The Latin American and Caribbean countries are engaged in broadening and deepening subregional agreements as part of a strategy to enter the global market and liberalize trade. Transportation infraestructure and systems are crucial both to the support and consolidation of integration process and to the development of trade in general.
This means that the region needs a highly efficient transportation system that meets international standards of competitiveness.
Accordingly, investments in transportation infrastructure, as a basic component of the system, must be geared to the needs of trade and integration. The system must run more efficiently to keep the shipping as small a component as possible of their final costs.
Developing a system that operates with optimum efficiency is an important challenge for the countries of the hemisphere, in their efforts to find their place in world commerce, strengthen integration and advance towards sustainable development.
These were the main topics of the Seminar. The conclusions and recommendations arising out of the discussions of the experts and participants, appear in the first part of this document.
Also included are the papers presented by the experts, which introduced each topic and facilitated its discussion.
It is hoped that the ideas contributed during the Seminar will be of help to the countries of the region in devising policies and programs for the development of their transportation systems.
Kirk P. Rodgers Director
Department of Regional Development
and Environment
