The Ibero-American Summit faces digital transformation as its main challenge
Every two years since 1991 and every year since 2014, the Ibero-American heads of state and government meet at a summit to find answers to the region's joint challenges. 2020 has been an exception, as it was the first year in which the event could not be held in person.
Initially organised for the third quarter of 2020, Andorra proposed last July - in its capacity as organiser - that the meeting be postponed until the first half of 2021 so that it could be held in person. The decision was approved by the organisation itself and the 22 member states.
The face-to-face summit will not begin until 22 April, but the first telematic meetings to prepare for the event have already taken place. The first, organised by the Ibero-American Business Council (CEIB), the Ibero-American General Secretariat (SEGIB) and the Ibero-American Federation of Young Entrepreneurs (FIJE), dealt with issues of "vital interest" for the future of the region following the COVID-19. Improving productivity, new business models in the face of the new digital environment and their insertion in global value chains were some of the issues on the table.
The first day was marked by debate, and was divided into three parts: government strategies for the digital transformation of production, industry 4.0 and manufacturing of the future, as well as a review of the large digital companies in Latin America. Experts took part in this space, among them government authorities from the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Mexico and Chile. Representatives from financial institutions, business organisations and companies from Latin America also took part.
The President of the CEOE, Antonio Garamendi, stated that "one of the most important lessons we can learn from this crisis is that digitalisation is not an option but a necessity". He also pointed out that "a country's best strategic reserves are its technology and capacity for innovation and learning". Garamendi warned that business digitalisation "must be accompanied by the digitalisation of public administration, to speed up all types of procedures and promote internationalisation through digital channels".
Rebeca Grynspan, head of the Ibero-American General Secretariat, reminded the audience of the importance of "revaluing the public sphere, which is not limited to the state, but also includes the added value of the regional and multilateral sphere". In her opinion, economic recovery will be very uneven in the region and many people could be left behind. Grynspan said that "in Latin America there are several pandemics for which we need various vaccines, not only for the virus, but also for education, training, work, the new tax system and entertainment, and to this end we must place value on the digital transformation".
The Secretary of State for Trade of the Spanish Government, Xiana Méndez, closed the session by pointing out that "SMEs in the region account for 99% of the productive fabric and are the ones that encounter the most obstacles when it comes to obtaining financing and moving forward, and for them, public-private collaboration is key to improving their conditions and managing to remain operational". Méndez mentioned the National Plan for Recovery, Transformation and Resilience 2021, which provides for the allocation of funds for the modernisation and digitisation of the business ecosystem in view of the need to support the business fabric and guarantee industrial competitiveness after COVID-19.
The second day was devoted to "The digital transformation, a future scenario in Latin America", and was attended by government authorities from Central American countries, the highest representatives of institutions such as CENPROMYPE, COMTELCA and ASIET, and the presidents of business organisations from the Dominican Republic, Honduras, Guatemala and Panama.
In this last space, digital technologies were addressed as a foundational tool to "cut existing productivity gaps" and a source of opportunities for entrepreneurs and SMEs that develop new business models, in addition to the presentation of several public initiatives for the digital transformation of production. Many of the ideas converged with their counterparts on the first day, above all, the obligatory collaboration between public and private companies, as well as inter-regional cooperation that provides a common response to a post-COVID era marked by uncertainty.