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Transforming Higher Education: Manuel Frutos-Perez Speaks at the UN's Sustainability Conference

Our Chief Academic Officer at СÄñ½´ Digital, Professor Manuel Frutos-Perez, recently had the honour of speaking at the United Nations in Geneva. He addressed the 22nd Sustainability International Conference of the World Association for Sustainable Development, sharing the stage with an impressive array of world experts.



Manuel shared that he has dedicated nearly his entire academic career to learning, teaching innovation, and widening access and participation in higher education. For him, the opportunity to contribute to such an aspirational forum was extremely fulfilling. The main points of his argument can be summarised as follows:

1. Education as a Catalyst: Education is a crucial driver of sustainable development, integral to many of the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals.
2. Needs of Emerging Markets: Emerging market economies, with their young populations, require extensive access to high-quality higher education.
3. Limitations of Traditional Methods: Traditional brick-and-mortar universities cannot meet the immediate and vast demand for higher education in these regions.
4. Role of Online Education: The solution lies in evolving and expanding the successful online education practices developed over the last decade.
5. Need for New Models: It’s not just about increasing the number of existing online programs. New educational models are needed to address the specific needs and regulatory environments of different regions.
6. International Partnerships: Success will come from creative international partnerships with local universities and curricula focused on employability and regional workforce development needs.

We extend our heartfelt thanks to Professor Allam Ahmed, President of WASD, and his team for organising such a remarkable event. The conference reinforced our belief in the power of education as a cornerstone of sustainable development and the necessity of innovative, region-specific educational solutions.

This experience serves as a testament to the importance of collaboration and the transformative role of education in building a sustainable future for all.