May 5, 2023.- On May 4 and 5, 2023, in the city of Buenos Aires, Argentina, the Intersectoral Workshop “Towards a greater articulation between education and work in the Americas” was held, organized in hybrid format by the Inter-American Network for Labor Administration of the OAS, under the auspices of the Ministry of Labor, Employment and Social Security and the Ministry of Education of Argentina.

The event, which is part of the 2022-2024 Work Plan of the Inter-American Conference of Ministers of Labor (CIMT) and the 2022-2025 Work Plan of the Inter-American Commission on Education (CIE), brought together representatives of Ministries of Labor and Ministries of Education of the Americas, representatives of workers and employers, and international organizations.

The workshop allowed for the exchange of lessons learned and policy recommendations to achieve a better articulation between the Ministries of Labor and Ministries of Education of the Americas and the development of national qualifications frameworks, as well as laying the foundations to move towards a regional framework of qualifications.

During the meeting, the Department of Human Development, Education and Employment of the OAS, through the Inter-American Network for Labor Administration, highlighted the progress of the Technical Labor Group (GTL) of the Pacific Alliance in terms of recognition and homologation of labor competencies and their articulation with the Regional Qualifications Framework, which is also being developed by the Technical Education Group (GTE) of the integration mechanism.

The coordinator of the Network of Experts in Certification of the Pacific Alliance, Igor Dedic, from Chile, made a presentation of the progress in the preparation of a pilot of the operating system for the recognition and homologation of labor competency certifications in the countries of the Pacific Alliance, which incorporates standards and profiles from the construction, tourism, marketing, hotel, gastronomy and personal care sectors. It is a presidential mandate adopted on December 11, 2020 during the Santiago Summit under the pro tempore presidency of Chile.

April 28, 2023.- On April 17 and 18, technical teams from Chile and Colombia met in Santiago de Chile to share their experiences in the implementation of their climate finance (CF) measurement, reporting, and verification systems. The instance was promoted by the Pacific Alliance Technical Subgroup for Measurement, Reporting and Verification (SGT-MRV), which has the financial and technical support of Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC). Technicians from the Ministry of the Environment, the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Social Development and the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) on the Chilean side, as well as two specialists from the National Planning Department (DNP) of Colombia, the institution in charge of monitoring climate finance in Colombia, and the coordination team of the SGT-MRV.

The objectives of the meeting were:

• Presenting the SGT-MRV, and the advances in the MRV component of climate financing to directors and technical teams in climate change in Chile and Colombia.

• Generating a space for technical exchange and share lessons learned between Chile and Colombia in MRV of climate finance.

• • On the Colombian side, presenting its experience in the implementation and consolidation of the CF MRV system, detailed methodology for tracking financing (public, private and international), reporting platform and uses and applications that Colombia is giving it, and

  • Generating a space for exchange to understand the current status and needs of the MRV climate financing process in Chile, including the progress of technical support that is being carried out jointly with UNDP.

In conclusion, the vision of the Pacific Alliance countries to continue moving forward as a block towards standardized monitoring and reporting processes (what is reported and how) was ratified. The foregoing, including a common guideline on the classification of activities that are considered climate change. Part of this will be addressed in the next face-to-face meeting of the SGT-MRV that will be held at the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) in Santiago de Chile on May 24, 25 and 26.

• With this initiative, maids, and cooks were able to comparatively analyze the Chilean standard in the hands of Australian advisors.

April 25, 2023.- The Human Capital table of the Undersecretary of Tourism of Chile together with Sernatur, Chilean Association of Tourism (ACHET); Chilean Federation of Gastronomy (FEGACH), Ministry of Education and ChileValora organized two training days for the occupational profiles of kitchen teacher and maid teacher for more than 50 tourism, gastronomy and hotel professionals.

In both days, Chilean standards were compared with the international level offered by APEC. These activities were developed within the framework of the APEC – Pacific Alliance project, promoted by the Education Department of the Australian Embassy in conjunction with Chilean public institutions since 2016.

For the Undersecretary of Tourism of Chile, Verónica Pardo Lagos, “these instances of national and international articulation around the professionalization of human talent are vital for our sector. We know that Chile has come a long way in international standards, but we can always continue to improve our quality of service and experiences through these initiatives that must be permanent over time.”

Likewise, from the Ministry of Education of Chile, the Undersecretary of Higher Education, Víctor Orellana Calderón, highlighted the importance of professional technical education and trades, “as a path to development, therefore, it is not just about training skills and obtain titles, but to build a capacity at the service of the modernization of our production processes. For this reason, it is very necessary to work in an articulated way in the definition of standards that facilitate and make the training processes even more relevant. In this sense, we have made progress in a Qualifications Framework policy to be clear about the skill profiles we need. We know that learning is a permanent process and if we want to continue advancing under international standards, we have to generate more instances like this one”, he indicated.

