Weaving Consensus: Digital Transformation with Equity
19th Ministerial Meeting on Digital Government
This nineteenth Annual Meeting of the Inter-American Digital Government Network (Red GEALC) seeks to share regional actions on equitable digital transformation within a governance consensus-building dynamic. At the same time, it engages with global best practices in the field.
It will also be the occasion to present the initial results of the Regional Digital Citizen Consortium, which is promoting the implementation of a digital identity broker for the countries of Latin America and the Caribbean. This will provide the technical conditions for cross-border digital services, adding to the “list of lists” for digital signatures among countries. We will also examine central aspects of digital transformation, from cybersecurity to artificial intelligence.
With a view to the next Summit of the Americas, to be held in the Dominican Republic from November 30 to December 5, 2025, this Red GEALC Annual Meeting builds on last year’s ministerial as preparation of digital-transformation inputs for the discussions to be held by heads of state and government. In this way, progress will be made on implementing the commitments of the Regional Program for Digital Transformation approved at the Ninth Summit of the Americas (Los Angeles, 2022). At the same time, this ministerial exchange will be aligned with the digital transformation commitments of the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), for which Red GEALC is part of its framework of Regional Public Policy Dialogues.
GUATEMALA
The venue for our annual meeting will be Antigua, in Guatemala’s central highlands, whose historic center is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. This setting will provide an ideal environment for holding the working sessions, welcoming visitors in a country committed to building consensus where equity is a central component.
The city will begin receiving delegations on Sunday the 26th, as on Monday, October 27, a day of related activities—titled the “Regional Digital Government Meeting”—will be held for the national digital-governance ecosystem, with the participation of international experts and invited delegations, featuring working groups, innovation spaces, and thematic tracks.
Agenda
Plenary Session
08:30–09:00 – Opening Session
- Authority of the Government of Guatemala.
- Sebastián E. Kraljevich, Secretary for the Strengthening of Democracy, Organization of American States (OAS).
- Paula Acosta, Division Chief, State Institutional Capacity Division, Inter-American Development Bank (IDB).
- Sun Kyung KIM, Deputy Director, Digital Government Cooperation Division, Ministry of the Interior and Safety (MOIS), Republic of Korea.
- José Inostroza, President of Red Gealc and Secretary of Digital Government of Chile.
09:00–10:15 – Regional Digital Citizen: Country Presentations
- Juan Pablo García, Director of Digital Identity, AGESIC (Uruguay).
- Hudson Vinicius Mesquita, Director of Digital Identity, Secretariat of Digital Government (Brazil).
- Natalia Bahamonde, Digital Identity Coordinator, Secretariat of Digital Government (Chile) (via video).
- Luz Ángela Montaña Rivera, Internal Working Group on Digital Citizen Services, MinTIC (Colombia).
- Moderator: Javier Barreiro, Project Manager, Red Gealc consultant.
10:15–11:15 – Regional Digital Citizen: Consortium of Organizations
- Aura Cifuentes, Fellow, Investments Team, Co-Develop.
- Yolanda Martínez, Practice Manager, Digital, Latin America and the Caribbean, World Bank.
- Mike Mora, Senior Specialist, Department for Effective Public Management, OAS.
- Miguel Porrúa, Coordinator of the Digital Cluster, IDB.
- Moderator: Roberto López, Manager, Red Gealc.
11:15–11:30 – Group photo
11:30–12:00 – Coffee break
12:00–13:00 – Key Aspects of Digital Transformation
- Data – Sara Fratti, Strategic Alliances Manager, Latin American Open Data Initiative (ILDA).
- Bárbara Ubaldi, Senior Director for AI and Government Innovation, Tony Blair Institute for Global Change.
- Cybersecurity – Mabel Amaya, Specialist, CICTE/OAS.
- Moderator: Reyson Lizardo, Director of Digital Transformation, Government Office of Information and Communication Technologies (OGTIC).
13:00–14:30 – Lunch break
14:30–15:15 – State of Digital Equity in the Region
- Digital public services and the equity challenge – Miguel Porrúa, Coordinator of the Digital Cluster, IDB.
- Equity and Indigenous Peoples – David Osorio, Director of Digital Government, Presidential Commission for Open and Electronic Government, Guatemala.
- Gender equity – Estefanía Capdeville, Director of Special Projects and Global Cooperation, Federal Government’s Agency for Digital Transformation and Telecommunications, Mexico.
- Moderator: Anika C. D. Shuttleworth, Chief Executive Officer (Acting), eGov Jamaica Ltd.
15:15–16:00 – Republic of Korea: Good Practices from a Leading Digital Government
- Sun Kyung KIM, Deputy Director, Digital Government Cooperation Division, MOIS, Republic of Korea.
- Dr. Sungwon Choi, Director, Centro de Cooperación en Gobierno Digital Corea-Honduras
- Moderator: Lucy Uron, Director of Digital Government, MinTIC (Colombia) (TBC).
16:00–16:30 – Coffee break
16:30–17:30 – International Overview
- Manuel Aguilera, Regional Leader for Latin America and the Caribbean at CDPI.
