A GDN Conversation Series

Implementing the UNESCO Global Convention in Admissions, Transfer, and Study Abroad

The UNESCO Global Convention on the Recognition of Qualifications concerning Higher Education establishes internationally agreed principles to support fair, transparent, and consistent recognition of learning across borders. As learner mobility increases and credentials diversify, universities and colleges are challenged to apply these principles across admissions, transfer assessment, and study abroad processes—while responsibly recognizing a growing range of learning evidence, from traditional transcripts to microcredentials and other forms of prior learning. The sessions will include a focus on digitization of learning and use of enabling solutions and approaches such as AI, digital credentials, and interoperable approaches.

 

This webinar series explores what the UNESCO Global Convention requires and how its principles can be meaningfully implemented across key academic recognition functions. Each session combines policy context with practical application, helping institutions move from commitment to implementation. These discussions are paramount for the GDN Network community as it works to align with these international instruments and also serve local policy contexts.

Part 1. Admissions and the Fair Recognition of Prior Learning

Wednesday, February 25, 2026 — 10:00 AM ET / 4:00 PM CET

This session focuses on applying the principles of the UNESCO Global Convention to admissions decision-making. Participants will examine how fairness, transparency, and the burden of proof can be embedded into admissions policies and practices for domestic and international applicants and how digital solutions can advance implementation.

Topics include:

  • Interpreting the Convention’s principles in admissions contexts
  • Using multiple forms of evidence—such as secondary and postsecondary transcripts, microcredentials, and documented prior learning—to support equitable decisions
  • Addressing non-traditional pathways and emerging credentials while maintaining academic standards
  • Improving transparency, documentation, and communication of admissions decisions
Registration Closed

Panelists

Stig Arne Skjerven

Chair, UNESCO Global Convention on the Recognition of Qualifications concerning Higher Education
Stig Arne Skjerven is the first elected Chair (2023-2027) of the UNESCO Global Convention on the Recognition of Qualifications concerning Higher Education. Prior to that, for over a decade, Skjerven was instrumental in the establishment and implementation of this first UN normative instrument in higher education. For eight years Skjerven was leading Norway’s work in recognition of foreign qualifications, he has twice been elected Chair of the European Network of Information Centers / ENIC Bureau under the Lisbon Recognition Convention, and he has held the position as Director of Academic Affairs at a Norwegian public Higher Education Institution. Skjerven has been paramount in the development of the Qualifications Passport for Refugees, by Council of Europe and UNESCO respectively. Currently, Skjerven works for Norway’s Directorate for Higher Education and Skills. His international experience includes multilateral and UN diplomacy, strategy, leadership, public speaking, quality assurance in higher education, recognition of qualifications, transnational education, micro-credentials, strategic communication, policy formulation, global partnership and capacity building in higher education.

Dr. Julie Reddy

Professor of Practice, University of Johannesburg
Julie Reddy is currently a Professor of Practice in the Centre for Education Rights and Transformation (CERT), Faculty of Education at the University of Johannesburg, South Africa. She was formerly the Chief Executive Officer of the South African Qualifications Authority (SAQA), until her retirement in 2022. Over the 40+ years of her formal professional career in the education, training and civil society sectors, she has served in senior management and leadership positions both in South African and internationally. She is currently pursuing and advancing her passion and interests in research, writing and sharing her knowledge, experience and views on topics relating to “Whose and what learning and recognition matters?” from a human rights and social justice perspective. Internationally, Julie Reddy has contributed to various UNESCO/UIL global initiatives. She is the current Deputy Chair of the South African National Commission to UNESCO and a Director on the Boards of the Groningen Declaration Network (GDN) and World Education Services (WES), in the USA. Julie Reddy’s academic qualifications includes an MSc (as a Fulbright Scholar) and PhD from Cornell University in the USA.

Part 2. Transfer Assessment and Credit Recognition in a Global Context

Thursday, March 26, 2026 — 10:00 AM ET / 4:00 PM CET

Building on the admissions foundation, Part 2 explores how the UNESCO Global Convention informs transfer credit assessment and recognition of prior postsecondary learning.

