Executive Secretary of CLACSO

On November 18, 2019, I would like to share with all my colleagues, friends, and acquaintances the first year of my election as head of the Executive Secretariat of the Latin American Council of Social Sciences. It was a moment of great emotion, but above all, of commitment, which I assumed by decision of the 26th General Assembly, which met in conjunction with the “8th Latin American and Caribbean Conference of Social Sciences” held in the city of Buenos Aires.

Since its founding in 1967, CLACSO has left an indelible mark on the field of social sciences and humanities, on the debate of ideas, and on the generation of proposals and content. This is the legacy left to me by those who came before me and those who placed their trust in me, convinced—as I always have been—that the best management is achieved by building the best teams.

With that objective, I assumed the position at the beginning of 2019, working on objectives shared by the Executive Secretariat, the Member Centers and the Working Groups, promoting training, dissemination, publications and everything that nourishes CLACSO and is nourished by CLACSO.

The Latin American Council of Social Sciences continues to grow. The first ten and a half months of our administration have been dedicated to broadening our horizons by reaching places as far removed from our region as Russia and China, from where I am writing to you, building day by day what defines and commits us: strengthening the perspective of the Global South.

In these few words, I want to express my gratitude, not only for having entrusted me with such a responsibility a year ago, but also for guiding me in every activity and meeting to continue upholding CLACSO's mission of "contributing, through academic research and critical thinking, to promoting sustainable development policies in economic, social, and environmental terms."

Finally, in such turbulent times in our region, I cannot fail to highlight the most recent struggles – among many others – of the peoples of Ecuador, Haiti, Puerto Rico and Chile against neoliberalism and authoritarianism, and reiterate the position of our Steering Committee: No to the coup in Bolivia.