INTEC research professor participates in the Futures Congress of the Ibero-American Prospective Network
Under the motto “The future is not expected, it is designed”, Mildred Sena, Specialist in Planning with Uncertainty Scenarios, traveled to El Salvador to connect with other professionals exploring future conditions in the face of the challenges of 2050
EL SALVADOR. - Mildred Sena, research teacher of the Instituto Tecnológico de Santo Domingo (INTEC), represented the university in the Congress of Futures of the Ibero-American Prospective Network (RIBER), as part of its tenth anniversary celebration, brought together foresight experts, academics, entrepreneurs, public officials, and innovators with the goal of addressing global challenges by 2050.
With the motto “The future is not expected, it is designed”, the event took place on the campus of the Central American University José Simeón Cañas (UCA) in the city of El Salvador, where the future of humanity was discussed and two works were presented that condense decades of reflection, analysis, and proposals to address global and regional challenges.
Speaking about the Congress, the Sena professor explained that foresight is based on anticipating critical issues based on empirical evidence and trend analysis.
"This conference promotes foresight as a tool that fosters the elimination of partial and linear visions, promoting a systemic and interconnected understanding that integrates inequality, climate change, education, and innovation as converging dimensions of the sustainable future we seek to build," said the RIBER member.
During the event, supported by the Consortium of Higher Education Institutions for Economic and Social Growth (CIESCE) and the INNBOX organization, two books based on foresight were launched: "States of the Future 20.0" and "Latin America 2050: Challenges, Scenarios, and Actions." These books pose questions along with possible paths to building more inclusive, fair, and sustainable societies.
The book presentations were led by Guillermo Gándara, executive director of RIBER; Concepción Olavarrieta, president of the Mexican Node of The Millennium Project; and Verónica Agreda, national rector of Franz Tamayo University, UNIFRANZ, and president of the Bolivia Node of The Millennium Project.
About the RIBER 2025 Futures Congress
The first day of the event focused on El Salvador's outlook toward 2050, with four potentially strategic sectors considered: ICTs, manufacturing, agribusiness, and renewable energy. Keynote presentations by Salvadoran and international experts were followed by diagnostic panels that discussed global trends in each sector and the country's current situation.
On the second day of the event, keynote addresses and panels addressed the region's challenges, including topics such as the geopolitics of higher education, anticipatory governance, artificial intelligence, environmental scenarios, territorial foresight, public policies, climate change, and the challenges of foresight in an era of polycrisis.
"The value of foresight lies in its ability to anticipate critical areas where challenges are concentrated, areas where progress is being made, and the opportunities that emerge when cooperation acts as a catalyst for transformation," Sena added.
A specialist in planning with uncertain scenarios, Sena is also the Caribbean Area coordinator for the Fundación Ética Visionaria (FEV), which works with Laboratorios de Futuro to democratize foresight and thus contribute to more inclusive, fair, and sustainable communities.