Australia, Chile, Colombia, Mexico and Peru have developed these face-to-face workshops within the framework of the APEC-Pacific Alliance Project, and Australia is a member of APEC and an Observer State of the Pacific Alliance, which is why the Vice Head of Mission, the Mrs. Joanne Lovejoy emphasized the interest of both countries in promoting the recovery of the tourism sector after the pandemic, and that this depends on having trained personnel who can satisfy the national and international demand for work in this sector. He also stressed that “APEC has been carrying out cooperation work on qualifications for a long time that focuses on linking governments, industry and educational institutions so that the supply of training is better aligned with the demand for employment.”

From ChileValora, its Executive Secretary, Ximena Rivillo, mentioned that “the Pacific Alliance has shown significant progress in the recognition and homologation of labor certifications. This APEC initiative allows us to move further towards strengthening the employability of people who hold these certifications beyond national borders”.

These conferences were of great value for unions such as ACHET and FEGACH, which participated in the workshops, regarding which they pointed out that “it is of great relevance to position the work of the tourism human capital table in projects like this, which allow promote the process of continuous improvement in the professionalization of the human capital of the sector. The link with international peers in matters of job training is a very valuable element that we must maintain”, according to Lorena Arriagada, ACHET General Secretary, while Felipe Yáñez, FEGACH president, emphasized that “national and international articulated work is the key to continue advancing in the training and closing gaps of those who give life to the worker and professional sector”.

March 23th, 2023.- From March 15th to 17th, the fifth meeting of the Pacific Alliance Network of National Fisheries and Aquaculture Research Institutions (IIPA-AP Network) was held at the headquarters of the Marine and Coastal Research Institute “José Benito Vives de Andréeis” (INVEMAR), located in the city of Santa Marta, Colombia. This network includes the Instituto de Fomento Pesquero (IFOP), Chile; INVEMAR, Colombia; the Instituto del Mar del Perú (IMARPE); and the Instituto Nacional de Pesca de México (INAPESCA). Also participate as observers the National Institute for Fisheries Research and Development of Argentina (INIDEP) and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).

The meeting was organized by IFOP (Chile), with support from INVEMAR (Colombia), and was attended by the Directors of both institutions, Mr. Gonzalo Pereira Puchy (IFOP) and Mr. Francisco Arias Isaza (INVEMAR). Also attending were the focal points of each institution and different invited researchers.

The objective of this meeting was to prepare a Work Plan for the period 2023-2024, based on the priority topics defined by the institutions in a previous meeting held in September 2022, which include the Ecosystem Approach, Biodiversity and Climate Change related to fisheries and aquaculture.

During the first day of work, each institution presented the lines of research it is developing, highlighting the progress made, and existing gaps and identifying opportunities for collaboration between institutions. On the second day, opportunities for collaboration were jointly identified and activities were defined to be included in the Work Plan. The work culminated in a proposed Plan containing five prioritized activities to be carried out in the 2023-2024 period. This proposal should be formalized once its final version is reviewed by each institution. The elaboration of this new Work Plan marks the beginning of a new cycle of joint work among the research institutions of the Pacific Alliance countries, allowing progress in achieving the objectives proposed since its creation, and the better generation of scientific knowledge in fisheries and aquaculture for the sustainable management of hydrobiological resources and ecosystems.

As part of the activities, on the last day of the meeting, participants visited the Ciénaga Grande de Santa Marta, which is a RAMSAR site and a Biosphere Reserve. In this opportunity, two sampling sites for the monitoring of artisanal fisheries that are part of INVEMAR’s Research Program for the Valuation and Use of Marine and Coastal Resources were visited. In addition, there was the occasion to learn about the activities carried out by the inhabitants of the Palafitos villages located in the marsh and to share with the community.

At the end of the activity, the Director of INVEMAR, Mr. Francisco Arias Isaza, highlighted the need that, despite the differences in the contexts of each country that is part of the Network, the institutions can link and find common ground to achieve progress. At the same time, the Director of IFOP, Mr. Gonzalo Pereira Puchy, highlighted the work carried out at the meeting and the participation of the institutions, pointing out the importance of making progress in the implementation of the Work Plan.

Dr. Mario Rueda, Coordinator of INVEMAR’s Marine and Coastal Resources Valuation and Development Research Program, and focal point of the Network at INVEMAR, highlighted the possibility of working in parallel on non-prioritized activities, which in some cases are key to the fisheries and aquaculture development of some countries, in order to facilitate the transfer of knowledge and strengthen relations among the Network’s member countries.

