Tuesday, 17 May, 2022 - 07:11

The World Higher Education Conference 2022 will be taking place in Barcelona from the 18th to the 20th of May, bringing together all kinds of stakeholders involved in Higher Education from all over the world. The UNESCO World Higher Education Conference (WHEC2022) aims at reshaping ideas and practices in higher education to ensure sustainable development for the planet and humanity. ESN has contributed to the consultative process through the submission of a youth policy brief with concrete recommendations to boost participation in learning mobility opportunities across the world and has previously collaborated with UNESCO in initiatives such as the Futures of Education report.

ESN believes that student-centred internationalisation should be at the core of Higher Education policies all over the world.   Therefore, the Erasmus Student Network is committed to bringing the voice of the Erasmus Generation to the table and advocating for increased and improved mobility. At the conference, ESN will be represented by: Juan Rayon Gonzalez (President of ESN AISBL), Paula Pop (Vice President of ESN AISBL), Wim Gabriels (Director of ESN AISBL), José Ramon Sabogal Hernandez (Liaison Officer for Americas). Members from our National Organisations will also join ESN’s delegation, including Marta Fuentes (Director of ESN Spain), Àlvaro Mira (Vice President of ESN Spain) and Rita Dias (President of ESN Portugal). 

ESN will have a stand as part of the Exhibition within the conference, where you will be able to find us presenting the Erasmus Generation Portal, the Erasmus+ App and many other elements related to our flagship initiatives such as the Social Inclusion and Engagement in Mobility and Green Erasmus projects. You can find us at stand number 4 on the -1 Floor at any moment on the 18th, 19th or 20th.

Besides the stand, ESN will also be involved in a number of sessions that are explained below and will contribute to the Creathon that UNESCO organises during the event through a delegation of ESN volunteers and Erasmus students from Barcelona.

ESN sessions during the event

You can find all the information about the programme here.

Wednesday, 18th of May:

  • Intervention at the opening ceremony; Audit Fira 12:00-13:00 (Juan Rayon Gonzalez, President of ESN AISBL). On the first day, our president Juan will have an intervention during the opening ceremony on the role of academic mobility in the future of Higher Education and how the Global Convention can support increased learning mobility opportunities for Higher Education students.

Thursday, 19th of May:

  • Roundtable on the European Strategy for Universities organised by the European Commission; Fira room 5 at 9:30 (Juan Rayon Gonzalez, President of ESN AISBL). The session will discuss the recent European Strategy for Universities and the role of the Erasmus+ programme in its implementation.

  • HED talk on Fostering Internationalisation through student-led organisations; Speaking Corner 2 at 16:15 (Juan Rayon Gonzalez, President of ESN AISBL). As student mobility becomes more relevant all over the world and global challenges continue to emerge, this HED talk reflects on the role of international student organisations in bringing internationalisation forward for all students, and for the benefit of their communities at large. Building on the 33 years of experience of the Erasmus Student Network supporting international students and providing intercultural dialogue opportunities, the presenters will make the case for mobility and student-centred internationalisation becoming a priority for Governments and Higher Education institutions from all over the world"

  • HED talk on inclusion and diversity in internationalisation of HE; Speaking Corner 1 at 16:45 (Wim Gabriels, Director of ESN AISBL). During this session, Wim will present some of the lessons learned from our SIEM project and how policymakers and Higher Education Institutions can make internationalisation opportunities accessible for all students regardless of their background, and how cross collaborations can help to overcome barriers.

  • José Ramon Sabogal Hernandez (Liaison Officer for Americas) will speak at a side event organised in Casa de las Americas on the role of higher education in achieving peace and security. The event will start at 17:00 and his panel discussion will start at 18:45.

Friday, 20th of May:

  • HED talk on mobility programmes in Latin America; Speaking Corner 1 at 9:30 (José Ramon Sabogal Hernandez, Liaison Officer for Americas). During the session, José will present how mobilities can support an integrative process in the region and which role can ESN play there, drawing on his personal experience as a Colombian student who moved to Europe but has kept strong bounds with Latin America.

Find more information about the conference here.

Do not hesitate to contact us if you would like to meet during the conference at [email protected] or directly via phone at +32 477 56 78 89.