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OAS Member States in Santo Domingo Create New Tool to Measure Progress on Competitiveness

Representatives of the member countries of the Inter-American Competitiveness Network (RIAC) gathered in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, for the annual meeting organized by the Organization of American States (OAS) agreed today to create a new tool to measure progress on competitiveness by the countries of the region, during a meeting presided by the Minister-Executive Director of the National Competitiveness Council of the Dominican Republic, Andrés van der Horst.

In a document titled, "Consensus of Santo Domingo," authorities and competitiveness and innovation councils of the Americas recognized the significance of 10 principles to create a more competitive region and invited each country of the RIAC to select up to three principles on which to focus its efforts in the next two years.

The ten principles outlined seek among other things to promote high-quality education; strengthen the establishment of effective institutions responsible for promoting competitiveness; promote transparency in government administration; prioritize development of human capital; drive the development of a modern and efficient infrastructure; position innovation as a determining factor for competitiveness; improve access to capital for economic stakeholders; foment social entrepreneurship; stimulate commerce and integration; and promote efficiency and energy sustainability.

The Presidente Pro Tempore of the RIAC, Minister Van der Horst, recalled that "with the exception of some, the countries of the region have been losing competitiveness" at the global level. In this sense, he added that the "Consensus of Santo Domingo" is "the first document in the hemisphere that puts us in a position to carry forth an agenda to become more competitive," and that "it can serve us as a guide to put ourselves on the road towards greater competitiveness."

Representatives from the following countries took the floor during discussions of this text: Mexico, Peru, Costa Rica, Panama, Jamaica, Nicaragua, El Salvador, Barbados, Colombia, Guatemala, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Uruguay, Ecuador, Belize, Brazil, and the United States.

According to the approved text, the member countries of the RIAC will report on their efforts and the progress achieved at the annual meetings of the RIAC in Colombia in 2012 and in Panama in 2013. The country updates will be part of the report "Signs of Competitiveness of the Americas", to be presented annually and to serve as a tool to "measure progress, establish a non-binding and flexible framework and be a reference tool for the ongoing consultations and cooperation projects of the countries of the RIAC."

The report "will provide content and material to high-level meetings in the Americas, including meetings of ministers, high-level authorities and/or competitiveness councils." "This collaboration tool among governments, the private sector, academia and civil society, will have a positive impact on the definition and implementation of a medium- and long-term agenda with a series of priorities and actions that can be developed in our countries to improve competitiveness," said the representatives of the member countries.

The RIAC is a high-level mechanism that seeks to promote dialogue, cooperation, and the exchange of experiences and best practices and the adoption of joint initiatives to strengthen and promote competitiveness in the Americas.

The full text of the "Consensus of Santo Domingo" is available here.

The agenda for the Annual Meeting of the RIAC, which is being held today in Santo Domingo, is available here.

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

Reference: E-872/11