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OAS Member States Commit in Panama to Advance Science, Technology and Innovation in the Americas by 2025

At a meeting organized by the Organization of American States (OAS), the countries of the Americas adopted today the "Plan of Action of Panama", by which they commit to work together to achieve by 2025 a series of goals in the areas of science, technology and innovation, in order to enhance the competitiveness of the region and promote the well-being of their citizens.

Under the theme of “Translational Science, Technology and Innovation: Knowledge for Competitiveness and Prosperity,” the Third Meeting of Ministers and High Authorities on Science and Technology was held on November 17 and 18 in Panama City, Panama. The Minister discussed policies and initiatives to promote hemispheric cooperation, and formulated recommendations to the Heads of State and Government for the Sixth Summit of the Americas to be held in April 2012 in Cartagena de Indias, Colombia, under the theme of "Connecting the Americas: Partners for Prosperity."

In the adopted Plan of Action, based on the proposal prepared by the Government of Panama and the OAS Office of Science, Technology and Innovation, the Ministers reiterated their commitment to create opportunities to advance in the achievement of the goals set for 2025, including: fostering partnerships with key actors in academia, private sector and civil society for common projects, programs and initiatives that help increase the competitiveness of the productive and service sectors; create a knowledge-based society and encourage the development of human and institutional capabilities; promoting innovative thinking and the exchange of best practices for technology transfer, upgrading education; and strengthening collaboration and political dialogue with other ministries and high authorities to attract their participation.

"Vision 20/25: Science, Technology and Innovation", the core document of the ministerial meeting, is aimed at helping develop a long-term Inter-American Program on Science and Technology with measurable goals and objectives. The text provides a regional road map to foster hemispheric cooperation, strengthen partnerships and apply existing knowledge to solve basic needs and promote socio-economic development and prosperity. It also establishes working groups to advance on the agreed tasks and defines clear actions and cooperation mechanisms to ensure their effective and sustained functioning.

Centered on four pillars (innovation; human resources, training and education; national quality infrastructure; and technological development), Vision 20/25 sets out the objectives that countries seek to achieve by 2025, including: to develop in the Americas a culture of technology-based innovation that fosters inclusiveness, entrepreneurship and creative thinking; to increase, by at least 50 percent, the number of female and male graduates in science, technology, engineering and technical education. Furthermore, to improve substantially study programs in these disciplines; to ensure that all OAS Member States have access to internationally recognized quality infrastructure services ;and to strengthen inter-American cooperation in this area to achieve more effective and faster technological development in the region.

In the closing session, the OAS Acting Executive Secretary for Integral Development, Jorge Saggiante, highlighted the achievements of the authorities in the two-day meeting, and stressed that "to have a vision for the long term, it is necessary to learn from the past, understand the present, and imagine the future.” Saggiante said that the region is "at a crucial moment in history," which underscores the importance of Vision 20/25 and the Plan of Action of Panama. "On the one hand, the Vision is a roadmap, a guide that focuses on strategic and complementary areas, and the Plan of Action, on the other, provides clear tools and mechanisms to begin working and advancing towards greater regional progress,” he stated.

The National Secretary for Science, Technology and Innovation of Panama and Chair of the Inter-American Committee on Science and Technology (COMCYT), Rubén Berrocal, recalled the importance for countries to invest in technical expertise of human capital specialization and human resources and to make innovation an engine of growth, and emphasized that, through collaboration with other nations, the results in these fields can be even more significant. "The larger the network of collaboration and exchange, the more promising innovation we can have," he said.

Among those participating in the Panama meeting were the Ministers and High Authorities of Argentina, Barbados, Canada, Chile Colombia, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Trinidad and Tobago, United States, Uruguay, and Venezuela. Also in attendance were representatives from organizations such as: the Inter-American Development Bank (IADB), the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), the Inter-American Accreditation Cooperation (IAAC), the International Road Federation (IRF), and the Institute for Computing in Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences (I-CHASS), among others.

A gallery of photos of the event are available here.

For more information, please visit the OAS Website at www.oas.org.

Reference: E-965/11