The First Session of the Intergovernmental Conference of the States Parties to the Global Convention on the Recognition of Qualifications in Higher Education(GRC), organised by UNESCO, was held in Paris on 4-5 July 2023. On behalf of Armenia, Ms Gayane Harutyunyan, Director of the National  Information Centre for Recognition and Mobility (ArmENIC) participated in the 2 days meeting․ During the opening session H.E. Mr. Christian Ter-Stepanian, the Ambassador of the Permanent Delegation of Armenia to UNESCO was present.

So far, 23 countries from different regions have ratified the GRC and Armenia is among those countries.   During the First Session of the Intergovernmental Conference were also present as observers countries that had not yet ratified the convention. The role of the Intergovernmental Conference is to promote the application of the Global legal act, as well as to oversee its implementation through the adoption of recommendations, declarations, models of good practice or any relevant subsidiary texts at the global or interregional level. The Conference may also adopt operational guidelines for the States Parties, in consultation with the Committees of the Regional Recognition Conventions.

The main items on the Agenda concerned the election of the Conference Bureau which will function until the next ordinary session of the Conference (ordinary sessions take place every two years), the adoption of the Rules of Procedure of the Conference and the establishment of the timetable for the adoption of the Interim Work Programme 2023-2025. In its work, the Conference is supported by the Conference Secretariat, provided by the Director-General of UNESCO, which prepares the Conference documentation, draws up the agenda for the meetings and supervises the implementation of its decisions.

From now on, following the election of the Bureau of the Conference and the adoption of the Rules of Procedure at this First Session of the Intergovernmental Conference, it will be possible to start the implementation of the Convention by the States Parties under the coordination of the Conference structures and UNESCO representatives.

At the national level,  ArmENIC is, according to the Convention, the “national structure”,  that will foster the implementation of the legal act with the support of the Ministry of Education, Science, Culture and Sport and in cooperation with higher education institutions in Armenia.

For more information on the Global Convention, go to https://www.unesco.org/en/higher-education/global-convention