Mission

UNESCO-CEPES (the European Centre for Higher Education/Centre Européen pour l'Enseignement Supérieur) was established in September 1972 with a view to promoting co-operation in higher education among Member States of the Europe Region (the countries of Europe, North America, and Israel). In addition, the Director of UNESCO-CEPES is the Representative of UNESCO in Romania. The activities of UNESCO-CEPES are focused foremost on higher education in Central and Eastern Europe.
 

Since September 2003, UNESCO-CEPES has been a consultative member of a Follow-up Group of the Bologna Process (BFUG), which is tasked with the implementation of the Bologna Process goals.

To fulfill its mission, UNESCO-CEPES:

  • undertakes projects relevant to the development and reform of higher education, specifically in view of the follow-up to the 1998 UNESCO World Conference on Higher Education, and the Bologna Process aiming at the creation of the European Higher Education Area;

  • promotes policy development and research on higher education and serves as a forum for the discussion of important topics in higher education;

  • gathers and disseminates a wide range of information on higher education;

  • coordinates, within the UNITWIN/UNESCO Chairs Programme, relations with a designated number of UNESCO Chairs relevant to its activities;

  • serves as the secretariat or co-secretariat of specialized networks, especially those related to the implementation of the Council of Europe/UNESCO Convention on the Recognition of Qualifications Concerning Higher Education  in the Europe Region [since 2007 it is assuring operational aspects of the ENIC-NARIC website http://www.enic-naric.net];

  • provides consultancy services;

  • participates in the activities of other governmental and non-governmental organizations;

  • serves as a link between UNESCO Headquarters and Romania.

In order to respond to the need for topical actions in support of the processes of reform and development of higher education, UNESCO-CEPES has undertaken activities dealing with issues, such as the making and implementation of higher education policy, legislative reforms, academic quality assurance and accreditation (including ranking), recognition of academic qualifications, employability and intellectual labour market, new approaches to governance and institutional management, university autonomy and academic freedom as well as ethical dimension of higher education, the status of teachers and their training, university-industry relations in the context of knowledge societies, and transnational education.