The news affecting students does not stop at national borders.

World Student News is GSF’s weekly briefing on student rights, education and the global student movement, with our take and key developments to watch.

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GSF Steering Committee member Anika Joshi facilitated a workshop with students from 20+ Finnish universities. The message: solidarity starts with listening, recognising unequal access to power. 🔗 https://www.globalstudentforum.org/whose-activism-is-protected-lessons-on-global-student-solidarity/

The Australian Government has ordered a university to end its partnership with a university in China. Students must not pay the price of decisions between institutions and states. Those affected need clear information and a path to graduate without added costs or lost credits.

Five years after the Taliban seized power, 2.4 million Afghan girls remain excluded from secondary education, while women are banned from universities. As global attention moves elsewhere, an entire generation is being denied its future. Afghanistan must not be forgotten.

Universities are embracing AI, but its growing energy demand is still largely absent from institutional climate strategies, according to Times Higher Education's reporting.

Net-zero commitments must include digital choices. Responsible AI must also be climate-responsible.

Almost one year after Jacob Blasius spoke at the 2025 Global Smart Education Conference, the questions are even more urgent: How should universities govern AI, protect human judgement and prevent new inequalities? https://www.globalstudentforum.org/who-will-shape-ais-role-in-higher-education/

Joint statement expressing concern over the criminal prosecution of five students following a peaceful protest at the University of Copenhagen.

Read the full statement: https://www.globalstudentforum.org/statement-on-the-criminal-prosecution-of-peaceful-student-protesters/

Speaking on behalf of the Global Student Forum and the Education and Academia Stakeholder Group at the ECOSOC Development Segment, Falit Sijariya highlighted meaningful student participation in the future of multilateralism and the Development System beyond 2030

Read more: https://shorturl.at/CAQ9c

International Women’s Day.
Today, women and girls around the world have only 64% of the legal rights of men. In nearly 70% of countries, women face greater barriers to accessing justice, whether because of cost, discrimination, or weak institutions.

On #InternationalDayOfEducation, the 2026 Youth Report Lead with youth was launched!

GSF proudly supported the report, and our ED Jacob Blasius spoke on stage at UNESCO HQ, calling for evidence-based accountability for student participation.

#LeadWithYouth #SDG4

January is packed with key moments for students, including the International Day of Education 2026, where UNESCO and partners place students at the centre of education policy and decision-making.

Check out our event calendar for more information: https://www.globalstudentforum.org/events/

GSF has published a statement expressing concern over recent military developments in Venezuela, including the capture of President Nicolás Maduro and assertions by the United States of interim control over the country.

🔗 https://www.globalstudentforum.org/statement-on-the-situation-in-venezuela/

On 12 December, the UN Security Council adopted a resolution, reaffirming the importance of youth participation and leadership across peace processes, conflict prevention, and peacebuilding.
https://www.globalstudentforum.org/un-security-council-reaffirms-youth-participation-but-leaves-key-gaps/

GSF was proud to participate in UNESCO’s International Symposium on the Future of the Right to Education.
https://www.globalstudentforum.org/gsf-participates-in-unescos-international-symposium-on-the-future-of-the-right-to-education/

Today is International Students’ Day
GSF has published a reflection on what this moment reveals about the state of student affairs worldwide from historical memory to contemporary mobilisation
https://www.globalstudentforum.org/international-students-day-2025-remembering-resisting-remaining-present/

GSF participated in the 6th ASEF Young Leaders Summit in Osaka, Japan, joining young leaders from fifty-nine countries to discuss an inclusive and sustainable Society 5.0 https://www.globalstudentforum.org/gsf-at-asefyls6-youth-leadership-for-an-inclusive-society-5-0/

Event: A Global Student Movement for Refugee Higher Education
As part of World Access to Higher Education Day, join us for a student-led discussion spotlighting the Each One Take One movement

🔗 Sign up today: https://www.globalstudentforum.org/a-global-student-movement-for-refugee-higher-education/

GSF and @saih-org.bsky.social condemn the arbitrary detentions, police violence, and excessive force used to suppress nationwide protests in Turkey.

Read the statement: www.globalstudentforum.org/turkish-stud...

We are thrilled to be part of the newly launched Erasmus+ funded project NELS – Next Level Skills for Student Leaders. This initiative officially kicked off with an energising meeting in Brussels, bringing together 12 partner institutions from across Europe and Sub-Saharan Africa.

The Global Student Forum strongly condemns the detention and impending deportation of Mahmoud Khalil...

Read the full statement on the GSF website: www.globalstudentforum.org/the-arbitrar...

📢 International Day of Women and Girls in Science

Science needs diversity. Innovation thrives when women and girls are included, yet they still face systemic barriers in STEM fields. As we mark 10th anniversary of this important day and reflect on 30 years since the Beijing Declaration, we must..

Last meeting of the year in the UN Youth Office Reference Group. What a year we have had! Youth participation is gaining momentum at the UN but it's a journey with many challenges to overcome. Everything from individual hesitation to system-wide barriers for engangnemt. 2025, let's go!

This holiday season, we’re dreaming of a world where every student has access to education. Yet, millions remain out of school—244 million children and youth, especially girls, are denied the chance to learn, and countless students never make it to university. Education is the gift to give.

GSF's Ann Gvritishvili shared insights at the IAU 2024 Conference in Tokyo (Nov 22-24).

🎙️ Speaking on "Universities and the Interplay between Human Intelligence and Generative AI," Ann highlighted... 1/2

#HigherEducation #AIinEducation #StudentVoices

Did you see our post on Human Rights Day?

Check it out here.
www.globalstudentforum.org/global-stude...