Global Initiative Bi-Weekly Newsletter
May 8 to May 22, 2026
Kenya
Why refugees could soon enroll to university, colleague without KCSE certificateThousands of refugees living in Kakuma Refugee camp and Daddad Refugee Complex could soon access higher education and skilled employment opportunities despite lacking formal secondary schools certificates.
This follows the unveiling of a new international qualification pathway, G12++, during the recent Education World Form held in London. The programme targets displaced learners whose education was interrupted by war, conflict or forced migration, leaving many without recognised academic documents required for university admission or formal employment. Under the initiative, refugee learners will undergo a structured learning and assessment programme designed to measure their actual abilities and potential rather than the number of years spent in a classroom. Instead of relying on traditional national examinations, the G12++ qualification assesses critical thinking, communication skills, problem-solving abilities and practical understanding of real-life situations….
UN Human Rights project transforms refugee camps into communitiesKenya’s approach to refugee management is at a turning point. As the country begins shifting away from long-standing camp-based systems toward a model centred on integration, places located in Northern Kenya, particularly the Dadaab refugee camps, continue to reflect the enduring weight of displacement.
As one of the largest and oldest refugee settlements in the world, and home to over 409,000 refugees, Dadaab stands as one of the most protracted humanitarian situations globally, shaped by chronic resource shortages, insecurity, and decades of marginalization. In recent years, Kenya has introduced significant reforms aimed at addressing these challenges. The Refugees Act, 2021 and the Shirika Plan signal a move toward a more inclusive, rights-based framework designed to improve protection while creating shared opportunities for refugees and host communities alike. These policies reflect ambition but translating them into meaningful change remains uneven.
Lebanon
Lebanon launches process to disarm Palestinian factions in refugee camps
A joint Lebanese-Palestinian committee tasked with the removal of weapons held by Palestinian factions in Lebanon’s refugee camps has met for the first time to begin hashing out a timetable for disarming the groups.
The Lebanese-Palestinian Dialogue Committee, a government body serving as interlocutor between Palestinian refugees and officials, met on Friday with Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam in attendance. The group said that “participants agreed to launch a process for the disarmament of weapons according to a specific timetable”.It added that it also aimed to take steps to “enhance the economic and social rights of Palestinian refugees”. A Lebanese government source told the news agency AFP that disarmament in the country’s 12 official camps for Palestinian refugees, which host multiple Palestinian factions, including Fatah, its rivals Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad, and a range of other groups, could begin in mid-June.
Save the Children, the Norwegian Refugee Council and the LEGO Foundation partner to bring lifesaving education to 300,000 children in emergenciesAn alliance of international and local humanitarian non-governmental organizations in Lebanon have launched a global fundraising campaign to help families across the country recover from the compounded impacts of conflict, displacement and economic crisis. The initiative is led under the auspices of the Lebanese Ministry of Social Affairs and facilitated by the International Organization for Migration (IOM).
“Lebanon’s humanitarian emergency calls for a response that is fast, coordinated, and rooted in dignity,” said Minister Haneen Sayed. “The Ministry of Social Affairs has been leading this effort, including through the Shock-Responsive Safety Net, our national emergency cash assistance mechanism, which has already reached more than 140,000 displaced households. But the scale of need requires broader solidarity.” Her Excellency added: “This global alliance brings together Lebanese diaspora communities, international supporters, and civil society organizations around a shared responsibility: to stand with families affected by war and displacement.
Rwanda
HEC, varsities in new push to refine education qualityHigher Education Council (HEC) has launched a nationwide outreach programme targeting higher learning institutions, in a move aimed at assessing and improving the quality of education, governance, and programme delivery.
The exercise, which started on Monday, May 4, at the University of Rwanda’s (UR) Nyarugenge Campus, brings together officials from HEC and the Ministry of Education to engage directly with universities on challenges affecting quality teaching and learning, as well as the implementation of the Higher Education Sector Strategic Plan.Speaking at the launch, HEC Director General Edward Kadozi said the initiative is intended to better understand how institutions operate, identify existing gaps, and determine what needs to be done to address them in line with improving the quality of education. “We are going to universities to see how they deliver approved programmes, the issues they encounter, and how we can address them to improve quality,” he said. “This will help us align what is taught with labour market needs.”
