academic freedom.
These Principles have since been translated from English into Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian, and Spanish and disseminated widely for comment and use in promoting greater recognition and more effective implementation of the right of academic freedom.
Stakeholders are invited to use this feedback form to share feedback on the document. The working group anticipates collecting feedback throughout late 2023, and sharing an updated document tentatively in October 2023. The working group may schedule a series of webinars or online events to discuss the Principles and their use. Stakeholders may also use the form to provide contact information to be added to an email list to receive updates on these activities.