Despite the financial crisis, the European Union maintains support for the development of the Information Society in Latin America, with €22 million. The three initiatives -led by CLARA, ECLAC and REGULATEL respectively- aim to improve productivity, efficiency, education and the capacity for innovation, by taking advantage of the potential of information and communications technologies.

In conflictive times such as the current global economic crisis, developing Information and Communications Technology (ICT) and improving the efficiency of their use are fundamental for the region, given the potential of these technologies to generate productivity gains and improve the coverage of public services such as education, health and e-government.

With this objective in mind, three projects to promote access and the productive use of ICTs were launched in 17th March, 2009, under the European Union's €22 million @LIS2 Programme. They will be executed by the United Nations Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC), Latin American Cooperation for Advanced Networks (CLARA), and the Latin American Telecommunications Regulators Forum (REGULATEL), whose financial contributions in addition to the EU funding bring the total to €31 million, for the 2009-2012 period.

The details were provided by Laura López, Secretary of the Commission (ECLAC), together with Jaime Pérez Vidal, Head of the European Commission's Delegation in Chile, during a press conference at ECLAC headquarters in Santiago, Chile.

ECLAC studies in the first phase of the European Union's @LIS Programme - Alliance for the Information Society, show that investments in ICTs have had significant impact on economic growth in the region. This impact could be even greater if countries were to make more intense use of these technologies and if their benefits were to reach the entire population. As such, innovation in the use of ICTs, particularly in the productive sector, is key to escaping the current crisis.

The @LIS2 Programme will promote the use of ICTs for development and social inclusion. Its three projects seek to: strengthen cooperation between the countries of Latin America and with Europe; support dialogue on political, social, regulatory and technological issues related to the Information Society; and promote scientific investigation, through the expansion and interconnection of advanced Internet networks between universities and research centres.

The project "Inclusive political dialogue and exchange of experiences," is co-financed by the EU (€9 million) and by ECLAC (€3 million), which represents the largest cooperation project ever undertaken by this regional commission of the United Nations. It is coordinated by the Information Society Programme of the Division of Production, Productivity and Management, with support from other ECLAC divisions. Its objectives include analyzing and disseminating progress and best practices in five strategic areas: e-Government, e-Health, e-Inclusion, e-Government and regional integration, and Productivity, innovation and economic growth.

As such, the project will support the countries of Latin America in the definition and adoption of strategies for the construction of the Information Society, as well as raise awareness of the potential of these technologies. To this end, the project will foster the implementation and evaluation of the eLAC Regional Action Plan, which the countries of the region have been executing since 2005.

The project ALICE2 -Latin America Interconnected with Europe 2-, co-financed with €12 million from the EU and €6 million from the countries of the region, is implemented by CLARA, a not-for-profit international organization that develops and operates an advanced Internet network established in 2004 to interconnect the countries of the region (RedCLARA). During its first phase-until March 2008- the region was linked with GÉANT2 (the high-speed pan-European research and education network). In this second phase -until mid-2012- CLARA will implement a fiber optic network to stimulate investigation in Latin America in collaboration with Europe. It will support innovation by strengthening RedCLARA and by promoting the creation and maintenance of research communities working on development issues.

The third project, "Regulatory dialogues," is being implemented by REGULATEL, with €1 million from the EU and €252,800 from regulators of the countries of the region. To promote the ongoing efforts for harmonization and regulatory integration in Latin America, the project will encourage de application of best regulatory practices via the exchange of information and experiences among telecommunications regulators in the region and in Europe. The objective is to achieve social inclusion and cohesion in the construction of the Information Society.

From left to right: Florencio Utreras, Gustavo Peña, ambassador Jaime Pérez Vidal, Laura López, Luis Fidel Yañez, Raúl García Buchaca and Martine Driven. (Fotografía, cortesía de CEPAL; Naciones Unidas)
Ambassador Jaime Pérez Vidal, Head of the European Commission's Delegation in Chile. (Photo, courtesy of ECLAC, United Nations).	Laura López, Secretary of the Commission (ECLAC). (Photo, courtesy of ECLAC, United Nations).
Gustavo Peña, General Secretary of REGULATEL. (Photo, courtesy of ECLAC, United Nations).	Florencio Utreras, CLARA Executive Director. (Photo, courtesy of ECLAC, United Nations).
Martine Dirven, SOCINFO Programme - ECLAC. (Photo, courtesy of ECLAC, United Nations).