Growing commitment to UNESCO’s conventions on higher education

A total of 33 countries have now joined this first-ever global treaty on higher education, collectively hosting some 30 per cent of the world's 6.4 million internationally mobile students.

Meanwhile, Greece becoming the 57th country to ratify the Lisbon Recognition Convention for Europe and North America. This marks a pivotal moment for the region - which hosts the largest number of internationally mobile students - as the treaty nears nearly universal ratification.

Enormous pressure on higher education

Over the past two decades, global higher education enrolments have doubled to reach 254 million students worldwide. Today, more than 6 million are studying abroad, three times more than in 2000.

These figures are forecast to double in the next decade, putting enormous pressure on higher education systems to expand their capacity rapidly. This means that countries need to strengthen international cooperation in higher education, raise its quality at home and worldwide, as well as help make academic mobility and the recognition of qualifications a reality.

Global convention is a game changer

UNESCO's Global Convention on Higher Education, adopted in 2019, is a game-changing instrument benefiting students, researchers and job seekers who are looking for having their qualifications recognized in another country or region. The Lisbon Recognition Convention, adopted in 1997, has the same role within Europe and North America. It is the oldest of the five UNESCO regional recognition conventions, which are implemented in complementarity with the Global Convention.

These new ratifications highlight the growing global commitment to fostering international cooperation in higher education.

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