On July 25 and 26, 2024, Andrea Freites, a PhD student in Political Science at UC and a member of the ICLAC Millennium Nucleus participated in La Paz, Bolivia, in the in-person event “Sustainable Development in the Lithium Industry in Latin America”. This event was organized by the Konrad Adenauer Foundation (KAS) through the Regional Program on Energy Security and Climate Change in Latin America (EKLA) and the KAS Bolivia Office.
On the first day, our researcher attended the presentation of the report “Lithium in Latin America: Analysis of the Value Chain, Regional Development, and Public Policies”. On July 26, she participated as a panelist in the closed expert workshop “Sustainable Development and the Lithium Industry in Latin America”.
At the workshop, Freites presented in “Panel 1: Local Governance of Lithium and Community Participation.” The main topics she addressed in her presentation were: a) Challenges in implementing local governance policies for sustainable lithium exploitation; b) Promoting effective community participation in decision-making processes; and c) Compensation mechanisms and direct benefits for affected communities.
“My participation in the panel is framed within my role as a PhD student at ICLAC and UC in co-authorship with Francisco Urdinez, ICLAC/UC Director. This opportunity allowed me to contribute to the debate with an academic and research-based perspective, as well as to learn from other experts in the field,” she commented.