Bilateral agreements

In the field of bilateral cooperation, Portugal – and in particular the Ministry of Education, Science and Innovation (MECI) – is engaged in negotiations and in the implementation of cooperation agreements with around one hundred countries across various continents:

• Europe (28): Germany; Armenia; Austria; Belgium; Bulgaria; Cyprus; Croatia; Denmark; Slovakia; Slovenia; Spain; Estonia; Finland; France; Greece; Hungary; Ireland; Italy; Luxembourg; Malta; Norway; the Netherlands; Poland; the United Kingdom; Romania; Russia; Serbia; Switzerland. 
•  Asian (29): Saudi Arabia; Armenia; Azerbaijan; Qatar; Kazakhstan; China; South Korea; United Arab Emirates; Philippines; India; Indonesia; Iran; Iraq; Israel; Jordan; Kuwait; Laos; Malaysia; Mongolia; Oman; Pakistan; Kyrgyzstan; Singapore; Sri Lanka; Thailand; Tajikistan; Timor-Leste; Turkey; Vietnam. 
• African (27): South Africa; Angola; Algeria; Benin; Cape Verde; Côte d’Ivoire; Egypt; Ethiopia; Gabon; Equatorial Guinea; Guinea-Bissau; Libya; Morocco; Mauritania; Mozambique; Namibia; Nigeria; Kenya; Central African Republic; Democratic Republic of the Congo; Republic of the Congo; São Tomé and Príncipe; Seychelles; Senegal; Swaziland; Tunisia; Zambia. 
•  Americas (15): Argentina; Brazil; Canada; Chile; Colombia; Costa Rica; Cuba; United States of America; Jamaica; Mexico; Panama; Peru; Dominican Republic; Uruguay; Venezuela. 
• Oceania (2): Australia; New Zealand. 

Most of these agreements are aimed at cultural cooperation, namely exchanges and other joint programmes in the field of culture in the broadest sense  - education, science and technology, among other. These agreements, normally generic in character, sometimes require, in specific cases, further regulation, establishing specific measures of cooperation and aid.

The programmes arising from these agreements, which typically last three years, are defined by the joint committees. These programmes generally include the following areas of cooperation:

• the ongoing exchange of documents and information in education, in order to get a better understanding of the different educational systems
• the exchange of education experts, in order to constantly update knowledge of reforms and innovations, both in education systems and pedagogy
• the teaching of languages and cultures of respective countries
• recognition and equivalence of qualifications
• the creation of partnerships between schools
• cooperation in higher education

Regarding the education sector, the priority areas of these policy instruments are:

• the exchange of information and educational practices
• the recognition of equivalent studies
• the mobility of teachers, students and experts
• partnerships among schools

Bilateral cooperation in the field of education is most significant with certain countries with which there are stronger cultural and historical ties, as well as with countries with which the MECI regularly undertakes joint initiatives, either on an annual basis or on an ad hoc basis. 

At the European level, it is worth noting cooperation with France and cooperation with Spain. 

With regard to cooperation with Spain, the following are particularly noteworthy: 

• activities connected with the Pilar Moreno Prize
• the Bilateral Conversation Support Programme, which also includes the knowledge and dissemination of both countries’ culture
• reciprocal teaching of the language, literature and civilisation in educational institutions of the respective countries
• the Bilingual and Intercultural Border Schools Project (PEBIF)
• the institution and operation of teaching establishments
• the negotiation of a specific agreement regarding the equivalence of degrees and diplomas in both non-higher and higher education

Cooperation with France is specifically aimed at: 

• promotion and development of Portuguese and French provision in education systems

• promotion of European and international sections

• the Luso-French Language Assistant Bilateral Programme

• the linguistic and pedagogical development of teachers and comparability of qualifications in vocational education

Within cooperation with the Asian continent, bilateral cooperation with China and the Macao Special Administrative Region (MSAR) stands out. The focus is on teaching Mandarin in Portuguese upper secondary schools and twinning between Portuguese high schools and MSAR schools.

In the African continent, bilateral cooperation with Portuguese-speaking countries stands out (Angola, Cape Verde, Guinea-Bissau, Mozambique, Sao Tome and Principe and East Timor). It has been developed within the framework of the Indicative Cooperation Programmes, and, since 2015, as part of Strategic Cooperation Programmes, including the Portuguese Cooperation Strategy 2030 (Council of Ministers Resolution No 121/2022, 9 December 2022). Cooperation with these countries has focused on identifying the constraints faced by their respective education systems, and aims, fundamentally at:

(1) supporting the expansion of coverage of vocationally oriented pathways  and improving its quality;

(2) supporting institutional capacity building through (i) training activities for trainers, teachers and managers and specialist, (ii) introducing new technologies and teaching methods, (iii) supporting the design and development of teaching materials, such as textbooks for students and teachers, and (iv) support to the definition of appropriate forms of school and pedagogical management and planning and resource management methods.

