Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham hosted the prestigious Round Table of UNESCO Chairs in South Asia in partnership with the UNESCO Regional Office for South Asia at its Amritapuri Campus, Kerala.
The two-day roundtable brought together more than 30 UNESCO delegates, representatives, and UNESCO Chair holders from across South Asia to strengthen regional collaboration and advance collective action aligned with UNESCO’s 2026–2027 priorities.
Discussions focused on major cross-cutting global and regional challenges, including environmental crises, digital transformation, gender equality, youth engagement, cultural diversity, and inclusive development.
Advancing Regional Collaboration
The meeting explored themes including climate resilience, ethical AI, indigenous knowledge systems, community media, peacebuilding, inclusive education, assistive technologies, and sustainable development
The gathering was led by Mr. Tim Curtis, Director of the UNESCO Regional Office for South Asia, alongside Mr. Jaco Du Toit, UNESCO Representative to Nepal, and Ms. Susan Vize, UNESCO Representative to Bangladesh.
Hosted at Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham’s Amritapuri Campus — home to three UNESCO Chairs — the event highlighted the university’s contributions to experiential learning, gender equality, inclusive education, and assistive technologies.
Over the course of the roundtable, UNESCO Chairs shared achievements, emerging initiatives, and collaborative plans for the upcoming biennium through presentations, thematic sessions, and World Café dialogues.
The event concluded with a shared commitment to strengthening partnerships between academia, policy institutions, and communities to promote inclusive and sustainable development across South Asia.
