Participation and Governance archivos • Pluriversa

2030 visions for the trade relationship between Canada and Latin America

Pluriversa — Tue, 01 Apr 2025 12:30:37 +0000

Our actions

2030 visions for the trade relations between Canada and Latin America

During EDC’s regional conference in Bogotá, we facilitated a foresight process that mapped forces of change, tensions, and 2030 visions across five priority sectors for Canada–LATAM trade relations—culminating in a 10-action roadmap for the next 36 months.

Partner
Export Development Canada (EDC)

Year
2025

Services

Foresight and Future Visions; Collective Intelligence Facilitation

As part of EDC’s Vision 2030, we led a strategic foresight exercise to explore trends, imagine plausible futures, and distill the findings into 10 actions that strengthen Canada’s business strategy in Latin America. The work took place during EDC’s Regional Conference in Bogotá.

CHALLENGE

Help EDC’s Latin America team shift from short-term operations to a long-range, strategy-driven view: anticipate trends, spot opportunities, and strengthen internal capacities to decide with a 2030 horizon—consolidating its bridge role between Canada and the region.

APPROACH

We work in five priority sectors for trade relations between Canada and the region. We hold virtual and in-person sessions to gather signals of change, build visions for the future, challenge assumptions, and prioritize actions. We conclude with sector-specific one-pagers as a bridge to implementation over the next 36 months.

IMPACT

10 priority actions to guide EDC’s strategy in Latin America and implement over the next 36 months.
2030 visions for each of the priority sectors: Agri-Food, Clean Tech, Digital Industries, Advanced Manufacturing, and Resources of the Future.
Strengthened internal capabilities to cultivate long-term thinking and anticipate future change.

Regulatory–financial tensions, trade diversification, and social licence are not solved by a single move—they require coordinated portfolios of actions by sector and territory.

Key findings

ESG and Canadian regulation (e.g., anti-greenwashing rules) raise the bar and drive demand for ethical and regenerative finance.

Tariffs, retaliation, and protectionism are reshaping routes, timelines, and SME exporter support.

Trade diversification toward the Indo-Pacific, Europe, and LATAM—emphasizing services as well as goods

Nearshoring and supply-chain rewiring position LATAM as an alternative manufacturing/logistics hub to Asia.

Chinese capital and geopolitical realignment open opportunities and strategic dilemmas.

We used the Futures Triangle to map future attractors, present drivers, and past weights—and to translate that understanding into actions and an executive synthesis.

How we did it

Signals & reframing

Intro to foresight and signal collection by EDC teams to feed the in-person work.

Futures Triangle mapping

By sector, we mapped Push of the Present, Weight of the Past, and Pull of the Future to distill tensions and opportunities.

Actions & one-pager

We converged on prioritized actions and synthesized them into a sector one-pager as a bridge for decisions over the next 36 months.

Socialization & prioritization

We presented, discussed, and voted using criteria to prioritize actions: Value for EDC · Challenge to the comfort zone · Emotional catalyst.

Five 2030 scenarios

Agri-Food

Shift from raw bulk commodities to value-added, tech-enabled foods that feed the world sustainably

Clean Tech

Evolve from sporadic investing to an integrated CAN–LATAM trade & investment ecosystem

Digital Industries

Undervalued intangibles become fully regulated, financed, and drive a seamless digital economy

Advanced Manufacturing

Transactional exports become CAN–LATAM co-production partnership-driven manufacturing ecosystem

Resources of the Future

Canadian-Chile best-practice smart-mining model replicated across LATAM via AI & ESG tech

“When a strategic team recognizes the rights of nature, the future of business is no longer only about growth—it begins to be about coexistence. This shift opens space for a post-development stance, even in business environments.”

— Equipo Pluriversa

When signals stop being noise and become criteria, strategy stops being slides: it becomes 10 measurable actions in 36 months, CAN–LATAM alliances, and a compass that includes people, territories, and the rights of nature.

Strengthen your long-term thinking

Transform scattered signals into strategic decisions. We support training processes and workshops to move from vision to measurable actions—with low risk and high learning.

