On July 22 and 23, 2026, the Higher Institute for Teacher Education Salomé Ureña (ISFODOSU) and the UNESCO International Institute for Higher Education in Latin America and the Caribbean (UNESCO IESALC) celebrated the completion of the Teacher Competency Development Program (PDCD) and the Culture of Peace Program, implemented between the second semester of 2025 and the first semester of 2026. The event consolidated a partnership aimed at strengthening education and human development in the region.
The ceremony was opened by ISFODOSU Rector Nurys del Carmen González; Academic Vice Rector Carmen Gálvez; Franklin Tejeda, UNESCO Focal Point for the Dominican Republic; and Blanca Bernabé García, UNESCO IESALC Academic Coordinator and program lead. Also participating were Milta Lora, Vice Rector for Innovation and Development; academic directors and program and campus coordinators; representatives of the Dominican Republic’s Ministry of Higher Education, Science and Technology (MESCyT) and Ministry of Education (MINERD); as well as teachers, counselors, and participants from both programs, alongside representatives of UNESCO IESALC.
The Teacher Competency Development Program (PDCD) supported 71 faculty members through a 100-hour training process, resulting in the redesign of 56 syllabi incorporating active learning methodologies, digital technologies, and a focus on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The Culture of Peace Program trained 13 counselors in 25 hours, who collaboratively developed four Institutional Culture of Peace Pathways aimed at conflict prevention and fostering coexistence through a human rights-based approach.
In her welcoming remarks, Academic Vice Rector Carmen Gálvez emphasized the importance of sustainability for ISFODOSU, an institution that has already advanced strategies to become a Green Campus. She expressed the institution’s intention to continue implementing the integration of the SDGs into course syllabi in partnership with UNESCO IESALC.
Blanca Bernabé García, UNESCO IESALC Academic Coordinator, highlighted the importance of continuing to strengthen the capacities of higher education institutions across the region.
Today we conclude two programs, different in their focus but united by a common purpose: strengthening the human and institutional capacities that make possible a more sustainable, relevant, innovative, and socially committed higher education system. This process of capacity development does not end with those who participated directly; it multiplies as each teacher and counselor brings what they have learned back to their school and classroom.
Blanca BernabéAcademic Coordinator, UNESCO IESALC
The academic agenda featured the keynote lecture “Education for Sustainable Development: Competencies for Global Citizenship and a Culture of Peace,” delivered by Tatiana Molina from the Center for University Pedagogies (CPU), as well as the workshop “Let’s Get Inspired: Creativity for Change,” led by Kely Alejandra Quiros, UNESCO IESALC specialist. The program also included opportunities for participants to exchange experiences and lessons learned. In addition, the agenda included a roundtable moderated by Tatiana Molina (CPU), with the participation of Franklin Tejeda, representing UNESCO; Academic Vice Rector Carmen Gálvez; and, on behalf of UNESCO IESALC, Blanca Bernabé and Kely Alejandra Quiros. During the discussion, panelists reflected on sustainability and a culture of peace as transformative pillars of higher education, underscoring their role in preparing citizens committed to sustainable development. In this session, Tejeda presented the innovative Education in Colors projects developed in the Dominican Republic as examples of initiatives that promote these principles.
One of the most meaningful moments of the event was the diploma ceremony, recognizing the commitment and leadership of those who completed both programs. The ceremony symbolized not only the conclusion of a training process but also the formation of a network of professionals prepared to advance higher education quality and the Sustainable Development Goals through teaching and institutional management.
Through this initiative, UNESCO IESALC and ISFODOSU reaffirm their commitment to continuing to promote capacity development, institutional transformation, and regional cooperation.
read more: https://www.iesalc.unesco.org/en/articles/unesco-iesalc-and-higher-institute-teacher-education-salome-urena-strengthen-capacities-dominican
