Authorities from the region and key actors from the private sector, civil society, technical community and international organizations will meet in Santiago, Chile on November 7-8, 2024 to participate in the Ninth Ministerial Conference on the Information Society in Latin America and the Caribbean [1], also known as eLAC, a body belonging to the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC).
At this intergovernmental gathering, participants will adopt the new Digital Agenda for Latin America and the Caribbean that will guide the region over the next two years (eLAC2026). They will also review implementation of the previous Digital Agenda (eLAC 2024) [2] and the agreements approved at the Eighth Ministerial Conference on the Information Society in Latin America and the Caribbean [3], held in Uruguay in 2022.
At this event, ECLAC will present a position document entitled Overcoming Development Traps in Latin America and the Caribbean in the Digital Age: The Transformative Potential of Digital Technologies and Artificial Intelligence, which analyzes how the region can tackle development challenges through digital transformation and artificial intelligence (AI).
A special session will also take place to unveil the “Policy lab for the digital transformation” as a key space for innovation and collaboration, designed to provide countries with the tools they need to improve and guide the formulation of their digital transformation policies.
Subsequently, five discussion panels will be held to examine various aspects related to i) digital governance and institutional frameworks for the digital age and AI; ii) the role of digitalization and AI in building a more productive future in the region; iii) the role of digital technologies as tools for inclusion and empowerment; iv) digital security and data management as key elements for digital transformation; and v) cooperation and strategic partnerships for effective digitalization.
The Ministerial Conference will take place in the framework of “Digital Week in Latin America and the Caribbean,” since on November 5-6 the European Union-Latin America and the Caribbean Digital Alliance’s High-level Dialogues [4] on Artificial Intelligence and Connectivity will also be held at ECLAC’s headquarters, organized by the Chilean government and the European Union.
The programme [5] as well as general information on the Ninth Ministerial Conference of eLAC are available on the website [1] that was specially created for this meeting.
Members of the media are requested to complete this accreditation form [6] in order to attend the meeting in person. Journalists must have their media credentials or personal IDs with them to gain access to ECLAC.
WHAT: Ninth Ministerial Conference of eLAC.
WHEN: November 7-8, 2024.
WHO: Leaders and decision-makers on digital matters from the public and private sectors, the technical community and civil society in Latin America and the Caribbean.
WHERE: ECLAC’s main headquarters in Santiago, Chile (Av. Dag Hammarsköld 3477, Vitacura). Raúl Prebisch conference room.
Virtual connection will also be available via the following platforms:
- ECLAC’s main website: www.cepal.org [7]
- Meeting website: https://conferenciaelac.cepal.org/9/en [1]
- Special site for streaming: https://live.cepal.org/elac [8]
- Official account on X: https://x.com/eclac_un [9]
- Official account on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/cepal.onu [10]