1 SUMMARY REPORT Inter- American Competitiveness Network (RIAC) Steering Committee Thursday, May 16, 2013, Panama City, Panama The Inter- American Competitiveness Network (RIAC) Steering Committee met on May 16, 2013 to provide feedback on the preparation process of the VII Americas Competitiveness Forum (ACF) and the 2013 RIAC meetings. Representatives from nine countries participated- Chile, Colombia, Dominican Republic, Guatemala, Jamaica, Mexico, Panama, Trinidad and Tobago, and the United States, as well as seven supporting institutions – Development Bank of Latin America (CAF), Inter –American Development Bank (IDB) and Compete Caribbean Program, Central American Bank for Economic Integration (CABEI), Global Federation of Competitiveness Councils (GFCC), Monterrey Tech and the General Secretariat of the Organization of American States as RIAC’s Technical Secretariat. 1. Commitments and Follow-Up Activities 2. Press Coverage 3. Multimedia Gallery 4. List of Participants 1. Commitments and Follow-Up Activities The following commitments and follow up activities were agreed by the Steering Committee of RIAC: 1) During the first week of June, the Chair Pro Tempore will send a call for contributions to RIAC Member countries and institutions requesting inputs for the Report “Signs of Competitiveness in the Americas” - 2013. The call will be open for 30 days. Contributions include: (a) Papers for the section “Landscape of Infrastructure in the Americas”, in particular from the supporting institutions and country experts.
Transcript
1
SUMMARY REPORT Inter- American Competitiveness Network (RIAC) Steering Committee Thursday, May 16, 2013, Panama City, Panama
The Inter- American Competitiveness Network (RIAC) Steering Committee met on May 16, 2013 to provide feedback on the preparation process of the VII Americas Competitiveness Forum (ACF) and the 2013 RIAC meetings. Representatives from nine countries participated- Chile, Colombia, Dominican Republic, Guatemala, Jamaica, Mexico, Panama, Trinidad and Tobago, and the United States, as well as seven supporting institutions – Development Bank of Latin America (CAF), Inter –American Development Bank (IDB) and Compete Caribbean Program, Central American Bank for Economic Integration (CABEI), Global Federation of Competitiveness Councils (GFCC), Monterrey Tech and the General Secretariat of the Organization of American States as RIAC’s Technical Secretariat.
1. Commitments and Follow-Up Activities 2. Press Coverage 3. Multimedia Gallery 4. List of Participants
1. Commitments and Follow-Up Activities The following commitments and follow up activities were agreed by the Steering Committee of RIAC:
1) During the first week of June, the Chair Pro Tempore will send a call for contributions to RIAC Member countries and institutions requesting inputs for the Report “Signs of Competitiveness in the Americas” - 2013. The call will be open for 30 days. Contributions include:
(a) Papers for the section “Landscape of Infrastructure in the Americas”, in particular from the supporting institutions and country experts.
2
(b) Experiences from RIAC Member Countries and Institutions in the area of infrastructure (VII ACF main theme and principle #5), or on any of the 10 General Competitiveness Principles; and (c) Report on the activities of cooperation undertaken during the period October 2012 – July 2013. c.1) Updated information and progress achieved in the experiences presented in the Report “Signs of Competitiveness in the Americas” – 2012. c.2) Information on the activities implemented by the country in the priorities established regarding the 10 General Competitiveness Principles. See list of priorities >> 2) The Chair Pro Tempore will circulate the summary list of offers and requests of cooperation presented by RIAC Member countries and institutions in 2012. The summary list was developed with the support of the Technical Secretariat, based on the profiles of each initiative that are available in the electronic version of the Signs of Competitiveness Report 2012 at www.riacreport.org. Based on the summary list, the Steering Committee supported the proposal from the Chair Pro Tempore of inviting each country to implement at least one of those cooperation initiatives in the upcoming months with the collaboration of the supporting institutions. Progress on the implementation of cooperation activities will be reported in the next RIAC Annual Meeting in October 2, 2013 in Panama City.
3) The Chair Pro Tempore appreciates the recommendations and suggestions of topics, content, speakers and about the approach to address the focus theme of the ACF, as well as the offers of collaboration expressed by countries and institutions during the Steering Committee Meeting. Bilateral consultations and follow up action will be undertaken by the Chair to confirm these offers as required. The Chair Pro Tempore will distribute a revised Agenda for the VII ACF based on the progress achieved. The Chair would welcome any additional collaboration offers and suggestions from all RIAC Member countries and institutions.
