The Right to Academic Freedom | Side event to the 56th session of the Human Rights Council 

On 26 June 2024, at the 56th session of the Human Rights Council, a side-event was organized by the mandate of the Special Rapporteur on the right to education, Ms. Farida Shaheed, in cooperation with UNESCO and Scholars at Risk, on the occasion of the presentation of her thematic report to the Human Rights Council on “The right to academic freedom” (A/HRC/56/58) and the “Principles for Implementing the Right to Academic Freedom” (A/HRC/56/CRP.2).
The event was sponsored by Portugal, France, Luxembourg, Ireland, Finland, the Republic of Korea, and the European Union.
The event followed up on the Joint statement on academic freedom made during HRC52 on behalf of 74 countries, which called on the UN human rights system to re-double efforts in addressing the issue, in conjunction with relevant multilateral and regional institutions. The statement also called for enhanced international cooperation towards strengthening the protection and promotion of academic freedom in the spirit of the Vienna Declaration and Programme of Action.