Networks to Promote and Defend Human Rights.

Abstract

The challenges for the realization of human rights in Latin America are numerous and have required actions and collaborations that promote greater networking and regional integration to enhance their defense and promotion. The role of public universities in facing this challenge must be continuously discussed and gains greater relevance when access to higher education is understood as a human right. In this article, we present the experience of the Chair of Human Rights of the Association of Universities of the Montevideo Group (AUGM), a network of public universities in Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Paraguay, and Uruguay. Based on an inseparable relationship with the foundations of university extension, we present the initiatives of the Chair that reflect its commitment to education for human rights and dialogue with communities and institutions of society about the human rights violations experienced in the region: Meetings on Human Rights in times of pandemic; Summer School on Human Rights Education; and the annual Human Rights Forum. We conclude by highlighting the importance of networking for strengthening institutions and programs and policies promoting human rights.