
IG: @quetza.rg
Table of Contents
Gold mining in Southern Venezuela: Witnessing an Ecocide
By Mie Hoejris Dahl

In 2016, Venezuela’s leader Nicolás Maduro designated an area larger than the size of Portugal as a “strategic development zone” to facilitate the mining of gold and other minerals. The area, called “The Orinoco Mining Arc,” includes some of the most pristine areas of the Amazon and borders Canaima National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage site…
The Financial Inclusion Gap in Latin America: Can Central Bank Digital Currencies (CBDCs) be part of the Solution?
By Nico Maffey

While CBDCs hold tremendous potential in closing the financial inclusion gap in LAC, they will also encounter many roadblocks generated by cultural, social, and economic determinants. Central banks and other authorities will be tasked with no less than integrating the vulnerable and marginalized into the financial system…
Connecting schools to reduce student’s dropout: A Peruvian case
By Jesús Gutiérrez

Over the last 50 years, schooling expanded dramatically in most low- and middle-income countries, however, some disparities still remain, and have even been exacerbated by the Covid-19 pandemic. In Peru, even though in 2019, 97% of children between 6 and 11 years old had access to primary education, 13% of youngsters between 12 and 16 years old did not have access to secondary education…
The infrastructure gap in Latin America and the Caribbean to reach the Sustainable Development Goals by 2030
By Juan Pablo Brichetti & Tomás Serebriski

If LAC wants to close its infrastructure gap and achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030, the region will need to significantly increase investment in infrastructure. The pre-pandemic annual investment level of 1.4% of GDP compares poorly with the 3.1% needed to close the gap. Finding innovative policies to finance them would ensure that the region can reach a productive, competitive, and inclusive future.
Busting the Cycle: Forming Clean Energy Markets in Oil-Dependent States
By Alfredo Ramírez

Calls for a green industrial revolution and transition away from greenhouse gas (GHG) emitting forms of energy are anything but novel. The newest to make the call is the International Energy Agency (IEA), which calls in a 2021 report for immediately halting oil and gas development and achieving net-zero emissions from electricity generation by 2040…
The Fight for Freedom in Venezuela: Reflections on Leadership and Strategy
By Mie Hoejris Dahl & Johan Cañas

“We need to learn from mistakes that have been made in other countries where there has been a clear confrontation between those who are inside and those who are outside… We need to overcome that and articulate a complementary leadership for all those who want to contribute to making our country free… Many of us need to contribute from exile and be humble to understand that the contribution needs to primarily support those who are in Venezuela…”