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Ecuador Offers to Host the 15th Edition of the Americas Competitiveness Exchange Program

Photo: OAS

The Government of Ecuador officially presented to the Organization of American States (OAS) its offer to host the 15th edition of the Americas Competitiveness Exchange (ACE) Program on Innovation and Productivity during the third quarter of 2022.

Through the ACE Program, the Ministry of Production, Foreign Trade, Investment and Fisheries of Ecuador, which currently occupies the Chair Pro Tempore of the Inter-American Competitiveness Network (RIAC), will work with partners to leverage the country’s business innovation ecosystem to strengthen its industrial clusters. The event will also offer opportunities to purse partnerships and increase commerce and investment.

On behalf of the OAS, the Executive Secretary for Integral Development, Kim Osborne, expressed her gratitude to the Government of Ecuador for the offer and reiterated the commitment of the OAS-SEDI to work with Ecuador toward a successful ACE 15.  Secretary Osborne added, “The pandemic has forever changed our region and in response we must be creative, innovative and deliberate in our efforts to build more resilient economies capable of withstanding exogenous shocks. We are therefore committed to ensuring that the ACE program remains relevant and responsive to the current and future development needs of member states.”

For his part, the Permanent Representative of Ecuador to the OAS, Carlos Alberto Játiva, reiterated his country’s commitment to the ACE program and added that “Ecuador has been characterized by its significant productive capacity in the agricultural, agro-industrial, and fishery sectors, which has allowed it to position itself as one of the main suppliers of these products worldwide. The proposed bid for the ACE program will showcase how, despite the challenges posed by the pandemic, Ecuador wants to contribute to accelerating recovery and resuming efforts to diversify and grow the economy.”

The Americas Competitiveness Exchange (ACE) is the Premier Economic Development, Innovation, and Entrepreneurial Network of the Americas and is one of the flagship programs of the OAS Secretariat for Integral development. It is organized with the support from the Government of the United States, through the U.S. Department of Commerce and the U.S. Department of State.

The previous 13 editions of the ACE have been hosted by the United States, Argentina, Canada, Chile, Germany, Israel, and Mexico. It has a network of 2000+ stakeholders from 41 countries (32 from the Americas). Last year, the United States hosted the ACE program in Colorado. The next ACE is scheduled to be held in Louisiana on March 26-April 1, 2022.

Reference: FNE-111867