Latin America Centre (Buenos Aires)

The International Joint Conference on Transversal Ethics in Higher Education, held in Bogotá, Colombia, from November 1-3, 2023, was a significant gathering organized by Globethics and the Centre of Applied Ethics (CEA) at Universidad de los Andes (Uniandes). The conference aimed to underscore the crucial role of transversal ethics in higher education and its profound impact on societies, acknowledging that higher education institutions are not only centers for academic learning but also platforms for nurturing responsible citizens and ethical individuals.

With over 300 participants, including faculty, educators, researchers, and administrative staff, the conference provided a platform to share experiences and best practices for promoting ethical reflection and judgment as a central component of higher education. Notably, UniAndes was launched as Globethics' first Competence Centre during the conference, marking a milestone in the collaboration relationship.

Keynote speakers from Colombia, Mexico, Brazil, Canada, Argentina, and Kenya enriched the discussions, addressing the importance of integrating ethics across higher education. The event featured three primary panels that focused on "Ethics in Higher Education for a Better Life and Society," "The Meaning and Scope of Transversal Ethics in Higher Education," and "Standards and Strategies to Mainstream Ethics in Higher Education for Societal Transformation."

Throughout these panels, discussions emphasized the need for ethical awareness and social responsibility in higher education, the relationship between artificial intelligence (AI) and education, and strategies to seamlessly integrate ethics into the curriculum. Challenges in achieving transversality in ethics were acknowledged, requiring substantial institutional efforts, teacher training, and intentional curricular design.

Complementing the discussions, dynamic workshops encouraged active participation, knowledge sharing, and interactive dialogue. Workshops covered topics such as mainstreaming ethics in curriculum development, the potential of AI in education, and addressing academic fraud through ethics and academic integrity. The conference also celebrated the 10th anniversary of UniAndes' Centre of Applied Ethics, presenting a commemorative book that highlighted the center's contributions to the transversalization of ethics in higher education.

Key figures, including Catalina González Uribe, Juny Montoya Vargas, Manuela Fernández Pinto, and Amélé Ekué, emphasized the importance of international collaboration and the formulation of recommendations for public policy to measure and promote progress in ethics inclusion across curricula.

The path forward, as discussed in the conference, underscores the enlightening and bridge-building role of education in fostering responsible leadership, global citizenship, and human flourishing through diversity. It emphasizes the need to transcend credentialism, contemplate the role of AI in classrooms, and champion teacher training for an educational ethos that goes beyond academic pursuits.

In conclusion, the conference highlighted the significance of transversal ethics in higher education and set the stage for ongoing collaboration between UniAndes and Globethics, laying the foundation for a shared commitment to advancing ethical education globally.