CIVICA deplores this illegal and unjust war and joins the international community in calling for the immediate cessation of the attacks.

Our alliance has numerous students, faculty, staff, and alumni who are directly impacted and for whose security, safety and wellbeing we are deeply concerned during these critical times. The members of our communities who are affected by the recent events are invited to reach out for support at each of our institutions. We call on the European Commission and all European institutions to provide assistance in supporting in particular displaced scholars and students. We also wish to express our most sincere solidarity with our many Ukrainian partner universities.

The CIVICA alliance and its member institutions are resolutely committed to our role as an open university, gathering vibrant communities in education and research in the social sciences who actively contribute to peaceful and sustainable solutions to today’s challenges in Europe and across the world. Academic freedom, autonomy as well as the constant exchange of knowledge between students, teaching staff, researchers and society at large across the European continent are the pillars of our value system. This implies the defense of fundamental EU values such as peace, freedom, human dignity, democracy and human rights as well as the respect of international law in all circumstances.

All CIVICA member universities are actively working both individually and collectively to support all those who are currently at risk. In this unfolding crisis, CIVICA will pursue its mission as a platform dedicated to fostering respectful dialogue, and its commitment to the values of justice, tolerance and solidarity.