The Global Convention on the Recognition of Qualifications Concerning Higher Education

Georgia has joined the Global Convention on the recognition of qualifications concerning Higher Education. By ratifying the Global Convention, countries formally commit to strengthen international cooperation in the Higher Education, enhance the quality of higher education both locally and globally, and facilitate academic mobility and the recognition of qualifications worldwide.

The Global Convention was adopted during the 40th session of the UNESCO General Conference in November 2019. It establishes universal principles for the fair, transparent, and non-discriminatory recognition of Higher Education qualifications. These principles aim to ensure access to Higher Education and provide feasible pathways for further academic pursuits and employment. Notably, the Convention includes provisions for non-traditional modes of learning, thereby promoting the recognition of qualifications acquired through prior learning, etc. Furthermore, the Convention supports the recognition of refugee qualifications even without documentary evidence of educational attainment.

As of April 2025, the Convention has been ratified by 36 countries. It is often referred to as a “global umbrella”—uniting the various regional conventions on the recognition of higher education qualifications.

Unlike the Lisbon Recognition Convention, which primarily covers the European region, the Global Convention is of universal scope, extending its applicability to all regions of the world. The Convention obliges its parties to recognize or assess qualifications obtained abroad, including those resulting from non-formal education, in accordance with their established national procedures, provided that such qualifications are subject to comparable quality assurance mechanisms and evaluated against equivalent criteria as other qualifications. The main objectives of recognition, as stipulated by the Convention, are to enable individuals to pursue further education and gain access to employment opportunities.

As opposed to the Lisbon Convention, the Global Convention explicitly recommends that Parties recognize prior documented or certified learning for completing or continuing higher education programs. Prior learning is defined as the accumulation of knowledge, skills, competencies, attitudes, and experiences acquired through either formal or informal learning processes, which have been assessed in accordance with specified learning outcomes, objectives, or standards.

The Convention emphasizes the importance of fostering and enhancing international cooperation in higher education, as well as creating a coherent framework for the recognition of qualifications to support international academic mobility. It further encourages the alignment of national recognition systems with European priorities.

The link of Global Convention:

https://unesdoc.unesco.org/ark:/48223/pf0000373602/PDF/373602eng.pdf.multi.page=3

https://matsne.gov.ge/ka/document/view/6134054?publication=0