Building Infrastructure for Competitiveness
“Panama has been recognized as one of the 15
countries in the world that have been most effective in reducing
poverty and extreme poverty” declared the President of Panama,
Ricardo Martinelli, in his inaugural remarks at the Americas
Competitiveness Forum (ACF) held this month in Panama City. The
President specifically highlighted his country’s experience in
infrastructure investments, which have led to increased
competitiveness and benefits across all sectors of the economy. "For
every dollar in the budget, Panama invests 45 percent in
infrastructure. Our country is under construction, and in this
massive amount of infrastructure is the key to our growth.”
Not
surprisingly for a country that is becoming a hub of modern and fundamental infrastructure for competitiveness, Panama selected “Infrastructure and Technology Shaping
the Countries of Today” as the main theme of the
Seventh Americas
Competitiveness Forum (ACF) held from October 2 - 4, 2013; After seven years,
the ACF has become the main annual event to discuss competitiveness
in the region, which is complemented by the ongoing work of the
Inter-American Competitiveness
Network (RIAC) which gathers Competitiveness Authorities and
Councils of the countries of the Americas and supporting
international organizations.The OAS-SEDI, serves as
Technical Secretariat.
After a year of hard work and leadership,
Panama completed its 2013 tenure as Chair Pro Tempore of the RIAC
with a stronger network that has effectively supported collaboration
in the area of competitiveness. During the Annual meeting of the
RIAC, the OAS launched the Signs
of Competitiveness in the Americas 2013 Report, a collaborative
work produced by Panama with the support of the OAS-SEDI and the
participation of 18 countries and six international institutions
that is a clear example of the types of results obtained. This is
the second edition of a publication that is centered around country
reporting on the widely accepted competitiveness principles
elaborated by the RIAC in 2011. The report includes technical
contributions that analyze the current and future outlook of
regional infrastructure and profiles more than 60 case studies. (see
below).
With
this
comprehensive understanding of infrastructure in mind, over 1,200
participants from the region attended the ACF this year, including
Ministers and senior officials of competitiveness, entrepreneurs,
academics, infrastructure experts and representatives of
international organizations who discussed the impact of
infrastructure and technology on innovation, education,
macroeconomic projects, the environment, connectivity and regional
competitiveness in general. Presenters included
eminent experts from all sectors, such as Luis
Alberto Moreno, President of the IDB; Michael Porter, renowned
Harvard Professor; Roberto Roy, Minister for Canal Affairs and
responsible for the Panama Metro Secretariat, and Pedro Heilbron,
CEO of COPA Airlines, among many others.
"Every single session or presentation made at the Competitiveness Forum and RIAC Meetings was loaded with insightful information, useful in either substantiating approaches being contemplated to elevate competitiveness at the national level or providing good food for thought in strategy formulation. For the parallel sessions, it was very difficult deciding which session to give up in favor of the other."
Amparo M. Masson, Director, Public-Private Sector Dialogue,
Office of the Prime Minister, Belize.
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In his remarks, Assistant Secretary General Albert Ramdin
addressed the infrastructure gap, noting that “Our populations
cannot increase their living standards and quality of life without
modern health, education, telecommunication, electricity and water
infrastructure. Infrastructure is critical to support inclusive
social progress and sustained stability by addressing the most
systemic development challenges of today: rapid urbanization,
natural disasters, climate change adaptation and mitigation, and
health, food and energy security.”
The discussion is timely in a
region with a worrisome delay in the availability of infrastructure.
According to the diagnosis included by ECLAC in Signs of Competitiveness
publication, the region invests on average 2.2%
of its annual GDP on infrastructure, but it is estimated that it
would need to invest 6.2% of GDP to satisfy the final needs of
businesses and consumers. This gap in investment and consequent
delay on infrastructure has reduced productivity and competitiveness
of industries and of the region’s economies, translating into
significant limitations for economic development. Amongst the main
challenges for Latin America and the Caribbean, ECLAC points to
institutional and regulatory barriers and a lack of comprehensive
policies on infrastructure and service provision, lack of
sustainability criteria, limitations on access to finance, and
ineffective public-private partnerships.
The Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago, Kamla
Persad-Bissessar
praised the organization of the event, saying that "the mix of
talent and experience at this Forum is the formula for success that
has driven this event since its foundation.” The Prime Minister
announced that the theme of the next ACF that will be held in her twin-island country,
will be "the Human
Imagination at Work: Driving Competitiveness, Powering Innovation."
The OAS Assistant Secretary General also pronounced himself “proud to note that a CARICOM country will be the next host of this important business gathering” referring to the Government of Trinidad and Tobago taking over as Chair Pro Tempore of the RIAC, and future host of the Annual Meeting of the Network and the ACF.
The success of the events held in Panama City illustrate how the OAS-SEDI, in close collaboration with member States has consolidated its recognition as the main forum for inter-American dialogue and cooperation on competitiveness through the RIAC and the ACF. The 2015 and 2016 meetings will be held in Guatemala and Mexico, respectively, ensuring continuity for the next three years.
Signs of Competitiveness in the Americas" 2013 Report . This second edition is composed of two main sections; the first provides an overview of infrastructure in the region; the second includes more than 60 case studies of initiatives undertaken by countries to be more innovative, competitive and prosperous in the context of the
Ten General Competitiveness Principles of the Americas.
The report goes beyond presenting case studies, identifying potential areas for collaboration. As noted by OAS-SEDI Executive Secretary
Tross in the launch of the publication:
“the richness of this report is not, in itself, the fact that it compiles case studies in a publication, but, rather, the power to transform it into a tool through which we can work together to realize the concrete offers and requests for cooperation included in this report.” This process seeks to increase the visibility of projects in each country and is intended as a mechanism to further promote regional cooperation initiatives.
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"The Forum allowed us to
exchange successful experiences in competitiveness with
other countries, crystallizing what we had learned from
the ‘Signs of Competitiveness in the Americas Report’, a
fundamental tool to increase international cooperation.
Natalia Bertullo, Coordinator of
the International Relations and Foreign Trade. Ministry
of Industry, Energy and Mining of Uruguay.
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