Summary Slide

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UNITWIN / UNESCO Chairs ProgrammeStrategy
and Development 1992-2002
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Why a UNITWIN/UNESCO Chairs Programme ?

• UNESCOs response to main trends in international
  cooperation in Higher Education
• Develop inter-university solidarity to support
  Higher Education in developing countries
• Alleviate the adverse effects of the brain drain
• Build up centres for advanced studies and
  research
• Secure support of the international community for
  institutions and systems of Higher Education in
  developing countries

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Trends in Higher Education

• Socio-economic development has become
  increasingly knowledge-based. Hence increased
  role of Higher Education in society
• Widening of the knowledge gap between
  industrialized and developing countries
• Situation of Higher Education became dramatic in
  the developing countries, especially in
  sub-Saharan Africa
• Need for a flexible mechanism to contribute to
  the rapid transfer and sharing of knowledge via
  inter-university links and exchanges
• Increased scale of brain drain from developing
  and transition countries
• Inter-university cooperation has emerged as major
  instrument for channeling support both to
  national systems and to institutions of Higher
  Education

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MODE OF ACTION IN THE UNITWIN/UNESCO CHAIRS
PROGRAMME

• Two modes of action
• UNESCO CHAIR
• UNITWIN NETWORK
• How to establish a UNESCO CHAIR ?
• Request
• Universities
• Other institutions of Higher Education
• Research Institutions
• Approval, both by the institution and the
  National Commission for UNESCO

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Creation

• Proposal submitted by one or several institutions
  of Higher Education or by NGO, endorsed by the
  National Commission(s) for UNESCO
• Examination of proposal by the units concerned in
  the UNESCO Secretariat
• Agreement between the host institution and
  UNESCO, signed by the DG and the ViceChancellor /
  President / Rector

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Appointment of the Chairholder

• Criteria
• Reknown specialist in the domain of knowledge to
  be covered by the Chair/Network
• Capacity to handle international action in
  similar domains
• Guarantee for assuring high academic standard
• The host institution of a Chair may make
  individual proposals for a Chairholder
• Note Nomination of a Chairholder does not
  necessarily involve creation of a specific post
  and does not always constitute an employment
  opportunity
• Selection through international recruitment (
  proposals made by the host institution )

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Appointment of the Chairholder

• Procedure
• Nowadays, the most current practice consists of
  selecting the candidate for a UNESCO Chairholder
  among academics working in the same institution,
  or
• selecting an academic from an institution abroad
  to be invited for short term visits
• In the second case, an important role is played
  by the national project coordinator

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How and by whom are financed UNITWIN/UNESCO
Chairs projects ?The UNITWIN/UNESCO Chairs
Programme is a joint undertakingUNESCO plays the
role of catalyst

• The overall success of the programme greatly
  depends on financial and in-kind support from
• Institutions of Higher Education in the
  industrialized countries
• Institutions in the developing countries
• Governments and governmental organizations taking
  part in the programme
• NGOs of Higher Education which agree to establish
  links between their own programmes and UNITWIN
• UNESCOs Participation Programme
• UNESCOs Programme Sectors under Regular
  Programme (Start-up funding)
• Foundations and other donors
• Industry and private sector

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• All participating institutions are called upon to
  make material and financial contribution
• A specific type of Chairs called UNISPAR was
  developed with support from industries
• The experience shows that a majority of donors to
  UNITWIN projects prefer to channel their funds
  directly to the UNESCO Chairs and the UNITWIN
  Networks
• This modality brought to UNITWIN US 30 millions
  between 1995-1999

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Nature of the activities

• Setting up new academic programmes and updating
  existing ones
• Training at graduate and postgraduate levels
  (Sub / regional centres of excellence)
• Conferences and workshops related to the field
  of competence of the Chair
• Research (emphasis on joint projects)
• Publications
• All activities are based on interdisciplinarity
  and involve an international dimension

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Current state of the UNITWIN/UNESCO Chairs
programme

