From the Industrial University of Santander, knowledge, academic expertise, and a commitment to social change transcended borders to reach the African continent.
Ximena Lucelly Sánchez Cortés, a professor and alumna of the School of Nutrition and Dietetics, represented Colombia as a member of the FSM2028 Colombia Steering Group at the 17th World Social Forum—a major international platform for gathering, reflection, and collaboration among social organizations and movements—held at the University of Abomey-Calavi in Cotonou, Benin.
For one week, representatives from more than 102 countries gathered to engage in dialogue, exchange experiences, and develop proposals to address some of the major social, environmental, food, and political challenges facing the world.
In this global setting, Professor Sánchez Cortés’s participation highlighted the academic and social commitment that characterizes the faculty of the School of Nutrition and Dietetics at the Industrial University of Santander, whose work goes beyond classroom instruction and actively contributes to the discussion and development of responses to contemporary challenges in food, nutrition, food security and sovereignty, and sustainable development.
The Colombian delegation placed fundamental issues such as food sovereignty, agroecology, and the human right to food at the center of the international dialogue, along with the experiences and perspectives of peasant organizations. In this context, together with organizations from different countries, they promoted the creation of a Latin American Pact for Food Sovereignty, Agrarian Reform, and the Human Right to Food, as a commitment to strengthening regional coordination and moving toward more just, sustainable, and equitable food systems.
Professor Ximena Lucelly Sánchez Cortés’s experience at the World Social Forum thus serves as an example of the national and international reach of the School’s academic community and its commitment to knowledge generation and social transformation.
At the UIS, we continue to bring knowledge, commitment, and proposals to the forums where solutions for the future are developed. Because moving toward more just food systems and guaranteeing the human right to food requires the joint efforts of academia, communities, and peoples.
