UNESCO Chairs and UNITWIN Networks; 2009 - unesdoc - Unesco

NOTE TO THE READER
UNITWIN is the abbreviation for the University Twinning and Networking
Programme. Established in 1992, this UNESCO programme was conceived as a way to
advance research, training and programme development in higher education by building
university networks and encouraging inter-university cooperation through the transfer of
knowledge across borders.
The primary objective of the Programme is to advance research and training by
establishing UNESCO Chairs and UNITWIN Networks in institutions of higher
education.
The UNITWIN/UNESCO Chairs Programme provides the academic community
with the opportunity to become affiliated with UNESCO, and to contribute directly to the
implementation of UNESCO’s strategic objectives, as well as to the achievement of the
Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).
Relevance, anticipation and effectiveness are among the prime goals of the
UNITWIN Programme. Today, over 638 UNESCO Chairs and 60 UNITWIN
Networks in 70 fields are established within the UNITWIN Programme, involving over
770 institutions in 126 countries.
The majority of the projects are interdisciplinary and intersectoral and involve all
UNESCO programme sectors: Education, the Natural Sciences, the Social and Human
Sciences, Culture, and Communication and Information, with the active cooperation of
UNESCO Field Offices, Institutes and Centres.
So far, UNESCO Chair and UNITWIN Network projects have proven useful in
establishing new teaching programmes, generating new ideas through reflection and
research, and facilitating the enrichment of existing university programmes while
respecting cultural diversity.
Because of the nature and flexibility of the UNITWIN/UNESCO Chairs
Programme, universities can respond more readily and with greater autonomy to the
demands for new learning and research in a world undergoing rapid economic, social and
technological change.
Fifteen years after the programme’s creation, the UNITWIN/UNESCO Chairs
Programme is more dynamic than ever. Since the adoption of new strategic orientations
for the UNITWIN Programme by the Executive Board at its 176th session in April 2007,
emphasis has been placed on:
• the dual function of UNESCO Chairs and UNITWIN Networks as “think
tanks” and “bridge builders” between the academic world, civil society, local
communities, research and policy-making;
• aligning the new UNESCO Chairs and UNITWIN Networks with UNESCO’s
priorities as defined in its Medium-Term Strategy for 2008-2013;
• strengthening North-South, South-South and North-South-South cooperation;
• creating poles of excellence and innovation at the regional or subregional level;
• reinforcing the dynamism of networks and partnerships.
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