The Asian Universities Alliance (AUA) Presidents Forum 2022 was held on April 22, marking the fifth anniversary of the establishment of the alliance.
The theme of this year’s forum was “Embracing Asian Diversity for a Shared Future: Mission of Universities in Fostering a Community of Life for People and Nature.”
Huai Jinpeng, China’s Minister of Education, and Ban Ki-moon, the 8th Secretary-General of the United Nations and Chairman of the Boao Forum for Asia, delivered remarks as the guests of honor at the forum, attended by leaders and representatives of all the 15 AUA member universities and other distinguished guests.
Minister Huai extended congratulations on behalf of his ministry to AUA on its fifth anniversary and remarked that the establishment of the alliance by distinguished universities from different Asian countries and regions reflected the general trend of common development and win-win cooperation in Asian higher education.
He urged AUA members to promote regional connections of higher education through digitalization, to deepen the pragmatic cooperation between universities by focusing on talent cultivation and scientific research and innovation, and to promote communication between peoples and appreciation to diverse cultures.
He said he was hopeful that AUA would make greater contributions to jointly addressing regional and global challenges, promoting the common welfare of Asian people, and advancing the building of a community with a shared future for mankind.
Ban Ki-moon congratulated AUA on its fifth anniversary, saying, since 2017, AUA has served as a robust platform for regional collaboration, partnership, and dialogue.
He called on AUA to scale up its cooperative regional efforts to help forge tangible progress on the UN’s development and climate goals.
“Your role is extremely important, as we need to ensure that the UN Global Goals are local business, throughout Asia and beyond. With your elevated efforts, I am confident that we can construct a more healthy, sustainable, peaceful, and prosperous world for all,” he said.
Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor, Chief Executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, China, Prof. Dr. Anek Laothamatas, Thailand’s Minister of Higher Education, Science, Research, and Innovation, and Dr. Nyunt Phy, Myanmar’s Union Minister for Education, sent congratulatory messages on AUA’s fifth anniversary, which were read out respectively by Wei Shyy, President of The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Bundhit Eua-arporn, President of Chulalongkorn University, and Tin Maung Tun, Rector of the University of Yangon respectively at the forum.
Following that, Chairman of Tsinghua University Council Qiu Yong, who served as the founding president of AUA, addressed the forum.
He said that he was delighted to join AUA members to celebrate the fifth anniversary of AUA and chart a joint future.
“Five years ago, on April 29, 2017, AUA was jointly founded by fifteen universities in Asia with the mission to jointly address regional and global challenges by strengthening collaboration among member institutions. I am glad to see that in the past five years, we have been steadily working towards this mission,” he said.
In the five years since its founding, he noted that AUA has grown into a cohesive consortium of Asian higher education with an increasing impact. He thanked AUA members and the greater Asian community for their strong support.
“The diversity we embrace forms the foundation of our alliance. With each of us sharing a unique set of knowledge and experiences, I am confident that we will be able to continue collectively tackling our common challenges and building a brighter future for all,” he said.
He mentioned that as the founding president of AUA, he was very proud of AUA’s work over the past five years, turning the dream of AUA into a brilliant success.
Qiu also extended his gratitude to AUA members for their trust in Tsinghua University holding the AUA Presidency for two consecutive terms.
“As we move forward, let’s come closer together and build a better AUA, for Asia, and for the world,” he said, concluding his remarks.
Tsinghua President Wang Xiqin, on behalf of the entire AUA community, presented a token of appreciation to Professor Qiu in recognition of his distinguished leadership during his time as AUA Founding President.
Last month, former President Qiu Yong was named Chairman of Tsinghua University Council, and Professor Wang Xiqin was appointed President of Tsinghua University, making him also AUA President.
President Wang Xiqin, addressing the forum, said that he was honored to serve as the new President of AUA.
“As AUA President, I will continue the endeavors of Professor Qiu Yong, and do my part to strengthen the Alliance,” he added.
He said that, in the past five years, under the distinguished leadership of Professor Qiu and the contributions of member universities, AUA has become a close-knit family.
“The voice of Asian universities is increasingly heard through our high-level forums on higher education. In the past two years, AUA organized a number of forums and discussion sessions to share member universities’ experiences responding to the impacts of the pandemic. Despite the disruption to international travel, the COVID-19 crisis has made AUA stronger and even more united,” he added.
President Wang said that he looks forward to working closely with all the AUA members to enhance AUA’s unique contribution to building a shared future for Asia and beyond.
Eight leaders of other AUA member universities — Ghaleb Alhadrami Albreiki, Acting Vice Chancellor of United Arab Emirates University; Subhasis Chaudhuri, Director of the Indian Institute of Technology Bombay; Bundhit Eua-arporn, President of Chulalongkorn University; H. D. Karunaratne, Vice Chancellor of the University of Colombo; Shigeo Katsu, President of Nazarbayev University; OH Se-Jung, President of Seoul National University; Wei Shyy, President of The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology; and Tin Maung Tun, Rector of the University of Yangon — also delivered their remarks at the forum.
They stated that AUA has made great strides in the past five years and that they would continue to deepen their collaborations as AUA members to address regional and global challenges and promote a shared future for humanity.
The forum held online was moderated by Yang Bin, Vice President and Provost of Tsinghua University. Before the AUA Presidents Forum 2022 culminated in the plenary session, four sessions were held earlier on different themes.
writer: Sangeet
Editors: John Olbrich, Li Han
