Text and photos: Juan David Latorre.
The presidents of the Conference of Rectors of Spanish Universities (CRUE), José Carlos Gómez Villamandos, and of the Conference of Rectors, Presidents and Leaders of Universities and Higher Education Institutions of Haiti (CORPUHA), Jean Robert Charles, signed a framework collaboration agreement between the universities of the two countries on 21 April.
The signing ceremony took place at the headquarters of the Embassy of Haiti in Spain, in the presence of the Ambassador, H.E. Dr. Louis Marie Montfort Saintil, the Secretary General of Universities of the Spanish Government, José Manuel Pingarrón, and the Vice-Rector of the Episcopal University of Haiti (UNEPH), Dr. Robert R. Joseph.
After highlighting the enormous importance of the signing of this agreement for Haiti, the Ambassador of Haiti, Louis Marie Montfort Saintil indicated that “the two parties undertake to guarantee the follow-up of the mechanisms and processes agreed upon in the planning and execution of the activities of the present agreement. Also to ensure the supervision and control of the application of its clauses; to seek funding from national and international donors for joint projects; to carry out joint projects in training, research and others that contribute to the scientific, cultural and socio-economic development of Spain and Haiti, as well as to consult on problems that may arise from the interpretation and implementation of the agreement”.
“Undoubtedly,” continued the Ambassador, “all this will strengthen academic and scientific collaboration between Haiti and Spain, allowing for even closer ties of friendship and cooperation between the two countries.”
He was followed by the President of the Conference of Rectors of Spanish Universities (CRUE), José Carlos Gómez Villamandos, who recalled the importance of the cultural ties that unite Spain with Latin America and the Caribbean and the historical collaboration with this region, which has brought “excellent results for both parties”. In this sense, he assured that “there is only one University with many branches throughout the world”, in which all the Rectors share the same concern: “to improve its training and research capacity”, and he underlined the desire of the Spanish institutions to “strengthen ties in teaching and R+D+i projects”.
For his part, the President of CORPUHA, Jean Robert Charles, celebrated the fact that, thanks to this agreement, Haitian universities can benefit from Spain’s “rich experience and academic and scientific success” and, in turn, contribute their knowledge and contribution to the artistic and cultural fields.
In a week of intense work, the Haitian delegation, led by Ambassador Louis Marie Montfort, met on Tuesday 20 April with the director of the cultural and scientific department of the Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation (AECID), Guzmán Palacios Fernández. The meeting focused on the technical and financial support of AECID in the implementation of the agreement signed between the Spanish and Haitian universities, which allows the two institutions to develop joint programmes for the benefit of both peoples.
Yesterday, 22 April, the Ambassador and the Haitian delegation had a meeting with Alberto Antón Cortés, Director of the Diplomatic School, in order to consolidate the relations of friendship and academic collaboration between Haiti and Spain.
They also held a meeting at the Campus of the Camilo José Cela University (UCJC) with the Vice-Rector for Institutional and International Relations, Fernando de Saavedra, the Vice-Rector for Research, Francisco López, and the Director of the International Centre for Government and Political Marketing of the University, Jorge Santiago, in which they toured all the facilities of the University Campus and where, in an atmosphere of friendship and cooperation, the pillars of a future relationship of projects between Spain and Haiti in education and research were laid.
