In April 2025, Prof. Vesselin Popovski from Soka University in Japan was a guest of the University of Silesia in Katowice and delivered a lecture entitled ‘The Second Charter: Reimagining the UN’. The visit was also an opportunity to talk to staff from the Faculty of Social Sciences and the Faculty of Law and Administration of the University of Silesia in order to discuss potential research opportunities. The meetings were attended, among others, by Prof. Tomasz Pietrzykowski, Vice-Rector for International and Domestic Cooperation, and Małgorzata Myśliwiec, PhD, DLitt, Assoc. Prof., Dean of the Faculty of Social Sciences. The visit took place as part of the Transform4Europe Visiting Professorship Programme.
Prof. Vesselin Popovski is a Professor of International Relations at the Graduate School of International Peace Studies at Soka University in Japan. Previously, he served as Director of Research and Head of the Peace and Governance Programme at the United Nations University (UNU) in Tokyo from 2004 to 2014, and also headed the UNU Press. Currently, he is also affiliated with O.P. Jindal Global University in India, serving as Professor, Vice Dean of the Faculty of Law, and Executive Director at the Centre for the Study of United Nations since 2014. He has authored and edited more than 30 books and dozens of academic articles on international law, global justice, security, human rights protection, and UN reform. He is a member of numerous editorial and academic boards, including the Brill Journal of International Humanitarian Legal Studies, the Asian International Studies Review, and the Polish Law Review. He is a past member of the International Studies Association, the International Law Association and the editorial board of the journal Sustainability Science, among others. Frequently invited as a guest lecturer in Japan, India, and Europe. He has also held administrative positions as dean, head of doctoral programmes and chair of academic councils. His achievements and scholarly activities have been supported by prestigious grants including the Australian Research Council, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan, ERASMUS+ and other international institutions.
The Transform4Europe Visiting Professorship Programme is designed to bring in outstanding scholars outside the alliance whose expertise complements the knowledge base already present within T4EU. Visiting professors will engage in both teaching and research activities, and each visit will involve at least two partner universities of the alliance. Throughout the project’s duration, a minimum of five open calls will be announced. Priority will be given to applicants working within T4EU’s three thematic focus areas or the field of knowledge-based entrepreneurship. This programme also aims to enhance the quality of teaching staff through external recruitment and to strengthen T4EU’s international visibility. Furthermore, it fosters collaboration and exchange with external stakeholders at regional, European, and global levels, reinforcing the alliance’s broader societal and global impact.
Materials of the University of Silesia