Uzbekistan Joins UNESCO Convention on Mutual Recognition of Diplomas

Uzbekistan has joined UNESCO’s Global Convention on the Recognition of Qualifications, an agreement that requires member states to mutually recognise diplomas obtained in other participating countries.

In early November, Uzbekistan ratified the convention for higher education, becoming the first Central Asian country to join the initiative.

The Agency for Assessment of Knowledge and Qualifications explained that diplomas from higher education institutions in Russia, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan and other countries may now be directly recognised in Uzbekistan without undergoing the nostrification process. Under national law, foreign diplomas can be recognised without exams or additional verification if international agreements allow it.

The Global Convention on the Recognition of Qualifications is the first international instrument of its kind created under UNESCO. Participating countries are obliged to recognise verified qualifications from other states that have joined the convention. Recognition is still guided by national regulations and may be refused only if there are substantial differences between education systems.

Currently, 38 countries are party to the convention, while around ten more are in the process of joining. Member states include:

Europe: France, United Kingdom, Finland, Norway, Sweden, Iceland, Hungary, Andorra, Armenia, Croatia, Estonia, Lithuania, Moldova, Romania, Slovakia, Georgia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Holy See, San Marino, Luxembourg

Americas: Cuba, Nicaragua, Ecuador, Uruguay

Africa: South Africa, Tunisia, Cabo Verde, Djibouti, Côte d’Ivoire, Guinea, Senegal

Asia: Japan, South Korea, Mongolia, Yemen, Palestine

Australia and Oceania: Australia, New Zealand

Uzbekistan will become a full participant three months after submitting its formal confirmation.

«Mutual recognition mechanisms for qualifications apply only between countries that are parties to the convention,» the agency noted.