The UNESCO International Institute for Higher Education in Latin America and the Caribbean (IESALC) is the specialized institute of the United Nations system with the mission to contribute to the improvement of higher education in member States. The Institute organizes its activities around working programs that reflect the priority themes set biannually by its Governing Board and approved by the UNESCO General Conference. From research, capacity building, technical cooperation, and concerted advocacy, four major work programs contribute to fulfill its mission.
Internationalization and Academic Mobility
Colombia and Spain have made access to their respective higher education systems more flexible, and have agreed to mutually recognize equivalencies in the results of State tests.
Studies link student mobility with improvements in both the quality of higher education and the processes of scientific and technological innovation.
Quality and relevance
Under the title “LAB Quality that unites us”, a set of activities will be developed in a workshop format and in a network between the quality teams of the HEIs of the region supported by a group of facilitators and learning connectors.
Francesc Pedró is Director of the UNESCO International Institute for Higher Education in Latin America and the Caribbean (IESALC). He was interviewed by Martín Vegas, coordinator of the UNESCO Horizons Program in Peru, to contribute to the debate on the changes proposed in the Congress of the Republic of Peru on key aspects of quality assurance in higher education. A first aspect that we would like to ask is about the importance that quality assurance has gained in higher education. Since when are these systems implemented? Thank you very much for this opportunity to shed some light on the current […]
Equity and Inclusion
To celebrate the International Women’s Day 2023, UNESCO IESALC held a Fireside Chat with nine female innovators
More than half (53%) of the respondents revealed that they had experienced some kind of psychological or emotional violence in higher education institutions.
Innovation
Participants: LI Ming, Director of UNESCO-ICHEI; Mona Abdel-Al, Director of Education Strategy Administration, Ain Shams University, Egypt; David Atchoarena, Director of UIL; Lesley White, Huawei Europe; Francesc Pedró, Director of UNESCO IESALC; Abdoulaye Salifou, Regional Advisor for Higher Education and ICT, UNESCO Regional Office in Abuja; Ismi Arif Ismail, Deputy Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academic and International) Universiti Putra Malaysia; and Dalia Ahmed Yusuf, Director of central eLearning unit – Education Strategy Administration at Ain Shams University. In the event was announced a new partnership with the International Centre for Higher Education Innovation under the auspices of UNESCO-ICHEI, located in Shenzhen, China, and UNESCO IESALC to work on joint policy research on higher education digital transformation […]
Panelists: Miguel Valle del Olmo, Spain Government, Director-General for AI and Digital Enabling Technologies; Maritza Rondón, Rector University Cooperativa Colombia; Juan Pablo Mena, CEO uPLanner; Maha Gmira, Chair Women and Science professor EUROMED University of Fez; Andrés Pedreño, President of Torre Juana Open Space 1MilllionBoot; Siyuan Feng Co-Director, International Institute of Online Education Management Centre – ICHEI. Moderator: Yuma Inzolia, Academic Coordinator, UNESCO IESALC Artificial Intelligence (AI) has the potential to address some of the biggest challenges in education today, innovate teaching and learning practices, and ultimately accelerate the progress towards SDG 4. But also, the potential to accelerate progress […]
CRES 2018
The second preparatory meeting counts with the participation of 16 countries from Latin America and the Caribbean, where different higher education issues will be discussed.
On November 22 and 23, university networks and rectors’ councils in the region will meet to collectively reflect on the challenges involved in the necessary acceleration of the digital transformation of our universities.
The Right to Higher Education
Higher education needs a rights-based approach “more than ever” in the context of successive world crises, an international conference held to mark World Access to Higher Education Day (WAHED) was told.
Welcoming remarks: Borhene Chakroun, UNESCO Moderators: Sharlene Bianchi, UNESCO; Rolla Moumné, UNESCO; and Emma Sabzalieva, UNESCO IESALC. Panelists: Delphine Dorsi, Director, Right to Education Initiative, UK; Laura Giannecchini, Institutional Development Coordinator, Latin American Campaign for the Right to Education (CLADE), Ecuador; Tristan McCowan, Professor of International Education, University College London, UK; Mary Tupan-Wenno, Executive Director, ECHO, Center for Diversity Policy, The Netherlands. Closing Remarks: Francesc Pedró, UNESCO IESALC Director This round table was organized considering the reinvigorated efforts by UNESCO to place the right to higher education at the heart of the evolving right to education agenda and the commitment to elevating the […]
Futures of Higher Education
An in-depth consultation with more than 100 young people from 43 countries defined the challenges, improvements, and opportunities for higher education in 2050 in a new report by UNESCO
On International Youth Day, UNESCO IESALC joins the United Nations celebration for intergenerational solidarity and a world for all ages.
Academic Mobility
Colombia and Spain have made access to their respective higher education systems more flexible, and have agreed to mutually recognize equivalencies in the results of State tests.
Studies link student mobility with improvements in both the quality of higher education and the processes of scientific and technological innovation.
Sustainable Development Goals
Francesc Pedró discussed the contribution of UNESCO Chairs to the roadmap for the transformation of higher education.
It provides area leaders with information to systematize and maximize their institutions’ contributions to the United Nations 2030 Agenda.
Response to COVID-19
The latest issue of the Journal of New Approaches in Educational Research, published the article Closing Now to Reopen Better Tomorrow? Pedagogical Continuity in Latin American Universities During the Pandemic, by Francesc Pedró and Débora Ramos, director and academic specialist respectively at UNESCO IESALC.
