The UWI Regional Headquarters, Jamaica. W.I. Thursday, July 31, 2025—On Wednesday, July 30, North-West University (NWU) in South Africa conferred an honorary doctorate on Professor Sir Hilary Beckles, Vice-Chancellor of The University of the West Indies (The UWI). The award recognises Vice-Chancellor Beckles’ formidable academic contributions and his global advocacy for social justice.
On the evening before the ceremony, he delivered a public lecture titled From Durban to Accra: Rise of the Global Reparations Movement.
The honorary doctorate, a Doctor of Philosophy (Honoris Causa) in History, from the NWU’s Faculty of Humanities, stands as a testament to Vice-Chancellor Beckles’ lifelong effort to use History as a tool for healing and reform. Vice-Chancellor Beckles described the honorary doctorate as a deeply personal honour.
“This feels like a validation of my life’s work,” he said. “As a teenager in the UK, I was actively involved in the anti-apartheid and Free Nelson Mandela campaigns. I’ve always been philosophically opposed to injustice. I’m a humanist, and I believe in humanity at its best.”
Vice-Chancellor Beckles recalled meeting Steve Biko in Zambia as a student. “I expressed concern for his safety, and he told me that if I ever had a son, I might name him after him. He lost his life, and I honoured that legacy. My son’s name is Biko.”
Reflecting on the honorary doctorate, he added, “To be here, decades later, nearing the end of my career, it means everything. It fills me with joy and gratitude.”
Professor Bismark Tyobeka, Principal and Vice-Chancellor of the NWU stated, “We are honoured to have conferred an honorary doctorate upon Professor Sir Hilary Beckles, a distinguished scholar and public intellectual whose life’s work is a masterclass in using academic inquiry as a force for societal transformation. As Vice-Chancellor of The UWI, Chair of the CARICOM Reparations Commission, and chairman of the United Nations University, to name but a few roles, Vice-Chancellor Beckles has brought academia to the service of justice, championing reparatory redress as both a moral imperative and an economic necessity.”
Professor Sir Hilary Beckles beams with pride after receiving his honorary doctorate from North-West University
Event Details:
Watch a video of the event as well as an interview with Sir Hilary here.
Follow the link to North-West University’s Media Release here: https://news.nwu.ac.za/sir-hilary-beckles-receives-honorary-doctorate-nwu
The recorded broadcast of Vice-Chancellor’s public lecture titled From Durban to Accra: Rise of the Global Reparations Movement can be accessed here.
About The University of the West Indies
The UWI has been and continues to be a pivotal force in every aspect of Caribbean development, residing at the center of all efforts to improve the well-being of people across the region for over 75 years. From a university college of London in Jamaica with 33 medical students in 1948, The UWI is today an internationally respected, global university with nearly 50,000 students and five campuses: Mona in Jamaica, St. Augustine in Trinidad and Tobago, Cave Hill in Barbados, Five Islands in Antigua and Barbuda and its Global Campus, and global centres in partnership with universities in North America, Latin America, Asia, Africa, and Europe.
The UWI offers over 1000 certificate, diploma, undergraduate and postgraduate degree options in Culture, Creative and Performing Arts, Food and Agriculture, Engineering, Humanities and Education, Law, Medical Sciences, Science and Technology, Social Sciences, and Sport. As the Caribbean’s leading university, it possesses the largest pool of Caribbean intellect and expertise committed to confronting the critical issues of our region and the wider world.
The UWI has been consistently ranked among the best in the world by the most reputable ranking agency, Times Higher Education (THE). Since The UWI’s 2018 debut in THE’s rankings, it has performed well in multiple schemes—among them including World University Rankings, Golden Age University Rankings (between 50 and 80 years old), Latin America Rankings, and the Impact Rankings for its response to the world’s biggest concerns, outlined in the 17 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), including Good Health and Well-being; Gender Equality and Climate Action.
Learn more at www.uwi.edu.
