MSLU at the Forum of Rectors of Russia and Cuba

Moscow State Linguistic University took part in the 13th International Congress of Higher Education "University and Innovations for Sustainable and Inclusive Development", which was held in Havana (Cuba) from February 7 to 11. It was organized by the Ministry of Higher Education of Cuba and the largest Cuban universities. The congress was attended by representatives of more than 30 leading organizations from the Ibero-American region, the Asian region, and European countries. This year the Forum was dedicated to Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) - 17 interrelated goals developed in 2015 by the UN General Assembly as "a plan to achieve a better and more sustainable future for all".

Irina Shokina, Head of MSLU Department of International Cooperation and Internationalization, presented the report “Sustainable Development Goals in the Academic Context: Synergy of Methods, Theories and Practices of MSLU”. She dwelled on the contribution of our university to providing quality education and promoting lifelong learning opportunities for all, promoting productive employment and decent work for all, and developing multi-stakeholder partnerships to share knowledge, experience, technology, and support.

The opening ceremony of the Forum was attended by Miguel Diaz-Canel, President of the Republic of Cuba. Ms Shokina had the honour to talk to President and intruduce briefly one of the key joint projects of MSLU and Cuban universities — designing a network master's programme in Information Security at the University of CUJAE together with MSLU and UCI.

As part of the business program of the Congress, the MSLU representative also met with Jose Ramon Saborido Loidi, Minister of Higher Education of Cuba, and had a series of negotiations and working meetings with colleagues from partner Cuban universities - the University of Havana, the University of Information Sciences, the Technological University of Jose Antonio Echeverria, the University of Matanzas "Camilo Cienfuegos". The prospects for concluding new agreements with the Universities of Las Tunas and Marta Abreu University were also discussed. The parties noted the importance of organizing student exchanges and staff development programmes, creating joint educational interdisciplinary programmes.

MSLU reinstated its strong contacts with the director of the Translation Agency of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Cuba (ESTI). Our university plans to conduct online advanced training for translators of the Cuban Foreign Ministry, as well as to send an editor-teacher there after the pandemic.