Universities are the greatest threat to the populists’ playbook of division, authoritarianism and of intolerance.

It seems like universities – worldwide - are under attack.

Evidence and facts are deliberately obscured by fake news. The dispassionate pursuit of truth is pushed aside in favour of raw emotion and prejudice. Vital research in the arts, humanities and social sciences is denigrated as an unnecessary, expensive indulgence without tangible benefit to society, and it is de-funded. The benefits of university study are questioned. Universities are caricatured as brimming with an out-of-touch liberal elite, indoctrinating young people, set up as targets for the anger and frustration of those left behind as inequality rises.

We have seen it all, in multiple countries.

At its very worst, this attack on universities, has seen scholars persecuted, sometimes locked up. In some horrific cases, even killed.

Why is it that universities are often facing the ire of the world’s populist, nationalist, increasingly authoritarian political leaders?

I think it is because universities are everything populist nationalists are not. They are the greatest threat to the populists’ playbook of division, of protectionism, of authoritarianism, and of intolerance – indeed of hate.

Universities are by their very nature global and outward-looking. For centuries, their pursuit of truth and new knowledge has transcended short-term geopolitics and has been blind to national borders.

They are inherently places for sharing and for collaboration and teamwork, as scholars naturally coalesce in their attempt to take on the world’s most pressing, shared grand challenges.

They are havens of democracy, informed citizenship and justice. They question received wisdom, they disrupt the status quo, they challenge authority.

They are places for the head, not the heart. Places for evidence, not fake news.

They are society’s critic and conscience.

Universities themselves are strong institutions: persevering as vital elements of many societies for many centuries; they are often self-governing communities, with strong traditions of open, democratic governance; they have kept alive some ancient traditions of community and scholarship for hundreds of years, while consistently re-inventing themselves for their times, staying relevant and forward-thinking.

It is my sincere believe, that universities are the key to the promotion of world peace and prosperity and always will be.

But they must be protected. They must be nurtured. And their outstanding work – in research, in teaching, in engagement and impact - for all of society must be recognised and championed.

So I am thrilled that Times Higher Education (THE) has created a new event to tackle these issues head-on -- the THE University Impact Forum dedicated entirely to the subject of “peace justice and strong institutions” – one of the United Nation’s Global Goals.

The inaugural Impact Forum will take place 20-21 February at the University of Deusto in Bilbao.

I can’t think of a more important, and more pressing topic today.