Human Rights Network of Academies and Scholarly Societies (IHRN) møtes i Oslo

Day 1: Tuesday, September 9, 2025

9:30 - 10:00    Registration

10:00 - 10:30    Word of welcome and introduction

• ANNELIN ERIKSEN, President, DNVA
• GURO NORE FLØGSTAD, Chair, The Young Academy of Norway
• TBD, Executive Committee Member, IHRN
• Minister of Research and Higher Education Sigrun Aasland [Not confirmed, DNVA]

10:30 - 12:30    Session 1: The relationship between human rights and academic freedom

Human rights are an important element of academic freedom but have, in various ways, been challenged by state and non-state actors in academic settings. This session will examine the connections between academic freedom and human rights, including as they relate to free speech. Panelists will consider how an understanding of this relationship can inform responses by researchers, educators, students, and academic institutions to infringements of academic freedom.

Moderator: TBC, domain expert

• MARTIN CHALFIE, Executive Committee Member, IHRN
• MAHMOOD AMIRY-MOGHADDAM, human rights activist and Professor of Medicine, University of Oslo
• MARÍA LUISA ACOSTA, President, Academy of Sciences of Nicaragua

12:30 - 13:30    Lunch

13:30 - 15:30    Session 2: Promotion of scientific freedom and the safety of scientists

Throughout the world, scientists face threats as a result of their evidence-based research, compliance with professional ethics, and, in some cases, due to identity-based discrimination. The rise of authoritarian regimes and abuse of new technologies have compounded risks to the safety of scientists. This session will examine initiatives that seek to strengthen the protection of scientists, including UNESCO’s Programme on the promotion of scientific freedom and the safety of scientists.

Moderator: TBC

• VIVI STAVROU, Executive Secretary, the Committee for Freedom and Responsibility in Science, International Science Council
• HAFTE GEBRIHET, Associate Professor, Western Norway University of Applied Sciences and Fellow, Scholars at Risk
• SAJA AL ZOUBI, Global Young Academy

 15:30 - 16:00 Break

 16:00 - 17:30 Session 3: How does AI pose challenges and opportunities for academic                                               freedom?

The rise of artificial intelligence (AI) has raised concerns not only about the integrity of scholarly work, but also its potential to perpetuate biases and spread disinformation. In this conversation between Dr. Inge Jonassen and Dr. Taina Bucher, the discussion will explore AI’s implications for academic freedom, including ways to harness the benefits of AI for scientific progress.

• INGE JONASSEN, Head of Department, Department of Informatics, University of Bergen
• TAINA BUCHER, Professor, Department of Media and Communication, University of Oslo

17:30 - 18:30 Break

18:30                  Dinner

• Opening Remarks:
  • TBD (someone from the opener?) – EC IHRN
• Evening Address: Protecting Academic and Democratic Freedoms: The Role of the Judiciary (Kanskje før dessertbuffet).
  • HANS PETTER GRAVER, Chair, DNVA Human Rights Committee

Day 2: September 10, 2025

09:00 - 10:30 Session 4: The tension between academic freedom and national security

In many countries, governments have restricted the activities of scientists and scholars on grounds of national security, raising questions about when such restrictions violate individual rights and freedoms. This session will explore questions such as: How should universities and scholars respond when government restrictions on research, scholarship, and international collaborations clash with the principles of free inquiry and open exchange of ideas that are vital to academic progress? How can national security be protected in a manner that is consistent with human rights standards and respect for academic freedom?

• Xiaoxing Xi, Laura H. Carnell Professor of Physics, College of Science and Technology, Temple University
• Representative from Bilim Akademisi (The Science Academy Society of Turkey)
• JUTTA GÄERTNER, German National Academy of Sciences Leopoldina? [IHRN]

10:30 - 11:00  Coffee break

11:00 - 12:30 Session 5: Financing, academic freedom, and open access

Academic activities are increasingly dependent on powerful actors who, in different ways, control funds and resources that research depends on. Both private and public funders exercise influence and power through their control over resources. This session will explore the complex relationship between academic freedom and open access including the power dynamics at play and implications for the global research environment and free pursuit of science. Questions for discussion include: Who actually owns academia, and what implications does the ownership structure have for the freedom of science and academic freedom?

• Helle Porsdam, Author, Right to Science
• OLE PETTER OTTERSEN, Professor, University of Oslo
• Mark Wuddivira, Caribbean Academy of Sciences?

12:30 - 13:30 Lunch

 13:30 - 15:00 Panel Discussion: Challenges of academic freedom in contemporary societies and the role of national academies in addressing them

In this session, panelists will highlight key ongoing and emerging challenges to academic freedom and their impact on human rights. Discussion will include examination of the ways national academies can respond to these challenges, while promoting human rights. 

• ROSEEMMA MAMAA ENTSUA-MENSAH, Fellow, Ghana Academy of Arts and Sciences
• ELISA REIS, Fellow, Brazilian Academy of Sciences
• FRANÇOISE BAYLIS, President-Elect, Royal Society of Canada?
• TBD, Science Council of Japan

 15:00 - 15:30 Wrapping up and conclusions

• Hans Petter Graver, DNVA
• Rebecca Everly, Executive Director, IHRN

 18:00                 Reception/buffet Dinner