A longstanding partnership: Obreal and UNESCO advance higher education

In recent years, Obreal has built an active and growing working relationship with UNESCO, one that takes shape through shared projects, joint participation in high-level spaces, and a common agenda. Obreal’s recent participation in the launch event for the new UNESCO report Trends in Higher Education is the latest example.

Obreal’s Senior Advisor, Wail Benjalloun, represented the organization on a high-level panel on data and trends in higher education, convened on the occasion of the launch of this global reference publication. The panel addressed key issues including university enrollment, access and inclusion, national investment, academic mobility, gender equity, and the role of technology in higher education. Professor Benjalloun contributed to the discussion on data gaps and needs in Africa, a central theme within the HAQAA initiative, funded by the European Union and coordinated by Obreal, in which UNESCO is also a key partner.

In parallel, Obreal held bilateral meetings with UNESCO to take stock of ongoing cooperation and define joint priorities. Topics included the synergies between HAQAA and Campus Africa (UNESCO’s flagship program in Africa), the shared commitment to quality assurance, degree recognition agreements, academic mobility, and interregional dialogue.

A collaboration that goes much further

The relationship between Obreal and UNESCO spans multiple areas and has been built through concrete initiatives over the past four years. UNESCO participates as a strategic partner on the HAQAA3 Steering Committee, the major European initiative supporting quality assurance harmonization and integration in Africa. The UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS) is also developing a module under the Data Capacity Building Program, and both organizations collaborate on mapping quality assurance interventions and supporting African agencies in the sector.

Beyond Africa, UNESCO has participated in the Third Interregional Dialogue on Education and Development convened by Obreal, and has shown interest in Obreal’s SPHERE program on higher education reform in the European neighborhood. Obreal, in turn, has contributed to major UNESCO-led forums and intergovernmental meetings, including the Intergovernmental Meeting on the Global Recognition Convention (Paris, June 2025).

All of this shared activity reflects a consolidated working relationship, with a common agenda in key areas such as quality assurance, higher education data, and interregional dialogue.