• Although constrained by lack of funds, the
  UNITWIN/UNESCO Chairs programme has known a very
  rapid development, which indicates that it has
  been accepted favourably by the Member States and
  by higher education institutions
• In 2002 total number of established UNESCO Chairs
  and UNITWIN Networks is 510

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UNITWIN/UNESCO CHAIRS January 1991 - September
2002
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DISTRIBUTION OF UNESCO CHAIRSAs at 12 September
2002
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DISTRIBUTION BY REGION As at 12 September 2002
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UNESCO CHAIRS BY REGIONAs at 12 September 2002
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DISTRIBUTION BY FIELDAs at 12 September 2002
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DISTRIBUTION BY FIELDAFRICA As at 12 September
2002
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DISTRIBUTION BY FIELDARAB STATESAs at 12
September 2002
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DISTRIBUTION BY FIELDASIA AND THE PACIFICAs at
12 September 2002
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DISTRIBUTION BY FIELDEASTERN AND CENTRAL
EUROPEAs at 12 September 2002
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DISTRIBUTION BY FIELDLATIN AMERICA AND THE
CARIBBEANAs at 12 September 2002
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DISTRIBUTION BY FIELDWESTERN EUROPE NORTH
AMERICA As at 12 September 2002
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UNITWIN NETWORKSEvolution over the 1992- 2002
period
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UNITWIN NETWORKSDISTRIBUTION BY REGIONAs at 12
September 2002
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How to establish UNITWIN Network ?

• Twinning of existing UNESCO Chairs at regional or
  global level
• Already existing networks could express interest
  to link up with UNITWIN by gearing activities
  towards the needs of higher education in
  developing countries
• Universities twinned by bilateral agreements
  decide to expand them into multilateral ones
• Projects established from the beginning as
  networks, e.g.
• Utrecht-Southern-Africa UNITWIN Network
• ORBICOM
• UNESCO Cousteau Chairs in Ecotechnology

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• Networks established through agreements between
  UNESCO and NGOs of Higher Education, e.g.
• UNAMAZ
• The Copernicus and Columbus programmes of CRE
• Several institutions (from developed countries)
  served as focal point or coordination of
  networks, e.g. 
• Universities of the Santander Group (Chairs in
  Africa and Latin America)
• Oxford University for Networks on Refugee Studies
  in Africa and the Arab States
• Creation of Networks
• Agreement on Cooperation for a four year period
• Renewal of agreement, following thorough
  evaluation by UNESCO

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• Appointment of networks responsibles
• Subject to approval by UNESCO and the competent
  academic bodies of the institutions associated to
  a Network
• Usually, one institution / UNESCO Chair assumes
  responsibility for coordination and management of
  a Network
• Funding of networks
• Based on the same principles as for UNESCO
  Chairs
• Activities of networks
• Setting up new academic programmes and up-dating
  existing ones
• Staff development, through grants and periods of
  study/research abroad
• Training at the graduate and postgraduate levels
• Short term workshops
• Research (mainly joint projects)
• Service activities

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MANAGEMENT OF THE PROGRAMME

• Continuous monitoring and evaluation through
  regular reporting system by
• - The participating institutions
• - UNESCO Secretariat
• Regular update of the UNITWIN Database
  established in 1997
• UNITWIN Directory published by UNESCO every two
  years, as a subproduct of the database.
• Internal (1996) and external (2000) evaluations
  of the Programme
• Launching of the UNITWIN Portal in September
  2002

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ELEMENTS OF FUTURE STRATEGY

• Strengthening action at the regional and
  sub-regional levels
• Launching of the Academics across Borders -
  (AAB) initiative
• Facilitating the application of ICTs and of
  Open/Distance Education
• Opening up to new partnerships and alliances
• Developing new funding strategy
• Making UNITWIN better known in each country and
  internationally

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UNITWIN started as an IDEA Grew into a
PROGRAMME Can and should become a GLOBAL
MOVEMENT, based on solidarity and sharing
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THANK YOU ALL