4) The Chair Pro Tempore will distribute the following materials with the support of the Technical Secretariat: (a) Information and draft agenda for the Group of Experts Meeting on Subnational Competitiveness to be held in Lima, Peru on August 27 to 29, 2013. The agenda is open to recommendations and expression of interest from RIAC Member countries and institutions to participate and provide presentations for the program; (b) Information about the Honduras 2030 Forum, a national event organized with the support of RIAC, OAS and CABEI, based upon a request of the competitiveness authorities and private sector from Honduras after the ACF in Cali. The objective of the forum is to present international experiences on competitiveness; the tentative date is August 14, 2013; (c) Distribute the draft project profile of the Central American Competitiveness Program to the participating countries of the initiative (Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua and Panama) to provide them with the opportunity to include their comments and suggestions in the project profile. The revised document will be submitted for consideration of CABEI, and any other institutions and countries interested in exploring their participation and collaboration in the project. (d) Information on the upcoming activities to deepen the exchange of experiences among countries: RIAC dialogue series, experts visits, videoconferences, etc. (e) Inform when the new RIAC’s website www.riacnet.org is launched in order to receive comments, information, and suggestions from all RIAC Members.
The following summary includes comments and suggestions received by the RIAC Steering Committee Members on the preliminary outline for the Report “Signs of Competitiveness in the Americas” – 2013, the Draft Agenda for the VII ACF, and the offers to support the preparation of the VII ACF and the RIAC activities:
Chile: Ms. Katherine Villarroel, Executive Director of the National Innovation Council for Competitiveness of Chile, presented a preview of the forthcoming New Framework for Innovation in Chile to be published next July. This publication of the Competitiveness Council is produced every 4 years as an effort to thoroughly review some of the main results and forecast trends on innovation policy. Chile offered to share the document and present its conclusions during the next ACF and RIAC meetings in Panama. The document aims to find answers to the big questions on innovation from a global perspective and with a vision into the future, considering the most important challenges that we will face as a planet. -Chile is also willing to share experiences on infrastructure, including cases related to transportation, such as the TranSantiago project, which produced several conclusions and lessons arising from the difficulties faced during its implementation. - Highlight the importance of considering the social dimension of infrastructure projects and looking beyond their technical and technological elements. These projects change the daily lives of people; we support sharing experiences on how to incorporate capacities into engineering programs and curricula that take into account criteria dealing with legitimacy and support from citizens to undertake infrastructure projects. Chile offers to contribute to this discussion identifying experts that can show and address these complexities in the Forum and RIAC meetings. - With regards to innovation, it is important to analyze how to generate a change in attitude. In Chile we have concluded that until now we have had a more reactive than proactive approach toward innovation in the world. There are examples in our hemisphere where infrastructure projects have been key factors to change this reactive mindset. There are cases that can be shared, including some from Medellin, Colombia and the United States. -Other topic we are discussing in Chile is how to assess the effects and dimension of the large amount of technological changes that are rapidly and simultaneously occurring, and that, as a whole, generate exponential changes that affect our lives. This phenomenon generates very significant questions. When defining innovation it is important to consider science plus technology plus creativity as a formula. Innovation is determined by the way we deal with everything that is new. We observe that innovation has become a topic of elites. It is not a relevant topic for the large majority of citizens. How do we socialize innovation as a mechanism to have a better life? How do we create awareness that this effort is an ongoing task involving everyone? These questions can also be addressed as part of the deliberations in the ACF. -Projects such as Start-Up Chile have a logic constructed on networks, partnerships and collaboration platforms with capacity to respond to challenges that we cannot envision today but that we will need to respond to tomorrow. -Consider inviting experts to the Forum who do not share the same traditions, who can offer proposals for change and discuss future scenarios related to topics of infrastructure.
