Higher Education Conversation Series: The Global and Regional Conventions

Two years ago, the Global Convention on the Recognition of Qualifications concerning Higher Education was adopted by UNESCO’s General Conference, becoming the first United Nations treaty in higher education of global scope.

It is a milestone for facilitating the fair, transparent and non-discriminatory recognition of qualifications, mobility and the circulation of knowledge and research between education systems. Moreover, it covers several innovative aspects, such as the recognition of partial studies, non-traditional learning modes as well asthe recognition ofrefugees’ qualifications. To support its implementation, UNESCO has developed the Practical Guide to Recognition, in cooperation with the Norwegian Agency for Quality Assurance in Higher Education (NOKUT), primarily aimed at credential evaluators.

The Global Convention is implemented in complementarity with regional recognition conventions, which promote mobility and cooperation within a region – the Addis Convention for Africa, Tokyo Convention for Asia and the Pacific, Lisbon Convention for Europe and Buenos Aires Convention for Latin America and the Caribbean. The Arab States Convention is currently under revision.

This is crucial at a time of growing internationalization of higher education and booming mobility, which worldwide stands at 5.3 million compared to 2 million in 2000, and against the backdrop of the greatest educational disruption in history which has highlighted the importance of international cooperation and cross-border research in leading the recovery and resilience of societies.

On Thursday, 4 November from 13:00 to 14:15 (GMT + 2, Paris) will be held the Higher Education Conversation Series: The Global and Regional Conventions which aims to bring together policy makers and higher education stakeholders dealing with recognition issues, to enhance an understanding of the Global Convention on the Recognition of Qualifications concerning Higher Education and facilitate its implementation. It will also shed light on the significance of regional recognition conventions and their synergy with the Global Convention.

Key questions to be examined:

• How has higher education evolved in terms of enrolment and student mobility at the global level and regional levels?

• Why is recognition important and what does it imply in practical terms?

• What is the relationship between the Global Convention and regional recognition conventions?

• How can the Global Convention and regional recognition conventions improve mobility and interuniversity cooperation to tackle challenges faced by countries?

• What is the role of recognition authorities and national information centres?

Download the presentation document to know more about the event. 

Registration here.