During a two-day Round Table hosted at Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham, Tim Curtis, director of UNESCO’s regional office for South Asia, emphasized that UNESCO Chairs are vital to the organization’s global network and heavily inform policy-level discussions.

The hybrid event gathered over 22 representatives, academic leaders, and UNESCO Chairholders from India, Nepal, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka to align regional research and community initiatives with UNESCO’s 2026–2027 priorities. Focused on the triple planetary crisis (climate change, biodiversity loss, and pollution), digital transformation, ethical AI, gender equality, and youth engagement, the delegation—which included attendees like Susan Vize (UNESCO representative to Bangladesh) and Jaco du Toit (UNESCO representative to Nepal) met with the university’s Chancellor, Mata Amritanandamayi. Notably, Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham is the only university in India to host three UNESCO chairs, led respectively by Dr. Bhavani Rao for Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment, Dr. Maneesha V. Ramesh for Experiential Learning for Sustainable Innovation and Development, and Dr. Prema Nedungadi for Assistive Technologies in Education.