A significant step forward in global education has been made as 33 countries have signed the first-ever international treaty on higher education. These nations host about 30% of the world’s 6.4 million internationally mobile students.
The UNESCO-led treaty, adopted in 2019, aims to simplify recognizing academic qualifications across borders, benefiting students, researchers, and job seekers seeking international recognition of their credentials.
Greece also made headlines by becoming the 57th country to ratify the Lisbon Recognition Convention, a significant agreement for Europe and North America. This marks a pivotal moment for the region, which hosts the most important number of internationally mobile students, as the convention nears universal ratification. Adopted in 1997, the Lisbon Convention works alongside the Global Convention to facilitate the smooth recognition of qualifications within and beyond the region.
The pressure on global higher education systems continues to grow as student enrolments have doubled over the past two decades, reaching 254 million worldwide. Meanwhile, the number of students studying abroad has tripled since 2000, with more than 6 million now enrolled in foreign institutions. Projections indicate that these figures will double again in the coming decade, increasing demands on education systems to expand their capacity and improve international cooperation.
UNESCO’s Global Convention is a crucial tool for addressing these challenges. Ensuring easier recognition of qualifications supports academic mobility and helps countries improve the quality of higher education both locally and globally. As more nations ratify these agreements, higher education systems become more interconnected, paving the way for a more accessible and globally integrated academic landscape.
