Latin America
Red TECLA
The Latin American Network for the Assessment of Technologies
The Latin American Network for the Assessment of Technologies, called Red TECLA, is a network of organizations and individuals who challenge the technological tools and processes that are being imposed upon peoples, without consideration of their impacts on life, nature and the livelihoods of peoples, communities and collectives.
TECLA was established in 2016 and has members (individuals and organizations) from Argentina, Uruguay, Chile, Ecuador, Brazil, México, and international networks, movements and civil society organizations, including La Via Campesina Latin America, World March of Women, Friends of the Earth Latin America and the Caribbean (ATALC), Network for a Transgenic-free, GRAIN and ETC Group.
It has an International Coordinating Committee and an Advisory Group of critical scientists and scholars. TECLA’s main activities to date have been:
- Discussion about what science and technology is and the context in which they operate, in order to understand their underlying logic, promote the integration of diverse knowledge systems and foster debate beyond the dominant scientific domains.
- Review of the technological horizon, in order to know what is coming, what potential social, economic, environmental impacts new technologies might have, both separately, and in convergence.
- Establishing case studies about specific problems that aid understanding of complex situations and provide information to those affected by the technologies.
- Interaction with policy makers at all levels, to present critiques and technological proposals from grassroots organisations, countries and regions.
- Production of popular materials: booklets with case studies, as well as analysis and reflections about technologies drawn from TECLA meetings, assemblies and exchanges with other networks. The information produced by TECLA comes from its members and is written in an accessible style to reach the wide range of its members, from peasant communities to committed scientists.
UPDATES FROM THE REGION
TECLA: A brief history of how Latin Americans have assessed new technologies
Recent have seen a growing influence of corporations and private interests in new technologies. New technologies are being introduced into society without real assessment of what they are, how they work, who is funding them and what their impacts may be.