February 9, 2023.- Within the framework of cooperation relations between the Pacific Alliance and Japan, nineteen young diplomats and government officials from Chile, Colombia, Mexico and Peru visited Japan as part of the Together Program.

As part of this activity, the PA representatives visited the Japanese Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Shunsuke Takei, who welcomed their participation and affirmed that the Pacific Alliance is an important ally, as well as a partner to work and grow together with within the framework of relations of cooperation and friendship.

Minister Takei also pointed out that this edition of the Together Program provides his country with the opportunity to share their knowledge and experience in disaster prevention and mitigation issues, as well as initiatives that use ICTs.

For their part, representatives of the delegations expressed their gratitude for this invitation and highlighted the relevant points on what was learned through the program.

It was also highlighted that this kind of activity allows to strengthen further the relationship between Japan and the Pacific Alliance, as well as the possibility of future cooperation with this integration mechanism.

Japan joined the Pacific Alliance as an Observer State in January 2013.

January 24, 2023.-  On January 24, 25 and 26, the fifth and last thematic forum of the PA-EFE Program will take place, the “Capitalization Forum: Celebration of results and impacts, exchange of good practices and looks to the future”, which will bring together some 150 people from the four countries of the Pacific Alliance and Canada, in Mexico City.

This three-day forum will give all the partners and allies of the Program the opportunity to reflect together and share the innovation experiences, approaches and tools developed in the Program’s projects, during the last seven years; make visible the impact of the PA-EFE in the region and promote the sustainability of the achievements and good practices of the Program.

The topics of the Forum will be developed focusing on the four axes established in the methodological proposal for the capitalization of the Program: Collaboration and harmonization in the PA region; Access and valorization of TVET; TVET Quality; and Services to companies and the community. As well as the cross-cutting issues of the Program: Gender Equality and Inclusion and Environmental Sustainability.

Denise Amyot, President and CEO of CiCAN

“We are delighted to bring together in Mexico City, in person and virtually, all the partners of the PA-EFE Program, our partners from the PA countries, Chile, Colombia, Mexico and Peru, and all our members from Canada that participated in the institutional alliances of the Program, for this last Program Capitalization Forum, which will be a key opportunity to celebrate the results and impacts of this seven-year Program (2016-2023) and share good practices and innovation experiences, that will allow the formulation of recommendations for the sustainability and continuity of the activities initiated or strengthened by the Program. I am proud of the results and impacts of this Program, thanks to the valuable, excellent collaboration and participation of all the partners”.

The National Coordination of Mexico recognizes and values ​​the work that has been carried out over seven years of joint collaboration CICan – Pacific Alliance, a space that has made it possible to increase socioeconomic opportunities for women and men, in a sustainable and inclusive extractive sector in PA countries, focusing its attention on the issues of education, gender, indigenous peoples and the environment. This collaboration has allowed the exchange of experiences for the formulation of public policies that contribute to the development and improvement of our societies.

Graeme C. Clark, Canadian Ambassador to Mexico

“Today’s forum is an opportunity to establish a valuable dialogue between the multiple parties involved to capitalize on the different projects that have been carried out within this initiative. Together we can positively contribute to the economic development and long-term prosperity of our countries, while ensuring equitable management of natural resources and taking into account the protection of the environment”.

The Forum will be held in a hybrid mode, that is, in person in Mexico City, and with open and free virtual access, for three days. The Forum’s methodology will be reflective, formative and participatory. Simultaneous interpretation services and opportunities to ask questions will be offered, both for the participants present and for those who follow the forum virtually.

Sign up here: https://enketo.ona.io/x/zmSjoazO

December 26, 2022.- “Opportunities and challenges in language education outside the urban context” was the name of the discussion organized by the English Network of the Pacific Alliance (RIAP in Spanish), which had more than 50 participants. This event was attended by authorities from the education sector of the four member states (Chile, Colombia, Mexico and Peru) and Dr. Jennifer Macdonald, Director of English Language Studies and University Access at Dalhousie University in Canada.

The conversation focused on English language teaching methodologies, specifically on the Content and Language Integrated Learning methodology, also known as CLIL or Content and Foreign Language Integrated Learning. Likewise, the implementation and use of technologies in linguistic education outside the urban context was addressed, where some virtual exchange dynamics were reviewed, as well as existing barriers.

