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Highlight: PepsiCo and the IDB Group sign a landmark partnership to spur social and economic growth in 26 countries across Latin America and the Caribbean.

IDB in the News:

• The 2011 Annual Meeting: IDB strengthens its Commitment to Latin America and the Caribbean
• IDB and the Export-Import Bank of China set up an infrastructure facility and public-private investment fund for the region.
• A Hopeful Future for Haiti: Linking Business with Social Investment
• Microsoft and the IDB: Working together in problem solving and the transfer of knowledge
• Shakira, IDB and partners unite for Education in Haiti

On the Radar: Upcoming Events

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Highlight: PepsiCo and the IDB Group sign a landmark partnership to spur social and economic growth in 26 countries across Latin America and the Caribbean.

This marks the first time a private-sector organization has participated in any IDB innovative thematic trust fund.

PepsiCo and the IDB Group recently signed a landmark partnership to spur social and economic growth in 26 countries across Latin America and the Caribbean. The agreement was signed at a ceremony in Mexico City attended by Mexican President Felipe Calderón, IDB Group President Luis Alberto Moreno and PepsiCo Chairman and CEO Indra Nooyi. The partnership’s inaugural project was launched with an agriculture initiative that seeks to significantly expand commercial sunflower production, through the IDB's Opportunities for the Majority Initiative.

In addition, PepsiCo made a substantial contribution to the IDB's Aquafund, which marks the first time a private-sector organization has participated in any IDB innovative thematic trust fund. By contributing to the AquaFund trust fund, PepsiCo and the IDB Group have joined forces to invest in strategic social development initiatives around safe access to water and sanitation that will yield tangible economic benefits for a wide range of communities in the region.

Through the broader regional partnership, PepsiCo and the IDB are tackling a variety of critical challenges in Latin America and the Caribbean together, including informal recycling, youth development, disaster relief and recovery, sustainable agriculture, nutrition and food security.Collaboration between the two institutions also include a $500,000 contribution from the Pepsi Foundation to combat neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs) in the region in an effort that has brought together the public and private sectors withcivil society.

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IDB in the News

The 2011 Annual Meeting: IDB Groupstrengthens its Commitment to Latin America and the Caribbean

From March 25-28, 2011, Canada welcomed delegates from 48 member countries to the Annual Meeting of the Board of Governors of the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) in the Western Canadian city of Calgary. The Annual Meeting, the IDB’s most important event of the year, celebrated the Decade of Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC), fostered dialogue around the future challenges facing Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) and explored goals and sustainable solutions for the region. Read more.

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IDB and the Export-Import Bank of China set up an infrastructure facility and a public-private investment fund for the region

China Eximbank Executive Vice President Liu Liange and IDB President Luis Alberto Moreno signed two agreements in Calgary at the Annual Meeting,marking an important first step to set up an investment fund to forge sustainable economic partnerships between China, Latin America and the Caribbean by investing in key sectors of interest to both regions.

“These initiatives mark a new milestone in the cooperation between China Eximbank and the IDB to foster trade and investment activities between Latin America and the Caribbean and China,” IDB President Moreno said.

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A Hopeful Future for Haiti: Linking Business with Social Investment

During theIDB’s Annual Meeting in Calgary, the Canadian Foundation for the Americas (FOCAL) and the IDB hosted a special session on Haiti, where senior executives from Canadian, European, Haitian and U.S. companies and NGOs offered an upbeat assessment of business opportunities in Haiti, encouraging potential foreign investors to look beyond charity and focus on projects that can have a more lasting economic and social impact. Read more.

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A New Type of Partnership: Adding value and managing knowledge with Microsoft

In a partnership that began in 2006, Microsoft and the IDB's relationship continues to grow as they collaborate on different initiatives through the LAC region, including the areas of youth development, education, e-government, ICT security.

Most recently, Microsoft's ExPo Front Lines offered the IDB training and provided key member of staff with a powerful personal development opportunity to address identified challenges.