- Carlos Vargas Álvarez del Castillo, Representative in Latin America, e-Governance Academy (eGA), Estonia.
- 50in5 Program – Inshan Meahjohn, CEO, iGovTT, Trinidad and Tobago.
- Mauricio Muente, Lead Specialist — Public Sector Modernization, IDB.
- Moderator: Mark Boyce, CEO, GovTech, Barbados
17:30–17:45 – Close of day
18:45–21:00 – Cultural dinner (by invitation)
9:00–10:00 – Overview of Digital Government in Central and North America
- Costa Rica, Diego Leiva, Director of Digital Governance, MICITT.
- El Salvador, Denis Pocasangre, Deputy Secretary of Innovation, Office of the President of the Republic.
- Guatemala, David Osorio, Director of Electronic Government, Presidential Commission for Open and Electronic Government.
- Honduras, Directorate of Management by Results.
- Mexico, Estefanía Capdeville, Director of Special Projects and Global Cooperation, Federal Government’s Agency for Digital Transformation and Telecommunications.
- Panama, Adolfo Fábrega, General Administrator, National Authority for Government Innovation (AIG).
- Dominican Republic, Reyson Lizardo, Director of Digital Transformation, Government Office of Information and Communication Technologies (OGTIC).
10:00–10:40 – Overview of Digital Government in Mercosur
- Argentina, Emiliano Villa, Director, ONTI, Secretariat for Innovation, Science and Technology.
- Brazil, Hudson Vinicius Mesquita, Director of Digital Identity, Secretariat of Digital Government (Brazil).
- Paraguay, Margarita Rojas, Director General of Digital Inclusion and ICT in Education, Ministry of Information and Communication Technologies (MITIC).
- Uruguay, Daniel Mordecki, Executive Director, Agency for Electronic Government and the Information and Knowledge Society (AGESIC).
10:40–11:00 – Coffee Break
11:00–11:15 – Republic of Korea: Good Practices from a Leading Digital Government. II
- Sun Kyung KIM, Director, Digital Government Cooperation Division, MOIS, Republic of Korea.
11:15–12:15 – Overview of Digital Government in the Caribbean
- Antigua and Barbuda, Desiree Zachariah, Manager of Business and Data Analytics, Ministry of ICTs, Utilities & Energy.
- Barbados, Mark Boyce, CEO, GovTech.
- Jamaica, Anika C. D. Shuttleworth, Chief Executive Officer (Acting), eGov Jamaica Ltd.
- Suriname, Brahiem Doekhie, General Policy Advisor, E-Government Unit.
- Trinidad and Tobago, Inshan Meahjohn, CEO, iGovTT.
12:15–13:00 – Overview of Digital Government in the Andean Region
- Bolivia, Vladimir Terán Gutiérrez, Executive General Director, AGETIC.
- Chile, José Inostroza Lara, Secretary of Digital Government, Ministry of Finance.
- Colombia, Lucy Uron, Director of Digital Government, MinTIC.
- Peru, Jaime Honores Coronado, Secretary of Government and Digital Transformation, PCM.
13:00–14:30 – Lunch Break
14:30–16:00 – Red Gealc Annual Assembly
- Report on execution of the 2025 Work Plan.
- 2026 Work Plan.
- Antigua, Guatemala Declaration.
- Election of Red Gealc authorities for 2026.
16:00–16:30 – Coffee Break
16:30–17:00 – Closing Session
- Authority of Guatemala.
- Authority of the IDB.
- Authority of the OAS.
- Country presiding Red Gealc in 2026.
Landívar Room – Dialogues Toward Digital Transformation
08:00 – 09:00 | Registration
09:00 – 09:30 | Welcome
- Opening Session – Regional Digital Government Gathering
- Welcome & Safety Video
- Welcome Remarks
- Government of Guatemala authority – Presidential Commissioner for Open and Electronic Government, Wendy Miranda (host country): welcome message and emphasis on the national approach “Weaving Consensus: Digital Governance with Equity.”
- Mike Mora, Organization of American States (OAS).
- Miguel Porrúa, Inter-American Development Bank (IDB).
09:30 – 09:55 | Inspirational Keynote — “Digital Transformation in the State Without Dying in the Attempt”
José Inostroza – Director, Digital Government Secretariat of Chile; President of Red GEALC.
The talk will address major challenges and the pillars of an architecture to move toward a shift in the public-management model based on using digital knowledge to deliver better services and better public policies. It will cover problem patterns and governance aspects.
10:00 – 10:45 | Panel — From Strategy to Results: Digital Policies for State Modernization. How do citizens benefit? Regional strategies
Present and analyze national experiences of effective implementation of digital agendas.
- Daniel Mordecki, Executive Director, AGESIC
- Adolfo Fábrega, Panama, Administrator General, National Authority for Government Innovation (AIG)
- Reyson Lizardo, Government Office of Information and Communication Technologies
- Moderator: Carlos Vargas, e-Governance Academy, Estonia
10:45 – 11:30 | Coffee Break (AM)
11:30 – 12:30 | Digital Civic Participation Platforms in Latin America
Countries in the region face challenges in promoting citizen participation, which requires building consensus in public policies that support social development. Governments are innovating with digital civic-participation platforms, creating an opportunity to leverage technology to bring government closer to the people.
