On the road to #CLACSO2025

On Thursday, November 30, in the city of Bogotá, members of the Executive Secretariat of the Latin American Council of Social Sciences – its Executive Director, Karina Batthyány; Pablo VommaroAcademic Secretary; and Gustavo Lema, Director of Communication and Information–, together with Jaime Zuluaga On behalf of the CLACSO Centers of Colombia, they held a preparatory meeting for the Latin American and Caribbean Conference #CLACSO2025 with the Deputy Minister of the Interior Lilia Solano and representatives of the Ministries of the Interior, Culture, Education, Justice, and Mines and Energy, who agreed that the CLACSO Conference is a very powerful and key space and renewed their support for the top regional meeting of the social sciences that will take place in mid-2025.

At the end of the meeting, Karina Batthyány stressed that “The most important thing is the initial step towards #CLACSO2025 Bogotá Colombia. Representatives from various ministries and Jaime Zuluaga, professor at Externado University of Colombia, participated in the meeting promoted by the Vice Minister of the Interior, Lilia Solano, representing the CLACSO Centers of Colombia, as well as members of the Executive Secretariat team of our Council who were present here.

"Puntpié inicial" means: let's begin organizing what will be the major event of our Assembly and Conference here in Colombia. What we have emphasized is the importance of holding the 10th CLACSO Conference within the context of the political process underway in Colombia, in this Colombia of the Historic Pact, in this progressive Colombia that is also facing significant challenges. The CLACSO conference thus becomes an important element for giving visibility to this process, for working together, and for building, alongside Colombians, alternatives for this Latin America and the Caribbean, so turbulent at this time.

-What happens next? Understanding that there is now an additional organizational dimension, in how to carry it out, and with the expectations of a very large event like the previous ones, but understanding that there is a very important mobilization in Colombia of diverse groups, of truly diverse groups within the framework of needs, of struggles.

“Yes, exactly. We are now moving forward from this first step, this initial push, working with the three elements that CLACSO always works with: of course, with our Centers, those here in Colombia, but also with all the CLACSO Centers, in accordance with our core activities; with those involved in social movements and organizations throughout the region, and, as you rightly mentioned, here in Colombia, where we have social movements and organizations of truly impressive diversity and richness; and with those working in the field of public policy. That is why the meeting on Thursday, November 30th, was so important: the commitment made by the various ministers at the national government level in Colombia to work together to ensure that this #CLACSO2025 event, the CLACSO Conference in 2025, is a success. A success from a political standpoint, from an academic standpoint, and, of course, also something that will further strengthen our Network. We will continue moving forward, taking the necessary steps as we did towards to #CLACSO2022 in Mexico, so that this 2025 Conference is a success and takes place here in progressive Colombia.”