Currently, he is the president of FUNDEMOS, a Bolivian public policy think tank. Quiroga leads the congressional opposition in his country, serves on several international boards and organizations and publishes analyses on Latin American economic and political issues.

Quiroga holds a BS in industrial engineering from Texas A&M University (Summa Cum Laude) and an MBA from St. Edward´s University.

The post Jorge Quiroga appeared first on Results for Development.

Ms. Elson is a fellow at Results for Development (R4D). Prior to this, she was an associate director for R4D’s Innovation practice where her work focused on identifying and scaling innovative solutions to address systemic challenges in health, education and nutrition in low- and middle-income countries.

She also served as the Programme Manager for the Frontier Technologies Hub, led by a consortium of partners and funded by the U.K. Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO). This global initiative equips FCDO staff to be better commissioners and users of frontier tech and innovative methods by fostering learning around, and enabling experimentation with, frontier technologies (including UAVs, fintech and artificial intelligence).

Ms. Elson also formed part of the Secretariat for the International Development Innovation Alliance (IDIA), a collaboration platform bringing together bilateral, multilateral and philanthropic agencies working to promote and advance innovation as a means to help achieve sustainable development. This role included managing a Strategic Partnership with the World Health Organisation (WHO), an Emerging Technologies Working Group and the Million Lives Collective, an initiative that celebrates innovations reaching new horizons of impact and improving the lives of those living on less than $5.50 a day.

Before joining R4D, Ms. Elson spent six years working for PwC. As part of their international development team, she supported the set-up of the Global Innovation Fund and was the Operations Lead and Country Manager for Myanmar of the Business Innovation Facility, a market systems development program funded by the UK Department for International Development (DFID). Prior to this, she worked on development initiatives in microfinance, education and healthcare with NGOs in Nicaragua and Bolivia.

Ms. Elson holds a BA (with honors) in combined arts (geography, Spanish & English literature) from Durham University. She is trained in the DCED Standard for Results Measurement. She speaks English and Spanish.

The post Olivia Elson appeared first on Results for Development.

As a senior sustainability advisor at R4D, Mr. Maldonado will lead analytical and consultative activities for the HIV Sustainability and Human Rights Project. In this role, he will work with decision-makers across sectors to strengthen the health financing landscape and HIV response within partner countries.

Mr. Maldonado has coauthored over 20 reports on public investment with a focus on children and adolescent health, developed methodologies of budgetary and econometric analysis, and trained civil society actors and government officials on economic basics for advocacy and policymaking. He also supported the Committee on the Rights of the Child in the formulation of the General Comment #19 regarding public spending in Geneva.

Before joining R4D, Mr. Maldonado was senior economist at the Central American Institute for Fiscal Studies where he coordinated public spending and human rights work. In this position, he examined the effects of fiscal policy on children in Central America, Bolivia and Guyana.

He currently serves as a lecturer in Del Valle University in Guatemala.

Mr. Maldonado holds a master’s degree in development from Del Valle University and a BA in economics  from San Carlos University. He is a native speaker of Spanish and speaks fluent English.

The post Enrique Estuardo Maldonado appeared first on Results for Development.

Project: Leveraging Transparency to Reduce Corruption in the Natural Resource Industries

Learn More

We believe two main variables will shape the future of mining in Latin America in the context of the global energy transition. First, most countries in the region face persistent conflicts over natural resource governance, including opposition to mining projects based on environmental impacts, insufficient consultation with affected communities, and inequitable distribution of socioeconomic benefits. Governments have struggled to meaningfully respond to civil society and community concerns and reduce conflict as they face competing pressures, fractured legislatures, and a cacophony of views on mining. These challenges are not impossible to solve through sustained effort and good policy, but it is unclear whether or how governments will be able to address them and, by extension, how overall levels of conflict around mining will evolve.

The second major variable is uncertainty about future demand for the four critical minerals. While demand will almost inevitably grow, it is uncertain by how much. Governments will need to remain flexible to avoid overinvestment that does not maximize benefits. Demand trajectories are likely to be affected by four key factors: the pace of the energy transition, technological developments, improvements in recycling, and domestic mineral development in the EU and United States.

A best-case scenario would see critical minerals driving a sustainable development boom in Latin America. Conversely, in a worst-case scenario, protracted conflict around mining could undermine political and economic stability. This would also have negative knock-on implications for the global energy transition, increasing the risks of supply disruptions and exacerbating environmental, social, and governance impacts associated with developing the mineral resources needed for clean energy technologies.

This paper first describes three areas of natural resource governance that have been central to political and social conflict over the region’s mining sector: environmental impacts, consultation with affected communities, and distribution of socioeconomic benefits. It then goes on to explore uncertainties about future demand for critical minerals. Finally, it lays out four potential scenarios for the future of mining in Latin America in the next 10 to 20 years, considering both the level of conflict and the level of demand for critical minerals.

The post The Future of Mining in Latin America: Critical Minerals and the Global Energy Transition appeared first on Results for Development.