“For refugees, a degree is not an academic luxury, it is the key to their future,” UNESCO new partner of Global University Academy
Higher education as a tool for refugee autonomy, integration and development. On February 5, the Global University Academy, an international initiative of which Université PSL is a founding member, signed a letter of intent with UNESCO to establish an integrated ecosystem for the recognition of prior learning for refugees and people in crisis situations.
Today, more than 130 million people are forcibly displaced worldwide—a figure that has doubled since 2017. With humanitarian funding declining, current responses are struggling to provide sustainable solutions focused on refugee autonomy, inclusion, and development. In this context, Université PSL has partnered with several European, African, and American universities to set up an international program to support refugee and displaced students, in partnership with local universities that wish to contribute: the Global University Academy.
Thursday, February 5th, at the UNESCO Group of Friends for Education in Emergencies Meeting in Paris, the GUA signed a Letter of Intent with UNESCO to build an integrated recognition-to-learning ecosystem for forcibly displaced youth.
By uniting the UNESCO Qualifications Passport, an important tool that serves to recognize displaced individuals’ prior learning, with the GUA, learning is further facilitated through accredited university programs for refugees and displaced learners.
“International collaboration is more important than ever. Universities need to engage, and our students expect us to engage,” said Svein Stølen, Chairman of the Global University Academy.
The Global University Academy brings together universities and partners worldwide to expand access to higher education for refugees and displaced learners. The model integrates innovative pedagogy, relevant curricula, inclusive access, multi-actor partnerships, and shared financing to overcome the barriers that have kept refugees out of higher education.
The signing of the Letter of Intent is an important milestone in the cooperation between GUA and UNESCO, to make it easier to join forces where possible, and complementing each other’s activities, tools and approaches. A more coherent and complementary approach will ultimately lead to transformative change for refugees.
“Talent is democratic, it’s everywhere,” said Stefania Giannini, Assistant Director General for Education, during the meeting. “Higher education is a strategic investment in dignity. [This partnership will contribute to] building the bridge from recognition to opportunity” for displaced learners who previously lacked access to higher education.
As the UNESCO Qualifications Passport grants a globally recognized proof of prior learning, the GUA provides an essential institutional framework to welcome displaced individuals and ensure their education needs are met, on the ground.
“The course contents, the teaching methods, the preparation and support provided to learners must all be adapted to the [local] context to ensure they are truly relevant for the displaced learners,” according to Catherine Dixon, Executive Director of InZone, University of Geneva.
An accredited degree for displaced learners can open a myriad of opportunities, facilitating recognition of their higher education learning on an international level, recognized most importantly by employers.
“For refugees, a degree is not an academic luxury, it is the key to their future,” concluded Jennifer Heurley, Vice President of International Relations at Université PSL, member of the Global University Academy. “Universities therefore play an essential role in the humanitarian-development-peace nexus, transforming the educational emergency into a long-term investment.”
The Global University Academy
The Global University Academy brings together universities willing to pool contributions and work with local partners to expand access to higher education for refugees, displaced learners, and their local communities through accredited programs.
In close collaboration across the network, and with relevant national partners, the Global University Academy will develop a scalable and sustainable model of hybrid courses on foundation and bachelor’s level. To achieve this, partners are working to develop an academic model sensitive to the distinctive needs of refugee and their communities, and to the different local contexts. National university partnerships are essential and, where possible, the Global University Academy model will be based on national co-hosting and co-designing of courses.
As refugees find themselves both in a long-lasting and intractable state of limbo, and in immediate emergencies, the model will have to be implementable in both situations. Support services, local tutors and necessary infrastructure are also vital components in the model and will be adapted to each location.
The Global University Academy launched its first courses in Jordan, Summer 2025, and will continue to roll out new courses in the coming months and years.