Overview of the FIP-UNESCO UNITWIN Programme
In 2010, FIP and UNESCO, in collaboration with the FIP University College London School of Pharmacy Collaborating Centre, established an innovative global programme under the UNITWIN framework—the FIP-UNESCO UNITWIN Cooperation Programme in Global Pharmacy Education Development (GPhEd). Recognised as the FIP-UNESCO UNITWIN programme, it stands as a pioneering initiative, being the first in higher education for health professionals and the first dedicated to global pharmaceutical education.
The FIP-UNESCO UNITWIN Network on Global Pharmacy Education Development aims to promote an integrated system of research, teaching, and training, as well as community engagement and communication. It facilitates collaboration between high-level, internationally recognised researchers and teaching staff of the coordinating institution (FIP), member institutions, and other institutions across different regions of the world.
In accordance with the agreement with UNESCO (2023–2027), FIP has established new regional centres for excellence, set to cover each of the World Health Organization (WHO) regions. Centres for excellence have already been launched in Africa, South East Asia and the Western Pacific regions. These centres bring together experts and resources in the region to advance the transformation of pharmaceutical education inspired by the FIP-UNITWIN regional roadmaps on pharmaceutical education and the global call to action on pharmaceutical education.
The objectives for the FIP-UNESCO UNITWIN Network as outlined in the renewed agreement with UNESCO (2023-2027) are to:
The centres aim to facilitate the transformation of pharmaceutical education regionally, underpinned by the following principles:
The FIP-UNESCO UNITWIN Centres for Excellence
FIP-UNESCO UNITWIN Centre for Excellence in the Western Pacific region
The FIP-UNESCO UNITWIN centre for excellence in the Western Pacific region was established on 29 May 2024 under the auspices of FIP’s partnership with UNESCO concerning the UNITWIN Network on Global Pharmacy Education Development.
This third FIP-UNESCO UNITWIN centre for excellence leverages on the achievements and expertise gained from the pioneering FIP UNESCO UNITWIN Centre for Excellence in Africa. The centre aims to:
- Enhance the integrated system of research, training, information, and documentation activities in pharmacy education within the Western Pacific region.
- Lead educational and scientific transformations, and promote interregional collaboration to address sustainability, inequities, and technology in education in the region.
- Cooperate closely with existing FIP-UNESCO UNITWIN regional centres for excellence as well as UNESCO UNITWIN Networks on relevant programmes and activities.
- Implement the FIP regional roadmap for transforming pharmaceutical education specifically:
- To implement patient safety competencies into initial and continuous education curriculum as well as develop an advanced and specialist patient safety programme (DG 19).
- To establish an intra-regional faculty exchange programme for capacity building and knowledge sharing (DG 1).
- To adopt and adapt existing global or national frameworks (from other countries) for early career and/or advanced and specialist development (DG 4).
Academic institutions represented within this centre include:
- Prof. Paul Gallagher, National University of Singapore, Singapore – Centre chair
- Prof. Allan Mathews, Quest International University, Malaysia
- Prof. Adam La Caze, University of Queensland, Australia
- Dr Nurzalina Abdul Karim Khan, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Malaysia
- Dr Maria Fay Nenette, University of Makati, Philippines
- Assoc Prof. Margarita M. Gutierrez, University of Philippines Manila, Philippines
- Dr Renukha Sellappans, Taylor’s University, Malaysia
- Prof. Madya Dr Mahmathi Karuppannan, Universiti Teknologi MARA, Malaysia
- Prof. Sin Chea, University of Puthisastra, Cambodia
- Dr Phoutsathaphone Sibounheuang, University of Health Sciences (UHS), Laos
Individual members of this centre include:
- Assoc Prof. Carl R Schneider, The University of Sydney, Australia
- Prof. Mai Chun Wai, IMU University, Malaysia – Centre deputy chair
- Prof. Hiroshi Okada, Wakayama Medical University, Japan
- Prof. Jaw-Jou Kang, National Yang Ming Chai Tung University, Taiwan
- Dr Sarah Dineen-Griffin, The University of Newcastle, Australia
- Dr Sarira El-Den, The University of Sydney, Australia
- Prof. Kirstie Galbraith, Monash University, Australia
- Dr Suzanne Caliph, Monash University, Australia
- Assoc Prof. Hankil Lee, Ajou University, Republic of Korea
- Dr Nurolaini binti Pg Hj Muhammad Kifli, Universiti Brunei Darussalam, Brunei
- Dr Gerard Lee, University of San Carlos, Philippines
- Rashika Gounder, Fiji National University, Fiji
- Prof. Davaadagva Damdinjav, Mongolian National University for Medical Science, Mongolia
If you have any questions about the toolkit or the FIP-UNITWIN programme do not hesitate to contact FIP at education@fip.org.
