Latin American and Caribbean Countries Will Discuss Progress and Challenges Relating to the Information Society

Follow the live transmission of the conference as from 4:00 p.m. Uruguay time

(20 March 2013) Topics such as the expansion of the digital economy and stronger strategies for regional competitiveness, as well as the creation of policies for the massive roll-out of new applications of information and communications technologies (ICTs), will be discussed by senior officials, experts and private-sector representatives at the Fourth Ministerial Conference on the Information Society in Latin America and the Caribbean.

The event, which will be held from 3 to 5 April 2013 in the Radisson Victoria Plaza Hotel in Montevideo, is being organized by the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) through the ECLAC @LIS2 project -jointly financed by the Economic Commission- and the Government of Uruguay, through its Electronic Government and Information Society Agency (AGESIC).

The opening session of the Fourth Ministerial Conference, which will be held on Wednesday 3 April 2013 at 4.00 p.m., will feature the President of Uruguay, José Mujica, the Executive Secretary of ECLAC, Alicia Bárcena, and the Director of DG CONNECT.E of the European Commission, Mario Campolargo.

The Conference will examine the achievements and challenges regarding the regional information society as per the Regional Action Plan for the Information Society, eLAC2015, approved in November 2010. ECLAC serves as the technical secretariat, which involves coordinating efforts, following up progress, publishing bulletins and exchanging information with relevant stakeholders.

Participants will discuss issues including how the region's countries can lead or accompany processes to develop and transfer new technologies in areas such as open government, digital economy infrastructure and ICTs and the environment.

At the meeting, the ECLAC Executive Secretary will present the document Digital Economy for Structural Change and Equality, which states that the digital economy can stimulate long-term investment, diversification of the production structure and greater convergence in levels of productivity throughout the economy.

Also see:

• Agenda for the Fourth Ministerial Conference on the Information Society in Latin America and the Caribbean.

Media wishing to cover the conference can register by clicking here.

For more information, please visit the conference website here

Any queries should be sent to the ECLAC Public Information and Web Services Section.

E-mail: prensa@cepal.org; Telephone: (56 2) 2210 2040.

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