December 10, 2021
The Sixth Meeting of Ministers and High Authorities on Science and Technology of the Organization of American States (OAS) concluded today with the adoption of the Declaration of Jamaica: “Harnessing the Power of Transformative Science and Technologies to Drive our Communities Forward.”
During the event, officials from member states, experts and academics engaged in discussion and the sharing of good practices on the issue of improving young people’s skills and readiness for industry 4.0, technology foresight as input for policy decisions, active participation by Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises in the global economy through science, technology and innovation, and effective public-private-academia collaboration to enhance competitiveness.
The Declaration of Jamaica reflects member states’ commitment to “accelerate the recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic, reduce the widening technological and social gaps, and pursue a sustainable, green, resilient and equitable future.” The document also makes an urgent call to deepen “regional collaboration and cooperation to ensure connectivity for all in the Americas and close the widening technological and social gaps exacerbated by the pandemic, with a specific focus on ensuring the inclusion of youth, women, rural, remote and indigenous communities, as well as populations in vulnerable situations.”
The Meeting launched the OAS Youth Academy, an platform for training and certification to prepare young people for the jobs of the future.
The OAS Executive Secretary for Integral Development, Kim Osborne, highlighted the concrete results of the meeting and said “we are looking forward to working with member states to reach 10,000 youth by 2024 through the Youth Academy. If one lesson is clear from the COVID-19 experience, it is the need to support those most affected by the pandemic, including students in lower socioeconomic status, women, minorities, and less-skilled workers.”
Another key outcome of the Ministerial was the announcement of the first two Centres of Excellence on Technology Foresight: A Centre on Excellence on Blockchain in the State of Hidalgo, Mexico; and a Center on Robotics and A.I. hosted at Universidad Simon Bolivar in Barranquilla, Colombia. Part of the OAS Network of Prospecta Americas, these Centres will promote cooperation in research, engage governments, the private sector and the scientific community of the OAS member states to identify and map future trends and technological developments and provide insights and inputs for the formulation of public policies.
The Declaration of Jamaica will be the framework to advance results-oriented cooperation on science, technology and innovation in the Americas for the period 2022-2024.