This pivotal event, co-hosted by the Coalition for Academic Freedom in the Americas (CAFA) and the Pulte Institute for Global Development–part of the Keough School of Global Affairs at the University of Notre Dame, with support from the Central America Research Alliance (CARA), Scholars at Risk (SAR), Universidad de Monterrey (UDEM), and the Human Rights Research and Education Centre (HRREC) at the University of Ottawa. The conference brought together academics, advocates, and students to address the urgent issues facing academic freedom and university autonomy in the Americas.
The conference began with thought-provoking keynote addresses by Farida Shaheed, United Nations Special Rapporteur on the right to education, and Fabián Salvioli, a human rights lawyer and former UN Special Rapporteur on the promotion of truth, justice, reparation, and guarantees of non-recurrence. Their insights set the stage for lively discussions on the challenges and opportunities of protecting academic freedom in today’s rapidly changing global landscape.
The first day saw presentations on the shrinking academic space, the challenges of implementing academic freedom norms, and the intersection of freedom of expression and academic autonomy. One key moment was the presentation of Free to Think 2024, an annual report by Scholars at Risk, which highlighted 391 documented attacks on scholars, students, and institutions in 51 countries. The second day’s sessions focused on student mobilization, gender-based violence protocols, and Latin American perspectives on academic freedom.
The event concluded with the launch of a CAFA Call for Action, a collective commitment to advancing academic freedom across the Americas.
HRREC members, Salvador Herencia-Carrasco, Professors Joao Velloso and Isaac Nahon-Serfaty as well as HRREC Associate Director Viviana Fernandez and Communications Specialist Caroline Faucher played a key role in the conference organization and some of them contributed to various panels and discussions.
HRREC remains deeply engaged in this ongoing mission, working alongside CAFA and other partners to promote human rights and democratic principles through the protection of educational spaces.