Prof. Dr. Polya Katsamunska Participated in an International Commission on Accreditation of Public Administration Education and Training Programs at Universidad Externado de Colombia in Bogota, Colombia

As a member of the International Commission on Accreditation of Public Administration Education and Training Programs /ICAPA/ Prof. Dr. Polya Katsamunska from the UNWE Public Administration Department took part in an international commission for the accreditation of the Bachelor's Program in Government and International Relations at the Universidad Externado de Colombia, Bogotá, Colombia. The University was founded in 1886 with the mission Educate for Freedom and is now known as the Harvard of Colombia because many of its alumni and lecturers are part of the country's political and administrative elite.

Meeting with the Management of the Faculty of Finance, Management and International Relations /FIGRI/ at the Universidad Externado de Colombia

The Government and International Relations Program is provided by the Faculty of Finance, Government, and International Relations /FIGRI/, which is one of the 13 academic units within the University structure. When the Faculty was founded in 1986, it initially provided a program in Finance and International Relations, but in 1995 a new program was developed – Government and International Relations aiming to adapt the education to the specific demands of the public sector, developing the capacity to take leadership positions in both the public and private sectors, and positioning the analysis of international issues. Since 2020 the FIGRI has organized its main educational, research, and project activities in three specific areas of knowledge, which are carried out by the School of Government and Public Policy, the School of Finance and International Business, and the School of International Relations.

Meeting with students from the Government and International Relations Program at the Faculty of Finance, Government, and International Relations /FIGRI/

In 2008 the Government and International Relations Bachelor's Program received its first national quality accreditation for a period of eight years, ratified twice – in 2015 and 2022. In 2019, it received its first international accreditation from ICAPA for a period of six years. The Program officially applied for new accreditation from ICAPA in the spring of 2025 and preparied a self-assessment report. The expert group of the International Commission, consisting of Prof. Juraj Nemec /Masaryk University Brno, Czech Republic/ – Chair, Prof. Polya Katsamunska /University of National and World Economy Sofia, Bulgaria/, and Prof. Ricardo Corrêa Gomes /FGV EAESP, Brazil/ conducted a preliminary assessment of the report and visited the Universidad Externado de Colombia in Bogotá, Colombia, in the period of 3 to 5 September 2025. The working program of the visit included a series of meetings at the Colombian university.

Meeting with alumni from the Alumni Club of the Faculty of Finance, Government, and International Relations (FIGRI) at the Universidad Externado de Colombia