Central and South America

International Organizations and Projects

• Institute for Connectivity in the Americas (ICA)[1]
  • At the Quebec City Summit of the Americas in April 2001, leaders recognized the importance of promoting information and communication technology (ICT) to improve social and economic development, and committed themselves to narrowing the digital divide. The Institute for Connectivity in the Americas (ICA) was announced as Canada’s contribution to the Summit. ICA plays a unique and important role in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) by bringing together stakeholders from different sectors to implement strategic networks and scaled-up innovative technology initiatives. ICA has received approximately 400 proposals since its creation, and has responded to the region by supporting over 60 initiatives. ICA fulfills a critical role in the region by facilitating the coordination, collaboration and sharing of efforts across countries with a number of key projects.

• Wireless Technologies for the Development in Latin America and the Caribbean (WiLAC)[2]
  • WiLAC is a new information portal about Wireless Technologies for Development , designed to support those individuals, organizations, municipalities and businesses which are currently implementing community wireless connectivity projects, or those just about to start.Throughout Latin American and the Caribbean the WiLAC portal promotes information about design, implementation, development, replication, and use of the necessary components for a successful community wireless project that serves the community.

• The Observatory for the Information Society in Latin America and the Caribbean (OSILAC)[3]
  • The main objective of OSILAC is to centralize and harmonize data that serve to monitor the status of what is known as the "information society" in the Latin American and Caribbean region. The Observatory provides support for national statistical institutes in compiling indicators on information and communication technologies (ICTs) in the region and in employing the associated methodology.

• Regional Action Plan for the information society (eLAC 2007)[4]
  • eLAC 2007 is the Regional Action Plan for the information society, which was officially approved at the Regional Latin American and Carribean Preparatory Ministerial Conference for the World Summit on Information Society on June 10, 2005 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. It is based on constant dialogue and cooperation among all the Latin American and Caribbean countries, and leading to the adoption of a common policy agenda.