From words to action: Laying foundations for responsible academic partnerships with the Global South

From words to action: Laying foundations for responsible academic partnerships with the Global South

When: 25 October 2023, 14-17 (Helsinki time, UTC+3)
Where: Tieteidentalo (Kirkkokatu 6 00170 Helsinki, Finland) and Online

Registration is closed.

For the past two years, the Finnish University Partnership for International Develoment (UniPID), in collaboration with the Finnish National Board on Research Integrity (TENK) and an international steering group[1] have been developing Ethical Guidelines for Responsible Academic Partnerships with the Global South. Now it is time to share it with you!

​Academic partnerships have been increasingly popular in Finland and globally. They have the potential to collaboratively address global challenges but also, and unfortunately, exacerbate global inequalities. Issues such as language, distribution of resources and power, and whose knowledge and voice counts are evident and replicated in academic partnerships. A call for repivoting global inequalities, by acknowledging differing contexts and ways of working, actively promoting ethics of care, manifesting integrity, and ultimately shifting to dialogic encounters can provide the backbone for materializing respect, trust, transparency, and honesty in global academic partnerships.

The guidelines themselves provide a set of recommendations, highlighting key points to consider in academic engagements in and with the Global South. These recommendations encourage critical thinking and reflection in academic partnerships. They should not be regarded as exhaustive nor prescriptive, instead considered as an invitation to reflect and adapt these guidelines according to specific needs, circumstances, and contexts. It is time for our member university communities, partners and different stakeholders to get to know, practice, and get involved in the reproduction of good practices for building inclusive and fair academic partnerships!

Programme:

Time

Item

14:00-14:05

Welcoming words, UniPID & TENK

14:05-14:20

Keynote:
Liisa Laakso, senior researcher, Nordic Africa Institute; member of Human Rights Committee, Council of Finnish Academies, Chair, Board of Finnish Development NGOs Fingo, and chair of the international steering group for the Ethical guidelines

14:20-14:40

Ethical guidelines presentation:
UniPID task force Kelly Brito & Roseanna Avento

14:40-14:50

Expert commentaries:
Tiina Vihma-Purovaara, Senior Ministerial Adviser, Department for Higher Education and Science Policy, Ministry of Education, Science and Culture

14:50-15:55

Panel discussion: mainstreaming and embedding ethical guidelines in everyday practices

Panelists:
- Elizabeth Eta, postdoctoral researcher, GINTL Africa, Faculty of Educational Sciences, University of Helsinki
- Bonn Juego, university teacher, University of Jyväskyla and Chair of the Board of the Finnish Society of Development Research - FSDR
- Jackie Kado, Executive Director of the Network of African Science Academies (NASAC)
- Markus Laitinen, Head of Development, University of Helsinki

Moderator:
Tiina Kontinen, UniPID Board chair, associate professor of Development Studies at the University of Jyväskylä, Finland

15:55-16:00

Closing remarks

16:00-17:00

Socializing and networking

The seminar and launch event seek to contribute to wider discussions of decolonizing relationships, practices and knowledge. The seminar will also provide participants with a framework for understanding what building more equitable global partnerships can look like in an academic context, as well as practical tools for undertaking this within their own partnerships to create more responsible and sustainable academic collaboration.

More information:

For questions, please contact Kelly Brito ().

[1] Universities Finland – UniFI, Ethical Review Board in the Humanities and Social and Behavioral Sciences - University of Helsinki, Research Council of Finland, Finnish National Agency for Education - EDUFI, Finnish Society for Development Research, Council of Finnish Academies, Asia Pacific Research Integrity Network – APRIN, Southern African Nordic Centre – Sanord; Consejo Latinoamericano de Ciencias Sociales – CLACSO; and African Research Integrity Network – ARIN.