WASHINGTON – The Inter-American Development Bank Group (IDB Group) has announced six finalists for Superheroes of Development 2026, an award that highlights lessons learned from IDB Group-financed initiatives in Latin America and the Caribbean. The selected projects stand out for transforming complex challenges into opportunities to generate impact, draw lessons, and develop replicable solutions in the region.
The finalist projects span a wide range of sectors and approaches: from digital connectivity and education to transportation infrastructure, energy transition, and resilience. Each provides valuable insights into how to overcome implementation obstacles and maximize impact for beneficiaries and their communities.
A panel of IDB Group specialists chose the six finalists for Superheroes of Development 2026:
1. Paraguay: From 17% to 71%: How Failure Became a Model for Digital Inclusion of Vulnerable Youth / IDB Lab
2. Belize: Teaching Through a Pandemic: Belize’s Online Shift Reaches More Teachers and Narrows Gaps Between Boys and Girls / IDB
3. Bolivia: Pando Verde: Adaptive Management and Innovation for Value Chain Resilience in the Amazon / IDB Lab
4. Costa Rica: Expansion and Improvement of the Paquera Port Ferry Terminal, Puntarenas Canton / IDB
5. El Salvador: Transforming El Salvador’s Energy System Through a Large-Scale LNG Power Project / IDB Invest
6. Colombia: Bridging Colombia’s Digital Divide by Bringing First-Time 4G Connectivity to Over 1,200 rural towns / IDB Invest
In this World Cup year, Superheroes of Development has channeled the spirit of the world’s most popular sport to recognize the teams that take to the field to improve lives in the region. The finalist teams will present their experiences on October 6 to a panel of high-level IDB Group leaders in Washington. Former Argentine soccer player Javier Zanetti will attend the ceremony.
The six projects compete in two categories. The first is for IDB and IDB Lab projects that are currently in progress or finished after January 2016. The second is for IDB Invest projects that have an Expanded Supervision Report or are in the process of obtaining one.
The lessons from the three winning projects will be shared widely to strengthen the design, implementation, and evaluation of future operations in Latin America and the Caribbean.
To learn more about Superheroes of Development, visit: https://cloud.mail.iadb.org/superheroes-of-development.
About the IDB Group
The Inter-American Development Bank Group (IDB Group) is the leading source of financing and knowledge for improving lives in Latin America and the Caribbean. It comprises the IDB which works with the region’s public sector and enables the private sector; IDB Invest, which directly supports private companies and projects; and IDB Lab, which spurs entrepreneurial innovation.
Javier Jose Salgado Derqui
Communications Specialist
