Webinar on Technology and Innovation for the green transition in Latin America and the Caribbean

The world is facing pressing social and economic challenges of unprecedented nature. Hovering over this conjuncture is the climate crisis. As of 2023, carbon emissions are at a record high, reflecting historical growth patterns sourced by fossil fuels and a lack of political will to transition towards renewable energies. Governments are facing complex trade-offs between promoting inclusive economic growth and mitigating climate change.

Green technologies offer transformative solutions to achieve this dual goal. Green technologies are usually associated with renewable energy technologies but also include the strategic use of traditional and new digital technologies like blockchain, artificial intelligence, and the Internet of Things. They enable cleaner and more efficient production, thus creating a synergy between economic development and climate change mitigation.

Green transformation, supported by frontier technologies, offers a viable route for developing countries to claim agency in their own development narrative and move from crisis to sustainable development. To benefit from the green technology revolution, strong government efforts are needed to take strategic, long-term action to build innovation and technological capacities to spur sustainable economic growth and increase their resilience to future crises.

Objective

The webinar will present UNCTAD's Technology and Innovation Report 2023 and ECLAC’s Latin American Outlook 2022: Towards a green and just transition. Presentations will be followed by a discussion among experts and policymakers, to reflect on the current situation of countries in Latin America and the Caribbean and how the findings and recommendations of the reports could be applied to the region. The discussion will be focused on ways to move forward with the policy options for countries of the region to strategically position themselves to open and take advantage of green windows of opportunity. The webinar will serve as a platform for peer learning and discussion on innovation strategies for creating green windows that can be explored by government agencies, private sector institutions, and other stakeholders. The overall objective is to raise awareness of policy options for countries in Latin America and the Caribbean to harness these frontier technologies to achieve the dual goal of economic growth and environmental sustainability.

Programme

10:30 – 10:40 (GMT-4)/16:30 – 16:40 (CEST) Opening remarks

• Marco Llinás, Director (a.i.), Division of Production, Productivity and Management, ECLAC
• Angel Gonzalez Sanz, Chief of Technology, Innovation and Knowledge Development Branch, UNCTAD

10:40 – 11:10 (GMT-4)/16:40 – 17:10 (CEST) Presentation

• Latin American Outlook 2022: Towards a green and just transition – Sebastián Rovira, Economic affairs officer, ECLAC
• Technology and Innovation Report 2023 – Clovis Freire Junior, Team Leader of the Technology and Innovation Report 2023, UNCTAD

11:10 – 11:40 (GMT-4)/17:10 – 17:40 (CEST) Panel discussion

Moderator: Mr. Nicolo Gligo, Economic affairs officer, ECLAC

Panelists:

• Roberta Rabellotti (Università di Pavia)
• Guillermo Anlló, Senior programme specialist, UNESCO
• Nunzia Saporito, Associate economic affairs officer, ECLAC

11:40 – 11:55 (GMT-4)/17:40 – 17:55 (CEST) Q & A

11:55 – 12:00 (GMT-4)/17:55 – 18:00 (CEST) Conclusion by the moderator