The world's most pressing challenges do not stop at Europe's borders. Climate change, pandemic threats, inequality, poverty, displacement, biodiversity loss, and armed conflict affect communities everywhere. These complex, interconnected problems require international cooperation and collective action.
At the University of Antwerp, Global Engagement brings people, knowledge, and perspectives together across regions, disciplines, and cultures to contribute to a more just and sustainable world.
Our commitment to Global Engagement, replacing the narrower concept of "development cooperation", reflects a changing understanding of global challenges. While poverty and deprivation remain concentrated in many parts of the Global South, they are shaped by global forces such as the world economy, international politics, development agendas, and bi- and multilateral collaborations. At the same time, growing inequalities and forms of exclusion affect communities in both the Global South and the Global North, particularly among groups such as refugees and undocumented migrants.
We believe that meaningful solutions emerge when diverse forms of knowledge are valued equally and when partnerships are built on reciprocity, co-creation, mutual respect, and long-term commitment. We work alongside international universities, civil society organisations, public institutions, and communities worldwide, with particular attention to addressing and transforming historical and contemporary inequalities between the Global North and South.
Through education, research, and societal engagement, we create opportunities for shared impact:
- Education: Preparing students to navigate global challenges, engage with gobal perspectives, and develop as globally responsible citizens who engage meaningfully with the world.
- Research: Advancing transformative knowledge through equitable collaboration with partners in the Global South.
- Societal engagement: Connecting academic expertise with societal needs, contributing to public debate and policy development by cultivating reciprocal relationships with public institutions and societal actors worldwide.
