Inter-American Program for Training and Research for Trade Corridor Development
PROCORREDOR
The Office for Sustainable Development and Environment of the General Secretariat of the Organization of American States is pleased to present PROCORREDOR.
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This program builds on experiences gained from the following projects supported by
the Special Multilateral Fund of the Inter-American Council for Integral Development (FEMCIDI) of the OAS:
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It
also builds on work to date by the following researcher and training
universities that form the core of the project,
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The OAS/OSDE serves as the international technical secretariat of PROCORREDOR and on the PROCORREDOR Advisory Committee, along with the Inter-American Committee on Ports (ICP) and the Pan-American Institute of Highways.
PROCORREDOR
began by partnering U.S.–CIDI Specific Fund resources of the OAS with
resources from the collaborating centers (including the collaboration of public
agencies and private professional and business associations), as well as other
international and private sector institutions to produce a series of research
reports (including case studies), training outlines and courses, and agendas for
future research and training work.
Background Information
One of the most dominant physical manifestations of Latin American regional economic cooperation in the past three decades has been the steady emergence of trade corridors with their most visible component, transportation corridors. These urban and economic production areas built around land, air, and water routes for intra- and inter-regional commerce are based on existing informal and bilateral as well as new international trade agreements. Trade corridors are geographic areas with amorphous boundaries containing natural resources, economic and social infrastructure, and settled populations. They support already existing urban growth as well as forge new relationships between dominant and growing cities.
Trade corridors constitute new regions for analyzing and organizing international development support. They complement the more familiar planning units based on sub-national administrative areas and river basins. These emerging planning units cut across traditional physical, political, social, economic and administrative boundaries. Corridors group cities together in new ways and highlight their changing dependencies, economic and physical infrastructure, labor markets service areas, and social service demands. The trade corridors related to MERCOSUR, Andean Community(CAN), Central America Economic Integration System (SICA), and the North America Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) are examples of regions dealing with the emerging concurrent issues of economic integration, environmental management and government reform.
PROCORREDOR
The program is directed at new forms of partnership among institutions from OAS member states in addressing trade corridor development, an emerging inter-American development issue. The focus of the project is through the perspective of sustainable development and environmental management, and is complementary to other trade corridor activities focusing on tariff, legal, currency exchange, and border crossing issues. These project activities, which will involve professionals from the public and private sectors, from academia, NGO's, and for-profit entities, will explore issues related to economic, social, and political dimensions of trade corridors as seen through the occupation of physical space, while fortifying inter-American relationships through academic, professional and commercial associations, and identifying future areas for a development cooperation exchange based on priority needs, demand for services, and demonstrable expertise.
The research on trade corridor analysis methodologies is built around the preparation of case studies of one or more trade corridor segments looking at issues such as comparative advantages, potential adjustments to regional development plans, public participation, the consequences of not fully developing trade corridor potential, and the identification and resolution of environmental management aspects related to trade corridor development. The case studies will be used in the training components and will be finalized by the end of the project period. This research will involve senior level researchers and practicing professionals from the private sector and government directing graduate students. (Key researchers are identified in the documents provided by the executing institutions and found in the annex to the proposal.) These contributions will include staff time of professionals, databases, and other technical information, use of facilities and the underwriting of certain local costs. In some cases the research team will be international with participants from two or more of the executing institutions.
The training components of PROCORREDOR will use the results of the research and case studies, including the costs and benefits of economic and social investment in trade corridors. The training will focus on the development and refinement analysis techniques using methods development seminars. These seminars will provide training for an average of 30 participants from at least 6 countries focusing on methodologies related to trade corridors – existing or in formation – both internal to a country as well as regional. The training course participants will include practicing professionals from varying disciplines, graduate students, and potential instructors for future courses.
Coordinating Committee
A coordinating committee has been established to monitor and refine the project agenda, review the structure and content of specific training and research activities, review drafts of interim and final project reports, and serve as focal points for collecting and disseminating information related to project development. Each collaborating center will name a lead and alternate committee member. Support to the coordinating committee will come from the Unit for Sustainable Development and Environment, which will act as a technical secretariat and clearing house as this new consortium develops its network and identifies permanent sites for the network’s functions within the academic, public and private sectors. A website facilitates the exchange of information, the dissemination of research findings, the announcement of course offerings, and to promote the inscription of additional institutions in the network.
Expected Results
PROCORREDOR will develop trade corridor analysis techniques, a cadre of professionals, case studies and data bases that will support and/or constitute: (1) instructors in several disciplines at the graduate study level in universities, (2) advisers to the public sector at varying levels of government, and (3) consultants to the private sector involved in trade corridor investment. The skills and materials developed will deal with methodologies for analyzing multisectoral aspects of trade corridor development, specific trade corridor components revealing strengths, weaknesses and comparative advantages, training course outlines and reference bibliographies, course and research agendas for future actions for initiatives by the executing institutions, other similar institutions, and in the private sector, consulting and investment opportunities. In addition, the project will establish and promote further collaboration among the participating executing institutions and with national, regional and hemispheric networks of related professional and business associations dealing with trade corridor issues. This collaboration, with needs identified during the project, will include visiting faculty programs, graduate student exchange programs, service projects, and professional continuing education programs through associations.
Information
For further information, please contact:
Stephen Bender
Unit for Sustainable Development and Environment
Organization of American States
Washington D.C.
Telephone 202-458-6295
Fax 202 458-3168
E-mail [email protected]