UR, partners in drive to remove barriers facing students with disabilities in higher educationEfforts to make higher education more inclusive for persons with disabilities in Rwanda and across East Africa continue to face major setbacks, with experts pointing to persistent infrastructure gaps, limited access to assistive technology, and a shortage of trained rehabilitation professionals as key barriers slowing progress.
Stakeholders say many universities still lack barrier-free facilities, while access to assistive devices remains uneven and inaccessible to many students who need them most. Concerns were also raised over high dropout and repetition rates among students with disabilities, alongside negative attitudes and limited awareness within institutions of higher learning. The issues dominated discussions on May 19, at the University of Rwanda’s (UR) Regional Centre of Excellence in Biomedical Engineering and e-Health (CEBE) at Kigali Innovation City, during the final dissemination conference of the “Breaking Barriers in Education: Inclusion, Rehabilitation, and Technology (BERT) Project.”
Vietnam
North Caucasus Federal University’s Opportunities with Vietnamese Partners
On 22 May 2026, the Deputy Minister of the Russian Federation D.N. Chernyshenko and the President of the Russian Union of Rectors, Rector of the Moscow State University, V.A. Sadovnichy, attended the Third Forum of Rectors of Russian and Vietnamese Universities, which opened in Hanoi.A delegation from the North Caucasus’ largest higher education institutions, including the North Caucasus Federal University (NCFU), participated in the event and held discussions with representatives of the Le Quy Don Technical University (Vietnam) on the possibility of jointly launching educational programmes in Artificial Intelligence (AI), IT, and other disciplines. Following the meeting, NCFU and Le Quy Don Technical University drafted a memorandum of cooperation outlining prospective joint initiatives. Participants also discussed the possibility of Vietnamese students continuing their education at NCFU, specifically at Master’s level, after completing their undergraduate degrees in Vietnam. Vietnamese universities showed particular interest in North Caucasus institutions during the session “Engineering Education in Russia and Vietnam,” where NCFU Rector Tatiana Shebzukhova presented the university’s approach to training engineering specialists.
Latin America
What’s next for Latin American international education in 2026?
Intra-regional and outbound mobility from Latin America are set to grow over the next five years, according to QS Student Flows data, though tighter visa restrictions in major destinations and shifting student priorities are transforming study decisions.
“Outbound flows are being reshaped by affordability pressures and visa tightening in traditional destinations, pushing students toward Europe, especially Spain,” said Studyportals researcher Karl Baldacchino. “Sector analyses highlight affordability, employability and flexibility as the dominant decision drives for Latin American students,” he said, highlighting that post-study rights and labour-market relevance increasingly matter more than institutional brand. What’s more, international student caps in Canada and Australia, as well as stricter English requirements and dependents restrictions in the UK, and political volatility in the US, are accelerating a shift toward continental Europe, stakeholders noted.
Committee for Education in Latin America and the Caribbean begins a new phase of cooperation led by Uruguay and Peru
More than 30 representatives of governments, international organizations, development banks, teachers, students and civil society took part in the meeting of the Regional Steering Committee for Education in Latin America and the Caribbean, held virtually on 12 May and coordinated by the UNESCO Regional Office in Santiago.
The meeting marked the beginning of a new phase of the Committee’s work for the 2026–2027 period, which will be co-chaired by the Ministry of Education and Culture of Uruguay, the Ministry of Education of Peru and UNESCO. This leadership will seek to strengthen regional cooperation in response to the main educational challenges facing the region. During the meeting, Committee members agreed to prioritize a shared agenda centred on the development of more inclusive and resilient education systems, capable of improving learning, strengthening the teaching profession and responding to the changing challenges of digitalization and artificial intelligence.
