The Americas Competitiveness Forum III

› 09:00 - 10:30 Parallel Panels

› Innovative Strategies for Competitiveness, Plenary San Cristobal

• Moderator: Eduardo Bitrán, President, National Council of Innovation for Competitiveness, Chile

• Eduardo Wanick, President, DuPont Latin America.
• Felipe Duarte Olvera, Undersecretary for Competitiveness and Norms, Ministry of Economy, Mexico.
• Rodolfo Silvera, President Natural Agency for Research and Innovation, Uruguay.

The main driver for competitiveness in the global economy is the capacity to apply and combine knowledge to create new products, services and processes that have value in the market. Those countries that fail to add innovation to their economies will lose competitiveness.
• How important is it to rely on a domestic innovation strategy?
• What costs and benefits are expected to be obtained?
• How can innovation reach businesses and people?
• What is the effect of soft innovation on productivity?

› Less Paperwork: Streamlining Bureaucracy, Pedro de Valdivia B Ballroom

• Moderator: Miguel Porrua, e-Government Coordinator OEA.

• Gabriel Casaburi, Senior Economist, Inter-American Development Bank (IADB).
• Eduardo Jaen, Head of the Secretary for Governmental Innovation, Panama.

• Ulrich Frei, Executive Director, FUNDES, Costa Rica.

Many economies in our continent engage in bureaucratic, time-consuming processes that delay and hinder businesses. This is a basic component in the creation of new businesses, and in the entrepreneurial process as a whole.
• What specific effects does the existence of excessively bureaucratic systems have on the economy and competitiveness?
• What advances have our countries made over the past years?

› Infrastructure for Competitiveness: Ports, Pedro de Valdivia C Ballroom

• Moderator: Adrean Scheid Rothkopf, Vice President Western Hemisphere Affairs. U.S Chamber of Commerce.

• Whit Hughes, Deputy Director, Mississippi Development Authority.
• Dr. Paulino Moreira da Silva Vicente, Infrastructure Director, Puerto de Santos, Brazil.
• José Barrios Ng, Director of Finance, Panama Canal Authority

It is not possible to have a successful role in the global economy without relying on improved infrastructure for international trade. Port systems can add as well as reduce competitiveness.
• How can you build public-private alliances to develop more and better ports?
• What are the new port operation paradigms?
• How could high efficiency levels be promoted without reducing port operation competitiveness?

› 10:30 - 11:00 Coffee Break

› 11:00 - 12:30 Plenary Session

Plenary San Cristobal
› Financing in Times of Crisis

• Moderator: Luis Enrique Berrizbeitia, Executive Vice President, Andean Development Corporation (CAF).

• Richard Lyons, Dean Business Haas School University of California Berkeley.
• Ardavan Mobasheri, Chief Economist, ALICO.
• Manuel Marfán, Member of the Board Central Bank of Chile

A sound capital market lays the foundation for a dynamic economy capable of growing, responds to change, and generates business opportunities.
• How should financial markets be regulated to ensure their stability without restraining their capacity to innovate and adapt to changes?
• What instruments allow smaller businesses to have access to competitive financing?

› 12:30 - 1:30 Closing Plenary Session

Plenary San Cristobal
Speaker: Pier Carlo Padoan, Deputy secretary general (OECD)

› 1:30 - 3:00 Lunch

Jardín Bohio

› 3:00 - 5:00 Meeting of Ministers of Economy, Industry And Commerse of LAC

Quijote Ballroom
Confirmed countries:
BARBADOS, CHILE, COLOMBIA, COSTA RICA, EE.UU , ECUADOR, EL SALVADOR, GUATEMALA, MÉXICO, NICARAGUA, PANAMÁ, PERÚ, PUERTO RICO, REPUBLICA DOMINICANA, SANTA LUCÍA, TRINIDAD Y TOBAGO, URUGUAY.

› 3:00 - 5:00 Meeting of Competitiveness Councils of LAC

Pedro de Valdivia C Ballroom
Confirmed countries:
ARGENTINA, BRASIL, CHILE, COLOMBIA, COSTA RICA, EE.UU, EL SALVADOR, GUATEMALA, HAITÍ, MÉXICO, NICARAGUA, PANAMÁ, PARAGUAY, PERÚ, REPÚBLICA DOMINICANA, URUGUAY, VENEZUELA.

› 3:00 - 5:00 Meeting Business Opportunities in the region

Plenary san Cristobal
MEETING BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES IN THE REGION: GLOBAL SERVICES, AGRO INDUSTRY AND RENEWABLE ENERGIES. ORGANIZED BY CHILEAN ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AGENCY (CORFO)

Program