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OAS and Colombia Present in Cali the Sixth Americas Competitiveness Forum

The Organization of American States (OAS) and the government of Colombia presented today in Cali the Sixth Americas Competitiveness Forum, which will be held in the Colombian city from October 24 to 26, and which will bring together hundreds of leaders from throughout the hemisphere, including presidents, ministers of economy, industry and trade as well as entrepreneurs.

"The Americas Competitiveness Forum is the most important annual event in the region to examine, interact and learn about the outlook and challenges we face in improving our levels of competitiveness," said the Colombian Minister of Commerce, Industry and Tourism Sergio Diaz-Granados, during a presentation at the Cali Chamber of Commerce about the forum, which has taken as its central theme "Innovation for Prosperity.”

Minister Diaz-Granados stressed that his country's commitment to the forum "is complete," adding that "innovation is the central tool for economic development" throughout the region. The Colombian government representative added that the event represents "an ideal moment" for the establishment and strengthening of partnerships, the creation of new business opportunities and the generation of fluid, effective and sustainable ties of communication and collaboration between the public, private and academic sectors.

The Executive Secretary for Integral Development of the OAS, Jorge Saggiante, said that for the hemispheric organization, which acts as technical secretariat for the forum, "the promotion of greater levels of competitiveness and innovation is a priority," and therefore "it is a honor to support Colombia in organizing this great hemispheric event and in the work being undertaken this year as part of the Inter-American Competitiveness Network.”

The OAS official said that the forum's theme is "very timely and attractive" given the current global economic situation. "Today, innovation is an essential element, not an optional one that we should consider in our public and private strategies if we want to stimulate growth and development in our towns, cities, countries and regions" said Saggiante.

For his part, the Mayor of Cali, Rodrigo Guerrero, referred to the preparations being made in his city ahead of the October event. "Cali is preparing very well for this event, we have been working on several fronts and we will deliver for the forum in terms of infrastructure, hospitality and logistics. Today we have a very changed city that is moving forward and that will be reflected in what all visitors who come to the city will find."

The President of the Chamber of Commerce of Cali, Roberto Arango Delgado, said "Cali is committed and has been coordinating various processes in the form of workshops in order to prepare the Capital of the Valley" of Cauca.

The presentation of the forum was also attended by the Governor of Valle del Cauca, Ubeimar Delgado, the Deputy Minister of Enterprise Development, Carlos Andrés de Hart Pinto, the High Presidential Counselor for Public and Private Management, Catalina Crane Arango and Jorge Cano, the Director of the Department of Science, Technology and Innovation of Colombia (Colciencias).

For more information, please visit the OAS Website at www.oas.org.

Reference: E-268/12