The UNESCO International Institute for Higher Education in Latin America and the Caribbean (IESALC) presents its 2020 Annual Report in an interactive and brief format that invites online exploration of its activities. On this occasion, it responds to the challenges that the pandemic has presented to higher education, aligned with the work program approved for the 2020-2021 biennium.

“In addition to the issues that telework raised in the internal management of the Institute, it soon became clear that the Institute’s activities should give priority to the analysis of the impact of the pandemic on the higher education sector, the challenges it faced and the most appropriate responses at the international, national and institutional levels” says Francesc Pedró, director of UNESCO IESALC, in his introductory remarks.

Among the priority actions undertaken there were, first of all, those related to the analysis and dissemination of evidence-based reports with recommendations for higher education stakeholders, in the context of the closure of institutions due to the health emergency.

In terms of capacity building and training, the IESALC Campus was launched to benefit university instructors, administrators and students, as well as support to the UNESCO Office in Yaoundé (Cameroon) for the recruitment of specialized personnel for the Afro-American University of Central Africa.

As part of the specialized technical assistance activities, and in partnership with the Peruvian government, support was provided for pedagogical continuity in that country’s public universities. Together with the government of Colombia, quality assurance policies were reviewed, with a view to develop public and institutional policies that reinforce plans to improve higher education on a regional and global scale.

As part of the programmatic actions, the Institute’s informative organs were strengthened, especially the journal Higher Education and Society, which this year celebrates its 30th anniversary of exclusive dedication to research in the field of higher education.

To navigate through this menu of activities, access the Annual Report 2020 in Spanish and English.