FIP-UNESCO UNITWIN Centre for Excellence in the South East Asia region
The FIP-UNESCO UNITWIN centre for excellence in South East Asia was established in 20 October, 2023 under the auspices of FIP’s partnership with UNESCO concerning the UNITWIN Network on Global Pharmacy Education Development.
This second FIP-UNESCO UNITWIN centre for excellence leverages on the achievements and expertise gained from the pioneering FIP UNESCO UNITWIN Centre for Excellence in Africa. The centre aims to:
- Enhance the integrated system of research, training, information, and documentation activities in pharmacy education within the South-East Asian region.
- Lead educational and scientific transformations, and promote interregional collaboration to address sustainability, inequities, and technology in education in the region.
- Cooperate closely with existing FIP-UNESCO UNITWIN regional centres for excellence as well as UNESCO UNITWIN Networks on relevant programmes and activities.
- Implement the FIP regional roadmap for transforming pharmaceutical education specifically:
- Adapt FIP’s global competency framework into the South-East Asian regional context “in line with FIP Development Goal (DG) 5 (Competency development).
- Provide young faculty members with opportunities to build academic capacity (DG1) by developing a Train the Trainer series for all levels of academics, linking to the FIP competency framework for educators.
- Build continuing professional development (DG9) by leveraging FIP’s existing CPD strategies and resources to develop a CPD toolkit, supported by the Provision Programme and the FIP seal for quality.
- Facilitate the implementation of actions from the FIP call to action on pharmaceutical education as relevant to the South-East Asian region’s needs and context.
Seven universities from five of the 11 countries in the World Health Organization South-East Asia region (Bangladesh, India, Indonesia, Nepal, Thailand) are founding members. This includes:
- Prof. Rajani Shakya, Department of Pharmacy, Kathmandu University, Nepal - Lead
- Prof. Surakit Nathisuwan, Faculty of Pharmacy, Mahidol University, Thailand
- Dr Jerad Suresh, Faculty of Pharmacy, Sri Ramachandra Institute of Higher Education & Research, India
- Dr K Sujatha, Sri Ramachandra Faculty of Pharmacy, India
- Dr Editha Renesteen, Faculty of Military Pharmacy, The Republic of Indonesia Defence University, Indonesia
- Assoc Prof. Andi Hermansyah, Faculty of Pharmacy, Universitas Airlangga, Indonesia
- Dr Farzana Islam, School of Pharmacy, Brac University, Bangladesh
- Dr Fadlina Chany Saputri, Faculty of Pharmacy, Universitas Indonesia, Indonesia
- Prof. Neeraj Upmanyu, Sagar Institute of Research & Technology-Pharmacy, Sanjeev Agrawal Global Educational (S.A.G.E.) University, Bhopal-India
Individual members of this centre include:
- Dr Mansi Doshi, Services development & medicines optimisation, India- Deputy Lead
- Dr Antonius Nugraha Widhi Pratama, Universitas Jember, Indonesia
- Prof. Dyah Aryani Perwitasari, Dahlan University, Indonesia
- Dr G. Suma latha, Vikas Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, India
- Dr Uthpali Mannapperuma, Department of Pharmacology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Colombo, Sri Lanka
- Prof. Dr Latt Latt Win, University of Pharmacy Yangon, Myanmar
- Prof. Ei Ei Thin, University of Pharmacy, Mandalay, Myanmar
FIP-UNESCO UNITWIN Centre for Excellence in Africa
The Centre for Excellence in Africa, led by sub-Saharan Africa pharmacy schools, has been a key in generating useful insights, resources and supporting the transformation of pharmacy education on the continent. This first centre for excellence is now transitioning to the first of its kind Africa-wide Association of Schools of Pharmacy.
