The Strategy - Academic networking, transfer of knowledge, new partnerships

The UNITWIN/UNESCO Chairs Programme will be significantly reoriented following the recommendations of the external evaluation. The feasibility of launching an international movement “Academics Across Borders” will be explored.

 
Launched in 1992, this Programme is UNESCO’s most important intersectoral downstream activity in the field of higher education with 635 UNESCO Chairs and Networks established in 124 Member States. A privileged mechanism for knowledge transfer and capacity-building in the spirit of solidarity with and between developing countries, its main participants are hundreds of universities and many important higher-education NGOs, and hundreds of other organizations, foundations and companies are partners.

Over the last five years these partners brought some US $30 million towards UNITWIN projects, six times more than UNESCO’s proper funding.

UNITWIN/UNESCO Chairs projects are dealing with training and research activities and cover all major fields of knowledge within UNESCO’s competence, such as education, human rights, cultural development, environment, basic and engineering sciences, etc.

The principal beneficiaries of this programme are institutions of higher learning in developing countries and countries in transition. The majority of the projects are interdisciplinary and intersectoral, involving all UNESCO programme sectors as well as numerous field offices.

Following the recommendations of the external evaluation (2000), the future strategy will be oriented towards enhancement of the programme’s relevance, efficiency and impact on national development efforts. This will be achieved through introduction of teaching and research in areas of significance to development and in order to meet practical needs of Member States in sustainable higher education institutions and programmes. UNITWIN projects that have proved themselves sustainable will be pursued and new subregional, regional and international inter-university networks will be established in all absolute priority areas of UNESCO.

A UNESCO Award for the Chair/Network established at the university of a developed country that was most efficient in manifesting solidarity through transferring and sharing knowledge with higher
education institutions in developing countries will be established and a World Forum to provide guidance to all those involved and to celebrate the tenth anniversary of the Programme will be called.

Results expected at the end of the biennium
_ The internationalization of higher education and research through (i) new partnerships across the academic community and society at large, (ii) strengthening UNITWIN networks and UNESCO Chairs, and the development of UNESCO’s higher education website.

To download a copy in PDF format of the Guidelines and Procedures for UNESCO UNITWIN Programme
click here