Starting from August last year, ESU together with its member union NUS UK is working on organising a First Global Student Leadership Summit in East London on 18-21st September 2012. The event will bring student representatives from more than 60 countries to discuss setting-up a sustainable platform for international cooperation in the areas of providing high quality education for all, sustainable development and peace. Partner organisations, such as International University Association, OECD, United Nations Alliance of Civilisations, ISIC and other confirmed their participation in the event. Since the dawn of the International Union of Students (IUS) it is the first global students’ meeting of such a scale.

The summit is being held to:

• Provide an opportunity for student leaders to share knowledge and form ideas;
• Inspire student leaders to take individual or group action on global issues, reinforced through personal action plans for delegates;
• Form new international relationships, supported through a digital platform for student leaders from across the world to stay in touch, and developed through a twinning scheme for national unions of students;
• Create a post-summit report, including agreed group charter of values and aspirations, case studies of delegate experiences and stories, findings of any focus groups carried out at the summit, a summary of agreed action, a celebration of the achievements of students across the globe, and trends in global student representation;
• Produce an online record of the summit;
• Generate high profile national and international press coverage on the issues of education, sustainability and peace.

The event will be held at the University of East London and we are developing a compelling, insightful and colourful programme to ensure the summit engages and challenges delegates.  We plan to attract world-class speakers on a range of hot topics, themed around access to education, quality of education, internationalism, education for sustainable development, sustainability and peace.

Outline Programme

• Tuesday 18 September 2012  Welcome
• Wednesday 19 September 2012 Education and development
• Thursday 20 September 2012  Education for sustainable development
• Friday 21 September 2012Peace and Social Justice