The Human Rights Area and the Academic Area of ​​the UNR presented the Program for Mainstreaming the Human Rights Perspective, an unprecedented initiative in the university field.

In the context of International Human Rights Day, the Universidad Nacional de Rosario He presented the Mainstreaming Program of the Human Rights Perspective and held the Recognition of Student Projects in the Key of Human Rights: Memory, Truth and Justice.

“If we can count some truly extraordinary things in the Universidad Nacional de Rosario “It’s because there’s a community firmly grounded in its sense of responsibility that makes things happen. We’ve prioritized the Human Rights agenda because we understand it’s integrally linked to the values ​​and principles of the Argentine Public University. Giving it the necessary centrality isn’t just an administrative act of placing the Human Rights Area at the top of the institutional hierarchy of the University’s governing structure; it’s also a declaration of principles,” explained Rector Franco Bartolacci. 

He also highlighted the genuine commitment of the university community and the necessity of revisiting these issues at a time when “matters we thought were settled are once again being debated.” “I also want to take advantage of this event not only to acknowledge all that we have been doing, but to ask that we make an effort to protect what happens at the UNR, which makes things so different here from what happens elsewhere, and even makes it possible for things to happen here that don't happen in many other places.”

Finally, he referred to the transversalization program, a novel initiative that the University has been implementing since 2026 and which will have a total of six subjects. “To educate is to contribute to the construction of a collective field of memory. The absence of this shared field, especially among new generations, explains many of the difficulties facing public debate today. When there is no common ground of references and meanings, the discussion becomes more complex, and educational and cultural institutions have an unavoidable role to play. That is why the step we are taking with mainstreaming is so important, an unprecedented initiative in the Argentine public university system. It involves transforming into concrete actions what we promoted at the national level and what we consider fundamental to the system. The fact that we are one of the first universities to implement it speaks to our commitment to aligning words with actions,” he explained, adding: “This effort has a profound purpose: to train professionals who not only possess the skills specific to each discipline, but who act in any field guided by a set of principles and values ​​that are constitutive of the public university and that we defend as priorities. At the same time, it allows us to promote necessary debates on the public agenda, even when they seem to run counter to the current climate. That is also a responsibility of the university, an institution that, by its nature and social legitimacy, is in a position to assume that role like few others.” 

The Program for Mainstreaming a Human Rights Perspective will include courses already offered within the Faculty of Political Science and International Relations, the Faculty of Humanities and Arts, the Faculty of Psychology, and the Faculty of Law, making them available to all students in the UNR community. This experience will complement the existing degree supplement ordinance. The resolution also anticipates that, in time, any other faculty that develops a course in a specific field related to Human Rights may join this initiative.

“We understand that each curriculum proposal, in addition to meeting the quality standards for disciplinary training and the formal requirements for awarding a university degree, must also incorporate a human rights approach into its curriculum. It is essential that the training of professionals considers each subject within a context of action in society, where knowledge and profession engage in dialogue with diverse realities and the needs of different regions and individuals—every citizen of this country,” stated Carina Gerlero, Head of the Academic and Learning Area at UNR. 

Furthermore, he explained the challenge of figuring out how every UNR student could access, across existing curricular spaces, courses that are approached from a legal perspective. “We must thank the faculties that offer these spaces—the Faculty of Political Science, the Faculty of Humanities, the Faculty of Psychology, and the Faculty of Law—for making available a curricular space where students from those faculties take courses, and which, starting in 2026, will be open to any UNR student to access, take, debate, and build a collective perspective that will undoubtedly be different. We believe that this approach to a curriculum with a rights-based focus fosters subjectivities and ways of being professional that are essential.”

Paula Contino, head of the Human Rights Area at UNR, explained that this program represents a very important institutional step toward building a more humane university. “This program has several precedents, but one is fundamental. When Franco Bartolacci, our rector, chaired the Inter-University Network for Human Rights, the University Council plenary session in 2020 agreed to promote this initiative—the integration of human rights into the curriculum of public universities. This means making available to our students a cultural heritage committed to equality, justice, and the principles of non-violence, non-discrimination, and solidarity.”

In this way, the UNR (National University of Rosario) is responding to this federal and pedagogical mandate, offering a real opportunity to incorporate human rights content and approaches in an interdisciplinary manner. “We will do this through six courses open to the entire UNR community, allowing students to independently choose where they want to study and learn from different disciplines and perspectives, fostering a broader awareness of human rights. This will be recognized academically in the degree supplement, and the idea is that this will generate dialogue and exchange within the classroom, preventing us from becoming complacent or indifferent to current events. We believe this is urgent in every sense,” Contino affirmed. 

Following the signing of the document that officially launches this program at the beginning of next year by the authorities, awards were given to students from Faculties, High Schools and the “Otra Vuelta” Program who developed productions, projects or academic paths linked to the field of Memory, Truth and Justice, contributing to the promotion and transmission of Human Rights as a horizon of meaning. 

This is the second edition of this award, which aims to become a regular activity every December 10th. “We congratulate everyone who participated in these projects this year. The commitment of the members of our University community is immense. Today, December 10th, is a very special day, and we have many commemorations: 77 years since the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, when humanity decided to pause in the face of the horrors of the mass crimes of World War II; 42 years since the hard-won democratic restoration of this country; 40 years since the unforgettable trial of the military juntas, which uniquely, exemplarily, and emblematically made Argentina a beacon. And we are just four months away from the 50th anniversary of the last coup d'état perpetrated by the civic-military dictatorship from 1976 to 1983. The insightful and generous participation of our students has demonstrated that university education is also a space where ways of being in the world are tested, where other ways of being in the world are conceived, where they can be conceived and built.” much more sensitive citizens.”

Journalist: Gonzalo J. García / Photographer: Camila Casero.