Within the framework of the joint agenda between ECLAC, CENTROESTAD, and SG-SICA, a technical assistance workshop was held from May 27 to 29 to support the design of a regional geoportal that integrates statistical and geospatial data. The initiative seeks to strengthen the planning, monitoring, and evaluation of public policies in SICA member countries by promoting the use of open-source technological tools and successful regional experiences.

Within the framework of the joint agenda of the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC), the Central American Statistical Commission of the Central American Integration System (CENTROESTAD), and the General Secretariat of the Central American Integration System (SG-SICA), a technical assistance workshop was held between May 27 and 29, 2025 to support the SG-SICA Planning Division in the development of a regional geoportal for the dissemination of geospatial and statistical data.

The activity was carried out within the context of the project "Strengthening SICA's statistical information systems to reinforce the planning, monitoring, and evaluation processes of regional and national public policy instruments in Member Countries".  Its main objective was to present the technological architecture and functionalities of the tools developed by ECLAC, such as CEPALSTAT and its geospatial component, as well as the geoportals implemented in various national statistical offices in the region, with technical support from ECLAC and financial support from the European Union.

Based on these experiences, the geoportal designed by SG-SICA seeks to integrate sociodemographic information from the Population and Housing Censuses of member countries, along with other sectoral layers of geographic data provided by various SICA institutions, such as the Regional Committee on Hydraulic Resources (CRRH), the Central American Commission for Environment and Development (CCAD), and the Coordination Center for Disaster Prevention in Central America and the Dominican Republic (CEPREDENAC).

During the workshop, representatives from SG-SICA emphasized that the project seeks to leverage the progress made by Food and Nutrition Security (FNS) programs and progressively migrate toward open-source software-based solutions to ensure the geoportal's financial sustainability. They also underscored the importance of this initiative in strengthening the technical capacities of national statistical offices and other regional entities through the coordination of efforts and resources.

At the conclusion of the workshop, the Director of ECLAC Statistics Division reaffirmed the commitment of the institution and its technical team to continue supporting SG-SICA in the next stages of the implementation process of these geospatial solutions.