OREANDA-NEWS. April 08, 2016. A select group of private sector leaders, gathered in the Americas Business Dialogue, will meet with Inter-American Development Bank (IDB)  President Luis Alberto Moreno, the Governors of the Bank and high-level government officials for the first time during an IDB-IIC Annual Meeting to advance the implementation of a set of policy recommendations to boost economic growth and productivity in the Americas, rooted in education, innovation and infrastructure.

During the technical meetings held today, which gathered over 90 business leaders from 22 countries, the Inter-American Investment Corporation (IIC) formally joined the Americas Business Dialogue. James Scriven, IIC’s General Manager, discussed the new priorities and strategies of the institution after the completion of the private sector consolidation undertaken by the IDB Group during 2015

Jodi Hanson Bond, Vice President of the Americas, U.S. Chamber of Commerce, along with Martin Perez Monteverde, President, CONFIEP (Peru) and Carlos E. Abijaodi, Director of Industrial Development, Confedera??o Nacional da Ind?stria (Brazil), led a discussion among the guests about opportunities and challenges leading up to the next CEO Summit of the Americas in Lima, 2018.

“The dialogue between the ABD and governments shows the progress we can make towards increasing economic development and opportunity in the Americas,” said Ms. Bond. “When the public and private sectors work together, we find pragmatic solutions that enhance our regional competitiveness.”

Just last week in Buenos Aires, business leaders and government officials held a meeting to build consensus for the effective implementation of the Agreement on Trade Facilitation of the WTO, taking into account the private sector’s perspective and best practices. This meeting was organized by the Americas Business Dialogue with the support of the Argentine government and the IDB.

Trade Facilitation is one of the policy recommendations included in the report “From Dialogue to Action: Policy Recommendations and Public Private Partnership Proposals,” fostered by the Americas Business Dialogue and submitted to the Heads of State during the II CEO Summit of the Americas in 2015 in Panama.

During tomorrow’s meeting, President Moreno and the Governors will assess the progress on the implementation of the policy recommendation after a series of seminars that will discuss the role of the private sector as an engine for growth, the measures necessary to increase financing and improve logistics and connectivity, and the energy challenges faced by Caribbean nations.

President Moreno stressed the "need to move from dialogue to action in the shared task of implementing at least some of these recommendations before the next Summit of the Americas" and reiterated that governments and the private sector have "the full support of the IDB as we pursue this dialogue, whose ultimate goal is to improve lives throughout the region." 

About the IDB

The Inter-American Development Bank is devoted to improving lives. Established in 1959, the IDB is a leading source of long-term financing for economic, social and institutional development in Latin America and the Caribbean. The IDB also conducts cutting-edge research and provides policy advice, technical assistance and training to public and private sector clients throughout the region.

About the ABD

Americas Business Dialogue is a private sector driven initiative facilitated by the IDB aimed at fostering a high level public-private policy dialogue among the business leaders and the government of the region on the priorities, challenges, and opportunities for the economic growth and development.