Calls open for business round for Andean and Amazon region

The Andean Development Corporation (CAF), the World Resources Institute (WRI), and UNCTAD announced the first business round as a preamble to the first Investors Forum for Biodiversity Companies in the Andean-Amazon region to be held May next year in Peru.

CAF Executive President Enrique García said that the Corporation’s invitation was opening a space for the participation of SMEs that work with biodiversity-derived products and services in the Andean countries, in recognition of the difficulties that most of these companies encounter in accessing long-term finance.

García said that the main difficulties faced by the SMEs are the amount of capital required, the type of products, the business structure under which they operate, the challenges they face in introducing their products into new markets, developing strategic alliances, and expanding their businesses without compromising environmental and social components.

This first business round, which ends on August 15, seeks the participation of business owners and entrepreneurs who support the conservation of biodiversity, and contribute to poverty reduction by supplying products and services that promote these practices.

The requirements for the initiatives presented in the business proposals are: community involvement; generation of local employment through the sustainable use of biodiversity products and services; and promotion of conservation of biodiversity in line with the Biological Diversity Convention.

The ten companies selected in this first round in each country (Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru and Venezuela) will have an opportunity to participate in a workshop on development of business plans. The workshops will be organized in each country to offer inputs to the selected business owners for developing or strengthening their business plans. Completed plans must be submitted before November 21 this year to enter the second round of evaluation. Only companies that have completed business plans may participate in this round.

The CAF makes a special call to business associations, export promotion agencies, investment funds, financial institutions, SME support agencies, company incubators, government bodies and relevant NGOs to extend this invitation to the biodiversity companies they are working with.