September 23, 2026
Haiti’s State University and the National Autonomous University of Mexico officially launched the Makaya-Cuitláhuac Chair on December 8, 2025, following an academic cooperation agreement between the two institutions. The initiative aims to “strengthen scientific, cultural, and pedagogical exchanges” as part of a structured partnership between Haiti and Mexico.
Conceived as a space for reflection and action, the Chair seeks to encourage research and debate on major contemporary challenges affecting societies of the Global South. According to the statement, it will notably allow for “the organization of conferences, seminars, research stays, and the implementation of joint projects” on themes ranging from bio-resilience to human rights.
The agreement, concluded for a renewable five-year term, reflects a desire to build an integrated and solidarity-based Latin American and Caribbean academic space. Scientific coordination has been entrusted to Dr. Margarita Aurora Vargas Canales for UNAM and Dr. Elinet Daniel for UEH, with the first phase set to take place in Mexico.
At the signing ceremony, Rector Dieuseul Prédélus praised the decisive support of diplomatic and academic authorities from both countries. He specifically thanked “the efforts made in implementing this project, which is so important for both countries,” highlighting the convergence of institutional will.
For the UEH rector, this cooperation “goes beyond a simple administrative framework” and reflects a shared commitment to building a more ambitious and just academic future. By associating the figures of Makaya and Cuitláhuac—heroes of Haitian and Aztec resistance—the Chair also seeks to symbolize South-South cooperation grounded in dignity, memory, and the struggle against all forms of oppression.
