Thematic symposia mark the second day of CRES+5

The second day of CRES+5 – the follow-up meeting to the III Regional Conference on Higher Education (CRES) – is taking place this Thursday, March 14th, with symposia on the six remaining thematic axes and a round table debate. Two thousand people are expected to attend the event, which takes place from March 13th to 15th at the International Convention Centre of Brazil (CICB), in Brasília (Brazil).

CRES+5 is promoted by Brazil’s Ministry of Education (MEC), through the Higher Education Secretariat (Sesu) and the Coordination for the Improvement of Higher Education Personnel (Capes). It is organized in partnership with the UNESCO International Institute for Higher Education in Latin America and the Caribbean (UNESCO-IESALC) and the Latin American and Caribbean Higher Education Space (Enlaces).  

Program – The opening of the second day is scheduled for 8:30am (Brasília time), with a conference by Nilma Lino Gomes, professor at the Federal University of Minas Gerais (UFMG) and former Minister of Women, Racial Equality and Human Rights. MEC's YouTube channel will stream the session live. 

Between 10am and 12pm, symposia will take place on the following thematic axes:

• Axis 7: Decent work and living conditions for higher education stakeholders; 
• Axis 8: The impact of Covid-19 on higher education; 
• Axis 9: Inclusion, diversity and the role of women in higher education.

In the afternoon, between 1:30 and 3:30pm, the last three symposia are planned on the following thematic axes:

• Axis 10: Financing and governance of higher education; 
• Axis 11: Autonomy of higher education institutions;
• Axis 12: The futures of higher education in Latin America and the Caribbean.

After the coffee break, between 4pm and 6.30pm, the final round table of the event will take place. This will bring together the coordinators of thematic axes 7 to 12, who will present a summary of the discussions that took place in the symposia on Wednesday 13th March. The round table will also be streamed live on MEC's YouTube channel. See full program.

CRES+5 – The follow-up meeting to CRES 2018 is called CRES+5 and its target audience includes chancellors, directors, academics, workers, students, higher education networks, associations and experts, research centers, trade unions, representatives of governmental and non-governmental organizations and all those interested in higher education on this continent.

Among the preparatory activities for the meeting, different instances of open and participatory debate were organized as part of the event's methodology-building process. Throughout 2023, face-to-face meetings were held in Córdoba (Argentina), Puebla (Mexico), Asunción (Paraguay) and Havana (Cuba). In addition, preparatory virtual public consultations were held in order to discuss and gather information on the 12 thematic axes of CRES+5, as well as to contribute to the implementation of the Conference.

MEC Communications Department