what iau ? and its function ?

what iau ? and its function ?

The International Association of Universities (IAU) is a global non-governmental organisation (NGO) that has official affiliate status with UNESCO to carry out programmes. 

The IAU is a global consortium that was established in 1950 under the auspices of UNESCO to promote institutional coordination between higher education and research organisations and to further global educational advancement. 

More than 130 nations are represented among IAU's Members, who come together to discuss and take action on shared issues. Its services are prioritised for Members, but they are also available to organisations, institutions, and authorities involved in higher education, as well as individual policy and decision-makers, specialists, administrators, instructors, researchers, and students.

History

The International Association of Universities (IAU) is a non-governmental organisation that was established in 1950 to encourage collaboration between universities from all nations and other organisations involved in higher education and research. At the International Conference of Universities in Nice on December 9, 1950, the IAU was established under the aegis of UNESCO. Its objective was and still is to promote collaboration between higher education institutions around the world.

Individual universities and institutes with university status from 96 different countries are members. The president and 14 other members of the administrative board are chosen by the General Conference, which meets every five years. The organisation operates information centres in 120 countries and collaborates with UNESCO on research projects. It is funded by membership dues and funds from UNESCO. The association's official languages are English and French, but it also uses German, Russian, and Spanish. Source

Role of IAU

• Establishing a global forum for discussion of key educational issues and challenges and bringing together leaders in higher education.
• Sustaining and managing the World Higher Education Database (WHED), a database about higher education institutions and systems worldwide.
• Gathering, analysing, and disseminating data on trends in higher education from a global and comparative perspective.
• Advocating on behalf of the higher education sector's issues before the OECD, the UN, and other international organisations.
• Providing support for policy creation and capacity building in response to requests from institutions of higher learning in specialised domains. Source

Functions of IAU

• The International Association of Universities (IAU) supports basic values among its members and the global higher education community, such as academic freedom, institutional autonomy, and social responsibility on a local and worldwide scale. 
• Its purpose is to promote international cooperation among higher education institutions.
• The IAU fosters peace and international understanding via education, provides a global perspective of higher education, and sponsors effective networking among university leaders.
• It offers international higher education community consulting services, peer-to-peer learning, publications and portals, events, and global advocacy.

Mission

To promote and enhance higher education's ability to transform lives, build capacity, unite diverse peoples, produce and disseminate new information, generate insights, and discover long-term solutions to regional and global problems to contribute to peace and human development.

Vision

As the voice of higher education around the world, IAU will represent and advocate for a dynamic leadership position for higher education in society as the most prominent and representative global association of various higher education institutions and their organisations. The Association will lead and advocate the development of higher education policies and practices that respect various points of view, promote social responsibility, and help create a sustainable future by outlining the fundamental values and principles that guide education and the pursuit, dissemination, and application of knowledge. 

IAU will serve as a platform and think tank for the creation of fresh ideas, the exchange of best practices, and the implementation of collaborative initiatives, fostering and promoting innovation, mutual learning, and cooperation among higher education institutions all over the world. Source