Pluriversa team

This project was co-created by members of our Pluriversa Community:

Miguel Bello

Director

Jesús Ortíz

Foresight Specialist

We would also like to extend our gratitude to our partners and teammates:

Jorge Rave – EDC
Tamara Fathi – EDC
Daniel Bermudez – EDC
Juliana Pérez – EDC

We work with people and organisations motivated by the positive impact on the Global South.

hello@pluriversa.org

La entrada 2030 visions for the trade relationship between Canada and Latin America se publicó primero en Pluriversa.

Establish an international group of experts and community leaders

Pluriversa — Fri, 14 Mar 2025 12:00:00 +0000

Our actions

Establish an international group of experts and community leaders.

We convene a diverse cohort of experts and community leaders to validate underhyped technologies in Sensors & IoT, Sustainable Energy, and Biotechnology—and turn insight into responsible adoption across the Global South.

Partners
Frontier Tech Hub, UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office

Year
2025

Services
Participation Spaces; Collective Intelligence Facilitation; Community design

The Global Brain Trust (GBT) was designed to assess the knowledge of those who live with technologies in their territories. We bring together technical and community voices to analyze the territorial relevance, scalability, and adaptability of underhyped technologies with high eco-social potential in Sensors & IoT, Sustainable Energy, and Biotechnology, guiding their responsible adoption in the Global South.

CHALLENGE

The technological debate ignores solutions with high territorial value when they do not fit into market logic. We needed to connect technical expertise with community perspectives to understand real uses, bottlenecks, and conditions for adoption in the Global South, avoiding extractive narratives and reinforcing community sovereignty.

APPROACH

Create an international group of representatives from communities in Asia and sub-Saharan Africa, as well as researchers, scientists, industry leaders, and professionals in the fields of sensors & IoT, sustainable energy, and biotechnology.

IMPACT

Refined list of underhyped technologies and use cases with territorial relevance.
Shared language and criteria for responsible adoption (territorial relevance, scalability, and adaptability).
International network (communities + experts) to continue testing and scaling with an ethical approach.

What is the Global Brain Trust?

It is a space that brings together those who live and work with cutting-edge technologies or their adoption in communities; to question assumptions, understand risks/possibilities, and co-create paths for responsible adoption in real contexts.

Community leaders from Asia and sub-Saharan Africa: they provide essential perspectives from the grassroots level, highlighting real-world challenges, local innovations, and relational worldviews.
Professionals from three technological domains: sensors & IoT, sustainable energy, and biotechnology, who provide contextual knowledge about use cases, barriers to adoption, and scalability.
Thematic experts: provide insights into the theoretical and technical aspects of designing and implementing these technologies.

The composition of the GBT balances territory and technique: grassroots leaders and scientific/industrial profiles from countries such as Singapore, Uganda, Botswana, Kenya, Pakistan, Nepal, the United Kingdom, the United States, Italy, India, the United Arab Emirates, Colombia, Ecuador, Costa Rica, South Africa, and Thailand.

“We have brilliant indigenous knowledge systems and, at the same time, we have adapted several technological ways to conserve the environment.”

— Jessica Kopo Enga (Botswana, member of the Global Brain Trust)

A total of 223 potential candidates were identified. From this group, 23 participants were selected to join the Global Brain Trust.

Key Findings

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Political

Decentralized, people-centered governance allows communities to influence technology adoption, ensuring a balance of power and data transparency.

Environmental

Ensuring equitable access to safe drinking water remains the most pressing challenge for communities, with energy and air quality key interrelated priorities for sustainable well-being.

Social

Technologies that integrate local knowledge and respect cultural heritage encourage greater community participation and sustainable outcomes, ensuring that technological solutions truly improve local practices.

Technological

Rather than relying solely on the most advanced or underhyped technology, combining tools can effectively address real-world problems and overcome inherent limitations.

Economy

Alternative business models and self-sufficient local economies can empower communities to diversify and sustain economic growth beyond traditional sectors, driving local innovation and reducing dependence on mass production.

Legal

Clear and inclusive regulations are essential to protect communities, guarantee land use rights, data sovereignty, and the rights of nature, while preventing technology-driven exploitation.