UNITWIN resources
FIP-UNESCO UNITWIN Strategic Roadmap Roundtable: Focus on the Americas, Europe, and Eastern Mediterranean Regions
FIP has conducted three strategic roadmap meetings with key regional stakeholders to guide the launch and implementation of Centres for Excellence (CfEs) in the Americas (AMR), Europe (EUR), and Eastern Mediterranean (EMR) regions.
Each report provides key insights from the recent regional roundtable meetings, accompanied by a comprehensive analysis of stakeholder contributions. They highlight region-specific challenges, priorities, and opportunities for collaboration—fully aligned with the FIP Development Goals and broader strategic ambitions.
Discussions focused on how these regional roadmaps can contribute to the implementation of the FIP-UNESCO UNITWIN agreement (2023–2027), with particular emphasis on:
- Aligning CfE priorities with FIP Calls to Action and forum agendas
- Updating roadmap activities to reflect evolving regional needs
- Identifying effective mechanisms for regional and global collaboration
The resulting reports are listed below:
- FIP-UNESCO UNITWIN Strategic Roadmap: Focus on the Region of the Americas
- FIP-UNESCO UNITWIN Strategic Roadmap: Focus on the Eastern Mediterranean Region
- FIP-UNESCO UNITWIN Strategic Roadmap: Focus on the European Region
The FIP Global Competency Framework: A validated adaptation for the South East Asia Region
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This landmark output from the FIP-UNESCO UNITWIN Centre for Excellence in South East Asia builds on the foundation of the FIP Global Competency Framework (GbCF) v2. This tailored guide offers an evidence-based tool that is adaptable to the region’s unique needs. It serves as a blueprint for developing a pharmacy workforce that is equipped to provide high-quality care, fostering consistency in education, and bridging the gap between education and professional practice. Access the framework here. |
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FIP Education Transformation Toolkit
One year after the launch of the FIP global call to action on advancing pharmaceutical education, FIP launches the FIP Education transformation toolkit during the FIP-UNITWIN Global Summit on December 13th 2022. This digital toolkit is a collection of FIP resources on pharmaceutical education that will support implementation of the FIP global call to action on advancing on pharmaceutical education. With this toolkit, academic institutions, educators, professional organisations, policy makers and key pharmaceutical stakeholders will be able to adopt and adapt globally relevant resources from FIP to address their needs and priorities in pharmaceutical education in the context of the FIP Development Goals.
We invite you to explore the FIP education transformation toolkit to advance pharmaceutical education in your context and share it on your social media, across your educational and scientific networks, in your university or organisation’s newsletters, and at events and lectures you attend.
You can access the digital toolkit here.
FIP toolkit for addressing inequities in pharmaceutical education
The FIP toolkit for addressing inequities in pharmaceutical education is based on recent FIP findings that point to the need for urgent action to address such inequities. It includes recommendations and a set of focused next steps from the “FIP pharmacy education in sub-Saharan Africa” report and the “FIP global call to action on pharmaceutical education”. Furthermore, UNESCO’s 2021 Global Education Meeting — “Paris declaration: A global call for investing in the futures of education” — which is supported by FIP, emphasises the need to tackle the educational crises and inequalities exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic.
The toolkit is designed to support academic institutions, policy makers, educators and students to achieve equitable, inclusive and quality pharmaceutical education for all, which is crucial for the development of a competent, adaptable and flexible pharmaceutical workforce globally. In the toolkit, you will find global and regional perspectives on inequities in education as well as tools that individuals and institutions can use to assess their inequities status and examine attitudes to the different categories of inequity. Furthermore, the toolkit recommends a number of actions for addressing different types of inequity and offers materials that can be used to raise awareness, drive social change and promote equitable pharmaceutical education.
We invite you to utilise the toolkit to achieve equitable, inclusive and quality pharmaceutical education for all in your context by:
1. Sharing the digital toolkit on your social media, across your educational and scientific networks, in your university or organisation’s newsletters, and at events and lectures you attend;
2. Using the self-assessment tool in Chapter 3 to identify your or your institution’s status on different inequity areas in pharmaceutical education;
3. Sharing the campaign messages and social media cards (which can be found in Chapter 3 of the toolkit) on your social media, or in your presentations;
4. Printing and displaying the campaign poster (which can be found in Chapter 3 of the toolkit) as your commitment to addressing inequities in pharmaceutical education;
5. Advocating that governments and other key decision makers address inequities in pharmaceutical education within your context; and
6. Celebrating if you or your institution is already achieving an equitable, inclusive and quality pharmaceutical education by sharing your good practices with FIP at education@fip.org.
