The 3rd Global University Presidents' Summit was held from October 15-16 at Seoul National University. Seven global university presidents met and issued a Joint Declaration on"The Role of Universities for a Sustainable World" (Seoul Declaration) on October 16th at the Summit.
Along with President LEE Jang-Moo, President Judy GENSHAFT of the University of South Florida, Vice President Yoichiro MATSUMOTO of the University of Tokyo, Principal Paul WEBLEY of SOAS, University of London, Deputy President TAN Eng Chye of the National University of Singapore, Vice President Ulrich FOERSTERMANN of the Johannes Gutenberg University of Mainz, and President Jean-Loup SALZMANN of the University of Paris 13 signed the Declaration.
Prior to completing the Declaration, the presidents debated the topic for more than eight hours by presenting and discussing each of their views, which led to the agreement.
Through the Declaration, the presidents acknowledged the importance of sustainable development and the environment, pledging to take the lead in creating sustainable campuses. They agreed to encourage their communities to become a part of the movement for sustainable development as well.
Furthermore, an extensive curriculum comprised of the environmental, economic, social, and political aspects of sustainability was decided upon for use in the classroom. There was also mutual consent on the need for continuous, collaborative studies worldwide on sustainability as a global issue in regards to research. This was followed by decisions to carry out joint research on global environmental problems.
The 7 global universities which took part in the Declaration are already known for their innovative steps in promoting sustainability issues and they are expected to take more active measures after this agreement. During the Summit, President Genshaft , who opened the first Office of Sustainability at the University of South Florida, decided to make more commitments by establishing the 'School of Global Sustainability' which focuses on interconnected global concerns such as water, coastal environments, health, global citizenship, and ethics. Principal Webley believes student participation in this movement needs to be the first priority and said that he would focus on designating a compulsory course on ‘Sustainability and the World’.
President Lee founded the Asian Institute for Energy, Environment, and Sustainability (AIEES) at SNU last year to carry out sustainable campus programs and actions. His perspective is that along with reducing CO2 emissions on campus and securing environmental sustainability, the importance of providing quality education and services through volunteer work to socially neglected groups cannot be overlooked to ensure ‘social sustainability’.
The Global University Presidents' Summit has been held at Seoul National University annually every October since 2007.
The full text of the Seoul Declaration is attached below.
Go to the 1st Global University Presidents' Summit (2007)
Go to the 2nd Global University Presidents' Summit (2008)
Go to the 3rd Global University Presidents' Summit (2009)
October 28, 2009
Written by Yeha LEE, SNU English Editor