- David Osorio Can, Director of Electronic Government, Presidential Commission for Open and Electronic Government, Guatemala
- ILDA
- Jaime Alejandro Honores Coronado, Secretary of Government and Digital Transformation, Peru
- Moderator: Shabnam Sabetian, Digital Transformation Specialist, UNDP Guatemala
12:30 – 14:15 | Lunch (Meals are not covered by the event.)
14:15 – 14:45 | Presentation — Other support that has helped Guatemala’s digital transformation
World Bank – Maribel Dalio, Digital Development Specialist, World Bank
14:45 – 15:30 | Presentation — Results of the Landscape Assessment of Artificial Intelligence in Guatemala
Javier Brolo, Head of Experimentation, UNDP Accelerator Lab Guatemala
15:30 – 16:00 | Interoperability Presentation
Presented by Carlos Vargas, e-Governance Academy, Estonia
16:00 – 16:30 | Coffee Break (PM)
16:30 – 17:00 | Closing Conversation — Regional Digital Government Gathering
Central theme: Weaving Consensus: Digital Governance with Equity — reflection and conclusion.
Wendy Miranda, Presidential Commission for Open and Electronic Government — Red GEALC Representative.
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Don Pedro Room — Data Governance & Artificial Intelligence / Cybersecurity
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10:00 – 10:15 | Opening
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Brief introduction to objectives and format — Wendy Miranda, Presidential Commission for Open and Electronic Government
10:15 – 10:45 | Innovative Solutions in Digital Public Infrastructure with AI
Concrete examples of how AI has improved service delivery.
Participants:
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Hugo Allan Garcia, Deputy Secretary for Strategic Analysis, SEGEPLAN (Guatemala)
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Diego Leiva, Director of Digital Government, MICITT (Costa Rica)
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Moderator: Mike Mora, Secretariat for the Strengthening of Democracy, Organization of American States (OAS)
10:45 – 11:30 | Coffee Break (AM)
11:30 – 12:30 | Presentation/Demo — CKAN & Open Data Editor: Applying AI to Improve Public Data
A practical walkthrough of use cases showing how Artificial Intelligence can boost the public sector in two key areas of Digital Government: access to information and data quality. It will feature AI applications in open-source tools developed by the Open Knowledge Foundation (OKFN): CKAN (the most widely used open data portal platform globally) and Open Data Editor (a desktop app for non-technical users to find errors in tabular data).
Patricio del Boca.
12:45 – 14:15 | Lunch (Meals are not covered by the event.)
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CYBERSECURITY TRACK
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14:15 – 15:00 | Conversation — Women, Digital Power & Cybersecurity: Building a Gender Perspective
Experiences of women’s leadership in cybersecurity.
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Moderator: Paula Brenes — Red GEALC
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INEES Guatemala
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Margarita Rojas — Director General for Digital Inclusion & ICT in Education, Ministry of Information and Communication Technologies (MITIC)
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Alexia Mabel Amaya — Project Officer, Cybersecurity Section, Inter-American Committee against Terrorism (CICTE), Organization of American States (OAS)
15:00 – 16:00 | Storytelling Panel
From incident to strategy — lessons learned; cases of cyber incidents in Latin America.
Lead: Maribel Dalio — World Bank
Real breach cases and their impact on security policies.
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16:00 – 16:30 | Coffee Break (PM)
Doña Beatriz Room — WORKING GROUP: PUBLIC SOFTWARE & DPI
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10:00 – 12:45 | CDPI Challenge Final (Center for Digital Public Infrastructure)
“Credentials in Action: Public Innovation Challenge”
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Introduction and context on verifiable credentials
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Presentations by finalist projects — 75 minutes (25 minutes per project)
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Audience participation
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Jury deliberation
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Announcement of the winning project and closing
12:45 – 14:30 | Lunch (Meals are not covered by the event.)
14:30 – 17:00 | Building Trust by Design: Digital Public Infrastructure in Latin America and the Caribbean
Facilitators: Aura Cifuentes (Co-Develop), Enrique Crespo (UNDP), Francesco Stabilito (ODET).
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Present and socialize the DPI Universal Safeguards Framework with digital government directors from across LAC, ensuring a shared understanding.
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Jointly map priority projects in the region where the framework could be applied, identifying concrete opportunities to expand the Safeguards portfolio.
Participants
Previous Red GEALC Meetings
Red GEALC Ministerial Meetings are high-level biennial meetings that bring together leaders from Latin America and the Caribbean. They are a suitable environment where joint action among member countries is taken, horizontal cooperation is promoted and the direction and the trend of e-government is discussed. Along these lines, a space is created so that ministers and government experts can share their experiences and knowledge on the subject matter. Distinguished speakers and guests from other continents are also invited. The meeting’s purpose is to raise awareness, strengthen cooperation bonds and discuss jointly about the challenges that arise when developing public policies to modernize the state.
Ministerial gatherings take place once every two years. Digital government meetings for national directors are conducted every year.