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Versión Español | October 2013

SEDI News

Building Infrastructure for Competitiveness

Americas Competitiveness Forum - Participants

“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.”

VII Foro de Competitividad de las AmericasNot 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.

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 CompetitivenessSigns 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.

"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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