Ximena Serrano Gil is Vice President of WFSJ and President of the Colombian Association of Journalism and Science Communication (ACPC). She has many years of experience as a science journalist, advisor, researcher and lecturer on topics related to the dissemination of science, technology and innovation and the appropriation of knowledge.
Ximena led the local organisation of the most recent WCSJ in Medellín in 2023, where journalists met in person, for the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic. The meeting attracted hundreds of journalists from 62 countries, including many from the global south, which was a key objective for the organisers. It was the highest recorded number of international representatives since the conferences were established. The panels covered solutions journalism, reporting on the climate crisis, building relationships with local and cross-border communities, knowledge exchange, with the participation of indigenous people from the Amazon where scientific projects converge with ancestral knowledge and much more. Informally, friendships were formed, acquaintances renewed, and professional networks expanded. It was organized in the impressive open-air Botanical Garden in Medellín, Colombia.
It is Ximena’s belief that journalism can strengthen the sustainable development of society and encourage understanding of and participation in science. She says: “I am very happy with the conference in Colombia. We look to strengthen scientific journalism in the global south, which now continues with the next WCSJ in South Africa in 2025. Here in Latin America we continue to encourage journalists in the region to unite as a great continent, and from the WFSJ we are working to bring them together again in upcoming regional event in October 2024. Having this in mind, we invite our members in the global south to send us collaboration ideas. We will be happy to develop new projects together!”