Higher education in Asian countries and the role of international ...

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these legal instruments. IIEP is building capacities in policy development and reforms in
education sector including higher education through technical assistance, training of planners and
managers; assisting in improving administrative competencies, leadership skills; promoting
effective organization; foster policy forums, international co-operation and networking.
UNESCO-Bangkok office and other 18 UNESCO offices in Asia produce intellectual and
research material in the form of publications, reports, toolkits, guidelines, and newsletters. This
material contributes to the ongoing process of policy development, effective planning and
capacity development measures in the field of higher education.
The process of networking through UNESCO-Chairs and UNITWIN program promote
collaboration and cooperation among higher education intuitions, enhances research capacities,
encourages sharing of resources. Furthermore under the banner of UNESCO number of
conferences, seminars, workshops, forums, roundtables and training camps are arranged at sub-
regional and regional levels. These all initiatives contribute to higher education through the
exchange of ideas, resources and knowledge sharing, induction of new schemes, training,
institutional and individuals‟ capacity building, human capital development and through
benefiting from international experiences. Likewise the programs of Education for All (EFA),
the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), the United Nations Literacy Decade (UNLD) and
United Nations Decade of Education for Sustainable Development (DESD) are also contributing
to the development of higher education in long terms.
UNESCO and the World Bank have launched a joint program, GIQAC, that aims to help
member countries in quality assurance process in higher education. This program focus policy
reforms and capacities building in quality assurance process through technical assistance and
trainings.
UNESCO works to enable disadvantaged communities to participate, contribute and benefit from
the pool of knowledge (Haddad 2005). The outcomes of UNESCO initiatives in Asian region are
not directly measurable though the long-term impacts of UNESCO programs and projects are
extensive as well as cumulative because the process of human capacity development and reforms
in education sector play crucial roles in shaping the higher education in the member countries,
likewise it also promotes inter-state collaboration and inter-institutional networking that enhance