Latin American and Caribbean countries deepen regional cooperation on digital transformation

00The Ninth Ministerial Conference on the Information Society in Latin America and the Caribbean, organized by ECLAC and the Government of Chile, commemorates almost two decades of progress in digital cooperation since the adoption of the first Plan of Action in 2005. Despite the progress made, the region continues to face significant challenges, especially in the face of emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence.

The objective of this meeting was to promote cooperation on digital transformation between the European Union and Latin America and the Caribbean. In the panel dedicated to Cooperation and strategic alliances, a commitment was made to an inclusive and sustainable implementation that caters to the entire population, paying special attention to rural and vulnerable areas, especially taking into account the need to reach girls and women.

Key actors from the public and private sectors, civil society, the technical community and international organizations have participated to facilitate an in-depth exchange of experiences and best practices. Digital technologies are fundamental to address the challenges of growth, inequality and governance in the region, with the potential to improve productivity, promote social inclusion and strengthen the transparency and efficiency of the state.

“Strengthening cooperation on data protection between Latin America and Europe requires a comprehensive approach that leverages both knowledge sharing and the alignment of regulations and joint capacity building,” said FIIAPP Director Francho Tierraseca during his intervention at one of the roundtables.

“Spain has been a pioneer both in the EU and in Latin America and the Caribbean, with a data protection culture that predates even the first EU directive. It is a benchmark in cybersecurity and one of the first countries to pass a law on artificial intelligence, creating an agency to oversee it,” he concluded.

In addition, Spain promoted the creation of the Ibero-American Data Protection Network to facilitate the exchange of experiences between supervisory authorities and move forward together.