Scholars, students, and civil society organizations will gather in Ottawa to discuss current challenges to academic freedom and develop pathways to making this right a reality.
What does it mean to guarantee academic freedom as a human right? What mechanisms can make its implementation and justiciability possible? How can we protect those who teach and conduct research in contexts of threats and intimidation? What is the relationship between academic freedom, gender, democracy, and justice? And what strategies of resistance can strengthen its defense across the Americas?
These are some of the questions at the heart of the 5th Conference of the Coalition for Academic Freedom in the Americas (CAFA), taking place on October 21–22, 2026, at the University of Ottawa in Canada, with both in-person and online participation.
Under the theme “Pathways to Implementing the Right to Academic Freedom Across the Americas,” #CAFA2026 will bring together scholars, students, and representatives of civil society organizations to discuss some of the key challenges facing this right across the region.
The conference takes on particular significance amid the spread of science denialism and disinformation, as well as growing pressure on educational institutions, research centers, and academic communities. Five years after the launch of the Inter-American Principles on Academic Freedom and University Autonomy, the conference aims to move beyond recognizing this right toward addressing the conditions needed to make it effective.
From affirming the right to implementing it
The conference will open with a keynote address by Robert Quinn of Scholars at Risk, followed by institutional remarks from Nomi Claire Lazar, Co-Chair of the University of Ottawa Senate Committee on Academic Freedom; Penelope Simons of the Human Rights Research and Education Centre (HRREC); and Camilla Croso of CAFA.
One of the first discussions will address a fundamental question: How can academic freedom be advanced as a right in Canada? The panel will bring together Eya Benhassine (Université de Montréal), Vannie Lau (University of British Columbia), and Érik Labelle Eastaugh (Université de Moncton), moderated by Joel Westheimer (University of Ottawa).
The discussion will explore concrete experiences and challenges related to the recognition and protection of academic freedom, as well as the tools needed to strengthen it in democratic contexts.
How can we protect at-risk scholars?
Threats against members of academic communities will also be a central focus of #CAFA2026. The panel “Promoting a Protection Ecosystem for At-Risk Scholars” will bring together experiences from different countries and contexts.
Participants will include Jaqueline Bertoldo (Federal University of Paraná, Brazil), Enchieh Erfani (Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics, Canada), Manuela Menéndez Besada-Lombana (National Pedagogical University of Colombia), and Pâmella Passos (Federal Institute of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil), moderated by Danielle Pamplona (Pontifical Catholic University of Paraná).
The conversation will broaden perspectives on hosting and supporting at-risk scholars and explore how to build ecosystems of protection, solidarity, and response capable of addressing threats to the production and circulation of knowledge.
Academic freedom and gender justice
Is it possible to discuss academic freedom without considering the gender inequalities and violence that shape educational and scientific institutions?
The panel “Academic Freedom and Gender Justice” will bring together Jack Mayerhofer (Scholars at Risk), Victoria Pasero (National University of La Plata, Argentina), Joyce Alves da Silva (Federal Rural University of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil), and Joana Flores (Federal University of São Paulo, Brazil), moderated by Camilla Croso (CAFA).
The discussion will explore the intersections of gender, inequality, and academic freedom, raising questions about who gets to produce knowledge, under what conditions, and what barriers continue to limit full and safe participation in academic life.
From principles to justiciability
Another key challenge is identifying the mechanisms that can strengthen the implementation of the right to academic freedom.
The conference will also examine the legal and policy tools needed to ensure that academic freedom does not remain merely a recognized principle, but becomes a right that can be asserted, protected, and defended when violations occur.
Participants will include Cristina Burneo Salazar, an independent researcher from Ecuador; Fernando Romani Sales of CAFA; and Glenn Mitoma of Columbia University in the United States. The panel will be moderated by Jesse Levine of Scholars at Risk.
Resistance as a path to change
The conference will conclude its thematic program with the panel “Modes of Resistance and Change,” a conversation about strategies being developed to confront threats to academic freedom and open pathways to transformation across the Americas.
The panel will bring together voices from different countries and experiences defending this right, with a focus on identifying strategies for resistance, collaboration, and change that can help strengthen academic freedom across the region.
The conference will also feature a presentation of Scholars at Risk’s Free to Think report, placing the discussions in the broader global context of attacks and threats against academic communities.
A space to debate and build alternatives
More than a forum for analyzing existing threats, #CAFA2026 seeks to open a conversation about what can be done to address them: which legal and policy frameworks are needed, how institutions can be strengthened, how at-risk scholars can be protected, and how alliances can be built to make academic freedom a reality across the Americas.
The conference will take place in person at the University of Ottawa and will also be accessible online, expanding opportunities for participation by individuals and organizations throughout the region.
Join #CAFA2026
If you work, conduct research, study, or advocate for education, science, human rights, and democracy, this conversation is for you, too.
Register for the 5th CAFA Conference and take part in the discussions on pathways to implementing the right to academic freedom across the Americas.
October 21–22, 2026
University of Ottawa, Canada | In person and online
Important: Simultaneous interpretation in English, Spanish, French, and Portuguese will be available online only. In-person participants who require interpretation must join the Zoom session on their own computer or mobile device and use headphones. The Zoom link will be emailed to registered participants before the event.