Belgium/Europe-Africa Scientific Diplomacy Conference in Brussels

On July 8, 2025, the AUF organized the "Europe-Africa Scientific Diplomacy" conference in Brussels, bringing together 22 experts, diplomats and academics from European, African and international institutions, with 110 face-to-face participants and over 400 online.

This event launched an ambitious reflection on scientific diplomacy - inclusive, multilingual and based on trust, at the service of balanced and sustainable cooperation between Europe and Africa. Following on from the "Rencontre Europe-Afrique Enseignement supérieur, Recherche et Innovation : L'engagement des réseaux d'expertise universitaire" (Brussels, September 2024), this Conference pursued three objectives:

• To question power relations in the definition of scientific priorities.
• Promote French-speaking scientific diplomacy as a tool for co-development.
• Affirm the AUF's role in cooperation based on the sharing of knowledge.

Four round tables discussed the evolution of the theoretical framework and practice of science diplomacy - particularly in its French-speaking dimension - and the role of science, academics and diplomats in development cooperation.

Several major challenges have been identified: multilateralism in crisis, which gives way to protectionist nationalisms that do not consider science to be a common public good; North-South inequalities and the lack of recognition of epistemological diversity in the face of epistemological diversity in the face of dominant positions; the difficulty of coordination in a multi-actor institutional context; societal transformations and technological evolutions accentuating fractures. Against this backdrop, transnational bridges between the scientific and diplomatic spheres, and training in scientific diplomacy, remain inadequate.

In the face of these challenges, the Conference highlighted the potential of French-speaking scientific diplomacy, capable of drawing on international normative frameworks and joint AU-EU programs to guide policies and build capacity. Its full value is realized when it promotes the co-production of knowledge and dialogue between diplomats and scientists, while developing new training courses capable of bringing these two worlds closer together.

The outlook also underlines the importance of greater, long-term investment in research infrastructure, training and mobility, both physical and virtual, while integrating scientific diplomacy into university strategies and long-term platforms for Europe-Africa dialogue. The aim is also to promote multilingual scientific publishing and support the emergence of a new generation of researchers trained in negotiation, multilateral cooperation and advocacy. Three AUF projects are concrete examples of these dynamics: FORMHYDS (Sorbonne Université), MOODS (Université Côte d'Azur) and EUTOPIA (CY Cergy Paris Université).

In closing the event, AUF Rector Pr. Slim Khalbous, stressed the need to place science at the heart of public decision-making, and to strengthen Europe-Africa relations on a basis of reciprocity and solidarity. The AUF is thus positioned as a key player in structuring, promoting and networking French-speaking university skills in the service of co-development.

The Agence Universitaire de la Francophonie promotes scientific diplomacy through the Manifesto for Francophone Scientific Diplomacy.

It is committed to defending multilingualism and cultural diversity, promoting universities and academic networks, and strengthening research by making it more accessible.

Source: www.auf.org/