Webinar to launch landmark study on academic recognition for displaced persons in LAC

Date: 24 September 2025
Time: 9h00 - 10h30 (Caracas time, GMT-4)
Format: Zoom webinar https://unesco-org.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_R6Gs8_UURgeKm_Qq6dpofw. Prior registration is required.
Languages: Spanish/English, with simultaneous interpretation

UNESCO IESALC will host a high-level webinar to launch its new study, "The recognition of qualifications for refugees and displaced persons in Latin America and the Caribbean." This event brings together policymakers, higher education leaders, and international experts to address the critical barriers preventing displaced individuals from accessing and continuing their education. While 53% of the general population in Latin America and the Caribbean has access to higher education, this figure drops to a mere 2% to 12% for refugees and displaced persons in the region.

This stark disparity is often due to systemic barriers in the academic recognition process. Displaced individuals frequently lack the necessary documentation, and many recognition systems are hindered by complex procedures, high costs, and a general lack of information. This issue not only obstructs their personal and professional development but also prevents them from contributing their skills to their new host communities. International frameworks, such as the UNESCO Buenos Aires and Global Recognition Conventions, call on member states to ensure fair, transparent and non-discriminatory recognition, even in cases of lacking documentary evidence, but implementation remains uneven across the region.

The new UNESCO IESALC study provides a comprehensive overview of this landscape. It analyzes current practices, structural barriers, and opportunities for reform, offering a practical roadmap for governments. The study includes in-depth case studies from across the region and presents a series of recommendations tailored to different time horizons, from immediate, no-legislative-change actions to long-term structural reforms. This evidence-based approach aims to provide governments with a clear path forward.

The webinar will serve as a platform for dialogue, engaging key stakeholders in a discussion about scalable solutions. The event will feature a presentation of the study's main findings by Gonzalo Baroni Boces, President of the Buenos Aires Recognition Convention Committee. Following the presentation, a panel discussion will feature distinguished speakers, including Ricardo Moreno, Vice Minister of Higher Education, Colombia; Manal Stulgaitis, Higher Education Lead, UNHCR; and Francisco Contreras, Senior Credential Evaluator and Secretary of the CINALC network. The discussion will be opened by Borhene Chakroun, Interim Director, and moderated by Vanja Gutović, Head of Policy Analysis and International Cooperation, UNESCO IESALC.

This event represents a critical step toward ensuring that higher education is a universal right, not a privilege. By addressing the challenges of academic recognition, the webinar and the new study aim to pave the way for a more inclusive and equitable higher education system, one that empowers displaced individuals and strengthens the social and economic fabric of their host countries.