Washington meeting analyzes trade and investment situation in the Americas

With the objective of continuing to stimulate the debate on issues relevant to the Andean countries, the IX Annual Conference on Trade and Investment in the Americas opens on September 7 in Washington DC. The two-day event was organized jointly by the Organization of American States (OAS), Inter-American Dialogue and the Andean Development Corporation (CAF).

CAF President & CEO Enrique Garcia emphasized the importance of this event as a space for reflection on urgent issues for Latin America, especially the Andean region. The CAF takes a proactive role in the task of stimulating this reflection by bringing together a qualified group of key decision-makers in the economic, political and social areas in our countries.

Garcia added that Latin America had to move toward strengthening an integrated development agenda capable of reconciling the social, economic and political demands of our peoples with the reality of a highly competitive globalized world; strengthening democracy and governance; creating mechanisms for dialogue and confidence, and strengthening mechanisms of participation.

During the conference, congressmen from the United States, ministers from the region, academics, directors of international organizations, and regional experts on economic, social and political issues will take part in debates on relations between the United States and Latin America, particularly the free-trade agreements with the Andean region.

The sessions begin with an analysis of the political and economic situation in Latin America. The speakers will be José Ángel Gurría, former Mexican Finance minister; Allan Wagner, Andean Community Secretary General; Paulo Sotero, president of the Good Government Foundation; Paulo Sotero. Washington correspondent in San Paolo; and Bernardo Álvarez, Venezuelan ambassador in the United States.

The second day of sessions begins with remarks by the CAF President & CEO Enrique Garcia, OAS Secretary General José Miguel Insulza, and US government representatives Nita Lowey and Tom Petri.

A discussion will then open on the free-trade agreements in the Andean region. The members of the panel will be Jaime Aparicio, Bolivian ambassador to the United States; Pablo de la Flor, Peruvian vice minister of Trade; Hernando José Gómez, chief Colombian negotiator of the Colombian Ministry of Commerce; Cristián Espinoza, Under Secretary of Foreign Trade of the Ecuadorian Ministry of Foreign Trade, Industrialization, Fisheries and Competitiveness. The moderator will be Marta Lucía Ramírez, former Colombian Minister of Defense and Commerce.

The debate will then focus on the situation of Latin America in the global economy, with a panel formed by Alejandro Foxley, Chilean senator; Martín Redrado, Argentine Central Bank president; Miguel Castilla, CAF director of Economic Studies; Guillermo Calvo, chief economist of the Inter-American Development Bank. The moderator will be Peter Hakim, president of Inter-American Dialogue.

In the afternoon, the conference will analyze social leaders, starting from exclusion to participation, with presentations by Juan del Granado, mayor of La Paz, Bolivia; José Antonio Ocampo, UN Under Secretary General; Yehude Simon, governor of Lambayeque, Peru; Horst Grebe, former Bolivian minister of Social Development; Ana María Sanjuán, professor of the Central University of Venezuela. The moderator will be Ana Mercedes Botero, CAF director of Cultural and Community Development.

The last panel will analyze US policy in the Andean region. The members will be Gustavo Fernández, former Bolivian minister of Foreign Affairs; Eduardo Gamarra, professor of the Florida International University; Juan Tokatlian, professor of the University of San Andres; Charles Shapiro, deputy assistant secretary for Western Hemisphere Affairs. The moderator will be Michael Shifter, vice president for Policy at Inter-American Dialogue.

The conference ends with a reflection on the outlook for the region by CAF President and CEO Enrique Garcia accompanied by OAS General Secretary José Miguel Insulza.