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Private Sector in the Hemisphere Wants to Strengthen Democratic Institutions and Judicial Independence

The results of a survey carried out by the Private Sector in the hemisphere, presented today in the headquarters of the Organization of American States (OAS), reveal that 40 percent of the businesspeople in the hemisphere believe that strengthening democratic institutions and decreasing pressure on judiciaries would be the measures most useful in reducing corruption and imposing the rule of law in the region.

The study is part of the consulting process ahead of the Summit of the Americas, which will bring together 34 heads of state and government from the region on April 14 and 15 in Cartagena de Indias, Colombia. The survey’s purpose was to find what subjects most worry the business sector and to identify the interests and points of view of the private sector on the subjects of the upcoming Summit, which has as its theme “Connecting the Americas, Partners in Prosperity”.

According to the poll, business leaders in the region are worried by the weakness of democratic institutions and the lack of judicial independence and are calling for improvement in education, according to the poll carried out across the continent, whose results were presented today at OAS headquarters. In this context, 24 percent of those consulted responded that there is need for greater transparency and responsibility by public institutions, and 15 percent called for greater vigilance by international organizations.

Institutional weakness and corruption are considered by 47 percent of the businesspeople as the greatest current threats to democracy. According to the poll, this challenge is seen as serious in the short term by only 33 percent of those polled, because in general their outlook on the political and economic future of the region in the next four years is positive: 52 percent consider themselves optimistic, compared with 38 percent who see themselves as neutral and 10 percent who consider themselves pessimistic.

In the long term the biggest challenge that the employers foresee is the lack of education of workers: 88 percent of those surveyed say the availability of qualified employees is limited or extremely limited, and 34 percent cite the lack of training as the main problem that they face in terms of labor.

Education is also important, according to 31 percent of those polled, in improving competitiveness. Also important is the development of a modern and efficient infrastructure (17 percent), improving transparency in public administration, and stimulating commerce (11 percent each).

On the subject of infrastructure, the survey found that 76 percent of the businesspeople in the region relieve that the highways in the Americas are in bad, or very bad condition.

The poll was carried out by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, in conjunction with the OAS and another 10 sub regional organizations in the private sector, through the use of an online questionnaire sent to the businesses consulted. More than 70 companies responded, from 14 countries in all parts of the hemisphere: North America, Central America, South America and the Caribbean.

Jodi Bond, Vice President for the Americas in the Chamber of Commerce, emphasized the importance of the results in the fields of “education and infrastructure,” and pointed out the opinions of business leaders on “transparence and respect for the law”. Bond said the survey was a pioneering experience in collaboration with the OAS that the U.S. Chamber of Commerce would like to turn into a regular occurrence.

Rosine Plank-Brumback, senior specialist in the Executive Secretariat for Integral Development of the OAS, emphasized the importance of the study because its results are “very clear and comprehensive,” and they can be applied not only in the Summit of the Americas in Cartagena de Indias, but in other processes and activities of the OAS. “We are the Secretariat of no less than nine ministerial processes, covering education, science and technology, labor, social development, sustainable development and energy, culture, tourism, cooperation and competitiveness, and 11 Interamerican networks of cooperation and dialogue,” said Plank-Brumback.

The main results of the survey are available here.

A gallery of photos of the event is available here.

For more information, please visit the OAS Website at www.oas.org.

Reference: E-095/12