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UNESCO Recommendation on Academic Freedom

A very full definition of academic freedom can be found in a statement adopted as official policy by the General Conference of UNESCO in 1997 entitled Recommendation concerning the Status of Higher-Education Teaching Personnel. Canada strongly supported the adoption of this policy by UNESCO. When education is discussed at UNESCO, Canada is represented, not by the federal government, but by a delegate nominated by the Council of Ministers of Education of Canada. in this case by the Minister of Education of Nova Scotia, the Hon. Robert Harrison. The Minister spoke and voted in favour of the Recommendation. CAUT was much involved in the development of this policy by UNESCO.

The Recommendation is not a convention and is, therefore, not legally binding on Canada and the other countries which supported it. However, it does reveal an international consensus on the meaning of academic freedom which can and has been used in arbitrations in Canada to define and to amplify references to academic freedom in local documents as well as the responsibilities reasonably required of faculty. It also deals with the link between academic freedom and collegial self-government.

The Recommendation is administered jointly by UNESCO and the International Labour Organization (ILO).

The Recommendation can be found in English, French, Spanish, Russian, Chinese, or Arabic at:

http://portal.unesco.org/en/ev.php-URL_ID=13144&URL_DO=DO_TOPIC&URL_SECTION=201.html