In the plenary session of the 14th General Conference of the International Association of Universities (IAU), Serageldin gives a speech today, focusing on “Are Higher Education Institutions addressing and contributing to the challenges facing humanity?”. The theme of this quadrennial Conference, which is held in partnership with the Inter American University of Puerto Rico in San Juan, is “Higher Education and the Global Agenda: Alternative Paths to the Future”. It invites higher education leaders to examine what role and responsibilities higher education institutions have to respond to the Millennium Development Goals. Speakers at this major event include Gro Harlem Brundland, Former Prime Minister, Norway and Former Director General, WHO; Bill Gates, Founder, Microsoft; Luis Alberto Moreno, President, Inter-American Development Bank (IADB); and Irina Bokova, Director-General, UNESCO.