Participants will consider:

  • Applying fair and consistent transfer assessment practices aligned with Convention principles
  • Evaluating learning outcomes and considering alternative approaches to traditional grade records, course descriptions, and course credit counting and comparisons
  • Managing uncertainty and the burden of proof in transfer decisions
  • Supporting student mobility through transparent, defensible, and student-centered credit recognition
Registration Closed

Panelists

Stig Arne Skjerven

Chair, UNESCO Global Convention on the Recognition of Qualifications concerning Higher Education
Stig Arne Skjerven is the first elected Chair (2023-2027) of the UNESCO Global Convention on the Recognition of Qualifications concerning Higher Education. Prior to that, for over a decade, Skjerven was instrumental in the establishment and implementation of this first UN normative instrument in higher education. For eight years Skjerven was leading Norway’s work in recognition of foreign qualifications, he has twice been elected Chair of the European Network of Information Centers / ENIC Bureau under the Lisbon Recognition Convention, and he has held the position as Director of Academic Affairs at a Norwegian public Higher Education Institution. Skjerven has been paramount in the development of the Qualifications Passport for Refugees, by Council of Europe and UNESCO respectively. Currently, Skjerven works for Norway’s Directorate for Higher Education and Skills. His international experience includes multilateral and UN diplomacy, strategy, leadership, public speaking, quality assurance in higher education, recognition of qualifications, transnational education, micro-credentials, strategic communication, policy formulation, global partnership and capacity building in higher education.

Beka Tavartkiladze

Senior Director, Global Education and Knowledge, World Education Services
Beka Tavartkiladze brings over 23 years of expertise in international academic credential evaluation and global education systems. He has worked extensively with licensing bodies, higher education institutions, and Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC), where he played a key role in the development of the Express Entry points grid and WES's designation as an official assessment body. Beka has collaborated with the Council of Ministers of Education, Canada, and CICIC to improve the consistency and portability of credential assessments across the country, contributing to the development of the Pan-Canadian Quality Standards. He is a member of CICIC's Quality Assurance Framework (QAF) Steering Committee, and has served on expert panels including the Canadian Alliance of Physiotherapy Regulators and the OECD's Future of Work Forum. A recognized thought leader, Beka serves on the Board of Directors for the Groningen Declaration Network (GDN), supports the TNE Quality Benchmark Services Advisory Board, and chaired the 2023 - 2024 TAICEP Conference Committee. He also contributes to the Paris Declaration - ePIC editorial board, advancing global dialogue on open recognition and digital credentials. Beka frequently presents at international conferences on the recognition of global qualifications and the future of learning recognition.

Hannah Temple

Senior Manager, Domestic Admissions Operations and Transfer Affairs Southern Alberta Institute of Technology (SAIT), Canada
Hannah Temple is a higher education leader specializing in recognition of learning and learner mobility policy implementation across public post-secondary systems. With over 15 years of experience in Canada and China, she works at the intersection of admissions operations, institutional governance, and provincial and national transfer frameworks to advance fair, transparent, and defensible recognition practices. At the Southern Alberta Institute of Technology (SAIT), Hannah leads domestic admissions operations and transfer affairs, translating recognition principles into operational policy, interoperable systems, and student record outcomes that support access, progression, and enrolment growth. She serves nationally on the Pan-Canadian Council on Admissions and Transfer (PCCAT) and contributes to provincial micro-credential data standards to support non-credit to credit pathways, apprenticeship pathways, and pathways between institutions. She has contributed to PLAIO (Prior Learning Assessment Inside Out), engaging in practitioner dialogue on advancing learning recognition. As a former child refugee, she brings lived insight into cross-border recognition, documentation gaps, and the human impact of credential assessment systems. Hannah approaches recognition as both a technical and deeply human endeavour—believing that how institutions recognize learning reflects how they value people. She holds a Master of Arts in Professional Communication and is an Associate Certified Coach (ACC) with the International Coaching Federation.
UNESCO Global Recognition Convention & Policy Guidance
Credit Mobility and Transfer Systems 
RPL / PLAR / Prior Learning Assessment & Micro-credentials

Part 3. Study Abroad, Mobility, and Recognition of Learning Across Borders

Wednesday, April 15, 2026 — 9:00 AM ET / 3:00 PM CET

This session focuses on study abroad and international mobility, where recognition practices are central to partnerships, student success, and institutional trust.