End!
Thousands of refugees living in Kakuma Refugee camp and Daddad Refugee Complex could soon access higher education and skilled employment opportunities despite lacking formal secondary schools certificates.
This follows the unveiling of a new international qualification pathway, G12++, during the recent Education World Form held in London. The programme targets displaced learners whose education was interrupted by war, conflict or forced migration, leaving many without recognised academic documents required for university admission or formal employment. Under the initiative, refugee learners will undergo a structured learning and assessment programme designed to measure their actual abilities and potential rather than the number of years spent in a classroom. Instead of relying on traditional national examinations, the G12++ qualification assesses critical thinking, communication skills, problem-solving abilities and practical understanding of real-life situations….
Kenya’s approach to refugee management is at a turning point. As the country begins shifting away from long-standing camp-based systems toward a model centred on integration, places located in Northern Kenya, particularly the Dadaab refugee camps, continue to reflect the enduring weight of displacement.
As one of the largest and oldest refugee settlements in the world, and home to over 409,000 refugees, Dadaab stands as one of the most protracted humanitarian situations globally, shaped by chronic resource shortages, insecurity, and decades of marginalization. In recent years, Kenya has introduced significant reforms aimed at addressing these challenges. The Refugees Act, 2021 and the Shirika Plan signal a move toward a more inclusive, rights-based framework designed to improve protection while creating shared opportunities for refugees and host communities alike. These policies reflect ambition but translating them into meaningful change remains uneven.
Lebanon
An alliance of international and local humanitarian non-governmental organizations in Lebanon have launched a global fundraising campaign to help families across the country recover from the compounded impacts of conflict, displacement and economic crisis. The initiative is led under the auspices of the Lebanese Ministry of Social Affairs and facilitated by the International Organization for Migration (IOM).
“Lebanon’s humanitarian emergency calls for a response that is fast, coordinated, and rooted in dignity,” said Minister Haneen Sayed. “The Ministry of Social Affairs has been leading this effort, including through the Shock-Responsive Safety Net, our national emergency cash assistance mechanism, which has already reached more than 140,000 displaced households. But the scale of need requires broader solidarity.” Her Excellency added: “This global alliance brings together Lebanese diaspora communities, international supporters, and civil society organizations around a shared responsibility: to stand with families affected by war and displacement.
Rwanda
Higher Education Council (HEC) has launched a nationwide outreach programme targeting higher learning institutions, in a move aimed at assessing and improving the quality of education, governance, and programme delivery.
The exercise, which started on Monday, May 4, at the University of Rwanda’s (UR) Nyarugenge Campus, brings together officials from HEC and the Ministry of Education to engage directly with universities on challenges affecting quality teaching and learning, as well as the implementation of the Higher Education Sector Strategic Plan.Speaking at the launch, HEC Director General Edward Kadozi said the initiative is intended to better understand how institutions operate, identify existing gaps, and determine what needs to be done to address them in line with improving the quality of education. “We are going to universities to see how they deliver approved programmes, the issues they encounter, and how we can address them to improve quality,” he said. “This will help us align what is taught with labour market needs.”
Efforts to make higher education more inclusive for persons with disabilities in Rwanda and across East Africa continue to face major setbacks, with experts pointing to persistent infrastructure gaps, limited access to assistive technology, and a shortage of trained rehabilitation professionals as key barriers slowing progress.
Stakeholders say many universities still lack barrier-free facilities, while access to assistive devices remains uneven and inaccessible to many students who need them most. Concerns were also raised over high dropout and repetition rates among students with disabilities, alongside negative attitudes and limited awareness within institutions of higher learning. The issues dominated discussions on May 19, at the University of Rwanda’s (UR) Regional Centre of Excellence in Biomedical Engineering and e-Health (CEBE) at Kigali Innovation City, during the final dissemination conference of the “Breaking Barriers in Education: Inclusion, Rehabilitation, and Technology (BERT) Project.”
Vietnam
Latin America
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