A technical team from the Organisation of American States (OAS) is currently in T&T to look at this country's preparations to host the VIII Americas Competitiveness Forum (ACF) in October 2014.
The officials from the OAS Technical Secretariat include Maryse Robert, Director, Department of Economic Development, Trade and Tourism; C�sar Parga, Chief, Office of Competitiveness; Adriana Bonilla, Office of Competitiveness; and Juan Carlos Montoya, Office of Competitiveness.
The team, which arrived on Sunday and is due to depart tomorrow, are here to discuss issues and establish timelines for execution of milestone events, review the facilities that will host the forum and social events and ascertain the progress of preparatory activities.
The Forum, to hosted by the government via the Ministry of Planning and Sustainable Development has as its theme: The Human Imagination at Work: Driving Competitiveness, Powering Innovation.The ACF is the Western Hemisphere's preeminent event for government and business leaders to discuss innovative methods to achieve economic competitiveness and promote innovation in the Americas.
It arose from the recognition of the need to promote trade, address immigration reforms and highlight the importance of investments in research and development as a key tool for competitiveness. It is also meant to address the fact that the Latin American and Caribbean region lags behind the rest of the Americas in terms of income equality and the level of investment that occurs in research and development.
The forum distinguishes itself from other international gatherings by promoting novel approaches to economic competitiveness and enabling private and public representatives to take advantage of creative opportunities to explore new models and expand their business.
The ACF brings together more than 1,000 leaders from the 34 nations of the Americas and includes Heads of State, cabinet members, business executives, trade delegates, academics and representatives from the regions public and private competitiveness councils as well as non-governmental and international organisations. The main goal of the ACF is to inspire programmes, policies and partnerships that will improve economic prosperity at local, national and regional levels and ensure a brighter future for the people of the region.