Those present participated actively in the development of the conversation. Afterwards, they worked in groups on questions previously proposed by the Canadian expert. The Technical Education Group thanked Dr. Macdonald for organizing the meeting and for the participation of both Dr. Macdonald and Canada as an Observer State of the Pacific Alliance. Finally, the RIAP Technical Secretariat called for dissemination of the Network in order to jointly strengthen it among the Member States and Observers. The Technical Secretariat of the RIAP is in charge of Chile until December 2023.

December 20, 2022.- Hungary offers high-quality education with a safe and friendly living environment in the heart of Europe. Hungary is also among the top countries with the highest number of scientific Nobel laureates per capita and numerous scientific inventions, from vitamin C to the Rubik’s cube.

Therefore, we are pleased to present the 2023/2024 call for the Hungarian Government scholarship program within the framework of the Pacific Alliance. Eight scholarships will be awarded, two for each member country, to carry out studies in this country. The call will be open until January 16, 2023.

The Student and Academic Mobility Platform of the Pacific Alliance, which purpose is to contribute to the formation of human capital in the four countries, offers the possibility of carrying out bachelor’s, master’s, doctoral studies or non-graduate programs (preparation and specialization courses) on issues related to agriculture, land management, wildlife, among other related issues.

The studies will be carried out in person at one of the 28 Higher Education Institutions that participate in the Hungarian Stipendium Hungaricum Program. The minimum required documents must be entered into the online system set up by the Hungarian government no later than January 16 at 23:59 (Central European Time).

The call for applications and the annexes can be found on the official page: https://stipendiumhungaricum.hu/apply/

The online application system can be accessed here: https://apply.stipendiumhungaricum.hu/

The Application guide for candidates can be found on the following website:

https://stipendiumhungaricum.hu/uploads/2020/03/Application-Guide-for-the-Stipendium-Hungaricum-Programme_2023_24.pdf

The scholarships include academic costs, lodging, medical insurance; in addition, a monthly maintenance in Hungarian national currency will be granted. It is important to clarify that the scholarship does not include tickets to and from the countries of origin of the selected people, who must cover their international air ticket.

CHECK HERE FOR THE BASES OF THE CALL

• Teachers and principals of elementary or primary education will meet in this activity that aims to open a space for insight and conversation around the thematic axes of the nine free courses that the PA Digital Teaching Network—initiative of the Pacific Alliance—, made available this year to strengthen teachers’ digital skills.

December 14, 2022.- In 2022, more than 3,000 teachers and principals from Chile, Colombia, Mexico and Peru joined the PA Digital Teaching Network, an initiative of the Pacific Alliance implemented by Fundación Chile, which was born to generate capacities of pedagogical use in digital technological tools, in view of the educational needs that were exacerbated by the pandemic.

During this period, the initiative has made available nine free, 100% online self-learning courses of high quality, which are grouped into three thematic axes: “Technology-mediated pedagogical practices”; “Education for the Digital Citizenship of the XXI Century” and “Use and management of digital tools”.

In order for the teachers and principals members of the PA Digital Teaching Network to delve into the aforementioned thematic axes and meet colleagues with similar interests, on Tuesday, December 20, this professional development platform will carry out its last activity of the year.

This is the “Virtual meeting: forging teaching networks for the Pacific Alliance”, which is aimed at teachers, professors and managers who have taken courses from the PA Digital Teaching Network. To participate in this activity, which has limited spaces, you must register on the platform and then enter the following link to enter the email to which the meeting access link will be sent.

Leading teachers

The opening of the meeting will take place at 9:00 a.m. in Mexico; 10:00 hours from Colombia and Peru; and 12:00 Chilean hours. Afterwards, it will lead to the simultaneous thematic rooms. Room 1 will be led by Alberto Ramírez (Mexico), a researcher at the Universidad Veracruzana, Doctor in Educational Research and Master’s degree in Computer Science and Communication Media. Room 2 will be headed by Viviana Cano (Colombia), Sociologist and Master in Science, Technology and Education Management.

The teachers who are part of the PA Digital Teaching Network will also have a leading role, given that in each room there will be a panel with representatives of the member countries of the Pacific Alliance. Thus, in panel 1, Romina Jara, teacher of Biology and Natural Sciences at the Santa María de la Ligua School (Chile), will be present, while in panel 2, Juan Manuel Gómez, teacher at the Eusebio Septimio Mari Technical Ethno-educational Institution (Colombia)will be present.

To learn more about the program, access the event registration page: https://bit.ly/3FM6H3Y

December 13, 2022.- On December 12, 2022, the Mexican Ambassador to Poland, Juan Sandoval Mendiolea, inaugurated the concert “Beyond an Alliance”, organized in collaboration with the Embassies of Chile, Colombia, Mexico and Peru in Poland.

