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Saturday 26 September 2020 LOCAL
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United Nations Economic Commission for Latin

America and the Caribbean, (ECLAC):
Digital transformation key to recovery and

building back better, says new report

firms”, said Ángel Gurría, and for all. The European over 20% of jobs in some
Secretary General of the Union’s digital single market countries likely to undergo
PORT-OF-SPAIN, TRINIDAD croenterprises have been OECD. is an example of how digi- some kind of automation.
& TOBAGO — Digital trans- hit particularly hard: 2.7 tal integration can focus Therefore, the region needs
formation can help Latin million of them are likely to According to LEO 2020, on including citizens and massive new investments in
America and the Carib- close, entailing the loss of the crisis is exacerbating a supporting businesses. But education and training to
bean (LAC) region recov- 8.5 million jobs. On the eve set of interlinked, structural we must not forget that to equip workers with the nec-
er more quickly from the of the crisis, 40% of workers challenges, including high benefit, access is a must.” essary digital skills.
COVID 19 crisis, according in LAC economies did not inequality and informality,
to the Latin American Eco- have access to any form of low productivity, and de- “Digital transformation of- The 2020 edition of LEO
nomic Outlook (LEO) 2020: social protection, and 60% ficient public services and fers a unique opportunity to outlines a series of public
Digital Transformation for worked informally. institutions. boost productivity and to policy recommendations
Building Back Better. provide better public ser- to better co-ordinate the
“We expect more than 45 The good news is that digi- vices in Latin America and many digital agendas pro-
The report is jointly pro- million additional people tal transformation can help the Caribbean. With Cov- liferating in LAC countries,
duced by the Develop- will fall into poverty. The so- LAC economies out of the id-19, the region has accel- and highlights the impor-
ment Centre of the Or- cioeconomic crisis makes a crisis by stimulating business erated its digital processes, tance of linking these with
ganisation for Economic new development model innovation and new con- but there is still a long way broader National Develop-
Co-operation and Devel- more urgent than ever. Dig- sumption models, trans- to close the gap with ad- ment Plans (NDPs), 16 of
opment (OECD), the United italisation could be a pow- forming production systems vanced economies”, add- which are analysed in the
Nations Economic Commis- erful tool to overcome the and value chains, re-orga- ed Luis Carranza, Executive report. Clear responsibility
sion for Latin America and structural challenges of the nising economic sectors, President of CAF. and adequate implemen-
the Caribbean (ECLAC), region, only if it is consid- and introducing new con- tation power are crucial for
CAF Development Bank of ered as a comprehensive ditions of competitiveness. Yet the report warns of a the success of these agen-
Latin America and the Eu- way to foster progressive Digital tools can also sup- rough road ahead. Inter- das. The report also stresses
ropean Commission. structural change, through port better access to ser- net access, in particular, is that, in order to make the
policies for the generation vices, including health and far from universal: in 2018, most of digital transforma-
“LEO 2020 is a very timely of new sectors, quality jobs, education. Finally, they can 68% of the population in tion at local, national and
report. It will help foster dia- the development of ca- help improve governance, LAC used it regularly – al- international levels, inter-
logue across LAC countries pacities and innovation.”, putting citizens at the cen- most twice the share in national partnerships need
and with the international said Alicia Bárcena, Execu- tre of policymaking. 2010, but far behind the to be renewed. Taxing the
community around how tive Secretary of ECLAC. OECD average of 84%. In digitalised economy ef-
we can make the most As the European Com- addition, while 75% of the fectively and fairly, for ex-
of digital transformation “The crisis has created missioner for International richest population in Latin ample, requires strong in-
in the current context of the momentum for long- Partnerships Jutta Urpilain- America uses internet, only ternational co-operation.
COVID-19 crisis,” said Iván overdue reforms that can en pointed out, “Digital 37% of the poorest popula- Similarly, through stronger
Duque Márquez, President help spread the benefits transformation presents EU tion does. The difference regional co-operation, LAC
of the Republic of Colom- of digital transformation to and Latin America and the between the rich and the countries could strengthen
bia. achieve inclusive and re- Caribbean with an oppor- poor is much higher (almost their domestic digital ca-
silient growth. It also high- tunity to devise together 40 percentage points) than pacities.
LEO 2020 documents the lights the urgent need to innovative solutions and in OECD countries (below
pandemic’s dramatic im- bridge the digital divides address structural chal- 25 percentage points). Dig- More information about
pact on the most vulner- between territories, fami- lenges. An opportunity also ital transformation comes the report: http://www.lat-
able and marginalised. Mi- lies, students, workers and to tackle inequalities once with stark challenges, with ameconomy.org.q

Blind snakes

SANTA CRUZ — Foundation Parke Nacional Arikok strives to create
awareness amongst the community on the different snakes that reside
in Aruba.

As you may be spending more time in your garden, it is crucial to rec-
ognize our native species and the invasive species. Count yourself
lucky if you encounter the most elusive snake in your garden, the ‘Col-
ebra di dos cabes’:
● Blind snakes – ‘Colebra di dos cabes’ – ‘Indotyphlops braminus’ (Brah-
miny Blind Snake) & ‘Liotyphlops albirostris’ (Whitenose Blind Snake):
Blind snakes are tiny and often confused for worms. They are very com-
mon in gardens throughout the Caribbean. Being very sensitive to the
sun and heat, they hide in moist plant pots or soil. The blind snakes in
Aruba typically feed on termite and ant eggs and larvae.
If you encounter a ‘Colebra di dos cabes’ in your garden, please do
not harm this species. If you encounter a Boa in your garden, please
send a Facebook message to the national park and a Park Ranger will
contact you.q