About World Women University Presidents Forum (WWUPF)
The World Women University Presidents Forum (WWUPF) was launched by Communication University of China (originally Beijing Broadcast Institute) in August 2001, aiming to pool the strength of women university presidents all over the world and to create an international platform for them to communicate and collaborate, and to share new ideas and thoughts in the fields of higher education development and women leadership promotion.
WWUPF has successfully held ten main forums in China and eleven sub-forums around the world.In the past 22 years, the Forum has gathered more than 1,900 women university presidents from 120 countries/regions. Their valuable ideas toward the development of higher education have highlighted the leading role of women university presidents, making WWUPF an influential brand in the international higher education community.
WWUPF has received support from the UN. In the opening ceremony of the 6th Forum in 2014, Ms. Phumzile Mlambo Ngcuka, Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations and Executive Director of UN Women, and Ms. Irina Bokova, Director-General of UNESCO, sent their speech video respectively. In 2015, Ms. Irina Bokova, on behalf of UNESCO, signed a cooperation agreement with the Women Leadership Academy to support WWUPF. Ms. Irina Bokova and Ms. Saniye Gülser Corat, Director of the UNESCO Division for Gender Equality, delivered speeches at the 8th, the 9th, and the 10th WWUPF.
Table 1: WWUPF Main Forums in China
Main Forums | Host | Time & Place | Theme | Scale |
1st Forum | Communication University of China | 2001 Beijing | The Strategy for the Development of Higher Education in the New Century | 106 attendees from 8 countries/regions |
2nd Forum | Communication University of China | 2004 Beijing | Communication, Cooperation and Development | 125 attendees from 19 countries/regions |
3rd Forum | Communication University of China | 2006 Beijing &Nanjing | Harmonious World & Culture Diversity: The Responsibility of University and Media | 118 attendees from 29 countries/regions |
4th Forum | Communication University of China | 2009 Nanjing | The Ecology and the Sustainable Development of Universities | 120 attendees from 35 countries/regions |
5th Forum | Xiamen University | 2011 Xiamen | The Inclusive Development of Culture and Education: Women University Presidents’ Mission and Prospective Achievements | 119 attendees from 33 countries/regions |
6th Forum | Communication University of China | 2014 Beijing | Women, Education and Leadership | 160 attendees from 54 countries/regions |
7th Forum | Shih Hsin University | 2016 Taipei | Promoting the Transformation and Upgrading of the Global Economy and the Society: The Choice and Responsibility of Universities | 50 attendees from 18 countries/regions |
8th Forum | Wuhan University | 2018 Wuhan | Future Education, New Leadership and A Community with Shared Future for Mankind | 150 attendees from 51 countries/regions |
9th Forum | Xi’an Technological University
| 2020 Xi’an | Global Empathy, Mutual Learning among Civilizations and University Innovation | 232 attendees from 64 countries/regions |
10th Forum | Jilin International Studies University
| 2023 Changchun | Building a Global Higher Education Community in the Post-COVID-19 Era | 277 attendees from 65 countries/regions |
Table 2: WWUPF Sub-Forums
Sub-Forums | Host | Time & Place | Theme |
Oceania Sub-Forum | Massey University | 2007 Auckland, New Zealand | Female Teachers’ Training and the Development of Future Women Leadership |
Asia Sub-Forum | Josai International University | 2008 Tokyo, Japan | Women’s Higher Education: Against an Aging Background |
North America Sub-Forum | University of Hawaii at Hilo | 2008 Hawaii, USA | Global Dialogue: Women in Higher Education |
Euro-Asia Sub-Forum | Istanbul Technical University | 2012 Istanbul, Turkey | Beyond the Glass Ceiling, Beyond the Continents |
Africa Sub-Forum | Women’s University in Africa | 2012 Harare, Zimbabwe | Development, Equality and Openness |
South America Sub-Forum | Inter-American Organization for Higher Education | 2013 Monterrey, Mexico | The Innovation Path for the Promotion of Women Leadership in Higher Education |
South Asia Sub-Forum | College of Journalism and Mass Communication | 2015 Kathmandu, Nepal | Cooperation, Common Progress and Prosperity |
North Europe Sub-Forum | University of Tampere | 2016 Tampere, Finland | Potential, Ability and Power |
Bucharest Sub-Forum | Dimitrie Cantemir Christian University | 2017 Bucharest, Romania | Adaptation and Guidance: Reform and Innovation of Universities Under New Higher Learning Ecology |
Ural Sub-Forum | Ural National Normal University | 2017 Yekaterinburg, Russia | Normal University and Educational Leadership |
Latin American Sub-Forum | Communication University of China; Inter-American Organization for Higher Education | 2021 Beijing, China; Santiago, Chili | Chart the Future: Strengthening the Global Knowledge Community
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