Lisbon Recognition Convention facts for kids
| Convention on the Recognition of Qualifications concerning Higher Education in the European Region | |
|---|---|
| Signed | 11 April 1997 |
| Location | Lisbon, Portugal |
| Effective | 1 February 1999 |
| Condition | Ratifications including 3 member States of the Council of Europe and/or the UNESCO Europe Region. |
| Parties | 54 (all Council of Europe member states, except Monaco and Greece), as well as Australia, Belarus, Canada, Holy See, Israel, Kazakhstan, Kyrghyz Republic, New Zealand and Tajikistan |
| Depositary | Secretary General of the Council of Europe and Director-General of UNESCO |
| Languages | English and French |
The Lisbon Recognition Convention is an important international agreement. It was created by the Council of Europe and UNESCO. This convention helps make sure that school and university qualifications from one country are accepted in another.
As of 2012, many countries have agreed to follow this convention. This includes almost all 47 member states of the Council of Europe. Countries outside Europe like Australia, Canada, Israel, and New Zealand have also joined. The United States has signed it but hasn't officially agreed to follow it yet.
Contents
What the Convention Aims To Do
This agreement helps students and graduates who want to study or work in a different country. It says that degrees and study periods from one country should be accepted in another. This is true unless there are big differences in what was learned.
The convention also makes sure that students and graduates are treated fairly. This means that decisions about their qualifications must be clear and just. The convention is named after Lisbon, Portugal, where it was signed in 1997. It officially started on February 1, 1999.
Who Helps with the Convention?
The Lisbon Recognition Convention set up two main groups to help it work well:
- The Committee of the Convention on the Recognition of Qualifications concerning Higher Education in the European Region.
- The European Network of Information Centres on Academic Mobility and Recognition (called the ENIC Network).
The Committee's job is to make sure the convention is used correctly. It can give advice and suggestions to countries. The ENIC Network helps countries put the convention into practice every day. They work together to make sure qualifications are recognized smoothly.
How It Connects to the Bologna Process
The Lisbon Recognition Convention is a key part of the Bologna Process. The Bologna Process is a bigger plan to create a "European higher education area". This means making university degrees and quality standards similar across Europe.
The goal is to make it easier for students to move between universities in different European countries. It also helps employers understand qualifications from other nations. The Lisbon Convention helps achieve this by making sure qualifications are recognized.
A Bit of History
For a long time, countries in Europe have wanted to make it easier for students to study abroad. The Council of Europe started working on this idea way back in 1949. They created several agreements over the years to help with this.
These agreements aimed to make sure that diplomas and study periods were accepted across borders. The Lisbon Recognition Convention is the most recent and important step in this effort. It builds on all the earlier work to help students move freely for their education.
See also
In Spanish: Convenio de Reconocimiento de Lisboa para niños
