On the occasion of a Summit of the international agencies of academic mobility, held on 27 September in Turin, the G7 International Higher Education Agencies: British Council (UK), DAAD (Germany), Campus France (France), IIE (USA), Jasso (Japan) and Uni-Italia (Italy), together with Nuffic (Netherlands), SEPIE (Spain), Edufi (Finland) and the Education Exchanges Support Foundation (Lithuania) signed the Turin Declaration. 

In doing so, these agencies confirmed their commitment to continue supporting mobility in higher education despite all the challenges of our times – quite on the contrary, to tackle them. Solutions to climate change, food security risks, demographic issues, inequalities and much more strongly depend on collaboration and exchange between scholars and researchers.

Such constant and constructive cooperation work is regrettably put at risk by the rise of geopolitical tensions, which often represent an obstacle to the free movement of students and cause a regression in public investments in higher education and research around the globe.  

With the Turin declaration, these agencies oppose themselves to such scenarios and highlight their commitment to further promoting academic mobility. They also invite political leaders to do the same, especially when it comes to the refugees’ situation.  Such a commitment has the twofold effect of preserving and nourishing each other’s knowledge, as well as contributing to a safer environment for all.