In the interest of contributing to the improvement of the quality and equity of higher education, the UNESCO International Institute for Higher Education in Latin America and the Caribbean (IESALC) has prepared this report on the impacts of COVID-19 on higher education. While it focuses primarily on the Latin American and Caribbean region, some of the strategies and research findings addressed apply also to other regions. The analyses and recommendations included are primarily intended for policy makers at both the systemic and institutional level, for whom the content of this report should provide valuable information for decision-making in the short, medium and long term. In the first instance, the report highlights the immediate impacts of the pandemic on the university higher education sector, both for the different actors and for the institutions and the system as a whole. Some impacts, which are not immediately visible, are unfortunately very significant and will surface in the medium and long term. Secondly, it reviews what actions governments and higher education institutions (HEIs) have taken to guarantee the right to higher education during the pandemic. Finally, it considers various scenarios, and offers some observations and recommendations with regard to the reopening of HEIs, and highlights the importance of initiating preparations at the earliest.