UK ENIC among UNESCO meeting delegation in Paris
UK ENIC was among those representing the United Kingdom at the Second Ordinary Session of the Intergovernmental Conference at the UNESCO headquarters, Paris, in June.
The conference meets every two years to review the outcomes of the previous work programme (2023-25) and to adopt the new ‘interim work programme’ for the next two years.
It oversees progress on the implementation of the UNESCO Global Convention on Higher Education, of which the UK is a signatory, and this directly relates to our work and purpose as UK ENIC.
Chris Lyons attended on behalf of UK ENIC, alongside UK colleagues Maxim Polya-Vitry (Permanent Delegation to UNESCO, British Embassy, Paris) and Ella Williams (Department for Education), to provide technical support and guidance.
Outcomes from the conference included the re-election of the UK to the Bureau of the States Parties, along with Australia, Estonia, Norway, Tunisia and Uruguay. In addition, the conference adopted the Operational Guidelines which provide guidance on how to implement the convention. The interim work programme for 2025 to 2027 was also adopted.
Chris Lyons, UK ENIC’s Head of Policy and Engagement, explained more about what was covered in the meeting: “UK ENIC was thanked for its contributions and commitment to the Operational Guidelines Working Group by the UNESCO Secretariat and Bureau.
“We also expressed an interest in three areas of work where the outcome will be a subsidiary text to outline the links between each theme and the Convention.
“These included the relationship between the Global Convention and regional conventions, quality assurance and that of transnational education, and the recognition of refugees and displaced persons’ qualifications.”
We will continue to keep members updated with progress over the coming months.