- Online media registration is now available for March 14–17 gathering of Latin American and Caribbean leaders
- Participants to discuss key regional and global economic challenges
- Seminars will look at youth social innovation, public-private partnerships, broadband, biodiversity, partnerships to provide healthcare services for the poor, and logistics
The Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) will hold its Annual Meeting in Panama City, Panama, March 14–17, bringing top economic leaders from its 48 member countries to discuss the development needs of Latin America and the Caribbean, the economic challenges going forward and the priorities for the IDB.
Representatives of other multilateral financial institutions, development agencies, commercial banks, companies and civil society organizations will also attend the gathering. The event marks the 54th annual meeting of the IDB’s Board of Governors, the Bank’s top decision-making body made up mainly of finance ministers and central bank presidents.
Several key reports, such as the IDB’s annual macroeconomic assessment of the region’s outlook and the Development Effectiveness Overview, will be released at the meeting.
Prior to the Board meeting, the IDB will hold a series of seminars on key development topics. A seminar will look at the need to aggressively expand the availability of broadband connections for Latin America and the Caribbean, to make the region more competitive on the global marketplace. Another seminar will note the region’s extraordinary biodiversity—it possesses one-sixth of the world’s landmass but more than one-third of its mammal species and 41 percent of its bird species—and how this wealth can be an engine for sustainable growth.
Another panel will highlight the role public-private partnerships play in improving the health conditions in the region. The discussion will focus on Salud Mesoamérica 2015, an alliance of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the Instituto Carlos Slim de la Salud, the government of Spain, and the IDB. The initiative was created to support governments in reducing the health equity gap faced by those living in extreme poverty, especially women and children under five years of age.
There will be three private sector seminars. One is on the future of public-private partnerships as new models emerge to meet the needs of provinces and municipalities in areas such as healthcare and education. Another seminar will look at the importance of women entrepreneurs and the need for more seed financing and support networks for new businesses founded by women. The third private sector seminar will discuss successful base-of-the-pyramid business models and how these can be replicated and scaled up.
In addition, a logistics seminar will analyze the challenges and opportunities presented by the Panama Canal expansion, financed in part by a non-sovereign guaranteed loan from the IDB.
On March 14, a day devoted entirely to youth, specialists from throughout the region will examine the role young people play in promoting social innovation for development. It will feature the results of the first youth survey carried out by the Iberoamerican Youth Organization, with IDB support. The event will include TED-style presentations by noted social innovation experts and young social entrepreneurs.
Members of the news media may register for the event at the Annual Meeting’s Website.
The Inter-American Development Bank is Latin America’s leading multilateral source of funding and knowledge for development. Its mission is to combat poverty and inequality, and bring about sustainable growth.