Colombia (RIAC’s Vice-Chair 2013): - Share the experience of Medellin and serve as contact point with the City of Medellin authorities and the metro’s Manager to feature their experience in the Report or present at the Forum. - Contact with the Colombian Infrastructure National Agency to share experiences about other infrastructure work in Colombia. - Provide support based on the experience organizing the Americas Competitiveness Forum in Cali and as Chair Pro Tempore of RIAC in 2012 - Recommended that for the dialogue of Ministers, it may be more productive to keep informal space for bilateral meetings rather than having a very formal meeting early in the morning because it could make complicated the participation of some delegations, based on the experience in Cali. - In Colombia the simultaneous workshops allowed for good interaction and facilitated covering several topics of interest of different groups. Consider for example the Subnational Competitiveness Workshop with a format that provided opportunity for more participation and discussion. - Agree with Guatemala, to consider starting the Forum with a keynote speaker who can share a global perspective on the topic of infrastructure and set up the focus for the subsequent panels and presentations.
4
- Confirm the offer to support Panama in the preparatory process of the 2013 Forum, the participation of the Ministry of Trade of Colombia in the Forum and sharing the experience of Colombia dealing with all the logistics, technical and academic components of the ACF and RIAC to ensure the success of Panama’s Forum. Dominican Republic: -Share the experience of the organization of the V ACF and as 2011 RIAC Chair Pro Tempore, an updated report on the program that supports the SMEs which already has specific results compared to the version published in the Signs of Competitiveness Report of 2012, and to present the experience of the construction of the metro of Santo Domingo. - Serve as contact point with the authorities and projects of interest in the Dominican Republic. - Consider the organization of simultaneous panels for some of the topics where there are specific interest and limited time to cover them in the plenary sessions. - Ensure the participation of the Secretary of State/Director of the National Competitiveness Council, Mr. Andres van der Horst. Guatemala: While it is important to share successful cases and learning from comparable experiences from other countries, let’s also think about tomorrow’s competitiveness; about the future of human capital development. Considering synergies and not acting as islands. Let’s think about the future, keeping a reasonable perspective between sovereignty and competitiveness. For instance, let’s find out what is more efficient and where the best cost opportunities are. We can find solutions through value chains and the efficiencies in costs by working with several countries and companies if we keep an open perspective to find the best solutions for our necessities. What are the best solutions to favor our competitiveness capacity for today and also for tomorrow? - We consider it is important to continue strengthening the cooperation process, work on the vision of competitiveness for the Americas and strengthening the mechanisms to consolidate cooperation opportunities. - Thank CABEI for their support to the Central American initiative. It is important to take advantage of experiences like the Compete Caribbean Program to develop other initiatives in other sub regions. There is an important integration agenda in Central America and it is important to also identify which are the priorities that generate value with a clear regional agenda. We regard it as a good initiative; in Guatemala we have a very clear agenda on competitiveness which includes several issues that have a regional dimension for Central America. - Consider experiences from other countries, such as Brazil and Chile in infrastructure, with a hemispheric vision for the Forum. What are we looking to achieve with the Forum? We should look beyond a project in one country. It is important to have a clear objective and reflect on regional results. Consider speakers that could talk about the region in general, and for example, about the challenges in developing human capital in the Americas and how to resolve it. The hemispheric approach reflected in the participation of all the OAS member states is important. - Despite our interest and suggestions to add several issues to the agenda, we have to keep in mind that it is not possible to include everything that countries want to cover in all different areas. We would not be able to benefit from the ACF. Consider as speakers people with a broad vision, a regional perspective, who can talk about the competitiveness challenges and strengths that we have as a region and address issues of infrastructure. For example, have a keynote speaker at the beginning of the Forum who could offer a general perspective and focus on the main challenges before starting with the panels. - Follow up on the dissemination of the forum and RIAC activities in Guatemala and have a designated contact person to share the experiences of Guatemala with the RIAC. Jamaica - Jamaica is working to improve competitiveness based on a public-private effort focused on improving the business climate, promoting innovation as a key aspects of competitiveness, building on dialogue and cooperation. - We are interested in logistics; we are looking to excel as a center of international logistics. Progress has been made in cooperation with Panama for joint plans that run through 2015 on this area.
