Northwestern has been elected first Secretariat of the U7+ Alliance of World Universities, the University announced in a Monday release. The U7 Alliance brings together leaders from top higher education institutions in G7, or “Group of Seven” — Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States — for multilateral discussion on global issues. The collective then aims to coordinate these solutions with the G7 governments. Pritzker Prof. Annelise Riles, executive director of the Roberta Buffett Institute for Global Affairs, will direct the Secretariat. Riles said members of the alliance can discuss issues like climate change and the ethics of artificial intelligence to the forefront of policy debates.