Global Justice – A Fair(y) Tale?

ISWI 2017 – 12th to 21st of May 2017

Global Justice – A Fair(y) Tale?

ISWI 2017 is dedicated to the topic of ‘Global Justice’. In today’s world, the affairs, needs and worries of people around the world are being brought to our attention more than ever before. This causes our intrinsic sense of justice to apply to a much wider range of people and situations. In this more global context, justice can represent solidarity, a uniform distribution of resources, or free access to quality education for all. It encompasses aspects such as the balance between economic prosperity and social and environmental welfare, and the fight against discrimination based on ethnicity, religion, gender and sexual orientation. In essence, global justice means to give every human a fair chance to live their life with dignity and, thereby, to contribute to the global society. This society is experiencing unprecedented connectedness, which calls for an extended global form of justice as a means to deal with today’s widespread global challenges.

At ISWI 2017, we would like to discuss different interpretations of the idea of global justice and the possibility of establishing such a form of global justice. We want to provide an understanding and tolerant atmosphere for exchanging ideas in an open-minded dialogue. Under the motto “Global Justice – A Fair(y) Tale?” you will engage in 10 days of group work, lectures, workshops, discussions and presentations.

See you at ISWI 2017!
The ISWI 2017 Organisation Committee

Download: Poster & Flyer of ISWI 2017

Here you can download posters and information material on ISWI 2017 to spread the news about the conference. Thank you!

Poster ISWI 2017 [pdf]

Our Patron : Kumi Naidoo

Human Rights Activist and Environmentalist
Kumi’s journey of social change began as a teenager in South Africa as he battled the repressive apartheid regime. Living in exile in England, he earned a doctorate in political sociology as a Rhodes scholar at Oxford University.
In 1994, during the first ever free elections to be held in South Africa, Kumi served as the spokesperson of the Independent Electoral Commission and also trained the electoral staff.
Kumi has been a prominent leader and facilitator of several global organisations.

Notable positions he holds/has held include:

• Director, African Civil Society Initiative
• International Executive Director, Greenpeace
• Secretary General and Chief Executive Officer, Civicus
• Founding Executive Director, South African National NGO Coalition (SANGOCO)
• Founding Chair, Global Call to Action Against Poverty (GCAP)

Kumi has engaged in, inspired and organised a wide range of social and environmental actions
and campaigns. From organising the National Men’s March Against Violence on Women and
Children to occupying an oil rig to draw attention to destruction of the Arctic in Pechora Sea,
he has been at the forefront of the global civil movement. His work can best be described as
a courageous effort to question and rectify social injustice and to mitigate the mounting threat
of global warming. He has written articles for a number of reputed publications sharing insights
and opinions on critical topics.
Kumi’s life and work is the epitome of path-breaking responsible action. He has helped our
planet to recognise the importance of maintaining a social and environmental balance. We at
ISWI are invigorated and energised by the acknowledgement and support provided by Kumi
and his team.

Greetings from Kumi Naidoo

With this letter I would like to convey my acceptance of the patronage of the International Student Week in Ilmenau 2017 under the motto “Global Justice – A Fair(y) Tale?”. It gives me great pleasure to extend my support to the conference and its organisers, the ISWI e.V. The concept of the student week for bringing together youth from across the world to engage in dialogue and exchange culture and ideas, is to me a precious initiative with far-reaching impact on the world. I believe ISWI 2017 is a sincere attempt to find answers to some of the vexed questions we face in this day and age, in an open environment conducive to discussion and learning.

Global justice is the creation of social, economic, environmental frameworks and practices that ensures that all of humanity is able to share our fragile planet in an equitable, fair and sustainable manner. It must include trying to address historical injustices and ensuring those that have historically been most excluded in society are brought into the centre of public life. Our age of connectedness is characterised by vast imbalances and wide-spread injustice. The challenges humanity faces as a whole must be dealt with together, shunning the boundaries we have placed for ourselves.

There is tremendous potential within us to improve the conditions in our surroundings and, thus, the world at large. The way in which we utilise this potential will ultimately determine the future of next generations. The philosophy of Ubuntu – working for the collective good over the good of the individual – provides a worthy ideal for creating a sustainable future. In building such a future, having an informed, aware and conscientious youth is paramount. Youth gatherings such as ISWI are a great way to work towards this ideal by bringing together youth from all around the world to discuss some of the most pressing issues of our time whilst getting to know each other, sharing their opinions and stories and breaking through barriers of culture, ethnicity and nationality. I fully support the ISWI 2017 organising committee in working to make this happen. I am confident that ISWI 2017 will inspire its participants to go out and make meaningful change in their own communities, to fiercely, yet peacefully and non-violently, stand up against every form of injustice, to act responsibly and to sow seeds of compassion, tolerance and hope for a just future.”

Greeting by the Rector of Technische Universität Ilmenau Prof. Peter Scharff

Univ.-Prof. Dr. rer. nat. habil. Dr. h. c. mult.
Prof. h. c. mult. Peter Scharff
Rector of Technische Universität Ilmenau

“There is hardly any other conference at this university to which I more enjoy welcoming guests than the International Students‘ Week Ilmenau, or ”ISWI“. Not only because this is the biggest conference of its kind throughout Germany; it is about quality rather than quantity. For ten days, the International Students‘ Week Ilmenau ISWI turns the Technische Universität Ilmenau into a peaceful microcosm crossing national borders. People from 70 different nations across all continents will gather in Ilmenau to discuss the question ”Global Justice – A Fair(y) Tale?“ in a peaceful atmosphere and to celebrate together. This is the reason why I am so happy to welcome you!

The guiding theme of ISWI – justice this year, or human rights and freedom in the past – reflects the values we aim to promote with our Campus Family initiative at the TU Ilmenau: trust, openness, mutual respect, intercultural tolerance and diversity. I am very glad that ISWI fulfils this vision of a world family in having you, dear guests, here at the TU Ilmenau. During your days here, you become members of our Campus Family.
On each occasion, ISWI focuses on topics I very much support. Topics like justice, responsibility or human rights not only give the International Students’ Week at the Technische Universität Ilmenau an unmistakable character, but also lend the university as a whole a friendly atmosphere and a welcoming face. And with a smile I would like to welcome you to our university and wish you a wonderful time in Ilmenau.”