Author: SG CSUCA

Development of Symposium on Higher Education and Research for Disaster Risk Reduction

Guatemala City, May 13, 2025

Today, at the facilities of the Secretariat for Central American Economic Integration -SIECA-, the symposium “Higher Education and Research for Disaster Risk Reduction” was held, an academic dialogue organized by the German Academic Exchange Service -DAAD- and the Central American Higher University Council -CSUCA-, with the support of the German Embassy in Guatemala and SIECA.

The event brought together Central American and German academics with the aim of strengthening and promoting transdisciplinary scientific cooperation on the challenges posed by extreme weather events and disasters in Central America.

The opening ceremony was led by Irena Rusak, representing Christoph Hansert, DAAD Regional Director for Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean, Carlos Alvarado, Secretary General of CSUCA and Francisco Lima, Secretary General of SIECA.

In his remarks, Carlos Alvarado emphasized the importance of maintaining collaborative spaces that promote science committed to gender equality, social inclusion, and territorial relevance.

The symposium included keynote lectures by Robert Cárcamo Mallen from Humboldt University of Berlin, on the socio-environmental impact of extreme weather events, and Cécile Stehrenberger from the University of Costa Rica, who presented a critical perspective from the social sciences and humanities on disaster research.

In parallel working sessions, participants explored research areas and regional cooperation strategies, the results of which were presented at the close of the day. The event concluded with a lecture by Christoph Hansert on research and funding opportunities in Germany.

This symposium is consolidated as a firm step in the construction of a regional academic network focused on disaster prevention and response, integrating local knowledge with international cooperation.

58th General Assembly of SICEVAES

The fifty-eighth general assembly of the Central American System for Evaluation and Harmonization of Higher Education -SICEVAES- was held on April 28, 29 and 30, at the University of San Carlos of Guatemala -USAC-.

SICEVAES is the system that promotes a culture of quality, evaluation, and accountability to society in the universities that make up CSUCA, using evaluation and accreditation as a management strategy for change, modernization, and improvement of universities.

To kick off the event, Brenda Marroquín, Director General of Teaching at USAC, stated, “Today we celebrate not only the opportunity to meet, but also the opportunity to host such an important event, a gesture we value and embrace. SICEVAES represents the commitment to promoting quality as a social engine; in our countries, this allows us to guarantee better development opportunities.”.

Meanwhile, Carlos Alvarado, Secretary General of CSUCA, emphasized, “Currently, the integration of artificial intelligence into social, economic, and cultural processes is rapidly transforming how we conceive of knowledge, learning, and teaching. Therefore, as university authorities, we find ourselves needing to promote complex thinking that allows us to understand and act in a world characterized by constant technological evolution. This implies that we must rethink our pedagogical approaches, our curriculum, and our evaluation systems to train highly qualified professionals committed to the challenges of society.”.

For his part, Willson Mejía, President of SICEVAES, stated, “This system is the only opportunity we have to achieve quality education. Quality should not just remain rhetoric, but become an achievable goal. At SICEVAES, we have several advanced projects underway, and there is a technical team ready to make it happen.”.

And on behalf of the University of San Carlos of Guatemala, Luis Fernando Cordón Lucero, Secretary General, extended a warm welcome: “On behalf of the University of San Carlos of Guatemala, I extend a warm welcome to the City of Santiago de los Caballeros, the venue for the 58th General Assembly of SICEVAES. I am convinced that these days of academic work will be filled with collaborative efforts and fruitful results.”.

The general assembly included the presentation of keynote lectures, including “Complex Thinking in the Age of AI” by the University of San Carlos of Guatemala and ”Challenges for UMIP Teachers and the Implementation of the Socio-Formative Educational Model: Reflections from the Academic Vice-Rector's Office“ by Professor Roberto Aparicio.

Likewise, the presentation of the vice-rectorates of each university, considering the trends perceived from their institutions, in terms of innovation, academic management, strategies and teaching-learning methods, in order to find opportunities for joint collaboration.

It is worth noting that this assembly presents an opportune space for collaborative work generated through the Permanent Commissions by strategic objective of Program 3 of the Fifth Plan for the Integration of Higher Education in Central America and the Dominican Republic -PIRESC V-, presentation of reports on progress and identification and planning of concrete activities to be carried out in 2025 by subcommittee.

IX SIREICU General Assembly

On April 8 and 9, the Ninth General Assembly of the Regional System of University Information and Communication -SIREICU- took place, an activity carried out in virtual mode, based at the Technological University of Panama.

The purpose of this meeting was to develop the call for the first delivery of the “SIREICU Awards”, as well as the work of each of the commissions of the system, which respond to Program 7 “Information, Communication and University Dissemination” of the Fifth Plan for the Integration of Higher Education of Central America and the Dominican Republic -PIRESC V-, and the development of the work of the presidency of the system by Roberto Tejada representing the Autonomous University of Santo Domingo -UASD-.

To begin the activity, Roberto Tejada, president of the system, stated, “I am here at this assembly with my team, with whom we bring proposals for the improvement and proper functioning of our system. We hope that in this assembly we can define and materialize the initiatives we bring today.”.

Kathya Baruco, representing the Technological University of Panama, mentioned the work of SIREICU in recent years: “For this university, it is an honor to host this assembly, a system whose efforts over the years have yielded results through different communication formats to publicize the work of our universities.”.

For his part, Carlos Alvarado, general secretary of CSUCA, called for the benefit of technological tools for university outreach, raising awareness about the importance of creativity from the different areas of communication: “Colleagues, technology offers you powerful tools, but the value lies in your creativity, your ethics and your commitment to truth, inclusion and excellence.”.

It is worth noting that this working meeting was very fruitful and as part of the progress of the presidency of the system in charge of Roberto Tejada of the Autonomous University of Santo Domingo -UASD-, the new web portal for the Comunica Network, new graphic line of the Comunica Network, digital bulletin of SIREICU, proposal for the first delivery of the SIREICU Awards were presented and approved.

The next general assembly will take place on September 25 and 26 of this year, culminating on the last day with the first presentation of the SIREICU Awards, for which a call for entries will soon be opened so that communicators belonging to the universities that make up CSUCA can participate in five categories, these being journalism, public relations, graphic communication, digital communication and advertising and promotion.