The construction of the EU-CELAC Common Higher Education Area is one of the objectives agreed by the Heads of State and Government of the European Union, Latin America and the Caribbean to strengthen the bi-regional strategic partnership. This goal was adopted in chapter 9 of the 2015 EU-CELAC Action Plan and confirmed in the Declarations emanating from the meetings of the Ministries of Foreign Affairs of both regions in 2016 and 2018. The EU-LAC Foundation has played a constructive role in this initiative by promoting technical, inclusive and results-oriented dialogue between various actors and academic networks from both regions.
Among other initiatives, the EU-LAC Foundation has promoted the elaboration of the "Matrix of Objectives and Strategic Lines for the Construction of the EU-CELAC Common Area of Higher Education", to have a reference document agreed between bi-regional, regional and sub-regional academic actors, on the actions needed to make the EU-LAC Common Area of Higher Education a reality, and to identify initiatives that are currently contributing to this agreed framework. In 2022, the Foundation will follow up on this process, through the promotion of training and dialogues on open science and the contribution of university communities to the fulfilment of the 2030 Agenda - two topics that were prioritised by the "Matrix" working group in a digital meeting in 2021.
The EU-LAC Foundation will also actively participate in the Advisory Committee for the launch of the "Survey on Trends in Higher Education in Latin America and the Caribbean", whose operability is managed by several scientific partners. This survey aims to provide an updated information base on the state of development and challenges in Higher Education in LAC and its results will serve to facilitate the identification of meeting points and areas that deserve greater interaction between representatives of university systems and government representatives in the field of Higher Education in LAC and the EU.
Another line of work in this framework is the contribution to the generation of knowledge on issues relevant to the EU-CELAC Bi-regional Association, through the fifth edition of its "Annual Call for the Co-organisation of Events", a Summer Course, as well as round tables and panels at international congresses (e.g. CLACSO 2022, LASA 2022) - in conjunction with other teaching and academic entities from both regions, fostering analysis and knowledge transfer between researchers and decision-makers on issues related to Education and Science, Economic and Social Development, Climate Change, Culture, Multilateralism and Bi-regional Cooperation, Gender. Therefore, the initiatives and activities contained in this thematic area constitute a contribution to SDGs 4, 8 and 17.
Seminar “Forging Ties with Migrants: Challenges for Europe, Latin America and the Caribbean” in Hamburg (September 2017)