September- 30,2014-Amrita professors Dr. Maneesha Ramesh and Dr. Bhavani R Rao are currently at Addis Ababa, Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia attending the International Forum of UNESCO Chairs and Partners convened by the African Union Commission and UNESCO, under the patronage of H.E. Sahle-Work Zewde, President of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia 30 September – 2 October 2024.
The Forum had brought together members of UNESCO Chairs, UNITWIN Networks, scholars, civil society organizations and development partners from all world regions to engage in dialogue, reflection, and collaborative actions on the transformation of knowledge for Africa’s future. Amrita UNESCO chair professors Dr. Maneesha Ramesh and Dr. Bhavani Rao have been part of the efforts to strengthen interdisciplinary collaborative research capacities; foster open science; inspire research agendas; and contribute to strategies for the futures of higher education which are the aims of this event as well.
Dr. Maneesha Ramesh is the Provost at Amrita and is the UNESCO Chair on Experiential Learning for Sustainable Innovation & Development. Dr. Bhavani Rao is the Dean, Schools of Social & Behavioral Sciences and the UNESCO Chair in Women’s Empowerment and Gender Equality,
The Amrita professors also met with UNESCO Director, Mohamed Elfarnawany of Egypt, who heads the Division of Priority Africa Coordination. The summit will end with closing plenary session on October 2, 2024.