Javier de León, Co-Director of the UNESCO Chair in Tourism and Sustainable Economic Development at ULPGC, participated online as a guest speaker at the First Forum of Sector Leaders Committed to Human Sustainability and Planetary Sustainability, held in Bogotá from September 1 to 3, 2025. His presentation, delivered on September 3 and titled “Sustainable Tourism as a Path to Equality, Equity, and Social Inclusion”, was part of the panel Challenges and Opportunities in the Management and Sustainability of UNESCO Chairs in Ibero-America.
This event brought together leaders from higher education institutions, multilateral organizations, academic networks, and national and international experts, with the goal of generating strategic reflections and building collective proposals around the contemporary challenges of sustainability and educational transformation in Latin America. Over three days, keynote lectures, panel discussions, collaborative workshops, and the official launch of the Center for University Pedagogies for the Southern Cone (CPU) were held. This initiative aims to position itself as a platform for educational co-innovation and transformative teacher training.
In addition, the Ibero-American Meeting of UNESCO Chairs was held, focusing on consolidating shared agendas for educational transformation, digital citizenship, and social change through a networked and sustainable approach. The forum also served as a key opportunity to strengthen institutional partnerships, highlight inspiring practices, reinforce regional pedagogical leadership, and move toward a more inclusive, innovative, and socially committed education system—one that supports the well-being of present and future generations.
The forum was organized by the National Open and Distance University (UNAD) in collaboration with ACESAD, AIESAD, the State University System (SUE Centro), the UNESCO-UNAD Chair, and the Bogotá Chamber of Commerce, with the support of the UNESCO International Institute for Higher Education in Latin America and the Caribbean (IESALC).
For more information about the event, visit the official event page on the UNAD website.