By Li Yiwei and Wang Chenyan
The 12th World Women University Presidents Forum (WWUPF) Europe Forum, jointly organized by Communication University of China (CUC) and the University of Manchester, was successfully held in Manchester on September 26, bringing together 102 university presidents and scholars from 30 countries and regions, with CUC Vice President Chai Jianping leading a delegation from the university.
Opening ceremony of WWUPF Europe Forum.
This year's forum, themed "Future Education ▪ Women's Leadership", featured parallel sessions on Future Education: Humans and Technology, Women's Leadership in Multicultural Context, and Europe-Asia Dialogue in Higher Education. The last session was chaired by Wen Chunying, dean of the School of International Studies at CUC.
Chai Jianping delivers a welcome address on behalf of the forum's organizer.
Chai Jianping, representing the forum's organizer, delivered a welcome address. He noted that WWUPF has grown into an influential international platform in higher education over the past 24 years. Chai emphasized that the transformation of future education is inseparable from women's influence, and promoting gender equality is key to unlocking the potential of education and shaping an inclusive civilization.
Distinguished guests, including former President of the University of Manchester Nancy Rothwell, President of the Organizing Committee of WWUPF Liu Jinan, Chairman of Dongseo University in South Korea Park Dong Sun, former Vice President of the Chinese University of Hong Kong Zhang Miaoqing, and others, delivered keynote speeches at the forum.
Nancy Rothwell delivers a keynote speech.
Nancy Rothwell said in her speech that the University of Manchester would take the forum as an opportunity to further advance the development of future education and women's leadership, strengthen exchanges and cooperation with leading universities worldwide, and continue serving the Manchester community.
Liu Jinan's speech centered on "growth points of future education". She pointed out that future education should foster leadership with gender awareness at its core, safeguard equal opportunities for all genders in education, and contribute to building a civilized society where gender equality is fully mainstreamed.
Liu Jinan delivers a keynote speech on the "growth points of future education".
At the closing ceremony, all attendees unanimously adopted the Manchester Declaration, which calls for strengthening the foundation of a global education community through mutual learning among civilizations. The declaration says universities should act as anchors of social stability amid job restructuring driven by artificial intelligence and talent migration caused by regional conflicts and geopolitical competition. It also urges future education to seek a balance between humans and technology. The declaration confirmed that the 12th WWUPF will return to its birthplace, Beijing, in 2026.
Launched in 2001 by CUC, WWUPF aims to create an international platform for exchange, collaboration, sharing of ideas. Over its 24-year history, it has successfully held 11 main forums and 12 sub-forums, attracting more than 2,000 female university presidents and educational leaders from 120 countries and regions. This long-standing event has significantly contributed to the development of higher education and the advancement of female leadership in academia.
Editor: Chen Yiran, Fang Yiran
Managing Editor: Wang Chenyan
Editor-in-chief: Yu Ran, Chen Yiwen, Yang Zhongtian
