The 5th Ibero-American Congress “Universities Committed to Inclusion and the Social Environment: The Fight Against Vulnerability” will be held on June 10, 11, and 12, 2026, in Seville (Spain). This event continues the trajectory initiated in 2021 by the Network of Universities Committed to Education in Human Rights and the Ibero-American Chair in Education in Human Rights, Critical Citizenship, and Sustainable Development.
After five years of editions—beginning in Seville (Spain), followed by Bogotá (Colombia), Curitiba (Brazil), and Antigua (Guatemala)—this call focuses on the relationship between social vulnerability and the university. This broad theme will allow for contributions from more general perspectives on inclusion by universities and society as a whole. Through various dialogue sessions, it will also seek to address key questions that should guide the development of stronger, more inclusive, and resilient higher education institutions committed to social transformation.
The foundation of this congress will be the sharing of progress and achievements reached within the framework of the Erasmus+ project ERASMUS+ Right to Equal Access to University Studies for the Most Vulnerable Groups (EDUDER) No. 101129036, focusing on research, access, retention, and graduation of students in vulnerable situations from a Human Rights perspective. This event will also serve as a platform to disseminate results and present a guide to enable the replication of the intervention model and actions aimed at removing barriers between universities and society.
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Program
Wednesday June 10
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09:00 a.m. Opening Ceremony: welcome and greetings from the authorities.
10:00 a.m. Opening keynote: Society, university, and social inclusion.
11:30 a.m. Coffee break.
12:00 p.m. First panel discussion: What kind of university do we need to address inclusion and social commitment?
2:00 p.m. Lunch break.
3:30–5:30 p.m. Second panel discussion: What barriers and/or boundaries do we encounter in today’s university in becoming a socially committed institution?
5:30–7:30 p.m. Third panel discussion: What support structures are key to shaping a university with a strong social commitment?
Thursday, June 11
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09:00 a.m. Fourth panel discussion: What competencies should faculty have to act as agents of social transformation in situations of vulnerability?
11:00 a.m. Coffee break.
11:30 a.m. Fifth panel discussion: How can students be empowered at university to strengthen their commitment to social change?
1:30 p.m. Lunch break.
3:00 p.m. Sixth panel discussion: Which other social actors should play a leading role in the university?
5:30 p.m. Communications session.
Friday, June 12
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10:00 a.m. Closing panel: What institutional culture and principles should a socially committed university have?
12:00 p.m. Signing of collaboration agreements for the development of projects between the Ibero-American Chair in Human Rights Education, AUIP, and partner organizations UDUALC, FIO, RINDHCA, and REIMA.
12:30 p.m. Congress closing ceremony.
