The Global Campus of Human Rights has published the Policy Briefs 2026 following the successful completion of the 7th edition of the Global Campus Policy Observatory, which focused on the research project ‘Protecting, promoting and enjoying academic freedom: trends, challenges and impacts from a human rights-based approach’.

The project involved eight policy analysts selected from alumni of Global Campus regional Master’s programmes. Eight of the policy briefs address selected issues and case studies in different regions (ie, Africa, Asia-Pacific, Central Asia, South Caucasus, Europe, Southeast Europe, Latin America, and the Middle East and North Africa). The ninth policy brief reflects on their research findings and elaborates further on what a human rights-based approach to academic freedom entails, calling for a stronger acknowledgement of the rights-based dimension of academic freedom at all levels (more information available at https://www.gchumanrights.org/gc-news/international/global-campus-policy-observatory-policy-briefs-2026-are-now-online/).

The aim is to provide thoughtful consideration and insight for stakeholders such as states, policymakers, higher education institutions and civil society, supporting the idea that an HRBA is explicitly placed at the heart of the ongoing debate about academic freedom.

One of the selected alumni was Akylai Tenizbaeva from Global Campus Central Asia, a graduate of the MAHRS programme 2023-2025, and her policy brief “Upholding the right to academic freedom in Central Asia: Policy directions for Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan”. This policy brief argues that safeguarding academic freedom is a legal obligation grounded in international human rights law and a practical prerequisite for innovation, effective governance and sustainable development. Empirical research demonstrates a strong correlation between academic freedom and innovation outputs, while comparative evidence shows that tightly controlled academic systems undermine policy capacity and international credibility. The full text of the Policy Brief is available at https://repository.gchumanrights.org/items/070dd2f2-fb7c-4ff7-9891-75adf5fa3e3c