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Ministers of Science and Technology Gathered at the OAS Will Seek to Expand Collaboration to Foster Regional Development

The Ministers of Science and Technology of the member states of the Organization of American States (OAS) will meet TOMORROW Tuesday, December 7 and Wednesday, December 8 to analyze how to expand regional collaboration and cooperation and promote the use of science, technology and innovation to address development needs and contribute to solving the region's urgent priorities in the post-pandemic recovery.

The event, which will be held in virtual format, will be an opportunity for the authorities of the sector to debate issues related to connectivity, the growing technological gaps, the acquisition and distribution of knowledge and public-private-academia collaboration to enhance competitiveness, among other issues. It will also be a forum for the exchange of ideas on emerging issues such as efforts to equip young people with the necessary skills and credentials to obtain and adapt to changes in the jobs of the future, actionable initiatives to improve access and leadership opportunities for women and marginalized communities in order to pursue STEM education, and MSMEs' access to innovation, technology, and innovative business development models and practices.

The Ministerial meeting is jointly organized by the Government of Jamaica and the General Secretariat of the OAS under the slogan "“Harnessing the Power of Transformative Science and Technologies to Drive our Communities Forward." Within the framework of the meeting, the OAS will launch the “Youth Academy on Transformative Sciences and Technologies of the Americas,” an initiative that seeks to address the skills gap and preparation of young people to participate in economies and societies. providing online training, dynamic learning, remote training labs, mentoring and hands-on experiences to equip youth with the necessary skills and internationally recognized credentials to operate in the jobs of the future and skills in transformative technologies.

The Prime Minister of Jamaica, Andrew Holness; the OAS Secretary General, Luis Almagro; and the Permanent Representative of Jamaica to the OAS and President of the Inter-American Council for Integral Development (CIDI), Ambassador Audrey P. Marks, will inaugurate the two-day meeting, during which the Declaration of Jamaica will be adopted, a document that establishes the commitments and steps to be followed to achieve the objectives set by the authorities.

The meeting will be broadcast live -with interpretation in Spanish, English, French and Portuguese- on the OAS Website, Facebook and YouTube

Press Contact: Gina Ochoa ([email protected]).

WHAT: Sixth Meeting of Ministers and High Authorities of Science and Technology (REMCYT) of the OAS

WHEN: Tuesday, December 7 at 10:00 EST (15:00 GMT)

WHERE: OAS website, Facebook and YouTube

Reference: AVI-182/21