Mexico City, Mexico — Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard Casaubon inaugurated the plenary session of the STS forum, High Level Conference for Latin America and the Caribbean at the Mexican Foreign Ministry.
There, he highlighted the importance of technological development and innovation in Mexico to face future challenges.
The opening ceremony was attended by the president of the STS forum, Hiroshi Komiyama, the president of Grupo América Móvil/Telmex, Carlos Slim Domit. the Executive Vice President of the Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO), Mio Kawada, the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize winner, Edmundo de Alba Alcaraz and as presenter, the General Director of Cooperation Policy of Amexcid, Javier Dávila Torres.
During his participation, Secretary Ebrard asserted that “if in Latin America we cannot develop an adequate scientific base and networks to develop vaccines or treatments, for example against COVID or other risks in the future, we are going to be left behind. We are not going to to have the technology that others developed at the same time.”
“We need to do this for ourselves, whatever the cost, right now. Let’s not forget the lessons […], we can work together with the scientific community around the world,” he said.
Within the framework of the STS, Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard also inaugurated the room for the “Latin American Innovation and Patents Exhibition”, where he spoke with exhibitors about the advances of science and technology for the benefit of people.
In this room, they also focused on promoting work on scientific and technological patents, with the aim of increasing the number of registrations in Latin America and the Caribbean.
Among the exhibitors are the Autonomous Metropolitan University, the National Institute of Medical Sciences and Nutrition “Salvador Zubirán”, the Institute of Chemistry of the UNAM, the Center for Engineering and Industrial Development (Cidesi), Dereum, Cinvestav and the Swiss Embassy in Mexico.
Also there was OCTOPY, RED OTT, Eturnity, Nutrix, Rea Diagnostics SA, Leading House for the Latin American Region, University of St. Gallen, Autonomous University of Nuevo León (UANL), ITESO, UAE Morelos, University of Berlin, the Chemical Society of Mexico, AC and the Consortium of Innovative Health Scientists, among many others.
The objective of the STS forum is to develop a global human network based on shared values that creates a space for a direct and clear dialogue about the advancement of science and technology for the benefit of humanity.
The first edition of the STS forum was held at the Mexican Foreign Ministry in March 2020, thanks to the efforts made by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Mexico with the STS Forum and the Embassy of Japan in Mexico.
In a statement, Ebrard said that “Switzerland, the forum’s guest country, plays an important role internationally in the field of science and innovation. With its cutting-edge technologies and innovative solutions, its universities, research centers and start-ups, Switzerland has been leading the World Economic Forum’s (WEF) annual ranking of global competitiveness for 12 years. By sharing experiences, Switzerland and Mexico can take innovation in Latin America and the Caribbean to another level.”