The meeting will be held on the CILAC Forum YouTube channel on February 18 at 4 p.m.
Academic freedom is part of the fundamental rights to maintain strong democracies. High-quality independent research can serve as a solid foundation for public decision-making, social and economic development, and democracy.
The quality and reliability of the information and knowledge offered by university researchers have taken on outstanding relevance for an open debate on public policies and other topics of great relevance to society. However, the current context is characterized by the instantaneous and massive transmission of enormous flows of information, often falsified, through social networks and others, which represent a new challenge to academic freedom. Such misinformation has distorted debate, spread hatred and polarized opinions. The spread of false information about climate change is a clear example of this. Instead, consensus in society should be based on solid facts and evidence rather than opinions.
The United Nations University – MERIT and UNESCO in Montevideo convene a high-level debate on the importance of academic freedom in the new international context. With the moderation of Prof. Dr. Carlo Pietrobelli (Roma Tre University and UNU-MERIT) and the participation of the Dr. Francisco Sagasti (Institute of Peruvian Studies, and University of the Pacific), Prof. Gabriela Dutrenit (Metropolitan Autonomous University) and Guillermo Anllo (UNESCO), the state of academic freedom and what the UN system, national government and the academic community can do to protect it will be addressed.
18 FEB | 4 p.m. (URU/ARG/BRA) – 2 p.m. (PER/COL)