The Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC), in collaboration with the Government of Chile, is organizing the conference on November 7-8 in Santiago, Chile.

RedCLARA will be present at this event, represented by its Executive Director, Luis Eliécer Cadenas, who will participate in the panel “Reducing Inequality and Promoting Inclusion: Digital Technologies as Instruments of Inclusion and Empowerment.” RedCLARA’s participation underscores its commitment to meaningful connectivity and the digital transformation of Latin America and the Caribbean, highlighting its role in reducing gaps and promoting inclusion through the Bella II project.

Cadenas will share the panel with key leaders in the region, including Vicenta Alexandra Macías Meza, Deputy Minister of Information and Communication Technologies of Ecuador; Claudio Araya San Martín, Undersecretary of Telecommunications at the Ministry of Transport and Telecommunications of Chile; Carolina Gainza, Undersecretary of Science, Technology, Knowledge, and Innovation of Chile; Carla Sosa Vela, Deputy Minister of Communications of Peru; Ana Valero, Director of Public Policies at Telefónica Hispanoamérica; and Fabio Bertranou, Director of Decent Work and Country Office for the Southern Cone of Latin America at the International Labour Organization. This panel underscores the importance of inter-institutional cooperation to reduce inequalities through digital inclusion in the region.

During the event, ECLAC will present the position paper titled “Development Traps in the Digital Era: The Transformative Potential of Digital Technologies and AI in Latin America and the Caribbean,” analyzing how digital technologies and artificial intelligence can be key tools to overcome development challenges in the region. Other panels will explore topics such as governance and institutions in the digital and AI era, the role of digitalization and AI in the region, and digital government, data, and security as crucial elements for institutional transformation. Strategic cooperation and alliances for digital transformation will also be discussed.

The event will conclude with the approval of the Santiago Declaration and the Digital Agenda for Latin America and the Caribbean (eLAC2026), which will set digital policy objectives for the upcoming years.

For further information about the conference program, visit https://conferenciaelac.cepal.org/9/es/programa .