President Nakano Takes Part in U7+ Alliance Summit
From March 16 to 17, 2023, the fifth U7+ Alliance of World Universities Presidential Summit was held in person and online, and President Satoshi Nakano participated in the summit from Hitotsubashi University.
The U7+ summit is an alliance of presidents of the world’s leading universities, established on the initiative of Sciences Po. Its purpose is to form an alliance of universities to tackle pressing global challenges by engaging in active dialogue and communicating their vision and views to the international community. The name “U7+” refers to universities in the G7 countries, along with universities in Africa, Latin America, Asia, Oceania, and other regions. As of March 2023, 51 universities from 19 countries are affiliated with U7+. Four universities from Japan—Hitotsubashi University, Osaka University, Keio University, and the University of Tokyo—have participated in all the annual summits held so far.
This year, more than 75 university leaders from 16 countries gathered for the fifth U7+ Presidential Summit, hosted by Keio University. In view of the forthcoming G7 Hiroshima Summit in Japan, the presidents unanimously adopted the “U7+ Tokyo Statement on Peace & Security: Universities as Engines of Innovation for Peace and Security.” U7+ universities expressed determination that universities should take action in support of the G7 agenda and contribute to building a peaceful and safe world through research, education, and social contributions. The statement was delivered to Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida on Wednesday March 15 in his capacity as 2023 G7 host.
In a session on the theme of “Access to Higher Education – Global South Perspectives,” President Nakano pointed out the importance of U7+ member universities sharing knowledge and information relating to all forms of inequality, including regional and gender disparity in higher education, and commented that Hitotsubashi University is in favor of establishing a working group in the future.
The sixth annual Presidential Summit of the U7+ Alliance in 2024 will be hosted by Bocconi University, Italy.