5
- SMEs are key for all our countries and it is necessary to support them to promote economic and social cohesion. We cannot be competitive if we do not make strides to support the education and literacy of our population. - We will carry out consultations to consider providing input on progress of logistics in Jamaica. Based on consultations with the Minister, we will provide information on Jamaican and Caribbean perspectives on the role of logistics and infrastructure for competitiveness and possibly a presentation on these issues. We will recommend the participation of our Minister in the Forum. - For the ACF, we consider that there is space for a hemispheric perspective on issues such as the region’s macroeconomic situation. On innovation, we need to discuss the necessary conditions to promote it. We also need to consider elements such as intellectual property in order for our ideas and innovation to reach export markets and solve the challenges in innovation. Mexico: -Mexico has experiences on infrastructure. We will consult with our transport, communications and energy authorities to identify useful projects to share, with consideration of social and environmental sustainability. - Mexico City has an important experience with the metro; mobilizing around 5M people daily. - Consider a space to present successful cases from RIAC in the ACF; let us share concrete cooperation efforts and exchanges between countries. Explain what has been done in the RIAC, and how this cooperation has benefited member states. Consider panelists related with such experiences and cooperation for the ACF. - We will review successful experiences, to present those cases that are instructive and replicable; we will be presenting suggestions of cases and speakers for the report, RIAC meeting and the Forum in October. - Share the experience of Mexico from the perspective of the new administration, including the reforms that have been passed by Congress which are aimed at improving the competitiveness of the country.
Panama (RIAC’s Chair Pro Tempore 2013) - One of RIAC’s main objectives is to serve as a space to share experiences. In the case of Panama we have benefited from our participation in RIAC. Based on the presentation of the High Counselor for Public and Private Management of Colombia during the 2011 RIAC Annual Meeting, we adopted a similar Office for the design and management of public policies on competitiveness, a Special Secretariat within the Ministry of the Presidency. This effort has generated very important achievements as a neutral governmental authority that undertakes collaboration at all levels. The results are highly valued by the President of the Republic of Panama. - Undertake efforts to ensure that panels and moderators reflect geographic diversity and gender representation. We are looking for specialist who can speak from a regional perspective combining experiences from different countries. One option is to develop a questionnaire with some key issues to guide the content and discussion of each panel. Comments from the National Secretariat of Science, Technology and Innovation (SENACYT): The role of science, technology and innovation are key for competitiveness, which also includes the area of infrastructure. -We suggest taking into consideration the infrastructure necessary to promote innovation as a priority. We should also continue to collect experiences on all the 10 principles agreed in 2011. Countries should report on the progress made on the experiences presented in 2012. In particular, highlighting the results that have implemented based on cooperation among countries. - Consider the topic of quality infrastructure and its impact to develop competitive products and services. It is an important element and it would be good to include it in the agenda, together with a study or experience from institutions that can share their knowledge.
6
Comments from the National Center for Competitiveness: We welcome the Central American Competitiveness Initiative. It incorporates relevant regional and international elements, based on the experience in the Caribbean. We have many things in common that we can share among subregions. Nevertheless, it is important to emphasize that one of the most relevant benefits of RIAC is sharing our experiences based on the 10 pillars that we identified in Santo Domingo. The goal of promoting cooperation among countries with the support of international organizations is important but without affecting our main objective of exchanging experiences. Let’s set realistic goals about what we can achieve in this type of events, which is already an important result. Learning from our common challenges and problems when implementing policies and programs in each country; describe, for example, the political and technical obstacles, the process of building public-private partnerships, etc. -We would like to know more about the SMEs experience in the Dominican Republic. Trinidad & Tobago (RIAC’s Vice-Chair 2013): -Stimulated by the Forum’s theme and as contribution for the Signs of Competitiveness Report in 2013, Trinidad & Tobago offers to develop a study on the role of infrastructure in logistics and the competitiveness process. This effort will serve to link the theme of the Forum in Panama (infrastructure) and the role of innovation and creativity for competitiveness in 2014 (Human Imagination at Work: Driving Competitiveness, Powering Innovation). -Share the details of the boardwalk project in Chaguaramas, phase 1 and 2, as an example of the development of infrastructure to foster economic activity and new businesses, in particular the microenterprises and ocean related businesses in Trinidad & Tobago. -Present a collaborative project developed with the IDB and the private sector in Trinidad in various communities of Port of Spain to transform the city into a sustainable space, showcasing the role of infrastructure in the transformative process. -Present the updated information of the competition “i2i” (Idea 2 Innovation). This program was showcased in the Signs Report in 2012 and there will be more information and results of the winning projects in 2013. -One of the experiences of Trinidad and Tobago is to look at what are the infrastructural requirements to stimulate entrepreneurship and strengthen businesses that have become stuck without growth. Establishing a collaborative basis