News

The BELLA II project, implemented by RedCLARA and co-funded by the European Union, was presented as a strategic initiative to reduce digital gaps and strengthen regional connectivity during the EU-LAC Digital Alliance Week 2025. The initiative aims to integrate countries such as Peru, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Honduras, and El Salvador into RedCLARA’s digital ecosystem, positioning itself as a driver of development, inclusion, and academic and scientific cooperation between the two regions.

During the Multi-Stakeholder Forum on Digital and Green Investment and Innovation, in the panel “From Cooperation to Impact: Breaking Barriers for Sustainable Public-Private Partnerships in Latin America and the Caribbean,” Luis Eliécer Cadenas, Executive Director of RedCLARA, emphasized that connectivity is not just about internet access but about creating opportunities for development, inclusion, and collaboration among universities, research centers, and communities in the region.

“More than infrastructure, BELLA II drives development, inclusion, and sustainability, strengthening the digital partnership between Europe and Latin America and the Caribbean. The EU-LAC Digital Alliance Week demonstrates that the digital future of our regions is being built today by joining efforts, connecting capabilities, and turning cooperation into tangible results for our societies,” he highlighted.

The initiative was also presented as a tool to facilitate access to and the transmission of Earth observation data, improving environmental management, disaster planning, and innovation across the region. By strengthening connectivity, BELLA II brings universities, research centers, and communities into digital ecosystems that enhance the use of satellite information for sustainable development.

The panel gathered representatives from governments, the private sector, civil society, and academia from both regions, addressing strategic topics such as cybersecurity, connectivity, artificial intelligence, sustainable innovation, and Earth observation, providing a space to reflect on the digital challenges facing Latin America and the Caribbean.

The EU-LAC Digital Alliance Week is an annual meeting that brings together senior government officials, private sector representatives, civil society actors, and academics from both regions to review achievements from two years of digital cooperation and to outline the roadmap toward the IV EU-CELAC Summit, to be held in November in Santa Marta, Colombia.

The EU-LAC Digital Alliance, established in 2023, constitutes the main framework for this bi-regional cooperation, aimed at building an inclusive, sustainable, and people-centered digital future, transforming collaboration into concrete opportunities for both regions.