Diálogos Universitarios 2026, an initiative led by Recambio in partnership with the Red Peruana de Universidades and supported by the Pontificia Universidad Católica del Perú (PUCP), presented its results on April 28 at the Alberto Hurtado auditorium of Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia. The project aims to contribute to public discussion by building consensus from academia during a time of political polarization and institutional challenges.
The program brought together specialists from 13 universities over six weeks to deliberate on four national priorities: citizen security, higher education, decentralization, and democracy and institutional development. Cristina Guerra, professor at UPCH, said, “The university not only has the mission to teach but also to foster critical thinking, argumentation with rigor and respect.” She added that these proposals are “not naturally closed consensuses but rather the beginning of a larger process of reflection and public impact.”
Dr. Julio del Valle, rector of PUCP, emphasized the importance of dialogue in a polarized context. “In a moment where reaching agreements that include everyone through dialogue seems barely possible, our path shows it is not only viable but indispensable,” he said. Augusto Townsend, director of Diálogos Universitarios 2026, stated that despite ideological or territorial differences among participants, they managed to sit down together and build common proposals for major national challenges.
Discussions included evidence-based policies for citizen security with regional differentiation; strengthening higher education quality while promoting inclusion; rethinking public management models for decentralization; and proposing reforms in democracy focused on civic education and anti-corruption measures. Gabriela Vega Franco explained that “the first victory has been moving beyond diagnosis toward generating concrete proposals.”
The Pontificia Universidad Católica del Perú promotes cultural and social wellbeing by emphasizing contributions in education and research according to its official website. The university operates under its institutional framework with RUC 20155945860 according to its official website. It highlights academic achievements and addresses societal issues via its news portal drawing on faculty expertise according to its official website. Communication is directed by Dirección de Comunicación Institucional according to its official website, which manages content evolution from a printed magazine started in 2005 into today’s digital platform featuring multimedia materials according to its official website.
Looking ahead, organizers announced plans for broader outreach so these academic consensuses can influence political actors as well as society at large. Dr. Enrique Castañeda from UPCH expressed hope: “Yes there is hope for changing the country. I hope these University Dialogues will help us move forward toward building what we call a country project.” Del Valle concluded that universities should become “reliable allies committed along the path towards affirming a democratic nation offering opportunities for every Peruvian.”