Key topics include:

  • Aligning study abroad recognition and re-entry assessment with the UNESCO Global Convention
  • Recognizing learning completed through partner institutions, short-term programs, and microcredentials earned abroad
  • Integrating diverse evidence of learning—transcripts, grade conversions, competency statements, and digital credentials—into recognition processes
  • Strengthening institutional frameworks to support mobility, equity, and global engagement
Registration Closed

Panelist

Borhene Chakroun

Director, Division for Policies and Lifelong Learning Systems, UNESCO
Borhene Chakroun is an engineer and has a PhD in Education Sciences from Bourgogne University in France. Borhene worked, during the 1990s, as trainer, chief trainer, project manager. He has also worked as short-term consultant for the EU, World Bank and other international organisations before coming to the European Training Foundation (ETF) in 2001. At the ETF, Borhene worked as Senior Human Capital Development specialist. He is now Director of Policies and Lifelong Learning Systems Division at UNESCO-HQ. Borhene conducted a range of policy reviews and skills systems diagnosis in different contexts. He has authored and co-authored various articles and books in the field of skills development and lifelong learning. Much of his most recent work focuses on global trends in reforming education and training systems and global agenda for skills development in the context of the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda. He is also the coordinator of the Global Education Coalition launched by UNESCO to respond to the COVID-19 crisis. Borhene is now acting director of UNESCO International Institute for Higher Education in Latin America and Caribbean (IESLAC).

Joachim Wyssling

Deputy Executive Manager, European University Foundation
Joachim Wyssling is Deputy Executive Manager at the European University Foundation (EUF). With expertise in higher education policy, program evaluation, and EU- funded projects, he served as Vice-President of the Erasmus Student Network, gaining deep insights into student mobility and quality indicators. At the EUF, he has contributed to the implementation of a cross-border mobility programme with embedded recognition and quality-assurance mechanisms. Further to this, he contributed to the development of digital transformation initiatives such as Erasmus Without Paper and MyAcademicID, aimed at supporting cross-border data exchange between European higher education institutions. He is a firm advocate for leveraging the benefits of digitalisation to focus student mobility management on the quality and recognition of studies abroad.

Jelger de Boer

Advisor Strategy and Innovation, GDN Board Member·Dienst Uitvoering Onderwijs (DUO)
Jelger is the current President of the Board of Directors of the Groningen Declaration Network (GDN) and holds the position of account manager in the Policy and Strategy Department of DUO. He has extensive experience in strategy, policy, data management and the implementation of new legislation and regulations in relation to the Register of Education Participants (ROD) and the Registration of Institutions and Training (RIO) in the Netherlands.

Global Convention on Higher Education (UNESCO)
https://www.unesco.org/en/higher-education/global-convention

Transforming Higher Education: A Global Roadmap for the Future (UNESCO)
https://www.unesco.org/en/articles/transforming-higher-education-global-roadmap-future

The AUREA Project
https://aurea-project.eu

EWP Convention (Erasmus Without Paper)
https://ewpconvention.uni-foundation.eu

Part 4. Article VII — Fair Recognition When Qualifications Cannot Be Documented

Wednesday, May 13, 2026 — 9:00 AM ET / 3:00 PM CET

Article VII of the UNESCO Global Convention addresses one of the most complex challenges in credential recognition: how to fairly assess qualifications when applicants are unable to provide standard documentation. This situation is most visible in cases involving refugees, displaced persons, and individuals affected by conflict or crisis—but it is also increasingly relevant in the digital age, where institutional records may be lost, compromised, inaccessible, or no longer maintained.

