SELA PERMANENT SECRETARY: “LATIN AMERICA AND THE CARIBBEAN FACE THE ABSOLUTELY CRITICAL AND DECISIVE CHALLENGE OF GETTING INSERTED INTO THE GLOBAL ECONOMY IN A SUSTAINABLE MANNER”

Caracas, June 3- “Latin America and the Caribbean face the absolutely critical and decisive challenge of getting inserted into the global economy in a sustainable manner. It is a tough challenge which cannot be ignored without serious consequences for collective well-being”.

The Permanent Secretary of the Latin American and Caribbean Economic System (SELA), Ambassador Roberto Guarnieri, made this statement at the opening session of the DebaTIC Forum: Value of Information and Communications Technologies (ICTs) in the Integration of Latin America and the Caribbean, an event that he considered to be particularly significant since the subject of Information and Communication Technologies and the promotion of knowledge society is a priority component of SELA’s Work Programme.

In the first event he opened at the headquarters of SELA as new Permanent Secretary, Guarnieri said that “our potential, which is broad enough to successfully compete and stand out in the international economy, may be hampered by the inadequacy of the public policies needed for its effective and full realization”.

“Within this sphere of competence, the Permanent Secretariat of SELA intends to help prevent such a negative, but eventually possible scenario,” he said.

For this purpose, Guarnieri said that SELA has strengthened its capacity to contribute significantly, within the prevailing formal and financial limitations, to an increased application of ICTs in areas of special interest.

“Our objectives are to facilitate trade in goods and services and to improve the competitiveness of small and medium-sized enterprises, as well as the provision of public goods, such as health and disaster prevention and response. Additionally, in a gradual process that we expect to strengthen during the first two years of this mandate, we intend to systematically evaluate the evolution of the different processes of economic integration underway in Latin America and the Caribbean, especially in the area of trade,” he explained.

“The possibility for Latin America and the Caribbean to successfully participate in the world economy will increasingly depend on the relative competitiveness of the productive sectors of goods and services with a high added value, as opposed to the most favourable price developments of commodities, as has been the case in recent years. Thus, it will be necessary to combine, in the best possible way, public policies and private investment and entrepreneurship in order to build a favourable environment for innovation and productivity. There is no doubt that Information and Communication Technologies are an essential component to strengthen productive management and make it more efficient,” he added.

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