SANTIAGO, CMC – The Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) says that regional government officials and specialists will next month, participate in the international seminar, “Territorial productive policies, digitalisation and productivity”, organised by ECLAC at its main headquarters here.

The seminar will be both in-person and virtual.

The event’s opening remarks, on April 18, will be made by Nicolás Grau, Minister of Economy, Development and Tourism of Chile; Félix Fernández-Shaw, director for Latin America and the Caribbean of the European Commission’s Directorate-General for International Partnership (DGINTPA); and Marco Llinás, acting Director of ECLAC’s Production, Productivity and Management Division.

“The purpose of the seminar is to exchange experiences, outcomes and tools related to productive development work with a territorial approach, based on two projects financed by the European Union as part of the Facility for Development in Transition,” ECLAC said.

It said the first project is the Territorial Facility, implemented by ECLAC in Argentina, Chile and Colombia along with institutions specialising in territorial economic development, such as the Industry and Productive Development Secretariat in Argentina, the Regional Development Undersecretariat in Chile (SUBDERE) and the National Planning Department in Colombia.

The other project is the Digital Agriculture Facility, implemented by ECLAC in conjunction with the Ibero-American Network for the Digitalization of Agriculture and Livestock (RIDAG), which is composed of INTA Argentina, INIA Chile, IRTA Spain and INIA Uruguay, ECLAC said.

This project includes consultancies in specific areas in Costa Rica (ICAFE) and Ecuador (Fundación Think Tank Cacao).

“Through these projects, the commission has promoted the development of subnational governmental capacities in territorial productive development,” ECLAC said.

It said the work was centred on five areas: governance and multi-level organisation; digitalisation of agricultural businesses and local MSMEs; development of mixed rural outreach networks; management of territorial digital hubs; and development of Local Development Plans.