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Ambassador Clarems Endara: We must work more on the design of public policies for the productive coordination of the region

“We must work more on seeking a productive coordination, to see which affected sectors could have a kind of assistance in the region itself,” the Permanent Secretary of the Latin American and Caribbean Economic System (SELA), Ambassador Clarems Endara, emphasised on Thursday during a meeting with the media at the headquarters of the organisation in Caracas.

“If we manage to articulate ourselves, we will be able to have greater efficiency in the production of goods replaced by imported products. We must use what we have in the region,” the Permanent Secretary of SELA said, while highlighting the organisation's SME Project, which aims to formulate public policies to promote productive sectors, strengthen business models and develop new markets for the regional SME business ecosystem.

He also explained that the XLIX Meeting of the Latin American Council of SELA approved the creation of the Observatory of Public Policies for SMEs, a platform developed within the framework of the project “Productive Articulation for stronger SMEs.” The Observatory of Public Policies for SMEs is aimed at monitoring and updating public policies in the region, developing annual reports on the progress and updates in the field of regulations in the region, as well as other support actions that may be requested by the Member States of SELA.

The Permanent Secretary also highlighted the progress of the Public Policy Index for Latin America and the Caribbean (IPPALC), developed with the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and CAF-Development Bank of Latin America and the Caribbean, to promote the development of business support instruments, fostering inclusive and sustainable growth in the region.

He also detailed the institutionalisation of the Network of Digital and Collaborative Ports, as a reference model for the management of technological initiatives that promote innovative solutions to strengthen trade in the region. This network, promoted since 2014, has proven to be a reference model for the management of technological initiatives that promote innovative solutions to strengthen trade in the region.

The Ambassador also underlined the achievements of the inter-secretariat project to provide an effective response to the challenges of the region, in conjunction with the Central American Integration System (SICA); the Andean Community (CAN); the Latin American Integration Association (ALADI); as well as the Bolivarian Alliance for the Peoples of Our America - Peoples' Trade Agreement (ALBA-TCP); the Common Market of the South (MERCOSUR); the Amazon Cooperation Treaty Organisation (ACTO); the Association of Caribbean States (ACS) and the Community of Caribbean States (CARICOM). In this initiative, the Secretaries of the integration mechanisms designed a joint work agenda, especially on issues of high impact for the region such as: Food Security, Energy Integration, Disaster Risk, Cross Border Cooperation and Production Chains, with the objective of responding more effectively to the challenges of the region.

During the meeting with the media, Ambassador Clarems Endara urged to “avoid the politicization of integration mechanisms, because what we need is to work on an integration that goes beyond the models applied by the countries.”

The Permanent Secretary of SELA presented to journalists the general panorama of the region, the progress made by the organisation in its agenda and the activities scheduled for 2024 within the framework of the multi-year Work Programme for 2022-2026 of the organisation.