The establishment of a Latin America Chair at Saint Joseph University of Beirut is vital for the promotion of knowledge of countries of Latin America, through mutual cooperation, in order to develop among the Lebanese and Middle Eastern public an in-depth knowledge of the countries of this region of the world on the public and private levels.

 

A platform for cooperation with Latin American countries, the Chair mainly aims to:

 

- Inform of the state, the challenges and the cultural, scientific and economic potentials of Latin American countries;

- Organize seminars, conferences, meetings, face-to-face and/or distance training sessions, research initiatives, symposia and activities on the theme of Latin America;

-   Promote the achievements of the Lebanese and Middle Eastern diaspora in Latin America by hosting distinguished individuals of Lebanese or Middle Eastern origin in fields such as politics, economics, arts, medicine, audio-visual arts, and more, providing firsthand accounts that strengthen their connection to their country of origin;

- Facilitate the integration of the diaspora into the Lebanese context by promoting the advantages and rights and recognizing the socio-economic and moral wealth it represents for Lebanon through conferences and meetings;

- Raise awareness among the Lebanese and Middle Eastern public about the cultural heritage built by their families in these Latin American countries through the publications produced by eminent authors and journalists from the 19th century. This emigration literature, its creative aspects and its evolutionary stages will be exhibited at USJ.

- Establish inter-university collaborations between USJ and Latin American universities, agreements with the Institut des Hautes Etudes de l'Amérique Latine in Paris and the Economic Commission for Latin America (CEPAL), and cooperation with UNESCO, which constitutes a broad opportunity for action and testimony to the mission of this Chair on the institutional and academic levels.

- Establish a cooperation with Latin American embassies to host various activities at USJ, aiming at fostering closer ties between the countries.