Worldwide
International Academic Freedom Day
Defend the space to question.
When is International Academic Freedom Day?
Every year on May 20.
What is International Academic Freedom Day?
International Academic Freedom Day, observed on May 20, is the annual reminder that the work of universities — teaching, research, public debate — only stays credible if scholars can do it without fear of censorship, dismissal or prosecution. The day ties together a long history: Wilhelm von Humboldt's 19th-century model of Lehrfreiheit and Lernfreiheit in Berlin, the AAUP's 1915 Declaration of Principles, UNESCO's 1997 Recommendation on Higher-Education Teaching Personnel, and the UN's recognition of academic freedom as an essential part of the right to education. Marking the day is mostly practical: read Mill's On Liberty, attend a panel, host a case-study discussion about real pressures facing researchers, and look hard at the policies and procedures that protect (or fail to protect) the people who do this work — because the Academic Freedom Index shows the state of academic freedom has been declining globally for over a decade, with roughly one-third of the world's population now living in countries where scholars face significant political pressure.
How to celebrate
Mark the day with a poster made in Dayfeed — pick your favourite photo as the background, share it to your story or group chat, and set a reminder so you never miss it next year.
Hashtags
- #AcademicFreedom
- #ScholarlyFreedom
- #UNESCO
- #AAUP
Try it: save this day's poster to your Pinterest board.
This is the International Academic Freedom Day poster, made with Dayfeed. Pin it to your board — no app needed.
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