Experts, academics and policy makers from Europe, Latin America and the Caribbean gathered on 16-17 November for the workshop "Digital Transformation as an Enabler for Improving Food Security and Clean Energy Transition", co-organised by the EU-LAC Foundation, RedCLARA and the Centre for Energy, Environmental and Technological Research (CIEMAT).
The initiative was carried out within the framework of the 6th Annual Call for Co-organised Events of the EU-LAC Foundation, which in this edition focused on three themes of key importance in the context of bi-regional relations: green transition, energy transition and food security. During the event, the main challenges, problems and opportunities related to the innovative use of digital tools in projects related to agriculture, climate change and energy transition were discussed.
In the opening session, Dr Adrián Bonilla, Executive Director of the EU-LAC Foundation, underlined that "these types of initiatives seek to stimulate debates and create spaces for innovation to generate proactive dynamics and relevant information for decision-makers". He also stressed the need to promote multi-country partnerships, bi-regional cooperation and multilateral exchanges as "key strategic mechanisms to move forward faster and more effectively in innovation and in the search for mutual, sustainable and equitable development [for Latin America, the Caribbean and Europe]".
In addition, Mr Luis Eliécer Cadenas, Executive Director of RedCLARA, discussed the role of the digital ecosystem in Latin America and the Caribbean in priority areas. The President of the Board of Directors of the regional network, Eduardo Grizendi, welcomed the participants to the meeting. In addition, Cathrin Stover, Communication Director of GEANT, introduced the concept of "Twin Transition" to refer to the link between the digital and green transitions as processes that must necessarily accompany and complement each other.
Over the course of two intensive days, numerous experts from different fields shared studies, assessments and experiences on the fundamental role of digital transformation in improving food security and the green transition. The topics of the presentations were very diverse and focused on areas such as digitalisation as a fundamental tool for the energy transition; regional cooperation to address energy, climate and food challenges; and food security as a strategic area of cooperation between Latin America, the Caribbean and the EU.
A number of case studies were also presented and discussed, such as the partnership between the EU Space Programme and Copernicus, the COLMENA network and the university project of the Centre for Post-harvest Studies (CEPOC) of the University of Chile, among many others.
The recordings of the first and second day of the workshop are already available on the RedCLARA Youtube channel.
