Spanish university leads creation of ombudsman offices in Latin America

A Spanish university is spearheading an initiative to bolster the protection of student rights across Latin America. The international project, Bravioo, coordinated by Spain's Universidad Carlos III de Madrid (UC3M) and Portugal's University of Beira Interior, has facilitated the establishment and reinforcement of university ombudsman offices in the region.

Over two years, the project involved nine universities from five Latin American nations and the Spanish consultancy OpenODS. Their work focused on how higher education institutions can effectively guarantee the rights of their entire university community. The primary achievement is the creation and strengthening of academic human rights protection structures, according to UC3M.

This effort has led to the establishment of two new ombudsman offices and the formalization of a new regulatory role in one university. Additionally, three existing ombudsman offices have been strengthened. These developments have been adapted to local contexts, including the creation of a University Commissioner at Honduras's National Pedagogical University Francisco Morazán and the regulation of an 'Ombuds' office at Chile's Adolfo Ibáñez University.

The project also yielded free digital tools for public use, such as the DULE virtual assistant, which guides institutions through the process of creating ombudsman offices. An online repository of regulations, an interactive map of regional ombudsman offices, and a best practices guide are also available. Funded by the EU's Erasmus+ program, the project concludes in January 2027, but its impact is expected to be long-lasting.