Guillermo Anlló is Regional Specialist responsible for the program Science, technology and innovation policies of UNESCO for Latin America and the Caribbean. Graduate in economics and Master in science, technology and society, he is the general coordinator of the second edition of the CILAC Forum. The following interview was conducted by the Imagina radio program, broadcast by the National Secretariat of Science and Technology of Panama within the framework of a visit that a specialist made to Panama by the CILAC organization.
What entities will be in charge of organizing the forum?
CILAC is a regional initiative, promoted by UNESCO, but which also includes some entities from the region such as SEGIB, and the Council of Rectors. It also partners with local entities, in this case in Panama, the local partners are Senacyt, the mayor of Panama City, the Council of Rectors of Panama, City of Knowledge, and the Chancellery with representation of the government of Panama.
What will CILAC 2018 consist of?
The intention is that, during that period, the city that hosts the forum will be the capital of knowledge and science for the region that year. For this the forum has three pillars. In the first, there will be a set of activities that will be happening in the city, in interaction with citizens; where all citizens of Panama will be invited to integrate and connect with knowledge and science. It is about seeing how science is permanently linked to them in everyday life.
There will also be a fairly large set of parallel events, which constitutes the second pillar, from least to most relevant, but all interesting. From small workshops or presentations, to larger events, finally, the CILAC Forum as a pillar, which together with Imaginatec and the APANAC Congress, make up science week.
We see the Forum as a permanent space to discuss science, technology, innovation policies and how knowledge helps us comply with the 2030 agenda.
Why has Panama been chosen this time?
There are several reasons, starting with the most immediate, in the first edition in Montevideo, Doctor Motta, Secretary of Senacyt, was very impressed, and quickly offered to bring the event to Panama. In addition, Panama was organizing science week, bringing together events, such as the national science and technology congress organized by APANAC, or the scientific fair of youth ingenuity, IMAGINATEC. And we saw that CILAC could crown this week, being an international event that brings together all the members of the system: businessmen, politicians, decision makers at the university level and researchers, to discuss in an open and frank space the challenges and opportunities that we face. provides science and knowledge for the development of the region.
In the rest of the world there are these types of forums, but in the region there were none and that is why we thought it was important to stimulate them. Panama also plays a strong role in being the place that connects the region, connects South America with North America, and connects the two oceans, and so it seemed like a good space for reflection.
How do you think this event seeks to connect the scientific community with society?
For us the motto is CILAC science connects, that is why the symbolism of Panama was important. We believe that the idea is to connect with the future, and to connect with the future one absolutely needs knowledge and science. That is why it is important to connect with CILAC, because it brings science and knowledge at the service of the challenges of the future, that is the message we want to convey.
What type of activities will be part of the agenda?
What we are promoting is that the countries of the region involve knowledge in their possibility of facing the 2030 agenda. This agenda is made up of five Ps, sustainability and future sustainability depends on these five Ps. The first is to preserve the Planet , make it environmentally sustainable, we need a planet that is viable for current and future generations, and this brings us to the second p. The future and current generations are the People who inhabit the planet, we need advances to include all people. For it to be sustainable for people, Prosperity must be gained, this is the third p. All this has to be achieved in a context of Peace, the penultimate p. There is no point in achieving any of them if it means conflict or subjugating someone. And the last one is Partnership, which in Spanish would be cooperation. If we do not do it together, if we do not cooperate it will not be possible to achieve it.
Achieving all of this will not be possible if knowledge is not incorporated, if science is not developed that is applied in technology to achieve innovations. And this is what each region has to do based on its particularities, because we all have particularities at the local and regional level and CILAC seeks to be a space for reflection on this, on how the challenges posed by the 2030 agenda can be faced. so as not to leave anyone behind.
Approximately how many international experts will be participating in this event?
We are going to have 20 high-level tables and about 40 thematic sessions in the forum, beyond the parallel activities and events that will be happening. We assume that between 120 and 200 relevant personalities from abroad will come to Panama to participate in CILAC. Not only from the Latin American region, such as several Ministers or University Rectors who have already confirmed their participation, but there is also a lot of interest in these spaces from associations from the rest of the world. For example, from the AAAS, which is the alliance for knowledge and science of the United States, or from the European Union, the Royal Society Science of England or the African Union of Sciences that have shown interest. Their presence will greatly influence the discussion, since diversity allows us to have different visions that nourish, if they are given in a context of peace and dialogue, the possibility of making decisions towards the future.
What will be the thematic axes of the CILAC Forum?
The great theme of this CILAC is sustainable territories. We understand that this region has many challenges in how to make intelligent use of its territories. Coexistence with nature involves us thinking about intelligent development, seeing how we can use what nature gave us to be able to develop, to be able to continue thriving, but at the same time not destroy it. In this development, we have broken down the idea of sustainable territory into three axes. Each day one of them will be worked on, although it will not be the only thing talked about during that day. One axis is sustainable cities, how to think about the cities of the future.
Another is resilient territories, observing the resilience capacity of the region and current challenges such as climate change or migration. Finally, the bioeconomy, which we see as a very important development opportunity in this region, with all the biodiversity it has, with all the analytical and research capabilities that it developed on biology.
What factors do you consider necessary to ensure that Latin American nations have these sustainable cities?
We must never forget that the 17 objectives of sustainable development are within an agenda, so we must always see them with a comprehensive vision. But it is true that each objective has a set of goals within it.
In the case of cities, this region has many particularities, for example, it is one of the most urbanized regions in the world. More than 75 % of the population already lives in cities, and this is generating many challenges for us. Cities are observed with problems of violence, logistical, environmental, and coexistence problems. You also have to observe how people live, which is for whom policies are made. Observe how these people eat, how they are going to move, what they are going to live on, what they are going to work on, how to make them live together in peace. All of this is a very broad agenda and it will increasingly be a priority. So being able to think about these sustainable cities implies rethinking our cities, how they are going to become viable. And in this, effectively, universities, local governments and the interaction with national governments are the actors called to interact, providing solutions and understanding and addressing the challenges.
What reflections does the CILAC Forum seek to share with its audiences?
The forum seeks to be a space to think. Following the example of cities, these are a central node where the population will be and from where the problems will be visualized. Therefore, the challenges that this establishes and how to face them to solve them, to sustain a planet with prosperity, we must reflect and see what knowledge can offer us. See also that, just as science opens up many possibilities for us, it also establishes challenges, or ethical dilemmas. It is clear in artificial intelligence, something that gives us many facilities, but from which problems arise such as information management. These are the dilemmas that must be on the table, and to which CILAC seeks to give space.