During its second session of 2026, the Civil Society Council (COSOC) of the Chilean Agency for International Development Cooperation (AGCID) confirmed the appointment of the Universidad de La Frontera (UFRO) to chair this consultative body—an important mechanism for shaping and advancing the country’s international cooperation, incorporating the perspective of civil society.
Accordingly, COSOC is chaired by Janina Hanswillemenke, International Cooperation Coordinator at UFRO’s International Office, who was elected by fellow Council members to lead the body until 2027.
COSOC brings together representatives from social organisations, academia and civil society, with the aim of contributing to the design, monitoring and strengthening of Chile’s international cooperation public policies.
‘UFRO was elected by the Council members themselves to chair this body. This represents an opportunity to strengthen the link between academia and international cooperation; it allows us to take on a relevant role in coordinating cooperation initiatives with a territorial approach, inclusion and sustainable development’, said Janina Hanswillemenke.
Regarding the session, the Chair of the Council explained that discussions addressed aspects related to the current context of international cooperation, marked by a process of transformation, as well as the identification of priority areas of work for the 2025–2027 period, including strengthening COSOC’s role in multi-stakeholder dialogue and its contribution to the sustainable development agenda.
‘In this new period, COSOC faces the challenge of consolidating itself as a space for coordination between the State, civil society and academia, more actively incorporating regional and territorial perspectives into international cooperation, and promoting initiatives that respond to the challenges of sustainable development at both local and global levels’, she added.
UFRO’s participation and role in bodies such as this reflect its commitment to internationalisation, the promotion of networks, knowledge exchange and inter-institutional collaboration, thereby contributing to actions with national and global impact.
UFRO International Office
