2020 Virtual Annual Meeting

Like everyone else across the globe, the last few months have presented so many challenges and changes it is hard to take stock. Nevertheless, it is important we keep you engaged and our network flourishing for now and into the future. Here are some of things that have been happening behind the scenes at the Groningen Declaration Network:

Our 2020 GDN Annual Meeting
Due to the Covid-19 Pandemic we were compelled to cancel our 2020 Annual Meeting scheduled for April in Delhi, India and quickly adjust to digital delivery of content by developing a ‘Virtual Annual Meeting Program’. We can finally repay the generosity of many of our registered delegates and sponsors with complimentary access to the series which features live discussion panels, keynote presentations and interactive Q&A forums. The series is available to the whole network and to other interested colleagues, for a small fee, so feel free to share this information with a friend or colleague.

VIRTUAL ANNUAL MEETING – 2020 WEBINAR SERIES

Recordings of the 2020 Virtual Annual Meeting Webinars remain available for Signatories in the MyGDN portal. Log in to access the recordings.


Tuesday 23 June 2020
4:00pm (Brussels, Belgium) 10:00am (Washington D.C.)
Assessing Skills Classifications, the cases of ESCO (EU) and Credential Engine (USA)

Facilitator: Rick Torres
Panel Members: Jeanne Kitchens, Credential Engine; Dimitrios Pikios, EU DG EMPLOI



Tuesday 7th July 2020
5pm (Paris)
The HCCH Apostille Convention – A Diamond Jubilee Legal Instrument for Global Document and Data Mobility in Changing Times

Facilitator: Matt Pittinsky & Herman de Leeuw
Presenters: Dr Christophe Bernasconi, Secretary General, Hague Conference on Private International Law (HCCH), Brody Warren, Attaché to the Secretary General/Senior Legal Officer.




Thursday 3 July 2020
8:00am (Alberta, Canada.)  10:00am (Montreal, Canada) 4:00pm (Brussels, Belgium)
Student Panel – ‘Leave No Student Behind’ – Equitable Approaches to Mobility

Facilitator: Kathleen Massey & Joanne Duklas
Panel Members: Gohar Hovhannisyan, European Student’s Union; Celine Thomas, Samuel Centre for Social Connectedness; Abdullah Mouslli, World University Services Canada (WUSC)




Tuesday 14 July 2020
5.00pm (Melbourne, Australia) 9.00am (Brussels, Belgium)
Power to the People with Self-Sovereign Identity

Facilitator: Daniël du Seuil, Convenor European Self Sovereign Identity Framework (EBSI)
Presenter: Takis Diakoumis, Chief Technical Officer, Digitary




Tuesday 21 July 2020
10.00am EST (Melbourne, Australia)
Lifelong learning: collaborations and innovations in Asia Pacific

Facilitator: Anthony Manahan (University of Melbourne and GDN Board Director)
Panel Members: Jay Segeth (MyeQuals), Rob Thomason (VETASSESS), Joanna Browne (University of Auckland) New Zealand




Tuesday 15 September 2020
4:00pm (Brussels, Belgium) / 10:00am (Washington DC, USA)

Digital Credentials in Europe

Facilitator:  Tessa Mouha, AHOVOKS, Belgium

Panelists: 

  • David Vannozzi (CHINECA) – ‘Unbundling and sealing the academic degree with digital credentials’
  • Hans Pongratz (Technische Univeritat Munchen TUM) – ‘Update ont the Digital Credentials Consortium (DCC)’
  • Ulrika Seydler (Ehrenstrahle), Per Zetterval and Erik Johansson – ‘Digitalizing the Ivory Tower: The Case of Sweden’


Tuesday 29 September 2020
7:30am (California, USA) / 10:30am (Washington DC, USA) / 4:30pm (Paris, France; Brussels, Belgium; Johannesburg, South Africa) / 8:00pm (New Delhi, India)

Life Long Learning and Digital Learner Data Portability

Facilitator: Dr James Keevy, CEO, JET Education Services
Panelists: 

  • Alex Kaplan, Global Leader, Blockchain and AI for Learning Credentials, IBM Talent and Transformation
  • Dr Borhene Chakroun, Director for Policy and Life Long Learning Systems, UNESCO
  • Manuela Geleng, Director Skills, Directorate-General for Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion, European Commission
  • Dr Pankaj Mittal, Secretary-General, Association of Indian Universities.


Thank you to our sponsors and supporters

We would like to extend a special word of thanks to the delegates, sponsors and local service providers that were in a position to donate their sponsorship money, registration fees and advance deposits, thus demonstrating their understanding, commitment and generosity to the GDN.