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Synopsis The World Conference on Higher Education (Paris, 5-9 October 1998) was convened by UNESCO with an objective to lay down fundamental principles for the in-depth reform of higher education systems throughout the world. The conference was preceded by a widespread mobilisation of partners, of national policy makers, institutional leaders, the professorate and researchers, the student community, the economic and professional sectors and the civil society. The world declaration and the framework for priority action, the outcomes of the World Conference on Higher Education, will help set up the agenda both for higher education policy making UNESCO member states and for development strategies to be established or further strengthened by UNESCO and its partners. The long-term outcome of the conference will be the efficient and effective renovation and renewal of higher education systems and institutions based on the principles of relevance and quality, and with a commitment to enhance international cooperation and academic solidarity. Much now depends on the dynamism of the coalition of all these – individuals and institutions – involved in the process of change in higher education. The documents adopted at the World Conference on Higher Education (Paris 1998) and at the Regional Conferences on Higher Education (Havana 1996, Dakar 1997, Tokyo 1997, Beirut 1998 and Palermo 1998) presented in this book in their original form will guide in realising the core missions of higher education – to educate, to train, to undertake research, and to provide services to the community – throughout the world in the 21st century.