The leaders in information and communication technology for development from 21 Latin American and Caribbean countries are meeting at the Inter-American Development Bank in Washington, D.C., November 11-13, to enhance their collective efforts for strengthening the deployment of these technologies to promote sustainable economic growth while reducing poverty and promoting equity throughout the Region.
In inaugurating the Second Consultative Meeting on Information and Communication Technology for Development, IDB President Enrique V. Iglesias stressed the importance of a concerted action to foster communication for development.
In the last few years, the heads of state throughout the Region have begun to express their political will to accelerate the expansion of a regional knowledge economy as a means to carry out a democratic process of efficient, equitable and sustainable development. The IDB has been and continues to be committed to assisting the countries, individually and collectively, in translating this political will into Bank-funded projects and activities.
To examine concrete and practical ways for increasing opportunities for the region to participate in and benefit from expansion of the knowledge-based global economy, the working sessions of the meeting are focusing on: National ICT Strategy, Regional ICT Integration Initiatives, Project Development Interaction, ICT for Development in the IDB Institutional Strategy.
Countries participating in the meeting are Argentina, Belice, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Guyana, Honduras, Jamaica, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Trinidad & Tobago, Uruguay, and Venezuela.
The Second Consultative Meeting was convened by Iglesias under the auspices of the Information and Communication Technology for Development Strategy Group, chaired by Paulo Paiva, Vice-President for Planning and Administration and composed of the managers of regional and central departments, and organized by the Information Technology for Development Division of the Sustainable Development Department (SDS/ICT).