The Diplomat
The XIV General Assembly of the Organization of Ibero-American States for Education, Science and Culture (OEI), held yesterday in Santo Domingo, approved the re-election of Spaniard Mariano Jabonero as secretary general for the next four years. Jabonero, in office since 2018, was the candidate of the Government of Spain.
As reported by the OEI, Jabonero had the vote of confidence of the Assembly, made up of representatives of the 23 Ibero-American member countries of the organization. The Spaniard was elected for the first time in 2018, during the organization’s 13th General Assembly (held in Mexico City), with the vote in favor of all governments and with the support of the Government of Spain.
“Let’s work towards a transformative and innovative future. That will be my commitment for the next four years,” said Mariano Jabonero after his re-election. He also thanked the Ibero-American governments for their confidence in his administration and announced the priorities of his new mandate, which, among other aspects, will include continuing to promote inclusion, equity and the digitalization of education in Ibero-America and a strong effort to enhance the quality of the region’s universities.
In the area of science, Jabonero assured that he will focus the organization’s efforts on supporting the dissemination of science and the consolidation of Spanish and Portuguese as languages of science. In the cultural field, the secretary general said he will continue to promote policies for the development of the creative and cultural industries as generators of wealth in the region -especially audiovisual production- and strategies to place Ibero-America at the forefront of issues such as copyright and intellectual property, in a world that is increasingly consuming digital culture.
In his speech, Jabonero also pledged to increase the presence in the media and social networks of positive messages and news about education. “It is time to put an end to the cliché that defends that everything good that is done in education is produced in Finland, Singapore or Korea. With all due recognition to those countries, in ours there are wonderful educational, cultural and scientific initiatives and experiences that deserve to be disseminated within and outside the region,” he said.
During the meeting, the Institutional Report 2019-2022 was presented, which gives an account of the main achievements of the OEI’s management in the last four years under Jabonero’s leadership, in which the coronavirus pandemic and the urgency for the digital transformation of Ibero-American education, science and culture marked the organization’s activity.
According to the report, the volume of management of this activity increased by 50% and reached 20 million direct beneficiaries throughout the region through hundreds of cooperation programs developed from the OEI headquarters in Madrid and the 19 offices in as many countries, making the OEI the governmental cooperation organization with the greatest presence and activity in the region. During the XIV General Assembly of the OEI, Argentina was also chosen as the country that will assume the presidency of its Board of Directors and host the next ordinary meeting of the General Assembly in 2026.
Mariano Jabonero
Mariano Jabonero was born in San Martín de Valdeiglesias (Madrid) and holds a degree in Philosophy and Educational Sciences from the Complutense University of Madrid, where he was also a professor. At different times, and with different programs, he has worked in all Ibero-American countries as a consultant or expert for UNESCO, UNDP, OAS and OEI. He has received numerous awards for his dedication to education and culture, including the Order of Alfonso X El Sabio and the Honorary Medal of the University of Alcalá de Henares. In 2021 he was awarded an Honorary Doctorate Degree by the Universidad Nacional Abierta y a Distancia de Colombia (UNAD).
