Participants from 27 countries, ministers and high-level governmental representatives adopted the new Regional Plan of Action for the Information Society in Latin America and the Caribbean (eLAC2010), an initiative promoted by the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) and the countries of the region, since its first version in 2005.

eLAC2010, which is embodied in a document called San Salvador Commitment, is divided into six chapters and 83 specific goals. It seeks to facilitate access to and use of ICT in education and training, infrastructure and access, health, public administration and e-government, e-business and the productive sector, as well as policy and strategic tools. The Plan places special emphasis on the creation of synergies between institutions working towards each goal.

These goals include:

• ensuring that 90% of students have used computers for educational purposes for at least 100 hours or doubling the number of students who currently do so;
  
• doubling public and private funding for ICT and for R&D in that area, especially in applications, software and content;
  
• ensuring that 70% of national and local government departments are connected to a "one-stop" window for citizen transactions or doubling the current number;
  
• training 80% of health professionals in the use of ICT or doubling the existing number.

A new Board of Directors was elected under the Regional Follow-up Mechanism for eLAC2010. It will be presided over by El Salvador, with sub-regional representation from Argentina, Trinidad and Tobago and Peru. The latter will host the next ministerial conference in 2010. Regional Follow-up Mechanism will also include a second level of thematic coordination, for each of the chapters under the eLAC platform. It will be integrated by: Cuba (on education), Costa Rica (infrastructure and access), Mexico (health), Peru (public administration), Uruguay (production sectors) and Bolivia (policy and strategy tools).

The eLAC process is a new type of regional agreement in terms of its approach, scope, topics and the participation of multidisciplinary stakeholders. Governments are taking the lead in the process of developing and implementing public policies, but also facilitating the participation of new actors independent from the State, such as private enterprise, civil society, the academic community and international organizations.

San Salvador Commitment and eLAC2010 are available online in PDF format:

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