The Economic Council of Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) hosted a Gender Summit on boosting women’s participation in science, technology and innovation on December 6-7, 2017, in order to spur progress on inclusive sustainable development and gender equality
The Economic Council of Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) hosted a Gender Summit on boosting women’s participation in science, technology and innovation on December 6-7, 2017, in order to spur progress on inclusive sustainable development and gender equality.
Officials and specialists from Latin American and Caribbean countries, many of which are Commonwealth member states, gathered at the summit in Chile to examine the impact of gender (in)equality on the three fields, the first of its kind fully dedicated to the region.
ECLAC’s Acting Deputy Executive Secretary, Mario Cimoli, said that countries could not advance in gender equality without considering the technological revolution occurring globally, including new digital platforms, advanced data analytics and artificial intelligence.
These technologies are fundamental, he said, in forming and implementing public policies within the region, as are the 2030 Agenda’s Sustainable Development Goals, which were approved by the United Nations in 2015 to ensure no one was left behind in international progress.
He also warned that the region’s biggest obstacle to sustainable development and gender equality in the disciplines of technology, science and innovation was the lack of resources spent on them in comparison to developed countries.
Chilean President Michelle Bachelet co-hosted the event and pointed out the progress the country had made in taking responsibility for reducing the inequality that limited its development possibilities, though she noted the gender gap remained significant.
She advocated the continued exchange of information and cooperative action among ECLAC member countries.
Bachelet said: “It is truly an honor that this first Summit for Latin America and the Caribbean is taking place in Chile, and I say this as the president and as a woman who has worked for the rights of this country’s women, girls and adolescents.”
Mario Hamuy, Chairman of Chile’s National Commission for Scientific and Technological Research, said: “ [I hope] that this Gender Summit [will] be a very fruitful gathering, full of enriching discussions based on evidence and experience, for moving toward science, technology and innovation without limits.”
