Following the Steering Committee meeting in Brussels, 13 Feburary 2014, UNICA signed memoranda of understanding with the Coimbra Group of Brazilian Universities (CGBU) and the Organisation of American States (OAS). Both agreements are in conformity with the “Criteria for engagements outside the European area”, document approved by the UNICA General Assembly 2013.
The two memoranda of understanding are general in their nature and do not commit UNICA Member Universities in any way while at the same time opening a possible window for new cooperation opportunities.
UNICA Steering Committee has appointed two academic coordinators to guide the cooperation:
for OAS: Prof. Jean-Pierre De Greve, former Vice-Rector for International Affairs, Vrije U. Brussel, former UNICA SC member
for CGBU: Prof. José Esteves Pereira, Vice-Rector for International Relations, Universidade Nova de Lisboa
Together with the Organisation of American States and the Coimbra Brazil Network of Universities, UNICA is currently preparing a joint training on curriculum development & capacity building for the universities from Northern Latin America and the Caribbean (planned for July 2014 and December 2014).
More information:
About Coimbra Group of Brazilian Universities (www.grupocoimbra.org.br) - The Coimbra Group of Brazilian Universities (CGBU) was formally appointed as an Association of University Leaders on November 27, 2008. GCUB is composed of national universities. Its mission is to promote interinstitutional and international integration by means of staff and student mobility programmes and to encourage internationalization of the Group's member institutions.
About the Organisation of American States (www.oas.org) - The Organization of American States is the world’s oldest regional organization, dating back to the First International Conference of American States, held in Washington, D.C., October 1889 - April 1890. Today, the OAS brings together all 35 independent states of the Americas and has a permanent observer status to 67 states, as well as to the European Union. The OAS Department of Human Development, Education and Culture is working with Ministries of Education, universities and other organizations on various projects designed to strengthen policy dialogue and quality of education, especially with regard to professional development of teachers in the region.