In Latin Amrica, broad and growing consensus exists that in future societies will depend to a large extent on their capacity to generate new knowledge. Scientific research and technological development, as well as the ability to adopt and adapt new technologies, are strategies in the effort to increase competitiveness in the world economy and to achieve greater collective well-being. Universities, the traditional locus of research in the region, are being challenged to help countries stimulate economic growth and ensure a sustained and equitable process of development. But unless universities themselves engage in a comprehensive process of transformation, they will have limited capacity to become key actors in social and economic development. The formidable task ahead requires a redefinition of policies, plans, guiding principles, innovation in programs and curricula, and strengthening of management capacity. In sum, institutions must commit themselves to significant change and engage in a process of comprehensive restructuring.

In November 1996, a regional conference organized by UNESCO's Regional Center for Higher Education in Latin America and the Caribbean--now the International Institute for Higher Education (IESALC)--was held in Havana, Cuba. The conference was attended by 700 participants; conference proceedings, including 132 papers, keynote speeches, and reports, have been published in Spanish, English, and French. A follow-up Caribbean meeting was held in June 1998, with some 50 participants from the region.

A regional plan of action emerged from these meetings and has been a major undertaking of IESALC. The Plan addresses actions along five major issues:

1. Improving the Relevance of Postsecondary Education. The plan of action identifies education in general, and higher education in particular, as essential instruments, of strategic value, to cope with the challenges of the modern world and to prepare citizens capable of building a fairer and more open society, based on solidarity, respect of human rights, and the shared use of knowledge and information. Higher education should contribute to social and economic development, as well as participate in the struggle against poverty and the promotion of the culture of peace.

2. Improving Quality. The plan calls for a commitment to the true essence and work of higher education. Here it should be remembered that the quality of higher education is a multidimensional concept, which relates to the nature of institutions and areas of knowledge and must be viewed within the framework of national, regional, and local priorities.

3. Improvement of Management and Financing Capacity. Given the importance of higher education for development, the Plan acknowledges the unavoidable responsibility of the state in its financing. The Plan calls for streamlining and reforming the management of institutions at all levels and diversifying their sources of financing, based on research on higher education. Systems and institutions need to be assisted in identitying present challenges and future trends, to allow them to respond swiftly and effectively to occurrances in different fields.

4. Putting the New Information and Communication Technologies to Work for Higher Education. Countries of the region need to be encouraged to make the necessary investments in support of an adequate infrastructure in telecommunications and teleinformatics to provide the higher education community with flexible and cheap connections to the global networks. Higher education institutions should be urged to integrate the new technologies in all areas of their work.

5. Reformulating International Cooperation. The plan calls for a reappraisal of international cooperation. The development of higher education and science and technology should be oriented toward the intellectual, cultural, scientific, technological, humanistic, and social capacities of the region. A new framework of international collaboration will make possible the launching of innovative programs in research, teaching, and social analysis.

IESALC will focus its resources on higher education reform in the region, and on the achievement of the objectives set forth in the plan of action. IESALC will promote interinstitutional collaboration, curricular reform, and the establishment of evaluation and accreditation systems; sponsor a continuous program of research in the field; and provide technical expertise for the construction of reliable higher education information systems in Latin America and the Caribbean. But most importantly, IESALC will work with institutions seeking change, to redirect the course of higher education and development in the region.