The teaching and dissemination of the Portuguese language is a major priority, either explicitly or implicitly, in all programmes with these countries, given that one of the constraints of the education systems of Portuguese-speaking countries is that students’ and teachers’ Portuguese (the language of instruction) is not sufficiently mastered by pupils and teachers.

Within the American continent, cooperation with Brazil and Uruguay is particularly noteworthy. Brazil and Uruguay are the South American countries with the most established educational and scientific ties with Portugal. With Brazil, there are several dual-degree programmes at higher education level; it is also the main country of origin for applications for academic recognition in Portugal, reflecting strong student and professional mobility. Cooperation is also based on research projects and partnerships between universities in the fields of Health, Engineering, Management and Biotechnology. With Uruguay, cooperation focuses on promoting education and scientific development. Uruguay integrates the Portuguese language into the national curriculum, particularly in border areas, supported by agreements with Camões, I.P., which provide for language lecturers, language centres and teacher training. In higher education and science, universities in both countries promote academic mobility and joint research, extending to innovation applied to education.

Bilateral cooperation in the field of education has also been strengthened as a result of armed conflicts, particularly with the increase in the flow of refugees from countries such as Syria and Ukraine, making it necessary to implement special educational measures and/or permanent support mechanisms (for example, the permanent support mechanism for Ukraine in June 2023) to accommodate children and young people who are applicants for or beneficiaries of international protection, as detailed in the chapter.

Cooperation and participation in worldwide programmes and organisations

International cooperation is also carried out through Portugal’s participation in multilateral programmes and organisations, in coordination with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MNE). Notable examples include participation in the Community of Portuguese-Speaking Countries (CPLP), the Organisation of Ibero-American States (OEI), the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) and the Council of Europe (CoE).

Community of Portuguese-speaking countries (CPLP)

Portugal is a founding member of the Community of Portuguese-Speaking Countries (Comunidade dos Países de Língua Portuguesa - CPLP), an international organisation set up on 17 July 1996 and based in Lisbon. In addition to maintaining good political-diplomatic relations among its members, the aims of the CPLP in terms of international relations involve cooperation (in economic, social, cultural, legal, technical and scientific fields) and the implementation of projects promoting and disseminating the Portuguese language (including the International Institute of Portuguese Language). Portugal, as a member state of the CPLP, is represented at all levels.

Currently, in addition to Portugal, the members of the CPLP are Angola, Brazil, Cape Verde, Guinea-Bissau, Mozambique, Sao Tome and Principe, East Timor and Equatorial Guinea.

In terms of cooperation, the CPLP has focussed mainly on priority areas, such as education, advanced vocational education and training, health, food and sustainability. On a multilateral level, cooperation for development involves activities within the CPLP. To achieve the organisation’s strategic objectives, the CPLP currently intends to consolidate cooperation with other international organisations, such United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF),  Organization of Ibero-American States for Education, Science and Culture (OEI), the FNDE-PAM (National Fund for Educational Development and the World Food Programme’s Centre of Excellence on Hunger and the African Union (UA).

Cooperation in the field of education within the CPLP is currently governed by the following plans:

• Strategic Plan for Cooperation in Education for the period 2022–2026, which was extended in June 2025 until 2031

• Action Plan for Multilateral Cooperation in the Field of Science, Technology and Higher Education (2025–2026)

• Action Plan for Multilateral Cooperation in Education (2025–2027)

Portugal participates in initiatives and projects resulting from the decisions of the Conference of CPLP Ministers of  Education, particularly in the areas of educational evaluation, vocational education and training, literacy, food, nutrition and school health, inclusive education, promotion of Portuguese language and education statistics, and is responsible for the coordination of some of these projects.

Among these initiatives, the creation of a Joint CPLP Bachelor’s Degree in Public Health stands out. This initiative is taking its first steps with a pilot project and is scheduled to begin in the 2026–2027 academic year. The pilot project will be open to all Member States, albeit with varying levels of involvement and collaboration. It has been agreed that Brazil, Mozambique and Portugal will work on a proposal for a common curriculum framework (70%), having already defined a set of rules for the implementation of the degree programme, such as selection and admission criteria, national places and mobility standards, amongst others.

Organization of Ibero-American States for Education, Science and Culture (OEI)

Portugal is a Member-State of the Organization of Ibero-American States  (OEI), an international body for cooperation among Ibero-American countries in the fields of education, science, and culture within the context of development, democracy and regional integration.

