The UNESCO Chairs Network is one of our greatest strengths and a unique asset in the UN system, connecting universities to shape forward-looking normative work. Active national coordination turns these thematic dialogues into collective solutions for complex global and local challenges.
Mr. Fuad PashayevUNESCO Representative to Pakistan
Inside the Vice Chancellor’s Boardroom at Beaconhouse National University (BNU), a vital cross-disciplinary dialogue took shape. Convened under the leadership of Prof. Rashid Rana (S.I.), Chairholder and Dean of the Mariam Dawood School of Visual Arts & Design (MDSVAD), the UNESCO Chairholders’ Coordination Meeting 2026 brought together all seven UNESCO Chairs in Pakistan to advance ongoing national cooperation and exchange. Beyond strategic updates, the meeting served as an active demonstration of academic research in motion. Delegates engaged directly with BNU faculty, toured the MDSVAD Annual Degree Show featuring 142 thesis projects, and launched Volume II of the IEDAs Journal of Transdisciplinary Practices in Art and Design, centered on creative inquiries into intersectionality.
The UNESCO Chairs and UNITWIN Networks act as an essential intellectual vector for the Organization’s global mandate – building peace, driving sustainable development, and fostering intercultural dialogue across education, science, culture, and communication. Functioning as a national laboratory of ideas, the network continues to bridge higher education directly with local communities and policymakers. By strengthening national coordination, specialized research is translated into public knowledge, generating holistic responses to Pakistan’s most pressing social and environmental challenges.
Connecting disciplines is no longer optional; it is essential to ensuring diversity, inclusion, and new knowledge production. The most urgent questions of our time cannot be addressed through isolated fields. They require artists, scientists, technologists, environmental thinkers, educators, and communities to work together
Prof. Rashid Rana (S.I.)Dean of the Mariam Dawood School of Visual Arts & Design (MDSVAD), BNU
From Data to Action: Cross-Cutting Solutions
Throughout the proceedings, each Chair presented initiatives designed to tackle interconnected national priorities through cross-disciplinary synergy. In the domain of climate resilience and rural livelihoods, MNS University of Agriculture, Multan (MNSUAM) presented low-carbon farming research, Lal Sohanra Biosphere Reserve initiatives, and the SMALLPAK program empowering smallholder farmers, while COMSATS University Islamabad (Wah Campus) detailed hydrological modeling, water-quality assessment, and disaster-risk reduction strategies. Addressing digital transformation and ethical governance, Information Technology University (ITU) highlighted its work in cyber resilience, public-sector digital governance, and its AI for All course to expand equitable digital literacy across higher education.
Urban sustainability and cultural preservation converged in presentations by NED University, which showcased SDG 11-aligned urban resilience research, STEM outreach, and field documentation of living heritage in Tharparkar, alongside the National College of Arts (NCA), which focused on historic conservation and craft knowledge through the NCA Triennale 2025 and its JADEP platform while honoring the late Prof. Dr. Arfa Sayeda Zehra. Finally, bridging public health and creative inquiry, the International Center for Chemical and Biological Sciences (ICCBS) at the University of Karachi presented its national thesis-support program assisting 174 young researchers alongside specialized training in molecular medicine, while BNU demonstrated how visual arts and design translate complex climate and technological data into accessible public stories via its Transdisciplinary Lab (T-Lab).
