Cuba

VLIR-UOS revised its country approach towards an ‘Agenda 2030 on Sustainable Development’ centered approach, where country reference frameworks (CRF) are worked out. The CRF document supports teams of academics when identifying and formulating project proposals, by providing a context analysis focused on Agenda 2030 on Sustainable Development and the higher education sector in a given country, and by providing an overview of Belgian development actors, their ongoing projects and partners in that country in view of exploration of opportunities for synergy and complementarity. On the other hand Belgian HE and Science actors joined in a thematic Joint Strategic Framework (JSF) on HES4SD, all strongly represented in Cuba.

VLIR-UOS cooperation in Cuba has always been strongly aligned with the Cuban national priorities such as in the past increased attention to the development of Eastern (’Oriente’) Cuba, ICT for development, food security, environmental sustainability and quality of life (public and preventive health). In the context of international cooperation, Cuban higher education also prioritises strengthening of processes of internationalisation, institutional and human capacity building, doctoral programmes and research and innovation.