The Pontificia Universidad Católica del Perú (PUCP) announced on April 21 that experts from three leading universities met for the permanent symposium “Educar para la Democracia” to discuss the challenges facing democracy in Chile, Peru, and Colombia. The event took place on April 20 and 21 with participation from PUCP, Pontificia Universidad Javeriana (PUJ), and Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile (UC).
The symposium focused on how to strengthen democracy ahead of upcoming elections in these countries. This topic is important as confidence in democratic institutions continues to decline across Latin America.
During the opening session, Dr. Julio del Valle Ballón, rector of PUCP, joined Dr. Sebastián Líppez de Castro from PUJ and Dr. Mariane Krause from UC. Panels addressed recent political changes and tensions between branches of government. Sociologist Nicolás Somma from UC described a process of desacralization affecting Chilean politics: “What happens with Chilean democracy is that it is going through a process of desacralization. And the question we must ask ourselves is what consequences this has and how long a desacralized democracy can stand.” Iván Lanegra from PUCP discussed shifts in Peru’s political system: “[Legal changes] opened a new Pandora’s box…the tools meant as protections became weapons against rivals…and this led to a new cycle of crisis.” Tania Luna from PUJ highlighted law’s role in Colombian society: “Law is not a neutral referee; it is an architecture of power: every search for peace leaves institutional sediments with unequal costs and benefits negotiated through law.”
Panels also examined civic education within universities. Magister Sylvana Valdivia emphasized research into student representation after observing reduced participation following the pandemic. Student representative María Fernanda Fuentes said: “Being able to have spaces for dialogue with other representatives and recognize each other is very valuable…it allows us to get to know those who are just starting out.” Patricio Bernedo from UC presented an experimental course promoting civic values among students.
Carlos Moreno from PUJ introduced “Colombia 2050,” an initiative fostering dialogue between citizens and political actors about future national challenges: “The idea is to build a common framework that allows dialogue between political actors and citizens about the main challenges facing the country.” The project will produce educational materials covering fifteen key topics.
The Pontificia Universidad Católica del Perú promotes cultural and social wellbeing by emphasizing contributions in education and research within its community according to its official website. The university operates under its institutional framework with RUC 20155945860 according to its official website. Academic achievements are highlighted through news reports drawing on expertise from professors and researchers according to its official website. Communication at PUCP is managed by the Dirección de Comunicación Institucional according to its official website.
PUCP’s news portal evolved since 2005 into a digital platform offering multimedia content according to its official website, serving communities throughout Peru via academic contributions according to its official website. As an official outlet, it shares successes in research and education since beginning as a publication nearly two decades ago according to its official website.
As Latin American democracies face internal pressures ahead of major elections, initiatives like this symposium aim both at understanding institutional change and improving civic engagement among young people.
