Presentation of the University Development Cooperation Plan 2011-2015

The University Development Cooperation Plan 2011-2015 (UDC Plan) has been presented publicly on Thursday, 20th January 2011, at the historic building of the Universitat de Barcelona. The event has been conducted by the Rector of the university and president of ACUP Dr. Dídac Ramírez, Josep Maria Vilalta, Executive Secretary of the Catalan Association of Public Universities (ACUP), and has received the interventions of Goolam Mohamedbhai, former secretary general of the Association of African Universities (AAU) and the International Association Universities (IAU), Josep Ribera, founder and former head of the CIDOB Foundation, and Antoni Castellà, Secretary for Universities and Research of the Generalitat of Catalonia.

The UDC Plan, promoted by the ACUP and elaborated with the participation of Catalan and international experts, is based on the importance of higher education for development as well as the responsibility of universities to contribute to education for responsible citizenship. Its main objective is to increase the efficiency, quality and impact of the actions of university development cooperation through collaboration and coordination of activities in Catalonia. It represents a clear commitment by Catalan universities to a sustainable global human development. Catalan public universities which comprise the ACUP have, with this plan, expressed their intention to view education and research from a global perspective, taking into account the existing inequalities in the world, and to promote universities which are international and at the same time socially committed.

The UDC Plan, which is the result of an extensive and rewarding process of reflection, has arisen from the desire of Catalan public universities to provide themselves with an instrument which enables them to jointly tackle the current challenges faced by UDC. Based on the importance of higher education and research for human development, and the potential and possibilities offered by universities as development actors, the UDC Plan represents a proactive and joint response by Catalan public universities to the future of university development cooperation.

The preparation of the UDC Plan has enjoyed the collaboration of experts from various national and international organizations as the Barcelona Centre for International Health Research (CRESIB), the Global University Network for Innovation (GUNI), the International Catalan Institute for Peace, the Catalan Federation of NGOs, the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD), the Netherlands Organization for International Cooperation in Higher Education (Nuffic), the Norwegian Centre for International Cooperation in Higher Education (SIU) and public administrations as the Diputació of Barcelona, the Generalitat of Catalonia and the Spanish Agency for Development Cooperation. It has been financed by the Catalan Agency of Development Cooperation.

The first part of the UDC Plan discusses the importance of higher education and research for development, the responsibility of universities in the global human development and its role in the formation of responsible citizenship. There is also a review of the current situation of university development cooperation in Catalan universities and the respective policies in Catalonia, Spain and Europe.  The second part sets out the main objectives to be achieved and the priorities and strategic actions for the period 2011-2015.

The document shows the inequality between universities of northern countries and southern countries. It is noted that without significantly increasing the capabilities of universities in southern countries the Millennium Development Goals, established by the United Nations, will not be achieved. However, the UDC Plan not only focuses on the role of universities in southern countries, but it also examines the responsibility of universities in the northern ones. In this regard, it emphasizes the training of responsible citizenship, and it also stresses the great need of educating citizens in order to be informed and act consciously, contributing to the global sustainable development. In the same way, it highlights the need for research activities that take into account the needs of southern countries.

In accordance with the guidelines of the UDC Plan, ACUP has already started projects such as the "Program of Cooperation with African Universities", that aims to establish stable relations with African universities, strengthen institutional capacities of the participating universities through training and mobility of executives and managers to exchange experiences and best practices, and create a knowledge network among participants. One of the projects of this program is the "Innovation and entrepreneurship in Africa" project, which will develop the virtual platform "Technipedia" as an instrument to help create business.