6th Colombian Forum on Universities and Sustainability June 2026 - call for participation

On 23 and 24 June 2026, the “6th Colombian Forum on Universities and Sustainability” will take place in Cartagena de Indias, at the headquarters of the Los Libertadores University Foundation. This event forms part of a series that began in 2013, with five previous meetings held in the cities of Bello, Bogotá, Cartagena, Pereira and Villavicencio. Since the second edition of the series, it has been jointly organised by the Colombian Network for Environmental Education (RCFA) and the Environmental Network of Sustainable Universities (RAUS). It is now also part of the programme of activities of the Observatory on Sustainability in Higher Education in Latin America and the Caribbean (OSES-ALC).

These forums provide an academic space and a platform for coordinating university environmental networks, aimed at strengthening collaborative work among higher education institutions in Colombia. Their central purpose is to promote institutional commitment to sustainability, facilitate the exchange of experiences and best practices, and foster the development of joint strategies to address current socio-environmental challenges.
The sixth edition of this forum seeks to promote the alignment of higher education institutions with the global sustainability agenda, in line with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). 

Specifically, the following is proposed: 1) To analyse the extent to which higher education institutions contribute to the achievement of the SDGs; 2) To present institutional experiences related to sustainability; 3) To share innovative initiatives developed by students, lecturers and researchers that strengthen sustainability within the university environment.

Two formats for participation have been defined for this event: a) Institutional papers or presentations demonstrating progress in sustainability in the areas of governance, education, research, outreach and management; b) Short presentations by students, lecturers or researchers to showcase innovative initiatives or projects (completed or ongoing) that contribute to sustainability in higher education institutions.

Those interested in presenting institutional papers or short speeches should send an abstract (in spanish) of no more than 500 words to universidades.sostenibilidad@gmail.com. 

In addition to the participation of Colombian institutions and academics, representatives from higher education institutions in other Latin American countries will also be taking part. 

The deadline for submitting abstracts is 3 June. 

Full information and updates can be found here: https://oses-alc.net/vi-foro-colombiano-universidades-y-sostenibilidad/