A high-level International Economic Forum on Latin America and the Caribbean will take place on May 25th in Paris, France.
This event, organized jointly by the French Ministry of Economy, Finance and Trade, the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) and the Development Centre of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD-DEV) will bring together high-level decision makers from Latin America, the Caribbean and Europe, including President Laura Chinchilla of Costa Rica; IDB President Luis Alberto Moreno; OECD Secretary General Ángel Gurría; Michelle Bachelet, former President of Chile and Executive Director of UN Women; Finance Ministers and other high-level public sector authorities; and CEOs of international companies.
The fourth edition of the International Economic Forum on Latin America and the Caribbean provides the opportunity to discuss the challenges facing the region and to share solutions for sustainable economic development. The Forum will ask how the region can carry out reforms in favor of competitiveness, productivity and inclusive growth, and embrace the full potential of its newly acquired strength and stability.
During the recent global financial crises, Latin American and Caribbean (LAC) countries have shown themselves to be in a better position to confront international turmoil than ever before. Sustained growth and democratic stability have strengthened the region, and led to less pronounced recessions and more swift recoveries than in many OECD economies. Despite this positive outlook and encouraging policy experience, however, many challenges remain:
- One in three Latin Americans still lives below the poverty line and many Latin American economies still rank among the most unequal societies in the world
- Excessive inequality slows down the pace of economic growth and undermines the development process
- Growth and competitiveness are constrained by low productivity, poor infrastructure, and the lack of economic diversification
Forum plenary sessions will be structured into three discussion panels and will be opened and closed with a high-level key-note speech.
The event will take place at Bercy (French Ministry of Economy, Finance and Trade) and requires pre-registration. For more information on the sessions and the program, please visit the web site.