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
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
In the framework of the commemoration of World Teachers’ Day, Francesc Pedró, Director of UNESCO IESALC, invites to proactively address this problem to ensure the quality and sustainability of higher education institutions in the future
The head of UNESCO’s International Institute for Higher Education in Latin America and the Caribbean spoke at the space that Ticmas set up at the Virtual Educa fair in Medellin and pointed out the reasons why university education should be thought of as a regional network.
Equity and Inclusion
The Prize awards US$ 50,000 annually to two laureates making outstanding efforts in favour of girls’ and women’s education.
To celebrate the International Women’s Day 2023, UNESCO IESALC held a Fireside Chat with nine female innovators
Innovation
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.
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 […]
CRES 2018
The 10th Meeting of Higher Education Networks and Councils of Rectors of Latin America and the Caribbean takes place in Asunción, Paraguay
The meeting will serve to deepen the issues raised at the CRES 2018, as well as to analyze the outcome of the discussions corresponding to the previous preparatory meetings.
The Right to Higher Education
UNESCO IESALC holds First Youth Dialogue on the Right to Higher Education in Latin America
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.
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
The study reveals advancements and challenges in the sector, contributing to evidence-based policymaking.
The new report by UNESCO IESALC and Times Higher identifies practices and policies to increase the impact of universities in the face of global challenges
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
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
Transforming Education
Six young people propose pillars for achieving change in the region through innovative learning
Some of the skills that need to be developed for tomorrow’s world of higher education include critical thinking, adaptiveness, global citizenship, resilience and creativity.
Capacity building
One of the most important programmes in which UNESCO IESALC has participated in 2023, and which has just concluded, is the LAB Training Itinerary Quality that unites us.
Francesc Pedró | The unique position of higher education institutions gives them the potential to participate in and lead the way towards sustainable economic, social and environmental development. And this potential must be matched by an important responsibility to do all they can to drive sustainable development themselves.
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
The participants reviewed the achievements of the last 25 years in the region and the pending matters
On the second day of celebration, the members of UNESCO IESALC’s Governing Board reflected on the contributions of higher education in Latin America and the Caribbean.