Committed to sustainability, Uruguay set up the National Impact Board

To strengthen Uruguay’s international positioning in sustainability, the National Impact Board was launched during a meeting at the Sustainable Uruguay Expo. This event was promoted by Uruguay XXI, the investment, export, and country brand promotion agency, the National Agency for Research and Innovation (ANII), the School of Economics and Administration of the Universidad de la República, and the Uruguayan Exporters Union, entities that make up the Strategic Council of the Economic Innovation Node in Uruguay.

The main objective of this National Impact Roundtable is to disseminate sustainability policies and explore forms of collaboration between the public and private sectors to promote sustainable development that combines economic growth, social development, and environmental sustainability.

During the meeting, the deputy executive director of Uruguay XXI, Eduardo Rodríguez, underscored the relevance of sustainability in international trade and how the agency addresses these new global outlooks for promoting the country in foreign markets.

“Uruguay XXI is the agency for the promotion of investments, exports, and the country’s image, and as such, we actively participate in various activities in these sectors. We are seeing more and more that sustainability and impact are permeating international trade in different ways. That is why we at Uruguay XXI consider it an excellent experience to be part of this roundtable and to accompany this evolution,” he said.

He also explained how the agency integrates sustainability into its activities. “In each of our areas of work, we incorporate impact issues. For example, when we promote Uruguay to attract investment, we highlight the country’s good positioning in ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) factors and favorable conditions in renewable energies. One of the values promoted by our country’s brand management is sustainability, and since 2023, it has offered certification to companies in this regard. In promoting exports, we are also positioning sustainability for selecting projects to be supported. This is a trend that we want to follow”, said Rodriguez.

The discussion also included the coordinator of the Nodos Economic Innovation Platform, María De Barbieri Etcheberry, the president of ANII, Flavio Caiafa, the board member of Sistema B Uruguay, Sebastián Andrés Figuerón, the manager of Innovation and Communication of INIA, Margarita Varela, the executive secretary of the Uruguayan Exporters Union, and Jorge Xavier, the dean of Economic Sciences of Universidad de la República.

The launch of the National Impact Roundtable marks a significant milestone for Uruguay on its path toward sustainable development, reinforcing its commitment to triple-impact practices: economic, social, and environmental.