You can access the digital toolkit here.
FIP’s global call to action for advancing pharmaceutical education
In October 2021, FIP organised the FIP-UNITWIN regional workshops, brought FIP’s member academic institutions, professional organisations and key pharmacy stakeholders from each of the World Health Organization’s six regions together, and co-created ONE FIP roadmaps to advance pharmacy and pharmaceutical sciences education. The workshops’ participants identified their regions’ strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats (SWOT) on pharmaceutical education, and prioritised FIP Development Goals (FIP DGs) relevant to needs and priorities in pharmaceutical education.
To address priority FIP DGs and actionable SWOT areas in pharmaceutical education, the workshop participants co-created roadmaps for their regions. The roadmaps provide a systematic and concerted framework for FIP members to advance pharmaceutical education, and support collaboration between FIP members and key pharmaceutical stakeholders in co-creating strategies and solutions for their region.
Following the workshops, on 13 December 2021 at the FIP-UNITWIN global summit on pharmaceutical education, FIP launched the final roadmaps for each region and the “FIP global call to action on pharmaceutical education” for academic institutions, professional organisations, policymakers and key pharmaceutical stakeholders around the world to support the implementation of these roadmaps. FIP’s member academic institutions who participated in the workshops and the global summit will benefit from the opportunity to join the FIP-UNESCO UNITWIN Centre for Excellence in their region, and will be recognised by UNESCO as regional leaders in implementing these roadmaps in solidarity with colleagues in and beyond their region and with FIP.
Setting up new FIP UNITWIN centres for excellence and establishing pharmacy schools’ associations: a pathfinder toolkit
The FIP UNITWIN pathfinder toolkit builds on the work of the FIP-UNESCO UNITWIN programme in sub-Saharan Africa and the decade of history of its Centre for Excellence in Africa (CfEA).
The toolkit has two key objectives:
1. It supports the planned global expansion of the FIP-UNESCO UNITWIN programme by providing step-wise guidance to academic institutions to establish new FIP-UNESCO UNITWIN centres for excellence across all regions of the world. The toolkit provides case studies from the experts/partners/founders about the CfEA and operational resources on transforming pharmacy education through educational networks using the FIP-UNESCO UNITWIN programme’s CfEA approach.
2. It supports pharmacy schools to set up associations and particularly designed to support African academic institutions to establish an Africa-wide association of schools of pharmacy and pharmaceutical sciences. The toolkit provides case studies from regional and country associations of pharmacy schools about their mission, vision, legislative steps, strategic plans and priorities, decision-making, leadership, membership, marketing, partner engagement of associations from other regions, opinions on success and benefits of pharmacy school associations.
The digital toolkit can be accessed here.
FIP pharmacy education in sub-Saharan Africa report: The FIP-UNESCO UNITWIN Programme: A decade of education partnership across Africa
The “FIP pharmacy education in sub-Saharan Africa” report provides an overview of the needs and priorities of pharmacy education in sub-Saharan African countries, with a particular focus on academic capacity and needs-based education.
The report highlights the most challenging and pressing needs in sub-Saharan Africa in terms of health care and societal needs and publishes a decade’s worth of evidence from the FIP-UNESCO UNITWIN Centre for Excellence in Africa of how pharmacy education and pharmaceutical workforce have responded to these ever-changing challenges.
The report provides a set of purposeful ways forward and recommendations to consolidate its impact and build on the findings. It is co-authored and co-created by the institutions that were part of the FIP-UNESCO UNITWIN Centre for Excellence in Africa since its inception in 2010, FIP member organisations and FIP AIM members from the African Region, African Pharmaceutical Forum and supported by the World Health Organization Regional Office for Africa and UNESCO.
| Report can be downloaded here. |
An introductory video on the "FIP pharmacy education in sub-Saharan Africa" report can be watched here:
The webinar recording of the "FIP pharmacy education in sub-Saharan Africa" report launch is available here.