This webinar explores how institutions can apply the Convention’s principles of fairness, flexibility, and the burden of proof when traditional evidence—such as transcripts, certificates, or verified digital records—is unavailable. Participants will examine both humanitarian and systemic dimensions of undocumented qualifications, including future-facing risks related to digital archiving, cybersecurity incidents, and institutional closures or mergers.

Key topics include:

  • Understanding Article VII and its implications for institutional recognition practices
  • Assessing learning and qualifications in the absence of standard documentation
  • Using alternative and supplementary tools such as Qualifications Passports, structured interviews, competency assessments, sworn statements, and partial evidence
  • Balancing academic integrity with equitable and student-centered recognition
  • Preparing policies and workflows for documentation loss in an increasingly digital environment

This session is particularly relevant for admissions officers, credential evaluators, registrars, and policy leaders seeking to build resilient, humane, and Convention-aligned recognition practices.

Register now

Panelist

Beka Tavartkiladze

Senior Director, Global Education and Knowledge, World Education Services
Beka Tavartkiladze brings over 23 years of expertise in international academic credential evaluation and global education systems. He has worked extensively with licensing bodies, higher education institutions, and Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC), where he played a key role in the development of the Express Entry points grid and WES's designation as an official assessment body. Beka has collaborated with the Council of Ministers of Education, Canada, and CICIC to improve the consistency and portability of credential assessments across the country, contributing to the development of the Pan-Canadian Quality Standards. He is a member of CICIC's Quality Assurance Framework (QAF) Steering Committee, and has served on expert panels including the Canadian Alliance of Physiotherapy Regulators and the OECD's Future of Work Forum. A recognized thought leader, Beka serves on the Board of Directors for the Groningen Declaration Network (GDN), supports the TNE Quality Benchmark Services Advisory Board, and chaired the 2023 - 2024 TAICEP Conference Committee. He also contributes to the Paris Declaration - ePIC editorial board, advancing global dialogue on open recognition and digital credentials. Beka frequently presents at international conferences on the recognition of global qualifications and the future of learning recognition.

Stig Arne Skjerven

Chair, UNESCO Global Convention on the Recognition of Qualifications concerning Higher Education
Stig Arne Skjerven is the first elected Chair (2023-2027) of the UNESCO Global Convention on the Recognition of Qualifications concerning Higher Education. Prior to that, for over a decade, Skjerven was instrumental in the establishment and implementation of this first UN normative instrument in higher education. For eight years Skjerven was leading Norway’s work in recognition of foreign qualifications, he has twice been elected Chair of the European Network of Information Centers / ENIC Bureau under the Lisbon Recognition Convention, and he has held the position as Director of Academic Affairs at a Norwegian public Higher Education Institution. Skjerven has been paramount in the development of the Qualifications Passport for Refugees, by Council of Europe and UNESCO respectively. Currently, Skjerven works for Norway’s Directorate for Higher Education and Skills. His international experience includes multilateral and UN diplomacy, strategy, leadership, public speaking, quality assurance in higher education, recognition of qualifications, transnational education, micro-credentials, strategic communication, policy formulation, global partnership and capacity building in higher education.

Divine Edem Kwadzodeh

Secretary General, All-Africa Students Union

Annetta Stroud

Director, Content & Curriculum, AACRAO

Part 5. Article VIII — Digital Information, Transparency, and Institutional Responsibility

Article VIII of the UNESCO Global Convention focuses on the obligation of State Parties—and, by extension, higher education institutions—to provide clear, authoritative, and easily accessible information about their higher education systems. In practice, this places increasing responsibility on institutions to ensure that accurate, up-to-date, and digital information is publicly available to support fair recognition decisions across borders.

This webinar examines how Article VIII shapes institutional responsibilities in the digital information landscape and why transparent, well-maintained information infrastructures are foundational to trust, mobility, and recognition.