The Universidad en Internet (UNIR) held last May, in Lima, the Congress “The Futures of Higher Education”, with the participation of 40 universities and institutions, including UNESCO IESALC represented by its director, Francesc Pedró. The event served to reflect on the great challenges facing higher education, as a result of digitization and changes arising from the pandemic. It was attended by the mayor of Lima, Miguel Romero; the president of UNIR, Rafael Puyol; the rector of UNIR, José María Vázquez; the Spanish ambassador to Peru, Alejandro Enrique Alvargonzález; the secretary general of the OEI, Mariano Jabonero, among other personalities. Pedró […]
Digital Transformations
The handbook explores how technological developments are currently being used and how to integrate them in a practical and ethical way into knowledge generation
Transforming Education
The Sustainability Impact Forum gathered 400 attendees committed to be change drivers and make a global impact.
UNESCO IESALC initiated in ECOSOC Youth Forum 2023 a South-South intergenerational dialogue to explore synergies with and for youths, in order to build bridges to innovate higher education
Capacity building
The Leadership, Management and Training Program for Sustainable Higher Education seeks to install capacities in higher education institutions (HEIs) that will underpin their sustainable transformation process, marking the beginning of the cooperation agreement signed between the two institutions.
Technical cooperation
On February 4, the Program’s first stage to strengthen university improvement plans ended with more than 14 virtual visits to 10 exemplary higher education institutions in Ibero-America The ability to respond to the abrupt interruption of face-to-face activities now depends on a digital environment. Many have had to become acquainted in a short period to guarantee pedagogical continuity. In this context, it is necessary to strengthen models of improvement plans that allow higher education institutions (HEIs) to establish a roadmap to develop the mechanisms required to ensure the quality and relevance of a face-to-face, non-face-to-face, and hybrid system. In this […]
Kick-off meeting of the project to support women participation in higher education in Eastern Africa
The UNESCO International Institute for Higher Education in Latin America and the Caribbean (UNESCO IESALC) and the UNESCO Regional Office for Eastern Africa (UNESCO Office in Nairobi) held a virtual kick-off meeting last Friday, 29 October 2021, regarding the joint research project about women participation in higher education. The project, to cover three countries (Kenya, South Sudan and Uganda), is a follow-up to a recent global study led by UNESCO IESALC. The study found that from 2000 to 2018, female enrollment in higher education has increased significantly from 19% to 41%, even outnumbering male participation in most regions. Moreover, the […]
Concerted advocacy
Ver la entrada Around 3,000 languages could disappear before the end of the century, at a rate of one every two weeks. Faced with this alarming reality, the United Nations proclaimed a decade to protect these languages and preserve humanity’s common heritage. On February 21, the UN celebrates International Mother Language Day The International Decade of Indigenous Languages, which began in early 2022, is based on the principle of self-determination and the right to use and transmit in their own languages, reflecting the ideas and values of indigenous peoples to future generations. It is also based on the equality of […]
Some ideas from the speakers –Venue of the theme about inclusion… Leaving no one behind, Francesc Pedró, Director of UNESCO IESALC. For UNESCO, inclusion is one of the 10 major themes of the World Conference on Higher Education, to be held in Barcelona (Spain) in May 2022. It is necessary to make the concept of inclusion more complex, not only in terms of access, but also to guarantee the clearest indicator of equity: educational success. –Conceptual Framework of Inclusion in Higher Education, Carmen Márquez Vázquez. Autonomous University of Madrid, Spain. The institutional model of learning has been hierarchical, with its […]
Campus
The IESALC Campus is a digital environment that allows leveraging the Institute’s programs and priorities from an academic perspective, favoring knowledge networks and the exchange of good practices through collaborative work for the development of the region, and by promoting digital credentials.
Higher Education and Society Journal
The Educación Superior y Sociedad ESS (Higher Education and Society) Journal is a periodical published by the UNESCO International Institute for Higher Education in Latin America and the Caribbean (UNESCO-IESALC), based in Caracas, Venezuela. It constitutes the main means of dissemination and approach to scientific research in the Universities and Institutions of Higher Education in Latin America and the Caribbean and in other regions. It is mainly oriented to the dissemination of research papers, theoretical studies on the field of higher education and its thematic trends.
Our blog
Digital forum for opinion, reflection and analysis of problems, trends and prospects in areas and topics related to higher education of interest to the global academic community.
UNESCO IESALC presented the guide “Harnessing the Era of Artificial Intelligence in Higher Education. A Primer for Higher Education S…
Our podcast
“Perspectivas: Global talks on higher education” is a new space to bring the general public closer to the fundamental issues of higher education through a close and accessible dialogue.
Publications
Oportunidades y desafíos de la era de la inteligencia artificial para la educación superior: una introducción para los actores de la educación superior
IESALC – 2023
UNESCO
Haiti: Tracing of good and emerging practices on the right to higher education; policy initiatives on the right to higher education in Haiti.
IESALC – 2023
UNESCO
England: Tracing good and emerging practices on the right to higher education; policy initiatives on the right to higher education in England.
IESALC – 2023
UNESCO
Exploring international aid for tertiary education: recent developments and current trends
IESALC – 2022
UNESCO
Gender equality: how global universities are performing, part 2
IESALC – 2022
UNESCO
Mentes en movimiento: oportunidades y desafíos para la movilidad virtual de estudiantes en un mundo pospandémico
IESALC – 2022
UNESCO