to facilitate their growth and expansion through specialized services that allow them to improve and ensure the viability of their products and services. These services will be available in the universities and centers of applied science with the capacity to resolve business problems through a knowledge facility or incubator. This incubator will start its operation in June 26, 2013 in the Caribbean Industrial Research Institute (CARIRI) in Trinidad & Tobago and the experience will be shared. -Congratulate Panama for the progress in the Steering Committee Meeting and for opening the process to receive comments on the Forum. - In the presentation of the expansion of the Panama Canal it would be of great importance to consider its potential impact in the Hemisphere and on global trade, and the changes in the nature of the shipping industry and transportation requirements. This topic is important from the perspective of Panama but also in terms of the opportunities that a project of this dimension represents and the type of response created in each country. -It is important to clarify how we approach infrastructure in the ACF. Is infrastructure the key driver? In this case, it is recommended that all panels follow the approach and regard this topic as the main element for discussion. The other option is to address this topics as just one more independent topic in the agenda. - It is also important to think about the perspective and the participation of the private sector. Often what academics and governments think is not necessarily connected with the competitiveness concerns of the private sector. We need to strike a balance in the agenda with the business perspective. -We have some considerations with regard to the hemispheric vision and the future. All of us are aware of the complexity and uncertainty of the world. Striving for sustainability, anti-fragility capacity, and other resources. We will work on a couple of paragraphs on the kind of elements necessary to address and evolve on the dialogue on innovation and competitiveness. We will share them with the Chair Panama and RIAC members.
7
-Support Panama’s government as RIAC Vice-Chair. We will bring an important public and private sector delegation of Trinidad and Tobago to participate in the ACF in Panama. United States: - Give more publicity and recognition to what countries are doing in competitiveness; disseminate the value of the work done in the RIAC and the ACF, in particular, give priority to showcasing the efforts implementing economic development reform by cities and regions. Examples such as Medellin and Barranquilla in Colombia. - At the Forum it is important not to only consider the current challenges, but also look 15 or 20 years into the future. Prepare ourselves to identify and address together the upcoming challenges. What is our vision about the future? - We suggest to focus on key competitiveness subjects, for example, on education. More time could be dedicated to talk about education. It is necessary to discuss about the new technologies, progress on education; consider all the value chain from pre-school to university. How can we prepare our students better? - Consider more participation from the private sector in panels, including CEO’s and companies from several of our countries to share their views on what are the current challenges and needs for the private sector. What governments think as key private sector issues are not necessarily the topics that are important for the private sector. On education it would be important to get a controversial speaker to start the discussion, for example Andres Oppenheimer, who has written a lot on the subject with the objective to set a general introduction for the Forum. Let’s share examples such as the experience of El Salvador working with Tec de Monterrey. Consider other examples outside the hemisphere such as Singapore, which is already in the agenda, as valuable experiences. - It is difficult to have interactive dialogues where there are more than 1,200 participants in plenary sessions. Simultaneous panels on some themes may be an option to create the opportunity for more dialogue. - SMEs are very important. Sometimes only large corporations participate in the ACF. - We would like to confirm the participation of the Secretary of Commerce of the United States, once the confirmation in Congress is completed. - Collaboration in providing good practices in the education sector, from kinder garden to graduate school. Suggestions of keynote speakers and support as a contact point to channel experiences or facilitate communication with institutions in the United States which can contribute in the Forum in Panama. Global Federation of Competitiveness Councils (GFCC): - Strengthen the ties between the GFCC and RIAC. Finding ways to expand the collaboration between the two initiatives. -Consider the approach to the infrastructure topic in the agenda of the Forum. Is it the key driver of the agenda in all topics? Or is it only one more factor? It is important to keep a consistent theme throughout the program. If infrastructure is the main theme, consider what type of infrastructure is needed in each topic (education, innovation, etc.). What is needed to improve competitiveness in terms of infrastructure under each element? CABEI: - We think that the meeting of Central American authorities is important in the Forum and we would greatly appreciate if that space continues to exist. It will be helpful to consolidate the Central American Competitiveness Program. - Confirm support to sponsor the pre-investment phase for the Central American Competitiveness Program and invite other donors that would like to be part of the initiative; willing to coordinate with the IDB and CAF in the definition of the next steps. In the draft project profile, it is recommended to consider elements related to security as recommended by the technical evaluators of CABEI when dealing with a regional program with cross-cutting themes. -Provided non-refundable grant cooperation to the Government of Panama for the organization of the Forum and RIAC meetings. Resources for the participation of authorities/experts from Central America in the RIAC meeting and in the Forum in collaboration with the OAS, is already in process. Offers support with specialists that can be useful for the panels or studies to be developed for the Forum.