The Global Brain Trust provided a dynamic framework for exploring diverse perspectives, enabling us to structure our primary research methods to capture both technical knowledge and community-driven experiences.

How we did it

Literature review

The Frontier Tech Hub mapped 142 technologies and filtered 31 according to level of attention and high potential.

Additional perspectives

Pluriversa applied UK technology strategy and post-development criteria to identify 20 technologies in Sensors & IoT, Energy, and Biotechnology.

Global Brain Trust Validation

Participatory sessions with the GBT validated and expanded the list; omitted innovations were added.

Sensemaking

We prioritize nine technologies based on relevance, adaptability, and synergies, with water and life as the main focuses.

“It’s not just about inviting people to join. It’s about recognising, investing in, supporting, and respecting what people are already doing”

— Andrew Stirling (United Kingdom, member of the Global Brain Trust)

Barriers to adopting frontier technologies in the territory include: costs; shortage of qualified personnel; dependence on international suppliers; incompatible data sets; insufficient understanding of local contexts; incipient regulatory frameworks; limited and costly access to water and energy; poverty and lack of opportunities; gender gaps; mismatch between real needs and technological solutions; digital colonialism that reduces local agency; and lack of sustained financing.

Activate your own Brain Trust

We turn collective intelligence into actionable strategy: we design communities, align stakeholders, prioritize high-impact initiatives, reduce risks with clear governance, and outline an emerging roadmap to scale what works in your territory.

Pluriversa team

This project was co-created by members of our Pluriversa Community:

Miguel Bello

Director

Ricardo Lapeira

Foresight & Ethics Lead

Daniela Montenegro

Design Researcher

Mauricio Franco

Researcher & Visual Designer

Juan Sebastián Sánchez

Strategic Designer

We would also like to extend our gratitude to our partners and teammates:

Dr. Becky Faith – FCDO
Asad Rahman – Brink
Bryony Nicholson -Brink
Lil Patuck – Brink

We work with people and organisations motivated by the positive impact on the Global South.

hello@pluriversa.org

La entrada Establish an international group of experts and community leaders se publicó primero en Pluriversa.

The future of pluriversal peace

Pluriversa — Thu, 17 Oct 2024 19:20:45 +0000

Our actions

The future of pluriversal peace

An analytical and creative process with young people to transform experiences and territories into stories of the future. We write, imagine, and prototype possible coexistences for a pluriversal peace.

Partners
Semillero de Paz “Entre Voces y Relatos”; Next Generation Foresight Practitioners (NGFP)

Year
2024

Services
Foresight and Future Visions; Collective Intelligence Facilitation; Capacity Building and Knowledge Transfer

We work with young researchers (aged 12-21) to imagine preferable futures of pluriversal peace and translate them into present actions. A participatory process that integrates foresight and narrative to move from imagination to transformation.

CHALLENGE

The Semillero de Paz Entre Voces y Relatos is located in Comuna 5 in Medellín, Colombia, and focuses on giving a voice to children and young people affected by the armed conflict in our country. Their experiences and stories are often left out of peace talks, something they are trying to change.

Based on the work of the Semillero, the challenge was to extend this perspective into the future, while training them in foresight under the learn-by-doing model.

APPROACH

To define the pedagogical process and tools for each stage of the process, we held a co-creation workshop with the young researchers from Semillero. Listening to their voices and ideas was key to enriching the prospective methodology with their experiences and desires.

Through these exercises, we empowered these young people to imagine and shape narratives of preferable futures characterized by sustainable pluriversal peace and eco-social transitions.

IMPACT

Visions for 2045 narrated by young researchers: everyday pluriversal peace, care, belonging, and community agency.
Prioritized actions: such as care agreements, talking circles, and mapping neighborhood interventions.
Replicable foresight methodology: Inspired by the Semillero methodology (Feel, Think, Envision, Transform).
Strengthening the Semillero as a space for learning, listening, and intergenerational cooperation.

What does the Semillero do?

