Chilean and Moroccan universities are called upon to forge closer ties and intensify their exchanges on topics as diverse as climate change and equity policies, said Paulina Astroza, Professor of Law and Director of the Center for European Studies Center at the Chilean University of Concepcion.
In an interview with MAP, Paulina Astroza explained that her university interacts with several Moroccan universities, notably those in Rabat, Marrakech and Fez, to bolster exchanges between higher education institutions in the two countries.
Recalling her visit to several Moroccan universities in 2022, on the occasion of a seminar on relations between Morocco and Latin America, Astroza expressed the hope that closer ties between the universities of the two countries “could soon become a reality”, listing areas that could form a rich program of academic exchanges.
"Firstly,” she said, ”there is a great deal of convergence on issues that affect us as developing countries, namely the negative impact of climate change and equity policies”.
Secondly, analyzing the post-Covid pandemic context, the Chilean academic deemed that food safety could also be a subject for joint reflection between Chilean and Moroccan universities.
“I think we have a lot in common with Morocco, because we are two developing countries that are suffering the negative effects of climate change, without being sources of contamination,” she added.
Paulina Astrosa noted in this context that “Morocco is obviously one of the countries innovating in this field, especially with green hydrogen”, adding that Chile, which abounds in “critical materials” for the ecological transition, such as lithium, “has a lot to contribute in this area”.
As an expert in international relations, Astrosa believes that the Royal Atlantic Initiative, launched by HM King Mohammed VI in November 2023, falls perfectly in line with the dynamics of closer ties between Morocco and Latin America, and more generally between Africa and the South American continent.
“Thinking about the uncertainties that marked international relations for at least two decades, the impact of the pandemic and the lack of governance, I believe that all these issues fit perfectly into an Africa-Latin America agenda,” Astrosa concluded.
