was adopted at the 26th UNESCO General Conference in 1992. It aims to fulfill UNESCO's ideals and to support the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) through exchange and collaboration among universities and higher education institutions. UNESCO designates UNITWIN host universities across diverse fields to advance research, training, and programme development through inter-university linkages and cooperation.
Korea National Open University (KNOU) was designated as a UNITWIN host university by UNESCO in January 2017. Under the theme "Sharing Knowledge & Experiences of Distance Education in Higher Education," KNOU collaborates with 7 universities and institutions at home and abroad.
As of 2026, 47 UNITWIN host universities are operating in 25 countries worldwide. In the Republic of Korea, four institutions serve as UNITWIN host universities: Handong Global University (2007), Sookmyung Women's University (2015), Korea National Open University (2017), and Korea National University of Education (2018).
※ A full list of UNITWIN host universities worldwide is available on the official UNESCO website (https://www.unesco.org/en/unitwin) under 'List of UNESCO UNITWIN Networks.'
