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 within the Joint Strategic Framework of Belgian Non-Governmental Actors active in Ecuador. On the other hand Belgian HE and Science actors joined in a thematic Joint Strategic Framework (JSF) on HES4SD.
VLIR-UOS cooperation in Ecuador has always been strongly aligned with the Ecuadorian national strategies for improving the quality of life (‘Buen vivir’) and with its priorities in terms of Higher Education and Science supporting the strengthening of higher education institutions in their role as driver of change by improving education, research and extension of new knowledge, applications and services in various domains. This is in line with the objectives of the thematic JSF.