Venezuela, Vice Chair of the Conference on Science, Innovation and Information and Communications Technologies of ECLAC

By Enrique Cheang, E.C.V. & Asociados

Delegates from the Latin American and Caribbean countries participating in the Fourth Meeting of the Conference on Science, Innovation and Information and Communications Technologies of the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) agreed upon a regional cooperation agenda for the next two years that seeks, among other things, to firmly address the challenge of the region’s productivity.

The event brought together senior authorities from 22 of ECLAC’s Member States, including Venezuela, and more than 300 representatives of international organizations, the scientific community, academia, the private sector and civil society.

According to the Conference’s resolution, the delegates approved the 2024-2025 lines of work presented in a document of science, technology and innovation for sustainable and inclusive productive development.

These lines of work are:

-Science, technology and innovation (STI) instruments for sustainable and inclusive productive development;

-Governance of science, technology and innovation;

-Science, technology and innovation with a territorial approach; and

-Strategic sectoral and technological agendas.

In addition, it was decided that working groups for each of these approved lines of action should be established.

“We agree that science, technology and innovation policies are connected to other development policies, both because of their impact in increasing productivity as well as their contribution to creating new sectors and to the needed recuperation of growth in the region,” said Luis F. Yáñez, Secretary of ECLAC, highlighting the resolution approved in Colombia, which he said “paves the way for collaborative and multistakeholder work.”

During the Conference, the new Executive Committee was voted, made up of Colombia as Chair and Argentina, Brazil, Costa Rica, Mexico, Uruguay and Venezuela as Vice Chairs.