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 priorities 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
Have you ever wondered how countries foster internationalization in their higher education systems? UNESCO IESALC’s latest Policy Insight explores this question by looking at the national plans adopted across 146 countries around the world to enhance internationalization in teaching and research.
It is a voluntary document that accompanies diplomas and contains standardised information on their characteristics. Its implementation will facilitate access to the labour market for new professionals, said the director of education of Uruguay.
How do 66 countries incorporate higher education into their vision for the future? Discover key trends, challenges, and recommendations for strengthening the role of HE in national development.
Have you ever wondered to what extent countries differ in their governance of higher education systems? UNESCO IESALC’s latest Policy Insight explores this question by analyzing the structures and responsibilities of governmental units across 146 countries.
Quotas are tools that set aside a number of seats in higher education systems for underrepresented student groups to increase inclusion and diversity. Are you curious to know which national governments around the world use them? A new Policy Insight from UNESCO IESALC showcases which of the 146 countries documented in the HE Policy Observatory have established national quotas.
To commemorate the International Day for People of African Descent, these reflections highlight the contributions of the struggles to recover and value the knowledge and epistemic knowledge of black and indigenous peoples in Latin America to higher education, including the institutionalisation of quota policies or affirmative action and the corresponding installation of anti-racism in the agenda of institutions, among others.
The World Bank Youth Summit 2024, in which UNESCO IESALC is an official partner, focuses on how young leaders leverage technology to address global issues.
In the first panel of the year’s “Voices that add up” series, four specialists debated the role of higher education in the face of the emerging demands of the labour market.
Rectors from the region confirmed in Brazil their commitment to a vision of sustainability, development and efficiency through the SDGs of the 2030 Agenda.
Representatives of Latin American and Caribbean countries defend higher education as a universal human right, a social public good that must be guaranteed by states.
Broad and meaningful partnerships are needed to ensure quality, inclusion and equity in higher education, is one of the conclusions of the UNESCO IESALC side event at the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) Youth Forum.
A suite of reports presents the key findings from a series of regional and thematic consultations on the right to higher education as an integral component of the evolving right to education.
To close UNESCO IESALC’s anniversary week, representatives of higher education networks in Latin America and the Caribbean discussed the futures of higher education.
The article presents what today’s students think about the university of the future, their hopes and fears towards 2050
Have you ever wondered how countries foster internationalization in their higher education systems? UNESCO IESALC’s latest Policy Insight explores this question by looking at the national plans adopted across 146 countries around the world to enhance internationalization in teaching and research.
It is a voluntary document that accompanies diplomas and contains standardised information on their characteristics. Its implementation will facilitate access to the labour market for new professionals, said the director of education of Uruguay.
The new group, launched at the HESI Global Forum, is dedicated to the future of education and AI, strengthening global networks and addressing the technology readiness gap between high-income countries and others.
Higher education institutions worldwide are being encouraged to focus on achieving global sustainability targets with the help of a new United Nations-sponsored reporting and measurement resource.
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 […]
Emma Harden-Wolfson, researcher at UNESCO IESALC, explains in recent article that, although generative AI tools have spread rapidly in education systems, there are multiple inequalities in access to these tools.
UNESCO IESALC presented the guide “Harnessing the Era of Artificial Intelligence in Higher Education. A Primer for Higher Education Stakeholders”
The handbook explores how technological developments are currently being used and how to integrate them in a practical and ethical way into knowledge generation
This blog post is based on the interventions of Dr Francesc Pedró, Director, UNESCO IESALC and Dr Axel Rivas, Director of the School of Education at the University of San Andrés and Academic Director of the Applied Education Research Centre San Andrés, Argentina, during the UNESCO IESALC webinar ChatGPT, inteligencia artificial y educación superior held on 17 April 2023. It also draws from UNESCO IESALC’s publication, ChatGPT and Artificial Intelligence in Higher Education—Quick Start Guide.
UNESCO IESALC held a webinar to discuss its possibilities and challenges in higher education, a Quick Start Guide and an interactive seminar, which will begin in April 2023.
The idea of this project is to support the role of youth by equipping them with project, policy and innovation skills.
Six young people propose pillars for achieving change in the region through innovative learning
Capacity building
At the UNESCO International Institute for Higher Education we commemorate World Teachers’ Day reminding the crucial role educators play in shaping the global future.
The program will be facilitated by experts in higher education and transformative pedagogy who will continuously mentor participants to ensure a deep and meaningful learning process.
Technical cooperation
In a world where time is a limited resource in the face of the climate crisis, the transformation of universities towards carbon neutrality can wait no longer. It is a vital step towards a more sustainable, equitable and resilient future for all.
The institutions committed to develop and promote: strategic alliances, training programmes, scientific events and research, and technical assistance to expand the offer of distance education, among other cooperation activities.
Concerted advocacy
As part of the International Conference & POP Festival for Youth-Led Climate Action 2024, UNESCO IESALC organized a series of workshops aimed to harness the power of higher education and advocate for youth- and student-led climate action.
In the framework of the United Nations Summit of the Future, UNESCO IESALC launches a series of youth-led papers on the SDGs. The fifth one emphasizes the importance of youth in achieving SDG 17 and advancing the 2030 Agenda through cross-sector partnerships and collaborations.