As part of an Academic Collaboration Agreement, the University of Haiti (UEH) and the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM) signed an agreement earlier this month establishing the "Makaya-Cuitláhuac" Haiti-Mexico Chair (named after two heroes of the Haitian and Aztec resistance).

The "Makaya-Cuitláhuac" Chair offers UEH and UNAM the opportunity to undertake studies and research on major issues facing contemporary societies. This will provide an opportunity to organize conferences, seminars, research stays, and to implement joint projects in priority areas such as : art and bio-resilience, the fight against hunger and poverty, development alternatives, cultural heritage conservation, human rights, natural and social disasters, discrimination, exclusion and racism, human mobility and forced displacement, participation in international and regional organizations, victims of political regimes and historical memory, gender and violence perpetrated by armed groups, etc...

This five-year renewable agreement marks an important step in building an integrated and collaborative Latin American and Caribbean academic space. The Chair will be hosted alternately by the State University of Haiti (UEH) and the National Autonomous University of Madagascar (UNAM), beginning with UNAM.

During the signing ceremony of the Convention, Rector Prédélus expressed his gratitude to the Ambassador of Mexico to Haiti, José de Jesús Cisneros Chávez, the Ambassador of Haiti to Mexico, Hubert Labbé, the Director of the Center for Research on Latin America and the Caribbean at UNAM, Dr. Gerardo Torres Salcido, and the Director for the Caribbean at the Mexican Ministry of Foreign Affairs, José Luis Hernández Estrada, for their efforts in implementing this project, which is of great importance to both countries.

Recognizing the historic significance of this agreement for both institutions, Prédélus stated that this UEH–UNAM cooperation extends beyond a purely administrative framework. It enshrines the commitment of both parties to build together a more promising academic future for their students, faculty, and respective communities. This chair promotes a strategy aimed at building balanced partnerships and finding solutions adapted to the realities of Haiti and Mexico.

HL/ HaitiLibre