Sophia University UNESCO Chair Newsletter Vol. 1

We are delighted to introduce the first issue of the Sophia University UNESCO Chair Newsletter. Established in February 2024, the Sophia University UNESCO Chair has actively engaged in various initiatives over the past year. This inaugural edition highlights those activities and achievements since its founding. The subsequent editions of this newsletter will feature upcoming initiatives that Sophia University will be undertaking, paired with activities and events from related organisations.

Through this newsletter, we hope to foster collaboration and strengthen connections with UNESCO Chairs and all interested parties from around the world.

February 28th marked the day Sophia University was selected for a UNESCO Chair under the title UNESCO Chair on Education for Human Dignity, Peace and Sustainability.

On this day, a commemorative symposium was held on Sophia University’s campus together with the 8 partner institutions of the Chair, with speeches and a panel discussion featuring 9 representatives from the partner institutions.

Chair holder Professor Miki Sugimura expressed her determination to realize the original purpose of the Chair – to create and share knowledge through international education and research, and to contribute to the realization of human dignity, peace and a sustainable society.

In line with Sophia University’s partnerships, the UNESCO Chair supported and organized sessions at the “Asia-Pacific Regional Policy Dialogue Meeting on the 1974 Revised Recommendation of UNESCO, which was co-hosted by the UNESCO Bangkok Regional Office and the Asia-Pacific Centre of Education and International Understanding (APCEIU). Here, Professor Miki Sugimura presented a session regarding the theme “Current Landscape of Education for Peace, Human Rights and Sustainable Development in Asia-Pacific: Challenges and Opportunities in Implementation of Recommendation”.

In addition, the Sophia University UNESCO Chair planned and managed the panel “Thematic Panel: Teacher Development, Teaching and Learning Materials”, which discussed the role of teachers and the development of teaching materials, including presentations on ESD and Global Citizenship Education practices in East Timor, Niue, and the Philippines.

Professor Miki Sugimura, the UNESCO chair holder, joined the Higher Education Sustainability Initiative (HESI) panel at the United Nations High-Level Political Forum held at the United Nations Headquarters in New York.

Here, she highlighted Japanese university initiatives in relation to the transformative roles of higher education, such as the SDG University Platform (SDG-UP) managed by UNU-IAS, and the Asia-Pacific Network for Environment and Sustainability (ProSPER.Net) developed under UNU-IAS.

Later that day, Professor Miki Sugimura joined the Higher Education Sustainability Initiative (HESI) panel, which discussed the role of higher education institutions in achieving the SDGs.

Sophia University joined many UNESCO Chairs at the 18th World Congress of Comparative Education Societies (WCCES) held at Cornell University in the United States from July 22nd to 26th, where a session titled “Fostering Knowledge-Driven Transformation in Times of Uncertainty: Collaborative Research in Education” was hosted by participants from UNESCO Headquarters and various UNESCO Chairs.

Sophia University participated in the UNESCO Partners Forum “Transforming Knowledge for Africa’s Future” as a UNESCO Chair for the first time, joining approximately 400 stakeholders in discussing ways to enhance interdisciplinary and joint research in Africa.

Professor Miki Sugimura moderated a session which discussed the formation of a platform for a sustainable future in Africa, which also functioned as a way to share the activities of Sophia University with other UNESCO Chairs with activities aimed at achieving the Goal 4 education targets in the SDGs.

This was followed by an additional symposium on October 3rd to commemorate World Teachers’ Day, where the Sophia University Chair was able to share its commitment to human dignity, with various other participants agreeing regarding the importance of this aspect in the context of teacher education.

As part of Sophia Open Research Weeks 2024, the UNESCO Chair hosted the symposium titled “AI in Education – Its Possibilities and Challenges”, which discussed the use of AI in context of the challenge highlighted in the “Future of Education” set out by UNESCO.

The Chair had the pleasure of inviting various distinguished professors, with a keynote speech delivered by Prof. Dr. Wayne Holmes of University College London titled “Artificial Intelligence and Education: A Critical Studies Perspective”.

This symposium, much like many others hosted by Sophia University, was available both in-person and online, with English and Japanese simultaneous interpretation.

Sophia University hosted the “International Symposium on Creativity and Critical Thinking in Higher Education” on December 15th, both in-person and online with simultaneous interpretation in English and Japanese for all attendees.

This symposium discussed the role of competency-based education as a cornerstone of transformative education based on empirical research on environmental studies, service-learning and ESD conducted at Sophia University and International Christian University.

Professor Miki Sugimura gave both the introduction and closing remarks for the session, with keynote speeches presented by Mr. Shun Shirai, as well as Mr. Stéphan Vincent-Lancrin.