Okayama University Senior Vice President for Global Engagement Strategy and UNESCO Chairholder YOKOI Atsufumi was invited to attend the World Higher Education Conference 2022 (WHEC2022), hosted by UNESCO from May 18 to 20 at Fira de Barcelona in Barcelona, Spain. The conference is the third iteration of its kind (the first two having been held in 1998 and 2009, respectively) and was hosted in hybrid format, with in-person participation limited to invitation only. Approximately 1, 800 participants from 130 countries, including students and representatives from the United Nations, various international organizations, governments, universities, businesses, and NGOs, attended the event.

The conference was aimed at reshaping ideas and practices in higher education to ensure sustainable future for the planet and humanity. Through 120 roundtables, side events and workshops, 86 HED talks, and 5 youth-led activities, lively discussions and communication were held.

Senior Vice President Yokoi participated in many of the sessions and had the opportunity to discuss Okayama University’s strategies, initiatives, and partnerships related to global engagement with other UNESCO chairholders and representative participants from the participating nations, including Professor Charles A. Hopkins of York University―one of the world’s leading authorities on Education for Sustainable Development (ESD)―and International Association of Universities Secretary General Hilligje van’t Land.

At the closing ceremony, UNESCO Assistant Director-General for Education Stefania Giannini presented a “roadmap for higher education for the next decade,” stating, “this roadmap will guide the co-creation of a more open, inclusive, equitable and collaborative higher education system.”

Okayama University, along with its diverse stakeholders, is committed to promoting sustainability and wellbeing that benefits everyone “from our local community to the world.”