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The year 2022 marked the thirtieth anniversary of the establishment of the UNESCO Chairs and university twinning and networking program (UNITWIN). The international conference Transforming Knowledge for Just and Sustainable Futures (Paris, 3-4 November 2022) was organized to mark this anniversary, to mobilize the global network, and to look ahead. 

"Established dominant models of knowledge generation, validation, distribution, and ultimately use, cannot possibly respond to the intersecting multi-dimensional crises we face today."

Sobhi Tawil, Director of the Future of Learning and Innovation Division

Held at a time when the world faces multiple overlapping social, economic, political, technological and environmental disruptions, the work of the UNITWIN/UNESCO Chairs Programme occupies a unique position in the United Nations system in generating and sharing knowledge that reaches across national, cultural and disciplinary boundaries, through its network of some 950 university Chairs worldwide. The conference recognized the accomplishments of the programme, and engaged participants in debate about how to deepen inter-disciplinary dialogue and innovate approaches for engaging partners in finding solutions to today’s challenges.

The two-day event, organized with the support of the French National Commission for UNESCO, opened with a Public Lecture by the renowned scholar Professor Achille Mbembe, who set the scene for the work of the UNESCO Chairs, and called for a renewal of the knowledge commons. This was followed by some 40 thematic and regional sessions. The conference renewed the vision of a humanistic approach towards the future and innovation, a shared commitment to human rights and international cooperation, and the spirit of scientific, moral, intellectual, and academic solidarity that are at the heart of UNESCO’s mandate.