Date: April 5, 2008

Author: Jane Bussey and Jacqueline Charles

Source: Miami Herald

Can technology and talent fight poverty and violence in Latin America? A star-studded lineup brought together in the annual meeting of the Inter-American Development Bank in Miami Beach on Friday is betting they can.

''It's a very exciting time to be talking about how we can take the advances of the world . . . and provide more opportunities for the poor,'' Microsoft founder Bill Gates told business executives, regional bankers, finance officials and IDB staff at the opening session of the regional bank's five-day meeting at the Miami Beach Convention Center.

After Gates' optimistic outlook delivered to a packed auditorium, Colombian pop star Shakira made a surprise appearance in the name of helping to alleviate extreme poverty for the region's children. The celebrities, Gates -- the world's unsurpassed philanthropist -- and other CEOs offered up their willingness to serve as agents of change in a region in need of a helping hand.

CREATIVE CAPITALISM

Gates said technology can be used to transform the lives of the poor in Latin America and the Caribbean and companies can help by being more ''creative'' with their capitalism.

Shakira pledged the aid of pop stars for the poor.

''We hope from our hearts that this alliance . . . generates huge opportunities for the millions of children who live in extreme poverty and conditions of vulnerability in the region and hopefully that this is an incentive for the private sector to invest more,'' she said.

About 6,000 executives, bankers, civil society representatives and government officials from the hemisphere are attending the event, which consists of three days of seminars and presentations and two days of official bank meetings.

IDB President Luis Alberto Moreno said the effort to engage musicians and young people in finding solutions to the region's problems is part of the development bank's mission to seek out collaborative partnerships in Latin America and the Caribbean.

''Philanthropy in our region is in its early stages,'' said Moreno. ``It has traditionally revolved around charitable giving for poverty alleviation, not for poverty reduction.''

''We want Latin American artists to be with us,'' said Moreno, the former Colombian ambassador to the United States.

Sharing the podium with Moreno were other pop stars: the Dominican Republic's Juan Luis Guerra, Puerto Rico's Ricky Martin, and Colombia's Juanes. Each spoke of their efforts to bring attention to issues that pull at their heartstrings.

For Martin, it's the fight against trafficking of children -- sometimes for prostitution -- and the growing movement to register children lacking birth certificates as a way to protect them.

For Juanes, it's linking music and education to encourage children from early childhood to stay away from guns and violence.

''It's not that our songs are going to change behavior, but it's a wonderful tool,'' said Juanes, noting that his mission is to have children ''work with words and dialogue to build peace,'' rather than take up arms.

''I was born in Medellín in 1972 and I have never known peace,'' Juanes told an audience during one of the opening session panels. ``This is what motivates me.''

Joined by Spanish singer Alejandro Sanz, Shakira announced there will be a concert on May 17 to help the Latin America Foundation for Acts of Solidarity, whose honorary president is Colombian bestseller Gabriel García Márquez.

Martin said while he believes in sharing what he's been given, he also understands that Latin America is not a region with a culture of philanthropy. He wants to change that.

''Philanthropy is a wonderful thing,'' Martin said. ``We as Latin Americans, we have to do what we can . . . all of us who want to make a difference.''

The Washington-based bank, whose largest shareholder is the United States, is also the focus of criticism from hemispheric groups that insist IDB programs are still geared to mega-projects without sufficient concern for the environment, sustainable development or indigenous groups.

Global investment banks and other financial groups are also holding private meetings and parties throughout the weekend, bringing together numerous clients.

During a discussion between Moreno and Gates, the program was broadcast throughout the region and Gates later answered questions from the sitting and virtual audiences.

The room in which the musicians spoke had been transformed into a club setting and young people who had been invited from throughout the region sat on bleachers and in chairs encased in white covers.

At the back, a screen read: ``Yo Amo America.''

''This is a historic moment,'' Martin said, . ``This has never been done before in our region. This is to be celebrated.''

Martin has launched a campaign in the region to get children registered with birth certificates. ''These people are invisible,'' said Martin, who is calling on governments to set up the structures to confront the problem. ``We need to create a plan to improve society, but you can't do that if you don't know who the citizens are.''

HELP `THE POOREST'

Gates suggested that philanthropic efforts need not just provide technology, but can also create virtual universities, for example, or help eliminate regional diseases that devastate the poor.

Using technology to improve the lives of those in Latin America and the Caribbean is ''particularly compelling,'' Gates said, because of the current wave of innovation in the region. ''Innovation can operate to reduce inequity,'' he said, adding that ``companies need to think more creatively . . . thinking about what they do and how it can be devoted to the poorest.''

The Microsoft Foundation helps provide computers in rural towns in Mexico and software through 132 partner and learning agreements with countries in the region.