Past events

The sessions of the XLI Regular Meeting of the Latin American Council of the Latin American and Caribbean Economic System (SELA) will be held at the headquarters of the Permanent Secretariat, located at Av. Francisco de Miranda, Torre Europa, Fifth Floor, Simón Bolívar Conference Room, Urb. Campo Alegre, Caracas, Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela.  The Meeting consists of two stages: The Preparatory Stage will be held on 25 and 26 November 2015. The Ministerial Stage will take place on 26 November after 14:00 and 27 November 2015.   Final Report

SELA will hold the “Seminar on financing and guarantees to support SMEs in the Caribbean” in Kingston, together with the Ministry of Industry, Investment and commerce (MIIC) of Jamaica. The event aims to present the results of the pre-feasibility study on the creation of a regional guarantee system for SMEs in the Caribbean, conducted by SELA; review the achievements concerning innovative financial mechanisms and instruments to complement guarantee systems; and promote the integration of work teams in the Caribbean, in order to make progress for launching regional guarantee systems.   Final Report

The Permanent Secretariat of SELA, together with the Institute for Promotion of Investments and Exports – Uruguay XXI, of the Eastern Republic of Uruguay, will hold the VII Latin American and Caribbean Regional Meeting on International Trade Single Windows, which will focus on reviewing the strategic role of Single Windows in the context of the recent WTO Agreement on Trade Facilitation and the trade integration mechanisms in the region. In addition, a review will be made of the progress in the project for Interoperability of Single Windows of UN/CEFACT, the B2G relationship and the debate and dissemination of advances in Latin American and Caribbean Single Windows over the past year.

SELA will hold a Regional Seminar on economic and financial relations between Latin America and the Caribbean and the BRICS Group with the aim of identifying areas of opportunity for Latin America and the Caribbean in the economic, commercial and financial fields with the BRICS Group. To that end, an analysis will be made of the evolution of the BRICS Group; the characteristics, structure and projects of the New Development Bank (NDB) of the BRICS Group; the contingency reserve mechanism and prospects for establishing relations with development financial institutions in Latin America and the Caribbean.

The IV Regional Meeting "Partnerships between the public and private sectors for disaster risk reduction in Latin America and the Caribbean: Corporate social responsibility in risk management" is being organized by the Permanent Secretariat of the Latin American and Caribbean Economic System (SELA), with the support of the Central American Coordination Centre for Natural Disaster Prevention (CEPREDENAC) and the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNISDR). SELA has conducted several regional meetings to promote public-private partnerships for disaster risk reduction. In these meetings, participants have stressed the need to continue strengthening the complementation relationship and joint action between the public and private sectors, in order to enhance the prevention and response capacity of society and its institutions during disasters. Participants in this Meeting will include national authorities, regional and subregional agencies, international organizations, the private sector and other entities related to corporate social responsibility in risk management during natural disasters in Latin America and the Caribbean.

SELA will conduct the “Regional Meeting on Export Consortiums”, in collaboration with the National Institute for Entrepreneurs (INADEM) of the Secretariat of Economy of Mexico. The meeting, to be held in Mexico City, is expected to explore the achievements made by this type of consortiums in the region, in those countries whose policies in this area are more developed. It will also review the progress made by consortiums in the Caribbean.

SELA will hold the “Seminar on financing and guarantees to support SMEs in Central America” in San Jose, together with the Directorate-General for Support to Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (DIGEPYME) of the Ministry of Economy, Industry and Trade (MEIC) of the Republic of Costa Rica. The event aims to present the results of the pre-feasibility study on the creation of a regional guarantee system for SMEs in Central America, conducted by SELA; review the achievements concerning innovative financial mechanisms and instruments to complement guarantee systems; and promote the integration of work teams in Central America, in order to make progress for launching regional guarantee systems.

In order to analyze the various public procurement systems used in Latin America and the Caribbean, both at national level and within the framework of regional integration agreements, and their progressive utilization as a tool for economic development, the Regional Meeting on Public Procurement Systems in Latin America and the Caribbean will take place on 15 and 16 July in Quito, Ecuador, at the headquarters of the Union of South American Nations (UNASUR). This event is organized jointly by the Permanent Secretariat of the Latin American and Caribbean Economic System (SELA) and the National Public Procurement Service of Ecuador (SERCOP), with the support of the General Secretariat of UNASUR and the Latin American and Caribbean Network for Planning and Development (REDEPLAN). Participants will include authorities responsible for national public procurement systems in Latin America and the Caribbean, regional and extra-regional organizations and international experts in the field. Message from Ambassador Roberto Guarnieri Permanent Secretary of the Latin American and Caribbean Economic System (SELA)

Final Report