Panama To Host Global Bioeconomy Summit 2028

(MENAFN- Caribbean News Global)

SAN JOSE, Costa Rica, (IICA). Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) will host the Global Bioeconomy Summit (GBS) for the first time, with the next edition scheduled to take place in Panama in 2028.

The announcement was made at the closing of the 2026 Summit, held this year in Dublin, Ireland. The event is envisioned as a regional platform to connect biodiversity, science, innovation, businesses and territories with governments, research centers, development banks, investors, and global networks.

Panama's initiative to host this important event is being led by the country's government through its National Secretariat of Science, Technology and Innovation (SENACYT), in coordination with the International Advisory Council on Global Bioeconomy (IACGB), with the support of the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA) and the Latin American Bioeconomy Network.

“For centuries, Panama has connected oceans, continents, and peoples. In 2028, we want it to also connect the global bioeconomy community. But this will not simply be a summit held in Panama; we want it to serve as a platform for all of LAC to showcase our biodiversity, science, innovation, businesses, and solutions to the world, and to forge new partnerships in knowledge, investment, and sustainable development,” remarked Eduardo Ortega-Barría, Secretary of SENACYT.

The GBS is one of the leading international forums for dialogue on the future of the bioeconomy. Since its inaugural edition in Berlin in 2015, it has brought together policymakers, scientists, businesses, investors, international organizations, and civil society representatives. In addition to the German capital, the Summit has been hosted by Nairobi, Kenya, and most recently Dublin, Ireland.

The goal is for the Global Bioeconomy Summit 2028 to provide governments, universities, research centers, businesses, communities, networks, and institutions from countries across LAC with an opportunity to showcase their bioeconomy policies, scientific capabilities, innovations, entrepreneurial ventures, territories, and solutions to the world.

“We want GBS 2028 to be a process that is open to the entire region. Panama can provide the meeting place, but the real value will lie in bringing together LAC's capabilities, experiences, and solutions and connecting them with scientific, financial, business, and cooperation partners from around the world,” added Sandra Sharry, Technical Secretary of the National Research System of the National Secretariat for Science, Technology and Innovation (SENACYT) of Panama.

Bringing the Summit to LAC presents an opportunity to connect regional agendas with the global community and demonstrate how biodiversity, knowledge, and innovation can generate new economic opportunities, jobs, and well-being.

The region is home to approximately 50 percent of the planet's biodiversity and 23 perent of the world's forests. It also boasts an agricultural sector of global importance, growing scientific capabilities, innovative businesses, and local and ancestral knowledge that can contribute to the development of solutions based on biological resources.

“We have two years to work together as a region, align our countries' agendas, strengthen networks and capacities, mobilise science, innovation and investment, and forge new partnerships and projects,” said Hugo Chavarría, IICA bioeconomy specialist and executive secretary of the Latin American Bioeconomy Network.

“We can also take advantage of something extremely valuable that the GBS offers: the opportunity to connect LAC directly with investors, academics, scientists, businesses, policymakers, and international organisations from around the world, showcase our capabilities, territories, and opportunities, and play a leading role in shaping the global bioeconomy agenda and dialogue. The true legacy will be reaching 2028 as a more integrated region, with more partnerships, more projects, and a much stronger voice in the global bioeconomy,” he added.

LAC's influence on the global bioeconomy agenda

At the most recent edition of the Summit, the region played a prominent and influential role in shaping the global bioeconomy agenda.

Through IICA and the Latin American Bioeconomy Network, the region participated in three strategic processes: the development of the Global Bioeconomy Vision 2040, spearheaded by the IACGB; the preparation and review of the LAC chapter of the Global Bioeconomy Policy Report 2026; and the process of establishing and launching the Global Bioeconomy Alliance.

The Global Bioeconomy Policy Report 2026 concludes that, since 2024, the center of gravity of the bioeconomy in the Americas has shifted toward Latin America, with a new generation of policies placing greater emphasis on implementation, financing, and capacity building.

The report also documents experiences from Brazil, Uruguay, Ecuador, Peru, Costa Rica, Colombia, Argentina, Mexico, and Panama, illustrating different strategies, roadmaps, implementation approaches, and efforts to strengthen institutions in this field.

These efforts are complemented by the Amazon Bioeconomy Strategy, agreed upon by the eight member countries of the Amazon Cooperation Treaty Organization, which provides a concrete example of regional governance centered on a shared biome.

As GBS 2028 approaches, the region has demonstrated its growing capacity for collective action. The Latin American Bioeconomy Network currently brings together more than 100 institutions from 18 countries. Moreover, LAC was the only region to conduct a dedicated regional consultation for the Global Bioeconomy Vision 2040, and the Network has been involved in the Global Bioeconomy Alliance since its founding stage.

“These advances demonstrate that the GBS is coming to a region with an increasingly connected bioeconomy community. Panama 2028 must show that the region is ready not only to participate in this conversation, but also to convene it, lead it, and translate it into new partnerships, investments, and development opportunities,” concluded Chavarría.

MENAFN25102026000232011072ID1111864082