8
IDB: The IDB gives high priority to the issue of competitiveness. In 2012 the IDB created a Division in the Bank to deal with Competitiveness and Innovation. Its main goal is to create knowledge and finance projects and operations with competitiveness components in countries of the region. It manages the Compete Caribbean project. -As IDB we are interested in participating in the Central America initiative. We consider important to highlight the Competitive Caribbean experience, in which a key piece was to secure the financing at an early stage adapting the project to the characteristics of each donor partner, in this case the International Development Agency of the United Kingdom and Canada. Each institution has its own considerations about the design and the execution of the program. We are interested in collaborating and offer to share our experience with the Compete Caribbean. CAF: Continue supporting the RIAC. Consider a space in the Forum to present the progress made by the Sustainable Cities Program and a study on infrastructure and the relationship between Asia and Latin America. -Interested to know more, and consider the participation in the Central America initiative. -Participation of the Vice-president of Infrastructure as panelist and technical support in any of the topics. - Non-refundable cooperation to the Government of Panama for the Forum’s preparation (in process). TEC of Monterrey: Interest in participating in education topics and offer the experience of the TEC of Monterrey with presence in various cities in Mexico and countries of the region. Present some successful experiences in the Dominican Republic, Colombia and Mexico of teachers training in collaboration with the OAS. Initiatives with Presidents Fernández of the Dominican Republic, Santos from Colombia and Peña Nieto from Mexico. Share the vision about the future of education; What type of infrastructure is required by the University of the Future? What type of professionals? How would the university play a relevant role to promote competitiveness in education? OAS: Continue the support as RIAC Technical Secretariat. Collaboration with the preparation of the Report “Signs of Competitiveness in the Americas” – 2013 and the RIAC Annual Meeting, Americas Competitiveness Forum and other RIAC activities/ initiatives (Internet platform and dissemination efforts, 2030 Forum in Honduras, Group of Experts Meeting on Subnational Competitiveness, etc.) -For the Signs of Competitiveness Report 2013 it is important to consider the future challenges and the regional vision. The 2013 Report needs to reflect a dynamic evolution on the exchange of experiences and cooperation among RIAC Members. Showcase concrete examples of collaboration among countries, define the value-added that RIAC provides. The technical section about infrastructure will need to contribute to the level of knowledge and understanding of this area with an international dimension. We envision the Report as a reference, not just for the RIAC Members but to whoever wants to know about competitiveness in the Americas. -Once the new RIAC platform is in operation, your feedback is extremely important. Your contribution is required for the platform to become a useful tool for our work, decision-making, and identification of collaboration opportunities. ECLAC: Through a letter addressed to the Chair, ECLAC expressed its support to the RIAC meetings and Competitiveness Forum and its willingness to contribute to the Signs Competitiveness Report.
9
2. Press Coverage Panamá sede del Foro de Competitividad y conferencia del Banco Mundial (Telemetro)
Panamá será la sede del Foro de Competitividad y conferencia del Banco Mundial (Que!)
Panamá será sede de Foro de Competitividad y conferencia del Banco Mundial (PanamAmerica) Lanzamiento de VII Foro de Competitividad de las Americas (Youtube)
Panamá recibirá a más de 2 mil dirigentes en el VII Foro de Competitividad (Telemetro)
Panamá, sede de VII Foro de Competitividad (Crítica)
Panamá celebrará Foro de Competitividad de las Américas (Gobierno Nacional Panamá) OEA y Panamá avanzan preparativos para el Foro de Competitividad de las Américas (OEA) OAS and Panama Advances in Preparation for the 7th Americas Competitiveness Forum (OAS)