Daniela Díaz Guisado, Head of Cooperation and International Affairs of FIFG, and focal point of the Network in this institution, indicated that, from now on, the implementation and follow-up of the Work Plan will be worked on, promoting cooperation between the institutions in other areas of interest that were identified as part of the work carried out at the meeting.

The next meeting of the Network will be held virtually in September this year, and in March 2024 a new face-to-face meeting will be held in the city of Puerto Varas, Chile, organized by IFOP.

The Tecnológico de Monterrey, Creditex S.A.A. and the Pacific Alliance invite Science and Technology Startups of the Pacific Alliance, which have solutions to reduce the carbon footprint and reduce energy consumption in manufacturing processes, to participate in the Open Call “Innovation Challenges for Sustainable Manufacturing”.

The open call aims to identify startups that have technological solutions and can develop a Minimum Viable Product (products or services, including technological integration) in 3 months to reduce the carbon footprint and reduce energy consumption in manufacturing processes. The goal is to implement the solution under an open innovation model with the participation of the startup, IAMSM researchers, and Creditex.

The open call is open to startups that can solve one of the following challenges:

Solutions for the reduction of energy consumption in electrical equipment.

Reduction of steam consumption in industrial plants.

Real-time energy consumption monitoring systems.

• For more information, please visit: https://ieegl.brightidea.com/ConvocatoriaRetoManufacturaAP/
• Project registration: https://bit.ly/RegistroRetoManufactura
• Effective Date: March 13th to 24th, 2023 (23:59 hrs. Central Mexico time)
• Questions and information: delfina_gb@tec.mx

This program is coordinated by the TransferenciAP Network and the Science, Technology, and Innovation Technical Group of the Pacific Alliance.

The Tecnológico de Monterrey, the company Agrosuper S.A. and the Pacific Alliance invite Science and Technology Startups from the Pacific Alliance that have solutions for water scarcity and efficiency in animal breeding processes and processing plants to participate in the Open Call “Innovation Challenges for Sustainable Agriculture”.

The open call aims to identify startups that have technological solutions and can develop a Minimum Viable Product in 3 months to solve water scarcity and efficiency in animal breeding processes and processing plants. The goal is to implement the solution under an open innovation model with the participation of the startup, researchers from the Water Center for Latin America and the Caribbean (CAALCA) of the Tecnológico de Monterrey and the Chilean company Agrosuper S.A.

The open call seeks a solution to the following challenges:

Recovery/reuse of process water with the goal of having a closed water cycle.

Products/processes to decrease water consumption involved in process plant cleaning.

Water treatment solutions.

Technologies aimed at energy efficiency in refrigeration and freezing systems in industrial plants.

• For more information, please visit: https://ieegl.brightidea.com/ConvocatoriaRetoAgriculturaAP
• Project registration: https://bit.ly/RegistroRetoAgricultura
• Effective Date: March 10th to 24th, 2023 (23:59 hrs. Central Mexico time)
• Questions and information: delfina_gb@tec.mx

This program is coordinated by the TransferenciAP Network and the Science, Technology and Innovation Technical Group of the Pacific Alliance.

March 13th, 2023.- The Technical Subgroup on Measurement, Reporting,  and Verification (SGT-MRV) of the Pacific Alliance, with the sponsorship of Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) and the technical support of Gold Standard, held on March 7th, the second in a series of four virtual technical workshops aimed at increasing knowledge and practical experience on Article 6 of the Paris Agreement. The meeting, in which more than 40 experts participated, delved into the economic instruments available under Article 6 for cooperation between countries in the global reduction of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.

The first workshop focused on ‘authorization’, a practice that allows for one of the Parties involved to generate a statement that the mitigation results obtained can be used for the Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) of a different Party, and/or can be used for international mitigation purposes beyond the use for an NDC. The second workshop, on the other hand, addressed ‘corresponding adjustments’, or the practice whereby a Party applies an accounting adjustment for each Internationally Transferred Mitigation Outcome (ITMO).

Although the attendees to the workshops are nominated by each country, the SGT-MRV will publish the material of each of the workshops on the official website of the Pacific Alliance. All the material related to the first workshop -technical documents, presentation, and summary- is already available on the web page, which can be accessed through the following link: https://alianzapacifico.net/grupotecnico-medio-ambiente/ (choose tab SUBGROUP MEASUREMENT, REPORTING AND VERIFICATION).

The next workshop will address the topic of ‘records and their interoperability’, and will be held virtually on April 4th.

Thus, the SGT-MRV continues to develop the objectives defined in its coordination framework, aligned with its goal to consolidate and harmonize the technical capacities of the Pacific Alliance countries and to advance towards harmonized standards and protocols for monitoring, policy reporting, and mitigation, adaptation, and climate actions among these countries.

