The present article formulates some reflections on The Second World Higher Education Conference (UNESCO, 2009). The main debate was about the vision of higher education as "a common good", or as "a public service", this last vision was considered by many delegates as a road to further mercantilization. In the Final Communiqué the first criterion prevailed. The article also analyzes the main changes concerning the concepts of evaluation, quality, quality assurance and accreditation between 1995 and 2009. The emphasis has moved from evaluation and quality (1995-1998) to quality assurance and accreditation (1998-2003) and then (2008-2009) in linking the quality criteria to pertinence, relevance, equity, and sustainable development.
UNESCO Second World Conference of Higher Education (2009); Evaluation; Accreditation; Quality Assurance; Equity