OREANDA-NEWS. April 10, 2015. Over 700 top business executives from more than 20 countries in the Americas joined a dozen heads of State to launch the II CEO Summit of the Americas here today, focusing on how the private sector can work better with governments to improve the region’s development.

Key confirmed participants include the Presidents of the United States, Brazil, Mexico and host country Panama, among others. CEOs of leading international companies also took part, including those from The Boeing Company, AES Corporation, The Coca Cola Company, Marfrig and Copa Holdings.

The II CEO Summit of the Americas precedes the Summit of the Americas and is organized by the Government of Panama with the support of the Inter-American Development Bank. The agenda includes 8 panels comprised of experts and business leaders on key development topics, 10 presentations on future trends and a dozen addresses by heads of State.

Private sector policy recommendations

In addition, the private sector was given the opportunity to present concrete recommendations and proposals to the Summit of the Americas through a report prepared by the Americas Business Dialogue (ABD), which was created as a result of the previous CEO Summit of the Americas held in Cartagena in 2012. The ABD is a private sector-led mechanism of dialogue amongst leading businesspeople and chambers of commerce and industry, with the IDB acting as its technical facilitator.

The report – From Dialogue to Action: Policy Recommendations and Public-Private Partnership Proposals to the Leaders of the Americas – aims to promote sustained economic growth and greater productivity in the face of a slowing global economy and rising expectations of middle classes in Latin America and the Caribbean.

“Given global economic challenges and the historic moments we are witnessing, we need to build bridges that unite countries and strengthen the collaboration between businesspeople and governments,” said IDB President Luis Alberto Moreno. “This way we are reaffirming our commitment to work together to improve our competitiveness, to generate sustainable and inclusive growth, and to promote economic and social development.”

The 30 detailed ABD recommendations and proposals are focused on four areas: improving infrastructure and strengthening trade of goods and services, facilitating financial resources to spur growth and development, improving the region’s human capital and stimulating innovation and entrepreneurship, and maximizing the region’s energy and natural resources.

Among other proposals, the ABD recommendations include creating a regional infrastructure and development and monitoring hub to facilitate private-public partnerships, facilitating entry and visa procedures for business travel, harmonizing capital markets, investing 1 percent of GDP in research and development, and creating exchange programs to stimulate more math, science and engineering education.

Additionally, the IDB’s Vice Presidency of Sectors and Knowledge distributed seven concept notes, with key data points and recommendations on what the private sector can do in areas that range from food security to corporate social responsibility. The papers are

  • Food Security and Agribusiness: Progress for the Region, Food for the World
  • Financial Integration and Inclusion: Mobilizing Resources for Social and Economic Development
  • Women’s Economic Empowerment: Good for Women, Good for Business and Good for Development
  • Energy: Fuel the Americas’ Growth
  • Corporate Social Innovations: Driving Entrepreneurship for Social Development
  • Infrastructure, Logistics and Connectivity: Bringing the Americas Together
  • Innovation and Information Technology: Reshaping the Future of the Americas.