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The ministers and senior authorities of Higher Education of Ibero-America met in Valencia, Spain, to sign an agreement reaffirming the commitment to Higher Education as a public good and a universal human right. This joint declaration aims to advance the recognition of university studies and degrees and promote academic mobility among students and professors from the 22 participating countries.
To advance this commitment, a roadmap was designed that includes measures to strengthen the Ibero-American System for Quality Assurance in Higher Education (SIACES) and implement a unified model of the Ibero-American Supplement to the Higher Education Diploma that will facilitate the recognition of diplomas and academic mobility in the region. Likewise, the importance of activating the Framework Agreement for the Promotion of Talent Circulation in the Ibero-American Space was highlighted.
Likewise, it was agreed to establish the Ibero-American Higher Education Information Network and to continue promoting the Ibero-American Strategy for Digital Transformation of Higher Education (EITDES), which aims to reduce technological gaps and prepare the educational community with the digital skills necessary to face current challenges.
During this event, the Vice Minister of Higher Education, Ricardo Moreno, presented the main initiatives of the Government of Change in the field of higher education, which focus on expanding the educational offer, transforming quality systems and strengthening autonomy in the recognition of knowledge.
"Our commitment as Ibero-American countries must focus on making higher education a right that breaks the cycles of exclusion and violence. Only with adequate funding, especially in public institutions, will we be able to fulfill the training and research agenda in strategic areas such as energy transition, environmental sustainability, gender equality and artificial intelligence, among others. These initiatives must be promoted within the framework of international cooperation, interculturality, the defense of public property and human dignity," said the vice minister.
On the other hand, within the joint declarations that were made during this meeting, Colombia proposed promoting public policies that encourage the financing of higher education institutions (HEIs) and promote social and territorial inclusion, eliminating economic, cultural and geographic barriers. In addition, it advocated for the creation of legislative frameworks that guarantee equal opportunities, prioritizing vulnerable and marginalized populations, through the strengthening of international cooperation mechanisms that facilitate the exchange of good practices to ensure access to quality higher education.
This effort will include the exchange of experiences on innovative financing models, with the aim of ensuring the sustainability of the sector. It will also promote the creation of collaborative frameworks for knowledge management, which will allow for the continuous improvement of educational policies and adaptation to the challenges of the global context.
Finally, the results of this III Ministerial Meeting on Higher Education, which is part of the preparatory meetings for the XXIX Ibero-American Summit of Heads of State and Government, will be incorporated into the Summit that will be held in Ecuador next November, under the motto "Innovation, Inclusion and Sustainability".