Within the framework of Mexico’s pro tempore presidency of the Pacific Alliance, the concert was held in the Kotlownia Hall of the Polish Vodka Museum in Warsaw, with the participation of the Mexican soprano Alejandrina Vázquez and the Polish pianist Adam Mikołaj Goździewski , who performed songs from the four member countries of the Alliance.

During the inauguration, the importance of promoting actions that allow positioning the Pacific Alliance as a vanguard mechanism with concrete results and the need to create a deep integration area that promotes greater growth, development and competitiveness of the economies that integrate it was highlighted.

Among the more than 80 attendees at the event, the presence of the Vice-President of the Polish Senate, Gabriela Morawska-Stanecka, as well as members of the diplomatic corps, representatives of the Senate, and Polish ministries and economic and cultural institutions stood out.

At the end of the event, a tasting of typical dishes from the four countries of the Pacific Alliance was offered.

COMMUNICATIONS PPT PACIFIC ALLIANCE

December 9, 2022.- The embassies of the member countries of the Pacific Alliance accredited in Austria held the “Pacific Alliance Business Forum”, organized jointly with the Austrian Federal Chamber of Economics (WKÖ), in Vienna.

The different segments were attended by important members of the Austrian, Slovak and Slovenian business community, as well as the Vice President of the WKO, Amelie Groß.

On behalf of the four countries of the Alliance participated María Claudia Alvarado, director of ProColombia in Germany; Gycs Gordon, director of the Commercial Office of Peru in Hamburg; Marcelo Villagrán, coordinator of the Chilean Strategy for Europe in the Green Hydrogen Sector. ProChile; and Mario Chacón, coordinator of Investment Promotion for Europe of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Mexico.

In the round table participated eight Austrian, four Slovenian and one Slovakian companies, all from various industrial sectors. Also attended the four ambassadors in Austria of the PA countries and members of their teams. The presentations of the 4 panelists focused on the strengths and advantages of their economies and business environments, and the complementarity of markets that the regional bloc offers as a destination for investments and to integrate value chains.

The seminar registered an audience of more than one hundred people, including businessmen, academics, and the media. Likewise, it was attended by the ambassador of Ecuador in Austria, Mireya Muñoz Mera, and the ambassador of Costa Rica in Austria, Alejandro Solano Ortíz, as representatives of countries with a special close relationship with the PA.

COMMUNICATIONS PPT PACIFIC ALLIANCE

Since August, 61 young volunteers from different regions of Chile, Colombia, Mexico, and Peru began the training process in several components that strengthened their skills and abilities for volunteering, social action, leadership, international solidarity, and above all, multifunctional monitoring and activation of older people, with or without visual limitations, thus making profitable use of Information and Communication Technologies to reach all corners where the beneficiaries of the program reside.

From Mexico, we have volunteers from Puebla, Jalisco, Hidalgo, Queretaro, and Mexico City; from Chile, volunteers from Temuco, La Araucanía Region, and Santiago de Chile; the volunteers from Peru (the majority of the program) are from Junín, Cajamarca, Callao, Rímac, Sachaca, Huacho, Lima, Chiclayo, and Cusco; also, from Colombia, a broad representation of volunteers from Sucre, Bolivar, Chocó, Atlántico, Antioquia, and Bogotá.

The training process, led by Human Bonds by Versania (now known as Versania Care and Life), included more than 100 hours of intensive training led by experts that involve a deep and emotionally charged understanding of the work of the volunteers to reduce the social gaps in the region; they addressed different dimensions of volunteering, their purpose, the sense and meaning of this action in social transformation, international solidarity, philanthropy and a broad and detailed vision of the challenges we face as a 21st-century society; in addition, the volunteers had complete training on the reality of the elderly in Colombia, the psychology of the elderly, bases for accompaniment, sensitive listening, and the physical, cognitive and occupational activation of the elderly with or without visual limitation. The training process ended on November 16.

Since October 24, with the support of Colpensiones, the UAEOS and the Presidential Council for Youth, the process of accompaniment began for 61 older people from all over Colombia, with or without visual limitations, who were sent to a multifunctional activation analog kit at home to be implemented together with the young volunteers in the distance. This kit was designed by the nursing and neuropsychology team at Human Bonds by Versania and also includes a whole package of activities in digital format that older people will be able to access and continue implementing after the program ends.