March 9th, 2023.- More than 250 teachers and 17 vocational training centers participated in a diagnostic report on the level of digital competencies of technical and vocational education (TVE) teachers in Chile, Colombia, Mexico, and Peru, prepared by the OEI.

At the end of November, the diagnostic report of the project “Teacher Training in Digital Competencies in Technical Vocational Education (TVE) in the Pacific Alliance countries (Colombia, Chile, Mexico, and Peru)” -the second phase of the Strengthening of TVE Public Policies in the Pacific Alliance project-, financed by the Spanish Agency for International Cooperation ( AECID), was completed, with the ultimate goal of supporting the design of a competency-based training program to improve the quality of teaching practice in these countries.

The project involved 265 teachers from 17 middle and high level vocational training centers in the countries that are part of this bloc.

In this diagnostic phase, the focus was placed both on the infrastructures of the educational centers and on the training and development of the digital competencies of the trainers. Different instruments were used for this purpose. First of all, the publications and products of phase 1 of the project and the inputs identifying the main training needs in the field of digital skills, carried out by the countries at the national level, were analyzed. In this regard, the roadmap document on digital transformation, developed by the IEO in 2021, helped to identify indicators for the diagnosis.

Afterwards, information was collected from 265 teachers through an online questionnaire with questions on the six areas on which the DigComEdu framework is based on the identification of teachers’ digital competence (professional engagement, digital resources, digital pedagogy, digital assessment, empowering students, and facilitating students’ digital competence). Finally, virtual interviews were held with the leaders of 14 of the 17 participating schools. With these interviews it was possible to triangulate the information gathered through the inputs of the previous project and that collected through the questionnaires answered by the teachers.

Some results obtained

The analysis of the information collected identified the level of competence of teachers in the six areas mentioned for each country. Thus, at the global level, it can be deduced that there are no teachers at the lowest level (A1), while 12% are at level A2; most of the sample is at level B1 with 53%, leaving 27% for level B2 and only 8% for advanced level C1.

The diagnosis indicates that for the four countries, it is important to standardize a common framework of digital competencies for teachers that will facilitate to help them to level up and thus define and program the continuous training that will be provided.

Regarding literacy, digital culture and the incorporation of digital competencies into the educational offer, the report highlights that the promotion of digital culture in institutions is an ongoing process in the Pacific Alliance, but that it is advancing slowly, while at the same time it points out a greater effort in digital training in secondary education than in higher education. Teachers in the four countries assume training in digital transformation as part of their professional practice, although it is from the administration or management of the centers where they are assigned.

Other conclusions warn that collaboration and exchange of good practices are still unresolved issues in practically all countries; likewise, the most repeated slogan indicates that it is not a matter of having knowledge of digitization and digital tools, but of knowing how to apply it to teaching practice. Finally, it is highlighted the need to promote partnerships with the private sector to obtain advantageous conditions for equipment, software, and connectivity, as well as to acquire other devices in addition to computers and tablets in educational centers.

These results will serve as a basis for the development of a virtual training offer to be delivered from the Virtual Classroom of the Ibero-American Institute for Training and Learning for Cooperation of the OEI during the year 2023.

Review the Diagnostic Report on Training Needs in Professional Technical Education on Digital Competencies in the Pacific Alliance countries.

Source: OEI

March 6th, 2023.- The fifth meeting of the Pacific Alliance Network of National Fisheries and Aquaculture Research Institutions (IIPA-AP Network) will be held at the headquarters of the Marine and Coastal Research Institute “José Benito Vives de Andreis” (INVEMAR), located in the city of Santa Marta, Colombia, from March 15th to 17th, 2023.

The objective of this meeting organized by the Fisheries Development Institute (IFOP, Chile), with support from INVEMAR, is to develop a Work Plan for the 2023-2024 period, based on the priority issues defined by the institutions in a previous meeting held in September 2022. These topics include, among others, Ecosystem Approach, Climate Change, and Biodiversity. This Plan will allow progress in achieving the objectives of the network by promoting the development of joint scientific programs, the training of specialized human resources, and the exchange of experts between institutions, which will in turn progressively advance toward the best generation of scientific knowledge in fisheries and aquaculture for the sustainable management of these resources in the countries of the Pacific Alliance.

The meeting will be attended by the Directors of IFOP, Chile, Mr. Gonzalo Pereira Puchy; INVEMAR, Colombia, Mr. Francisco Arias Isaza; the National Fisheries Institute of Mexico (INAPESCA), Mr. Pablo Arenas Fuentes; and the President of the Board of Directors of the Institute of the Sea of Peru (IMARPE), Mr. Jorge Paz Acoste. Also attending the meeting will be the focal points of each institution, and representatives of the National Institute for Fisheries Research and Development of Argentina (INIDEP) and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).