The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization held a conference with the European Commission, the main European Union executive body, late last month to “facilitate engagement with key decision-making stakeholders from all around Europe, and share perspectives to address the issue of antisemitism in the higher education system,” the U.N. agency said.
The recent surge in Jew-hatred at universities “not only threatens students’ safety but also undermines the core values of inclusion, respect for diversity and intellectual freedom that are fundamental to higher education,” UNESCO said.
The event drew representatives from education ministries and higher education institutions, as well as students. Discussions at the event “will form the basis for UNESCO’s upcoming comprehensive policy paper,” the agency said.
UNESCO said that the policy paper will “offer actionable recommendations and strategic frameworks on addressing antisemitism in European universities” and provide “practical guidance for policymakers and university leaders to ensure safer, more inclusive and equitable learning environments for Jewish students across Europe, while upholding principles of academic freedom and inclusivity for all.”
The agency advises state ministries to adopt “comprehensive policy strategies” and to allocate necessary resources “to support initiatives countering antisemitism.”
Earlier this month, Audrey Azoulay, a French Jew, finished her term as UNESCO director-general. An Egyptian backed by the anti-Israel Arab League, Khaled al-Anani, replaced her.
The U.S. State Department announced in late July that Washington would withdraw from UNESCO on Dec. 31, 2026. It cited, in part, the U.N. agency’s admission of a Palestinian “state” and said the agency was guilty of “anti-Israel rhetoric.”
The announcement marked the second time a Trump-led government pulled out of UNESCO and the third time that the United States will exit the agency. Israel withdrew in 2019, accusing UNESCO of repeatedly adopting resolutions that ignored or minimized Jewish connection to the land of Israel compared to a Palestinian one.
