UNESCO's Conventions on the Recognition of Qualifications Concerning Higher Education

Timeline of the Conventions on the Recognition of Qualifications Concerning Higher Education

Regional Conventions

With the increasing global mobility in higher education since the 1970s, UNESCO has adopted and effectuated the six regional conventions taking the regional nature of higher education into consideration. The six conventions, concerning the importance of recognizing learning experience equally and fairly in another State, aim to promote recognition of higher education qualification (including qualifications for admission, diplomas, degrees and certificates). The revision process of these conventions has taken place since the late 1990s. 126 States have ratified one or more of these regional conventions as of March 1, 2024, with more than half of the States ratifying multiple conventions.

Note: Convention titles in Japanese are listed only for those translated and published by the MEXT. (As of March 1, 2024)
Region	Convention Title	City of Adoption	Date of Adoption	Date of Entry into Force (Stipulating Article)	Number of State Parties
Latin America and the Caribbean	Regional Convention on the Recognition of Studies, Diplomas and Degrees in Higher Education in Latin America and the Caribbean 1974	Mexico City	19 July 1974	14 June 1975 (Article 17)	19
Latin America and the Caribbean (revised convention)	Regional Convention on the Recognition of Studies, Diplomas and Degrees in Higher Education in Latin America and the Caribbean 2019	Buenos Aires	13 July 2019	23 October 2022 (Article V.2)	6
States Bordering on the Mediterranean	International Convention on the Recognition of Studies, Diplomas and Degrees in Higher Education in the Arab and European States bordering on the Mediterranean	Nice	17 December 1976	6 March 1978 (Article 18)	12
Arab States	Convention on the Recognition of Studies, Diplomas and Degrees in Higher Education in the Arab States	Paris	22 December 1978	7 August 1981 (Article 18)	14
Arab States (revised convention)	Revised Convention on the Recognition of Studies, Diplomas and Degrees in Higher Education in the Arab States	Paris	2 February 2022	Not yet (Article VII.2)	2
European Region	Convention on the Recognition of Studies, Diplomas and Degrees concerning Higher Education in the States belonging to the Europe Region	Paris	21 December 1979	19 February 1982 (Article 18)	46
European Region (revised convention)	Convention on the Recognition of Qualifications concerning Higher Education in the European Region	Lisbon	5 December 1997	1 February 1999 (Article XI.2)	56
African States	Regional Convention on the Recognition of Studies, Certificates Diplomas, Degrees and other Academic Qualifications in Higher Education in the African States	Arusha	5 December 1981	1 January 1983 (Article 18)	23
African States (revised convention)	Revised Convention on the Recognition of Studies, Certificates, Diplomas, Degrees and Other Academic Qualifications in Higher Education in African States	Addis Ababa	12 December 2014	15 December 2019 (Article V.2)	14
Asia and the Pacific	Regional Convention on the Recognition of Studies, Diplomas, and Degrees in Higher Education in Asia and the Pacific アジア太平洋地域における高等教育の学業、卒業証書及び学位の認定に関する地域条約（仮訳）	Bangkok	16 December 1983	23 December 1985 (Article 18)	21
Asia and the Pacific (revised convention)	Revised Asia-Pacific Regional Convention on the Recognition of Qualifications in Higher Education 高等教育の資格の承認に関するアジア太平洋地域規約（和文テキスト[訳文]）	Tokyo	26 November 2011	1 February 2018 (Article X.2)	12

Links to Related Websites

1. ユネスコにおける高等教育の資格の承認に関する規約について [Japanese only] (MEXT website)
2. Higher education regional conventions (UNESCO website)

Global Convention

In response to further acceleration of globalization, the Global Convention on the Recognition of Qualifications concerning Higher Education was adopted at the 40th session of the UNESCO General Conference on November 25, 2019. The Global Convention provides an inclusive global framework for the recognition of qualifications in higher education, and it aims to facilitate global mobility in higher education as well as to promote and strengthen international cooperation. While the regional conventions and the Global Convention are mutually complementary and have many similarities, new provisions such as recognition of 'prior learning' and 'partial recognition' are included in the Global Convention. It requires 20 State Parties required for the Global Convention to enter into force have ratified the convention, and it became effective on March 5, 2023. 28 countries (Norway, Nicaragua, Estonia, France, Romania, Tunisia, Croatia, Holy See, Lithuania, Armenia, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, Cote d'Ivoire, Cuba, Palestine, Sweden, Slovakia, Japan, Cabo Verde, Iceland, Andorra, Australia, Uruguay, Finland, Yemen, Guinea, Hungary, Republic of Moldova, and Senegal; in chronological order) have ratified as of March 1, 2024.

Note: Convention titles in Japanese are listed only for those translated and published by the MEXT. (As of March 1, 2024)
Region	Convention Title	City of Adoption	Date of Adoption	Date of Entry into Force (Stipulating Article)	Number of State Parties
Global	Global Convention on the Recognition of Qualifications concerning Higher Education 高等教育の資格の承認に関する世界規約（訳文：PDF）	Paris	25 November 2019	5 March 2023 (Article XVIII)	28

Background and Progress of the Global Convention

2023.7.4-5	The first session of the Intergovernmental Conference of the States Parties to the Convention was held in Paris, France.
2023.3.5	The Convention came into force after having been ratified by the required twenty Member States.
2020.9.13	Japan ratified the Convention.
2019.11.25	Global Convention on the Recognition of Qualifications concerning Higher Education was adopted at the fortieth session of the General Conference of the UNESCO meeting in Paris, France.

Links to Related Websites and Leaflets

1. Higher Education (UNESCO website)
2. Global Convention (APNNIC website)
3. What is the Global Convention on Higher Education? (UNESCO website)
4. Global Convention on Higher Education (UNESCO website)
5. Global Convention leaflet (Downloadable from UNESCO website)
6. A practical guide to recognition: implementing the Global Convention on the Recognition of Qualifications Concerning Higher Education (Downloadable from UNESCO website)
7. Member States unite to advance academic recognition, mobility and inter-university cooperation (12 November 2021, UNESCO website)