Portugal has been a member of the Organisation of Ibero-American States for Education, Science and Culture (OEI) since 2002 and has been hosting a regional headquarters of the organisation in Lisbon since late 2017. Within the framework of this international organisation, Portugal participates in the development of the OEI’s projects and initiatives, specifically the following:

• the Languages in Education Programme

• the Arts, Culture and Citizenship Education Programme

• the Ibero-American Plan for Literacy and Lifelong Learning and

• the Ibero-American Knowledge Space for international academic mobility in higher education, centred on research, development and innovation, with a view to improving the region’s productivity and competitiveness.

In this context, the OEI is involved in the Project for Bilingual and Intercultural Border Schools (PEBIF), whose overall aim is to promote cooperation between Portugal and Spain in border regions through the creation of a network of schools. Portugal also cooperates in the CILPE initiative: the International Conference on the Portuguese and Spanish Languages, dedicated to the expansion of the Portuguese and Spanish languages worldwide.

It is worth highlighting Portugal’s position as a privileged partner and a platform for contact with other regions or regional areas, such as the CPLP countries and the EU space.

Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD)

Portugal participates, in a structured manner, in the several groups and networks of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development’s  (OECD) in the field of education, including:

• the Education Policy Committee
• the Centre for Educational Research and Innovation
• the Council of Participating Countries in the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA)
• the Council of Participating Countries in the Teaching and Learning International Survey (TALIS)
•  the Council of the Countries Participating in the Programme for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies (PIAAC)
• the working group on Indicators of Education Systems Programme (INES) and associated networks - the INES Network for the Collection and Adjudication of System-Level Descriptive Information on Educational Structures, Policies and Practices (NESLI), and the INES Network on Data Collection and Development on Economic, Labour Market and Social Outcomes of Education (LSO)

• the network for early childhood education and care (ECEC)

•  the Group of National Experts on Vocational Education and Training

• the working group on the Analysis of Educational Resources

• the working group on the ‘Future of Education and Skills’ project: ‘Education 2030’, and

• the working group for the project ‘Strengthening through Diversity: Educating for Inclusive Societies’

United Nations Organisation (UNO)

The United Nations' objectives, which have officially existed since 24 October 1945, are to maintain international security, develop peaceful relations between nations, foster cooperation in solving international cultural and humanitarian issues and promoting respect for human rights.

Internationalisation and mobility within the Portuguese education system have been promoted through Portugal’s participation in the National Commission for Human Rights (CNDH) and the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO).

Portugal plays an active role in the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC), monitoring and implementing the recommendations adopted through its mechanisms, in particular the Universal Periodic Review. National participation in this body is coordinated by the National Commission for Human Rights (CNDH), which promotes the drafting of reports and the follow-up of international recommendations, ensuring inter-ministerial coordination and the integration of Portugal’s commitments into public policies, including in the field of education. In the field of education, this participation contributes to the internationalisation of the Portuguese education system by promoting the incorporation of global human rights principles — such as the right to education, equality, inclusion and non-discrimination — into national legal, curricular and strategic frameworks, thereby strengthening the international and intercultural dimension of education policies.

In 2025, activities in the field of education included fostering debate on human rights within schools, through the promotion of the initiatives “Cultural Backpacks” and “Cultural Hub Schools” amongst schools participating in the National Arts Plan. At the same time, efforts were made to strengthen cultural citizenship and the professional development of education staff, encouraging the formalisation of protocols and coordinated work with the educational community. Access to and inclusion in higher education was also strengthened, notably through the awarding of scholarships to students in emergency situations for humanitarian reasons and the opening of calls for applications for doctoral scholarships, including in the field of human rights.

United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)

Portugal has been collaborating on major initiatives by United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organizationn (UNESCO), notably by participating in the General Conference and in all activities organised within that framework.
Portugal has been exploring the themes included in the Dakar Framework for Action in two main areas:
1 - assisting in the drafting of National Education Plans in Portuguese-speaking countries (PALOP); and
2 - developing bilateral and multilateral cooperation projects under the “Education for All Programme”, and more recently within the framework of the Education 2030 Agenda, based on the Incheon Declaration and embodied in Sustainable Development Goal 4.
 

Portugal has also been a member of the UNESCO Associated Schools Network (ASPnet), whose main objective is to promote peace and international cooperation through education, by developing and implementing pilot projects and practising intercultural teaching. Currently it has 189 associated Portuguese schools, one of which is in Luanda, Angola. In terms of internationalisation and mobility, these schools foster partnerships with schools in other countries within the network, participate in international collaborative projects, organise school exchanges and joint initiatives within the scope of programmes as Erasmus+ Programme, and they also promote global events and celebrations organized by UNESCO. These actions reinforce the international dimension of the curriculum, encourage transnational cooperation, and provide intercultural learning experiences for students and teachers.

