AUF and UNESCO join forces to strengthen Francophone higher education

The Agence Universitaire de la Francophonie (AUF) and UNESCO have signed an ambitious partnership agreement to implement joint projects in higher education, with priority given to quality, inclusion and sustainable development. This new cooperation aims to strengthen the dissemination of knowledge and respond to major educational challenges in the French-speaking world and beyond.

It's a further step towards more inclusive higher education. The AUF, represented by its Rector, Professor Slim Khalbous, and UNESCO, represented by its Assistant Director-General for Education, Stefania Giannini, have signed a strategic agreement to intensify their collaboration.

This partnership is based on joint and concerted cooperation to carry out joint projects around six major axes:

• Cooperation: networking of UNESCO's specialized structures, such as the Institute for Statistics and the International Institute for Educational Planning, as well as of centres of excellence in the field of education.ducation and AUF centers of expertise, such as the Académie Internationale de la Francophonie Scientifique (AIFS), to share data and knowledge more effectively.
• Research and innovation: strengthening synergies between AUF-affiliated university networks and the 38 UNESCO Chair networks.
• Advocacy: promoting the recognition of qualifications at global level, particularly in terms of teacher training and working conditions in higher education.
• Reforms: supporting countries in their public education policies, notably through the development and implementation of national reforms.
• Pooling resources: drawing on the expertise and networks of the two institutions for greater effectiveness in the field, with a particular focus on Africa.
• Financing: joint mobilization of donors to support new projects or expand existing initiatives.

Priority themes include : education for sustainable development, quality of higher education, employability of higher education graduates, recognition of diplomas, open science and teacher training.

With this agreement, the AUF and Unesco confirm their commitment to making knowledge a lever of emancipation and transformation for future generations.

Source: www.auf.org/