ALAJUELA - 27-29 March 2008 - In partnership with the INCAE Business School and the Inter Press Service (IPS) Latin America, the GSI held its second regional media forum in Costa Rica. Some 15 journalists from across Latin America were briefed on the role that subsidies have played as the primary instrument in promoting the biofuels sector. Spanning three full days, the Forum featured sessions by leading experts in Latin America, presentations by representatives from industry, civil society and government, and advice from top journalists in the region.

The event was the second in a series of regional forums organized by the the GSI and the IPS, aiming to equip journalists with an understanding of how subsidies function, the impacts they have at local, national and international levels and how they might be optimized.

Presentations:

El Auge de Los Biocombustibles y La Sostenibilidad: El Caso de Los Subsidios y El Papel del Comercio
Alberto Trejos, Professor at INCAE School. This presentation examines the biofuels industry from an international perspective and considers how the international trade in biofuels is influenced by tariffs and subsidies.

Biocombustibles: Solucion o Problema 
Pavel Molina, Professor at INCAE Business School. This presentation provides an overview of the biofuels industry in Latin America, including where the industry has has positive and negative impacts on economic development.

Más Allá del Sector Energético: Subsidios y una Economía Sustentable
Maria Onestini, Director of the Centro de Estudios Ambientales (CEDEA). This presentation looks at subsidies from a sustainable development perspective and draws some examples of where subsidies have run counter to sustainable development objectives.
 
Periodismo de Investigación y Desarrollo Sustentable
Diana Cariboni, IPS Regional Editor for Latin America. This presentation provides advice and insight into investigative journalism on sustainable development issues.