Participants will explore:

  • The intent and scope of Article VIII in relation to digital information provision
  • What constitutes “authoritative” and “easily accessible” information in practice
  • Institutional roles in documenting and publishing information on:
    • Education systems and qualifications frameworks
    • Quality assurance and accreditation mechanisms
    • Recognized institutions and programs
    • Institutional name changes, mergers, closures, and historical continuity
  • Risks and consequences of incomplete, outdated, or inaccessible digital information
  • Practical strategies for maintaining reliable institutional knowledge in a changing digital environment

Designed for institutional leaders, registrars, quality assurance professionals, international offices, and policy stakeholders, this webinar highlights how strong digital information practices are not only a compliance issue, but a core enabler of fair and effective recognition under the UNESCO Global Convention.

Opens Soon

GDN Hero Story: The Canadian Military, Veteran and Family Connected Campus Consortium (CMVF3C)

Wednesday, April 8, 2026 — 1:00 PM ET / 7:00 PM CET

CMVF3C is a national consortium of postsecondary institutions committed to supporting Canadian Armed Forces members, Veterans, and their families. 

Anchored in the spirit of the UNESCO Global Convention on the Recognition of Qualifications concerning Higher Education, CMVF3C provides a practical example of how institutions can move beyond traditional admissions and credit models to create more inclusive, skills-responsive systems.

Registration Closed
CMVF3C / Military‑Connected Campus & Working Groups
CAF / DND tools & frameworks
Provincial / institutional military recognition initiatives
Military transcript / MPRR assessment & micro‑credential
Broader CAF / defense initiatives
Recognition, conventions, policy, and research
CAPLA / PLAR events
Councils on admission, transfer, and related bodies
 

GDN Hero Story: Beyond Documents: Innovative Pathways to Recognizing Prior Learning in Challenging Contexts

Wednesday, May 20, 2026 — 9:00 AM ET / 3:00 PM CET

Featuring insights from the Georgian ENIC-NARIC Centre, the session will highlight their pioneering approach to evaluating qualifications and learning in complex contexts, offering a model for systems seeking to expand access and equity. Participants will also hear from World Education Services (WES), which will present the WES Gateway Program—a well-established alternative pathway for recognizing academic credentials when official documentation is incomplete or unavailable.

Together, these examples demonstrate how institutions and organizations are putting the UNESCO Global Convention on the Recognition of Qualifications into action—moving from principle to practice. 

Register now

Moderator for the Sessions

Joanne Duklas

Executive Director, The GDN Network
Joanne Duklas is an award-winning leader in higher education who serves as the executive director of the GDN Network while also leading scholarly research projects and her own consulting firm in higher education providing research and consulting support to governments, institutions, and sector organizations. She most recently served as one of the co-founders and executive lead for the MyCreds™ | MesCertif™ National Network in Canada. She is an expert in the higher education field and has authored several publications, presentations, and keynote addresses to advance best practice, standards, transfer, and student mobility including recent chapter contributions on digitization, trust, privacy, and fraud in the Second Handbook on Academic Integrity and Fake Degrees and Fraudulent Credentials in Higher Education.

Who Should Attend

This series is designed for admissions professionals, transfer credit evaluators, study abroad staff, registrars, academic leaders, and policy makers involved in credential recognition and learner mobility.

By the end of the series, participants will have a clearer understanding of how to apply the UNESCO Global Convention across institutional functions and how diverse forms of learning evidence can support fair, transparent, and student-focused recognition practices.

Registrars

Academic leaders

Policy makers

Admissions professionals

Transfer credit evaluators

Study abroad staff

Hero Open Recognition Webinar

Revisit this session exploring how to build open, equitable, and future-ready recognition ecosystems, and discover how the UNESCO Global Convention and the Open Recognition Manifesto can be transformed into fair, inclusive, learner-centred recognition systems.

Our panelists were:

  • Serge Ravet, President, Reconnaître – Open Recognition Alliance
  • Beka Tavartkiladze, Senior Director, Global Education and Knowledge, World Education Services (WES)
  • Julie Reddy, Professor of Practice, University of Johannesburg
  • Joanne Duklas, Executive Director, The GDN Network