Media Center

Press Release

OAS Co-Organized Meeting of Competitiveness Authorities of Central America

The Organization of American States (OAS), together with the Central American Bank for Economic Integration (BCIE) today organized in Panama City a meeting of Senior Competitiveness Officials of Central America, focused on finding mechanisms to enhance the trade capacity the region.

Participants in the meeting included Ministers, Deputy Ministers and Competitiveness Authorities from the Economic Integration System of Central America (SIECA), the Secretary General of SIECA, Carmen Gisela Vergara, and the Executive Secretary for Integral Development of the OAS, Sherry Tross, among others.

During the meeting, held within the framework of the Seventh Americas Competitiveness Forum in Panama City, participants welcomed the offer of cooperation from BCIE to create a Central American Competitiveness Program, based on the needs of each country, but with a focus on integration and a regional dimension.

The fund offered by the BCIE will allow for rounds of consultations with the countries of the Central American Integration System (SICA) to identify needs and areas of attention and define the feasibility for the design and implementation of the Program.

BCIE Executive Vice President Alejandro Rodriguez Zamora said the Central American Bank sees improving the competitiveness in the subregion as one of its priorities, and highlighted the work that has BCIE has done together with the OAS in the Inter-American Competitiveness Network (RIAC) as a result of the Cooperation Agreement signed between the two institutions in 2011.

Among other issues, participants spoke of the need to have a concrete and practical approach; the challenges in education, transportation, and financing of innovation; development centers and support for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs), the promotion of entrepreneurship and its connection with value chains. They also highlighted the role to be played by the public sector, and how to use technology to reduce barriers to competitiveness. The discussion also highlighted the importance of integrating other regional development banks such as the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) and the Development Bank of Latin America (CAF) to complement the support of BCIE.

Executive Secretary Tross said "the work of the OAS responds to the needs of countries and institutions with which we work. What we have seen in this meeting is that you are voicing your concerns, priorities and recommendations as to how we can advance in competitiveness."

Looking to the future, the senior OAS official said, "what we want to know is what you want and how we can support your efforts, and I think we have the basis to do so." For her part, the SIECA Executive Secretary offered the support of her institution to strengthen and support the realization of the Central American Competitiveness Program, along with the RIAC.

The initiative for the Central American Competitiveness Program arose from the request of the high authorities of Central America during the Fifth forum on the subject, held in Santo Domingo in 2011, to seek ways to enhance the capacity of the subregion to produce and sell its products in the global market.

gallery of photos of the event will be available here.

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

Reference: E-371/13