NL / EN

Our international collaborations are regularly under pressure, e.g. due to human rights violations. Using the so-called ‘human rights test’, KU Leuven verifies whether all cooperation agreements with external academic and non-academic partners in the fields of research, education and community engagement, abide by the principles of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. This task is carried out by the Ethics Committee on Dual Use, Military Use and Misuse of Research. However, (in)direct involvement in human rights violations is not always easy to determine, much to the dissatisfaction and frustration of many. There is a legitimate demand among colleagues and students for a thorough and informed debate on this issue. The intensified demand for greater strategic military autonomy within Europe, as well as the ever-increasing pressure on academic freedom, also compel us to take a stand. We therefore invest in a structural and transparent approach to arrive at a consensus at university level on partnerships in all their forms, courageously and independently, directed by our values. When this courageous stance has negative consequences for individual members of our organisation, solidarity mechanisms should be activated.

Together, we make KU Leuven

Thank you very much for the vote of confidence you have placed in me during what has already been an intense campaign. Now we are steaming ahead to the final round of voting! Because if you really want to bring a breath of fresh air to the university, you need to know exactly what is going on, what the needs are and how we can realistically address them. In short, you need to know KU Leuven inside out so that we can move forward together and leave no one behind. That’s why I am keen to continue the dialogue with you, because yes, together, we make KU Leuven.