OREANDA-NEWS. October 09, 2015. How will new technologies impact the lives of people in Latin America and the Caribbean? That was the big question addressed at INTAL 50, an event that marked the celebration of the 50th anniversary of the Institute for the Integration of Latin America and the Caribbean (INTAL), a unit of the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB).

Lecturers from international universities, business executives, entrepreneurs, and government officials met on Oct. 7 to discuss critical issues for integration and trade in the region, including education and employment, the potential for biotechnology and nanotechnology, the promotion of innovation, the risks associated with climate change, and the challenges that “disruptive” technological change poses to public policymakers.

In his welcome message, IDB President Luis Alberto Moreno stressed the contributions made by INTAL to regional integration since its creation in 1965. “I believe this is the best possible way to honor the pioneers of integration: let’s dream with open eyes so that we can see a shared future built upon the diversity of today’s world,” he said.

Every half century on average, a technological revolution impacts the global economy and alters the patterns of integration and trade. Artificial intelligence, robotics, drones, 3D printers, the Internet of Things, virtual reality and digital networks are just some of the phenomena that today challenge the classic rules of trade in goods and services. Disruptive technologies have an amazing potential for transformation, but at the same time they pose challenges for employment, production, trade, and environmental protection.

Raymond McCauley, a biotechnology expert and founder of BioCurious, a lab in Silicon Valley offering shared space for entrepreneurs and students to work jointly on scientific and technological innovation, discussed how digital biology can help add value to primary exports.

Carl Frey, Director of the Programme on Technology and Employment at the Oxford Martin School at the University of Oxford, warned that many jobs are at risk of automation – they will likely be performed by machines. Library technicians, tax preparers, flight attendants, watch repairers, mathematical technicians, and telemarketers are among the occupations most in danger of being computerized.

Economist Jean Paul Fitoussi, from the Paris Institute of Political Studies, discussed with Enrique Iglesias, former president of the IDB, the prospects, opportunities and challenges for regional integration in this new scenario.

With regard to the environmental risks resulting from the new forms of production and trade, Aaron Cosbey, from the E15 Initiative, and Ricardo Mel?ndez Ortiz, from the International Centre for Trade and Sustainable Development (ICTSD), said that renewable energies are key to mitigate the effects of climate change.

Lino Bara?ao, Minister of Science, Technology and Productive Innovation from Argentina, stated that innovation is vital for sustainable growth, and stressed the need to strengthen cooperation between the public and private sectors in order to encourage development with social inclusion, highlighting the creation of synergies between science and the production system.

Sergio Galilea, Vice Minister of Public Works of Chile, stressed the importance of the South American Infrastructure and Planning Council (COSIPLAN) for regional infrastructure and of the region’s commitment to closing the logistics and transport costs gap with the most advanced economies.

The event also featured an address by Jos? “Pepe” Mujica, former president of Uruguay, on the possibilities and limits of public-private cooperation for development and on the potential of integration as a driver of progress in the region.

Gustavo Beliz, Director of INTAL, highlighted the Institute’s new initiatives, such as INTAL-LAB, a space for the co-creation of innovating ideas on integration and trade, and Node i+i, an initiative launched in collaboration with Columbia University to examine how regional integration can contribute to reducing inequality in the Americas. Opinion leaders and government officials from the region met in New York Sept. 25-26 to exchange ideas on this issue and to analyze the design of public policies with high social impact.

Lastly, Marta Lagos, Executive Director of Latinobar?metro, a public opinion survey that collects trend data in 18 countries of the region, highlighted an initiative launched by INTAL to monitor regional integration and trade indicators on a permanent basis.

About the IDB

The Inter-American Development Bank is devoted to improving lives. Established in 1959, the IDB is a leading source of long-term financing for economic, social and institutional development in Latin America and the Caribbean. The IDB also conducts cutting-edge research and provides policy advice, technical assistance and training to public and private sector clients throughout the region.