Alicia Barcena, Executive Secretary of ECLAC, visited the Latin American and Caribbean Casa de Internet

On Wednesday, 3 April 2013, Alicia Barcena, Executive Secretary of the United Nations Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) visited Lacnic and the Latin American and Caribbean Casa de Internet.

Accompanied by her delegation, Dr. Barcena was received by Raul Echeberría, Executive Director of Lacnic, Pablo Bello, Secretary General of AHCIET, and Sebastian Bellagamba, Internet Society Regional Bureau Director for Latin America and the Caribbean. The visit was an excellent opportunity for Dr. Barcena to take direct contact with an experience unprecedented in other regions.

"Lacnic and the organizations that are part of the Casa de Internet for Latin America and the Caribbean feel honored to receive the visit of Dr. Alicia Barcena, ECLAC Executive Secretary. Promoting our region's social and economic development is at the heart of the work carried out by our organizations, and this meeting allows us to strengthen the ties among us. We are proud to have had the opportunity today to show and share this unique and innovative collaboration experience that is the Casa de Internet," said Raul Echeberria, Executive Director of Lacnic.

The Latin American and Caribbean Casa de Internet is a political hub that concentrates the headquarters of relevant organizations involved in the regional development of telecommunications, the Internet, and information and communication technologies: Lacnic, AHCIET, the Internet Society, CLARA, LACTLD, LAC-IX, and eCOM-LAC. Casa de Internet, which will soon be home to even more organizations, is an excellent example of coordination among institutions having different characteristics and interests, yet pursuing a common goal which is to work towards regional development.

"The region needs a more active and diverse information society with more communication internally and between public and private stakeholders", and she highlighted the work of this initiative that brings together seven Internet agencies from the Americas.

It should be noted that all of these organizations hold strong ties with ECLAC, either through the Action Plan for Latin America and the Caribbean (eLAC), the organization of specific activities, or the Broad Band Dialogue process, among other relevant experiences. Dr. Barcena's visit provided an excellent opportunity to reinforce these ties and the collaboration in joint activities towards the economic, social, and cultural development of Latin America and the Caribbean.