UNESCO Chair Events

From November 2022 to May 2023, the UNU-MERIT UNESCO Chair ran a series of webinars on Science, Technology and Innovation Policies for Sustainable Development in Latin America.

The meetings were framed around four main challenges for STI policies in the region. These topics crucially depend on the intrinsic characteristics of the region, as well as on global trends in the changing techno-economic paradigm. The challenges include:

  • The search for appropriate institutions and governance for STI policies;
  • The multifold impact of automation and digital transitions;
  • Energy transition and sustainable economic growth;
  • The reorganisation of international production and global value chains.

 

To address these questions, the Chair hosted a wide range of remarkable scholars, experts and policymakers to contribute new ideas and research in a series of webinars. Some of the overarching questions guiding the discussions were the following:

  • Are STI policies in Latin America consistent with the countries’ development strategies? Does an adequate institutional framework support them?
  • How will automation and artificial intelligence impact the region’s labour markets?
  • How are global value chains being reorganized in light of the rising uncertainties (COVID-19) and the continued search for resilience and value capture?
  • Is the green transition an opportunity or a further constraint to growth in Latin American countries?

 

Past UNESCO Chair events:

16 May 2023 – Gary Gereffi (Duke University): Reorganization of international production, global value chains and public policies

25 Apr 2023 – Andrés Velasco (London School of Economics): The Macroeconomics of the Green Transition in Emerging Nations

14 Mar 2023 – Webinar: ‘Origins and implications of the current wave of automation technologies’, Pascual Restrepo (Boston University)

6 Dec 2022 – Webinar: ‘STI Policy, development strategy and social inclusion’, Gabriela Dutrénit (Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana-Xochimilco, México):

24-26 Oct 2022 – Training Program on Productive Development and Competitiveness in Honduras


UNU-MERIT