00:00I would like to express my heartfelt gratitude to the First Lady, Melania Trump,
00:06for bringing us together in such an important initiative.
00:09I would also like to extend a warm greeting to all the first spouses present here today
00:16and Deputy Secretary of State, Chris Lando.
00:22Es un honor representar a Bolivia hoy día.
00:26It is an honor to represent Bolivia here today.
00:30A country that is diverse, resilient, and full of history,
00:36but above all, full of people who move forward every day with strength and dignity.
00:42Bolivia is not just a place on the map.
00:45It is a living reality shaped by families who struggle, by children who dream big,
00:51and by women who carry their homes, their communities, and their future on their shoulders.
00:57And it is from that real Bolivia, not from theory, that I want to speak to you today.
01:04Today the world talks about artificial intelligence, innovation, and the future.
01:10But Bolivia, for many, the conversation starts much earlier.
01:15It starts with something more basic, more urgent, more human.
01:20It starts with a simple question, how do we access?
01:26Because for thousands of children, young people, and women,
01:30the challenge is not how to use the technologies of the future.
01:34It is whether they will ever be able to touch them at all.
01:38In our country, having a device or access to the Internet is still, for many families, a luxury.
01:46There are homes where the digital world is not a part of daily life,
01:51not because they do not want it, but because they simply cannot afford it.
01:56And that is where this stops being a technological issue and becomes something much deeper.
02:02It becomes a question of dignity, of fairness, of opportunity.
02:08Because when a child grows up with access, they do not just lose tools.
02:13They lose confidence.
02:16They lose possibilities.
02:18They risk losing their future.
02:21That is why in Bolivia we hold a clear conviction.
02:27Technology cannot become a new form of exclusion.
02:30It must become a bridge, a bridge forward, a bridge toward equality.
02:37And that bridge begins with the most urgent step, access.
02:43Today we are supporting initiatives such as One Laptop Per Child, together with partners
02:50like CEAL, Consejo Empresarial de América Latina, Educa Bolivia, and Aulas Conectadas,
02:57to place digital tools in the hands of children who might otherwise be left behind.
03:05But we also understand something essential.
03:08A device alone does not change a life.
03:11What changes a life is what comes after, learning, guidance, the confidence to believe I can.
03:19That is why we support programs like Crack the Code, where children, young people, and women
03:26are learning not only how to use technology, but how to understand it, create it, and grow
03:33through it.
03:34They learn coding, computational thinking, artificial intelligence, English, but more importantly,
03:42they learn something deeper, that they are capable.
03:46And when a person understands that, everything begins to change.
03:50Doors begin to open, opportunities expand, independence becomes possible.
03:57At the same time, we know that progress must be guided by responsibility.
04:02We cannot talk about technology without talking about safety, without digital education, without
04:10responsible use of artificial intelligence.
04:15Technology must empower, but it must also protect.
04:18And this is not a challenge any country can face alone.
04:23Governments, educators, families, civil society, and the private sector must move forward together.
04:31Because if we do not, innovation risks remain in the hands of a few, and that cannot be the
04:39future we build.
04:40Our message is simple.
04:42In countries where so many still lack the most basic tools, closing the digital gap is
04:49not secondary, it is essential.
04:54Because every child deserves the chance to learn, every young person deserves the chance to grow,
04:59and every woman deserves the opportunity to move forward with dignity, tools, and hope.
05:06And when we make that possible, we are not just expanding access, we are building the future.
05:12For our families, for our communities, and for our country.
05:17Thank you very much.
05:18Thank you very much.
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