Higher Education
U.N.E.S.C.O.
Worldwide Action in Education
HIGHER EDUCATION

  • Charting the Future Evolution of Higher Education

  • Towards the Rapid Transfer of Knowledge:
    the UNITWIN/UNESCO-Chairs Programme

  • Graph: 1993 - Established UNESCO-Chairs and UNITWIN Networks (by region)

    • Charting the Future Evolution of Higher Education

    As socio-economic development is becoming more knowledge-intensive and is relying increasingly on professional and managerial specialists with advanced training, the role of higher education becomes a crucial element, hence UNESCO's increased involvement in higher education, which at the turn of the century is faced with many problems and the search for solutions often goes far beyond national frontiers.

    UNESCO sees it as one of its important tasks to encourage the exchange of information and experience on trends and developments in higher education, promote thinking and research on its roles and function, and, ultimately, assist Member States in their efforts to develop their high-level training and research capabilities. It accordingly gears its action to reinforcing subregional, regional and international co-operation, the major undertaking being the UNITWIN and UNESCO-Chairs Programme.

    Since 1988, the Collective Consultation on Higher Education, comprising more than twenty NGOs, has assisted UNESCO in its programme by engaging in the analysis of key issues and co-operative action. Among these issues is the role of higher education in the improvement of the education system itself. In this regard, its major contribution lies in the training of all categories of educational personnel. Moreover, research can provide a crucial service to primary and secondary education, to literacy and adult education and research in the educational sciences, but also to other disciplines.

    A policy paper on higher education is under preparation, based on the outcome of regional consultations on the new roles of higher education, and on the reflection on academic freedom proposed by the International Congress for Human Rights and Democracy held in Montreal in 1993.

    Towards the Rapid Transfer of Knowledge:
    the UNITWIN/UNESCO-Chairs Programme

    The key objective is the development of a spirit of solidarity, based on twinning, networking and other linking arrangements among universities throughout the world. Hence, the acronym chosen for the programme: UNITWIN. More specifically, it is aimed at making full use of North-South and East-West co-operation in order to set in train a process leading to strong and durable links between higher education and scientific institutions worldwide, and more especially along the South-South axis.

    UNITWIN helps in establishing subregional, regional and interregional co-operation networks of higher education and research institutions. The UNESCO-Chairs are intended to provide postgraduate students from the developing countries with enhanced opportunities for advanced training and research at centres of excellence in key disciplines related to sustainable development.

    Partnerships have been established with other United Nations agencies, in particular with the United Nations University (UNU), intergovernmental organizations, development aid agencies, foundations, industry and non-governmental organizations in the higher education and scientific fields.

    1993
    Established UNESCO-Chairs
    and UNITWIN Networks (by Region)
    Some 20 UNITWIN networks and 70 UNESCO-Chairs have been established in 1993.
    UNITWIN will become one of the main modalities for programme execution.

    Click here for updated information on
    UNITWIN/UNESCO-Chairs Programme

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