Entre voces y relatos (Between Voices and Stories) is a school research seedbed (Semillero) that carries out research exercises, designs audiovisual educational resources, and stages performances within the framework of the armed conflict that defines Colombia’s recent history. To this end, it addresses three lines of inquiry: Memory, Territory, and Peace. Its main aim is to train peace builders who can contribute to the symbolic reparation of students who have experienced early victimization.

The seedbed contributes to youth training in history and memory research, while promoting critical awareness of the country’s recent past.

It is a beautiful project that inspires us and gives us hope. Learn more on their YouTube channel and Instagram.

This project builds a bridge between the past and the future, allowing the experiences and lessons of history to foster the creation of alternative scenarios for a brighter tomorrow.

Key Findings

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Feel

Exploration through play and emotions made it clear where to focus our energy: strengthening bonds and cultural recognition, caring for mental health and emotions, promoting youth participation with a focus on peace, and channeling technology to serve the common good and the territory.

Think

The possible consequences of key signals of change, such as artificial intelligence, mental health, emerging identities, and political polarization, include disruptive ideas such as the disappearance of gender or rights of machines; but also hopeful scenarios, such as new forms of critical citizenship and fairer social models.

Envision

This stage provided a vision for 2045 dominated by five characteristics: supportive communities with a vibrant identity, ethical technologies with a public purpose, experiential and emotional education, care for nature and all forms of life, and peaceful governance with memory and everyday justice.

Transform

This stage resulted in a portfolio of immediate actions that translate the visions for 2045 and are grouped into five areas: (1) Nature: green regulations and habits; (2) Community: festivals and knowledge sharing events, support networks, intergenerational encounters, and security based on mutual care; (3) Purposeful technology: digital literacy and AI, civic-environmental applications, educational profiles and content; (4) Peace and coexistence: dialogue circles, mediation, non-violence and memory campaigns; (5) Education and empowerment: personalized curricula, social-emotional learning, student carousels, and youth leadership.

The foresight exercise allowed the young researchers to imagine disruptive ideas, showing that foresighting what is to come is a powerful way to transform the present.

How we did it

Methodological co-creation

Inspired by the Semillero’s method and the creativity of its members, we created a methodological roadmap for foresight.

Learning by doing

Biweekly meetings through the stages: Feel, Think, Envision, and Transform.

Preferable scenarios for 2045

Through three coordinated stages: defining the setting, constructing a character, and writing the story.

Actions today

We translated speculative scenarios into concrete, everyday actions that are possible starting now—on a personal, school, family, and community level.

“The actions identified allow us to articulate a comprehensive vision that combines hope and critical lucidity. The young people of Semillero don’t just want better worlds: they are thinking, narrating, and organizing them with clarity, ethics, and creativity.”

— Pluriversa team

This project is an invitation to walk differently. It does not seek to offer recipes or closed solutions. It is, like the Semillero itself, a gesture of openness. A sowing of questions that remind us that other futures are not only possible, but are already taking shape—among voices, among stories, among resistance and tenderness.

Because in the cracks of the dying world, the worlds to come are flourishing.

Imagine and take action for peace today

Discussions and workshops to co-create with young people, teachers, and allies. Customized design, facilitation, and support to imagine futures, narrate them, and turn them into concrete steps: safe, measurable, and low-cost.

Acknowledgements

We would like to extend our special thanks to the young participants of the Semillero Entre Voces y Relatos. Their work and commitment to peace are an example to be followed by current and future generations. We admire them greatly.

Miguel Angel Betancur Serna
Adaluz Cabrera Meses
Andrés Felipe Carmona Barrera
Isabela Chavarria Pérez
Samuel Cifuentes Herrera
Sonia Valentina Contreras García
Mariana García Duque
Deivid Stiven Lemus Muñetón
Farley Alexander Lemus Muñetón

María Paulina Marín
Matias Pineda Ospina
Samuel Pérez Bedoya
Adriana Ramos Fernández
Sofía Rodríguez
Juan Rúa
Juan Esteban Tabares
Jerónimo Urrego

For their inspiration, perseverance, and support, we thank professors Maribel Aguirre and Jaime Parra.

We work with people and organisations motivated by the positive impact on the Global South.

hello@pluriversa.org

La entrada The future of pluriversal peace se publicó primero en Pluriversa.

