During a regional seminar on lawfare, freedom of association, and the teaching profession organized by Education International for Latin America (IEAL), the Coalition emphasized that protecting those who teach and conduct research is an essential condition for guaranteeing academic freedom, strengthening democracy, and recognizing knowledge as a public good.
On July 31, the Coalition for Academic Freedom in the Americas (CAFA) participated in the Seminar on Legal Harassment Against Education Unions: Strategies to Defend Freedom of Association and the Teaching Profession in Times of Lawfare, organized by Education International for Latin America (IEAL).
Representing the CAFA, its executive director, Camilla Croso, spoke on the panel “Building a Regional Ecosystem to Support Academics at Risk in Latin America,” where she presented the Coalition’s key progress in strengthening regional protection mechanisms for educators and researchers facing situations of persecution, violence, criminalization, or forced displacement.
During her presentation, Croso emphasized that academic freedom constitutes an independent and interdependent human right, recognized by the Inter-American Principles on Academic Freedom and University Autonomy, adopted by the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) in 2021, and subsequently reinforced by the Global Principles for the Implementation of the Right to Academic Freedom, adopted by the United Nations Human Rights Council.
She also emphasized that academic freedom has individual, institutional, and collective dimensions, as it protects the right of educators and researchers to teach, learn, conduct research, debate, and disseminate knowledge without fear of reprisal; guarantees the autonomy of academic institutions; and ensures the right of all of society to access knowledge as a public good.
“We cannot speak of academic freedom if those who teach, conduct research, and produce knowledge face violence, persecution, or censorship. Building a regional ecosystem of support means ensuring that educators and researchers have the conditions to carry out their work with safety, dignity, and freedom. It is a collective effort that strengthens democracy, protects the right to education, and recognizes knowledge as a public good,” stated Camilla Croso.
A Context of Increasing Attacks on Academic Freedom
During the seminar, the CAFA’s executive director analyzed the regional context marked by a rise in threats against academic communities and institutions of higher education.
Among the main challenges, she identified violence against educators; censorship of topics related to gender, diversity, human rights, and climate change; the criminalization of labor unions and student movements; scientific denialism and disinformation; the defunding of universities; state interference in university autonomy; and legal actions targeting members of academic communities.
In this context, she emphasized that the defense of academic freedom and freedom of association is an indispensable condition for strengthening democracy, guaranteeing the right to education, and protecting the production of knowledge with scientific rigor.
Toward a Regional Support Ecosystem
One of the central themes of the presentation was the CAFA’s proposal to build a Regional Support Ecosystem for Educators at Risk in Latin America, an initiative that seeks to consolidate a regional protection network based on cooperation, solidarity, and human rights.
The proposal calls for support to be recognized as a regional priority and to be backed by political commitments, institutional capacities, sustainable funding mechanisms, and avenues for cooperation among universities, public bodies, funding agencies, and civil society organizations.
Among the strategic priorities presented are strengthening knowledge production and regional monitoring systems regarding violence against educators; developing institutional protection policies and comprehensive mechanisms for legal, psychosocial, and academic support; promoting funding programs and scholarships for individuals at risk; fostering internationalization based on cooperation and solidarity; and consolidating regional coordination mechanisms to respond to the growing attacks on academic freedom and freedom of association.
The CLAA’s participation in this seminar is part of a broader regional strategy aimed at promoting the effective implementation of the right to academic freedom in the Americas. Through the development of support mechanisms, the production of knowledge, advocacy, and the strengthening of cooperation networks, the Coalition seeks to help educators, researchers, and students fully carry out their work in safe, democratic environments committed to human rights and scientific rigor.
Protecting those who teach, conduct research, and produce knowledge is an essential prerequisite for strengthening democracy and ensuring that knowledge is treated as a public good.