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XXVIIth World Road Congress
Proceedings of the Congress

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Foresight Session 04 - Latin American and Caribbean Rural Roads: a Gateway to Development

Tuesday, October 3 14:30 - 18:00
Chair: Antonio SILVEIRA, Physical Infrastructure and Digital Transformation Manager, CAF
Room: South Hall 3C, 3rd floor

As 90% of the rural road network in Latin America and the Caribbean is unpaved, most rural inhabitants lack decent mobility, thus hindering the exercise of various human rights such as access to education, health, culture, and work (OHCHR 2008). This situation leads to the emigration of rural dwellers to cities, causing uprooting of families and the growth of megacities.

Rural transport infrastructure contributes to national cohesion and a more balanced territorial occupation. They are often the only manifest government intervention in remote areas - whose inhabitants traditionally exhibit a feeling of abandonment - and the precursor of other services such as drinking water, electricity, and telecommunications.

The objective of this session was to highlight the social benefits that rural road programs generate in Latin America and the Caribbean. They usually demand rather modest investments, although they can promote productive, institutional, and socially inclusive and sustainable transformations, contributing to sustainable development and the creation of new job opportunities.

During this session, CAF presented its newly publication Rural Roads, A Door to Development and territorial connectivity. This document includes guidelines for the construction of these important low-traffic roads. Latin American experiences with a strong impact on development were also shared.

Ministers and authorities from Latin America and the Caribbean gave their viewpoints on institutional challenges in the rural road network.

  1. Part 1 – Rural Roads in Latin America and the Caribbean
  2. Part 2 - Latin American and Caribbean countries' experiences
  3. Part 3 - International financing cases
  4. Part 4 - Institutional challenges
  5. Closing words
  6. Organization

Part 1 – Rural Roads in Latin America and the Caribbean

  • Pathways to stay
    • CAF - Video about the social benefits of rural roads
  • Introduction: Rural Roads in Latin America: Opportunities and Challenges
    • Antonio SILVEIRA - Physical Infrastructure and Digital Transformation Lead Manager, CAF
    Presentation Presentation (pdf - 935KB)
  • CAF Rural Roads Guide - Presentation
    • Hernán O. FERNANDEZ (Colombia) - CAF consultant
    Presentation Presentation (pdf - 3.1MB)

Part 2 - Latin American and Caribbean countries' experiences

LATAM Authorities Discussion Panel 1

Presentation of country experiences:
• Impact and program prioritization
• Features and scope
• Lessons learnt

  • Part 2 - Country experiences in Latin America
    • Sandra CONDE - Transport and Energy Director, CAF - Moderator
    Presentation Presentation (pdf - 311KB)
  • Neighborhood Roads and Bridges Program
    • Claudia CENTURIÓN (Paraguay) - Minister of Public Works and Communications
  • Production Road Rehabilitation
    • Rafael José SABONGE VILAR (Panama) - Minister of Public Works
  • Colombia’s Path to "Total Peace"
    • Carolina BARBANTI (Colombia) - President of ANI
  • Basic Roads Program
    • Horacio PFEIFFER (Chile) - National Director of Highways
  • Alagoas from end to end
    • Mosart DA SILVA AMARAL (Brazil) - State Secretary of Transportation of Alagoas

Break

Part 3 - International financing cases

Multilateral organizations Discussion Panel

• Moderator: Mónica LÓPEZ, Transport Coordinator, CAF

Subjects:
• Socio-economic return from investments
• Private sector funding role
• Multilateral funding criteria

  • Financing Strategies for Rural Road Development
    • Manuel BENARD - Senior Investment Operations Specialist, AIIB, Beijing
    Presentation Presentation (pdf - 685KB)
  • Roads4people: ORIS&UNIDO
    • Susanna ZAMMATARO (Switzerland) - Director, IRF
    Presentation Presentation (pdf - 1.6MB)
  • Rural roads programs and fiscal decentralization
    • Nicolas PELTIER (Infrastructure Transport Sector Director, World Bank)
    Presentation Presentation (pdf - 1.7MB)
  • The power of strategic alliances in rural infrastructure projects
    • Isabel FERNÁNDEZ (Spain) - Kenya and Zambia Project Manager, KUBAKA
    Presentation Presentation (pdf - 971KB)

Part 4 - Institutional challenges

LATAM Authorities Discussion Panel 2

Subjects:
• What are the challenges they face when developing these programs?
• What are the most common administrative and financial barriers?
• What about the processes of procurement, monitoring, and implementation of transparency policies?

Speakers:
• Claudia CENTURIÓN, Minister of Public Works and Communications, Paraguay
• Rafael José SABONGE VILAR, Minister of Public Works, Panamá
• Carolina BARBANTI, President of ANI, Colombia
• Horacio PFEIFFER, National Director of Highways, Chile
• Mosart DA SILVA AMARAL, State Secretary of Transportation of Alagoas, Brazil

Closing words

• Antonio SILVEIRA, Physical Infrastructure and Digital Transformation Manager, CAF

Organization

Session Organiser: CAF - Development Bank of Latin America and the Caribbean
Session Secretary: Hector VARELA, Transport Infrastructure Specialist, CAF