Making sense of Web3 for sustainability and human rights in El Salvador

Pluriversa — Mon, 01 Aug 2022 00:00:31 +0000

Our actions

Making sense of Web3 for sustainability and human rights

In brief:
During our research in El Salvador, we had the opportunity to immerse ourselves in the context and its people: their views, ways of being, and aspirations for the future.

On the one hand, this research explores the current fights of Salvadorian activists and civil sector organizations and co-imagines preferable and relevant futures for Web3 through futures design exercises. On the other hand, it gathers our observations of Bitcoin detractors and enthusiasts that have allowed us to understand some drivers and barriers to be considered during these hyperbitcoinisation processes.

Request report

Partners:

UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office – FCDO

Frontier Technologies

Sector:
Web3, Bitcoin, Blockchain

Location:
El Salvador

Year:
2022

El Salvador is the smallest Central American country. It has a population of around 6.5 million people. Many Salvadorans (about 3 million) live outside the country due to emigration processes over the past decades. The country does not have any particular economic activity to highlight, and most of its population lives in poverty. This partly explains why many people have preferred to look for opportunities outside.

As of June 2021, Bitcoin was introduced as a legal currency in El Salvador. Among the reasons cited for this adoption, one can find the increased costs of transactions in USD. The country also seeks to benefit the poor with the introduction of Bitcoin.

El Salvador has been one of the first countries to introduce Bitcoin legally, implementing an ambitious plan to promote its use among citizens. It is still too soon to tell if it has been a success or not, but there are mixed opinions about it.

Futures co-design - The Three Horizon Method

The three horizons method is a foresight tool created by Bill Sharpe for having strategic and innovative conversations for desired futures through systemic understanding. The matrix describes three ways of looking at reality and how they evolve and interact with each other:

Horizon 1 (H1) – The dominant pattern of how things are done and seen today.

Horizon 2 (H2) – The emerging innovation that has the potential to change things shortly.

Horizon 3 (H3) – The visionary ideas that have not yet become patterns but may become the new dominant in the future.

We were able to rethink with several grassroots social organizations in three different geographies of the country to find other futures where technology, especially the Web3, becomes an ally in the fights to enhance desirable scenarios and mitigate risks.

Companies come with the promise of development and employment generation, hire few people under unfair working conditions, and generate environmental damage that affects many inhabitants, for example, by contaminating water resources.

Daniel Rivas

Celina Ramos community, ADESCO

Bitcoin adoption - Drivers & Barriers

We found different views and perspectives towards Bitcoin in El Salvador. From the guerrilla conversations, the workshops, and the interviews that involved three different macro-contexts, we realized the barriers and drivers towards an organic and social adoption of projects of this type.

In El Salvador, there have been two parallel processes regarding the adoption of bitcoin:

Case El Zonte – Bottom-Up Solution: a beach community that adopted Bitcoin thanks to the involvement and contribution of external donors and their knit relationship with the community.

Case Suchitoto – Top Down Solution: for legalizing Bitcoin as a national currency and a large-scale implementation – for this case, we visited Suchitoto, a small town in the mountains.

The contrast of these two strategies gives us a unique perspective for understanding the critical factors of adoption for Bitcoin and other Web3 projects. We could see significant differences in how people think and relate to the currency depending on how it has been introduced, with significant adoption and a more positive perception of Bitcoin in El Zonte than in other regions.

Bottom line

El Salvador is undoubtedly a fascinating country. Despite its challenges, its beautiful geography and the warmth of its people will keep the country on everyone’s lips for a long time to come.

We confirm that Web3 has a space of opportunity to rethink the concept of “development”, empowering communities, and achieving socially just and environmentally responsible futures in the Global South.

Did you like it?

These Provocations are the projects we dream about. They are part of our most ambitious and challenging pathways for long-lasting transitions in the Global South. Do not hesitate to contact us if you want to participate or invest in any of them.

More actions

We work with people and organisations motivated by the positive impact on the Global South. Contact us.

hello@pluriversa.org

La entrada Making sense of Web3 for sustainability and human rights in El Salvador se publicó primero en Pluriversa.