Letters to LSE and Edinburgh in light of UNFCCC partnerships

On 17 August, the BRISMES Committee on Academic Freedom wrote to the University of Edinburgh and LSE to urge them to clarify and restate their commitment to academic freedom in light of their partnerships with the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) whose annual conference, COP27, is scheduled to be hosted by Egypt in November 2022.

Read letter to University of Edinburgh 

Read letter to LSE

We believe that the University of Edinburgh and LSE have a duty to:

  • Publicly condemn the violations of academic freedom and the freedom of expression being carried out by the Egyptian regime;
  • Call on the Egyptian regime to release prisoners of conscience and to take steps to ensure that academic freedom and the freedom of expression are protected; 
  • Make attendance at COP27 and contributions to the UNFCCC contingent upon these academic freedoms being ensured by the Egyptian regime.