Emotional closing of #CLACSO2025

A packed Camilo Torres amphitheater at the Higher School of Public Administration (ESAP) in Bogotá, with an audience in the surrounding area following it on screens, was the setting for the closing ceremony of the X Latin American and Caribbean Conference of Social Sciences after 4 days of activities.

Those participating from the stage included the Executive Director of CLACSO, Karina Batthyány; the Director of ESAP, Jorge Iván Bula Escobar; the Vice-Rector of the National University of Colombia, Bogotá campus, Carolina Jiménez Martín; Lilia Solano, former Director General of the Unit for Comprehensive Attention and Reparation to Victims; Pablo Vommaro, Executive Director-elect of CLACSO; Johana Hernández, National Deputy Director of Research at ESAP; and the directors of different areas of the Latin American Council of Social Sciences: Laura Gastón, Gustavo Lema, Fernanda Pampín, Alejandro Gambina and Magdalena Rauch.

The report presented by Karina Batthyány indicates that more than 28.000 people participated in the activities in person and 300.000 virtually; peaks of 800 posts per hour on social media; 19 keynote dialogues; 48 thematic forums comprising 243 activities; 254 thematic panels; 728 thematic roundtables; and 160 speakers. In addition, there was 1 postgraduate meeting, 21 CLACSO Working Group meetings; 56 special activities, each with its own agenda; 50 exhibiting countries, including Colombia, Uruguay, Mexico, Argentina, Ecuador, Venezuela, Chile, and Spain, at the Book Fair, where there were 60 book presentations with at least 10.000 visits to the various booths; and a film series with 23 in-person screenings and 22 virtual screenings. 14 channels broadcasting simultaneously generating more than 250 hours of transmission; and 25 hours of live airing on CLACSO.tv.

The Executive Director of CLACSO also emphasized: “We conclude this conference with the satisfaction of a duty fulfilled, having organized an intense conference filled with debates and exchanges, and, more importantly, an intense one in building connections, which is what allows us to give meaning to what we do. We also return with the obligation to continue working to further strengthen CLACSO as the home of Latin American and Caribbean critical thought and as an indispensable tool for building more pluralistic, more democratic, and more egalitarian alternatives.”

The closing ceremony included the screening of videos summarizing #CLACSO2025 and a recognition of the members of the Executive Secretariat, with a commitment to meet again in three years for the XI Conference.