Portugal participates in the UNESCO International Institute for Educational Planning (IIEP-UNESCO), benefiting from the training, technical cooperation and resources provided by the Institute, which contributes to the internationalisation and management and planning capacity of its education system in the context of international standards and networks. Within the framework of the Education 2030 Agenda, during the 2024/2025 biennium, Portugal was part of the High-Level Steering Committee of Sustainable Development Goal 4 – Education 2030, the body responsible for overall strategic guidance for the formulation and implementation of evidence-based policies that facilitate the achievement of SDG 4 targets, for monitoring the implementation of this Goal and for mobilising and using national and international funding for education more efficiently, ensuring greater harmonization and alignment between partners.

Since the approval of the agreement between the Portuguese State and UNESCO in October 2011, and its entry into force after signing on November 9, 2013, Portugal has hosted the International Center for Advanced Training in Fundamental Sciences for Scientists from Portuguese-Speaking Countries (Centro Ciência LP), a category 2 center within UNESCO that promotes scientific and academic cooperation between Portuguese-speaking countries and advanced training in fundamental sciences. The Centro Ciência LP, created in 2015, annually promotes several competitions for the awarding of Doctoral Scholarships to students from the PALOP countries and Timor-Leste, to be carried out in the institutions that are part of the School Consortia. Candidates are supported by the Centro Ciência LP, which coordinates additional activities for the development of complementary skills.

Within the framework of the programmes UNESCO Chairs and the UNITWIN Programme, several Portuguese higher education institutions are part of international academic networks that strengthen the internationalisation of the system. Portugal currently integrates around 17 UNESCO Chairs based in higher education institutions and participates in 2 to 3 active UNITWIN networks, within the framework of the UNESCO Chairs and the UNITWIN Programme. These initiatives are distributed across areas such as education and pedagogical innovation, citizenship and media literacy, culture and heritage, environment and sustainability, and technology and artificial intelligence. Together, they function as structured platforms for international academic cooperation, collaborative curriculum development, and mobility of students, teachers, and researchers, among other activities more related to research, thus reinforcing the internationalsation of Portuguese higher education. 

In Portugal, there are currently around 66 Clubs and Associations for UNESCO, integrated into the Portuguese Network of Associations and Clubs for UNESCO and recognized by the National Commission for UNESCO. These clubs, distributed throughout the mainland and autonomous regions, develop activities aligned with UNESCO values, namely education for peace, human rights, intercultural dialogue, heritage and sustainable development. In terms of internationalisation and mobility, they promote partnerships with similar foreign clubs, participate in national and international meetings and forums of the UNESCO network, organize conferences and debates with international experts and promote collaborative projects associated with the Sustainable Development Goals, favoring the circulation of ideas, good practices and institutional contacts between Portugal and other countries.

Portugal is represented in the UNESCO Global Network of Learning Cities by several cities that are part of this international network that promotes lifelong learning and strengthens internationalization and mobility in the education system through the sharing of good practices, transnational cooperation and participation in globally recognized forums and initiatives. Among the Portuguese cities in the network are: Setúbal (a member since 2019), which implements citizenship and environmental education projects with community involvement and the exchange of educational practices; Braga (since 2022), which participates in meetings with other learning cities to exchange experiences and benchmark inclusive learning programs; and Lisbon (since 2025), whose Lisbon City of Learning initiative integrates more than 120 partners and maps hundreds of formal and non-formal learning opportunities, including partnerships with international institutions that strengthen the mobility of students and adult learners. By aligning their educational policies with the principles of lifelong learning and engaging in global networks, these cities contribute to the internationalization of education, facilitate the exchange of knowledge with other locations around the world, and create platforms that encourage active participation in transnational educational projects.

The Council of Europe (CoE)

Within the Council of Europe, Portugal participates, among other bodies, in the Steering Committee for Education (CDEDU), the Committee of Experts on Artificial Intelligence and Education, as well as in the following initiatives: (1) education for democratic citizenship and human rights, (2) skills for life in democracy, (3) education for digital citizenship and linguistic integration of adult migrants and (4) platform on ethics, transparency and integrity in education.

Portugal also participates in the Observatory for History Teaching in Europe (OHTE), with a national representative elected by its Governing Board and Bureau, and actively participating in the development and reflection of regular reports on history teaching. 

Furthermore, Portugal is also represented in several Working Groups and networks of the Council of Europe, namely:

• Working Group dedicated to the Reference Framework for Democratic Culture and Education for Sustainable Development (RFCDC-ESD)
• Working Group on Artificial Intelligence and Recognition of Qualifications (EDU-IA)
• European Network of National Academic Mobility Information Centres and Recognition Network (ENIC NARIC)
• Informal network of education staffs and the Education Policy Advisors Network (EPAN)