San José, Costa Rica. September  03 to 04, 2015 . Auditorium of the Ministry of Economy, Industry and Trade (MEIC). San José, Costa Rica - Sabana Sur, 400 meters west of the Building of the Comptroller General of the Republic, former venue for ARESEP – now Edificio MEIC.

Thursday, 3 September 2015

 8:30 – 9:00        REGISTRATION

 9:00 – 9:30        OPENING SESSION 

• Antonio Leone Durante, Coordinator of the Latin American and Caribbean Regional Programme for Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SELA-SME Programme) of the Permanent Secretariat of the Latin American and Caribbean Economic System (SELA).
• Costa Rica: Welmer Ramos González, Ministry of Economy, Industry and Trade of the Republic of Costa Rica 

9:30 – 10:45       INTRODUCTORY SESSION

Moderator: Antonio Leone Durante, Coordinator of the Latin American and Caribbean Regional Programme for Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SELA-SME Programme). 

General presentation

“Status, trends, prospects and challenges of guarantee systems in Ibero-America” – Pablo Pombo, Technical Secretary of the Ibero-American Guarantee Network (REGAR). 

Presentation on the Central American perspective

“Status and prospects of the financing and guarantee systems in Central America” – Otto Gutiérrez Kikut, Director of CEMPROMYPE-CABEI. Coordinator of Operations for the Private Sector and Head of the Strategic Programmes and Acquisitions Department of the Central American Bank for Economic Integration (CABEI). 

10:45 – 11:15    COFFEE BREAK 

11:15 – 12.15    Presentation of the study

“Pre-feasibility study for the creation of a Regional Guarantee System for SMEs in Central America” - Alessandro Bozzo, SELA’s Consultant. 

12:15 – 1:00      GENERAL DEBATE                                             

1:00 – 2:30        FREE TIME FOR LUNCH 

2:30 – 4:15     SESSION I: STATUS AND ASSESSMENT OF CONDITIONS FOR THE CREATION OF A REGIONAL GUARANTEE SYSTEM IN CENTRAL AMERICA.

Moderator: Rolando Marín Alvarado, Head of Entrepreneurship of the Directorate-General for Support to Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (DIGEPYME). Ministry of Economy, Industry and Trade of the Republic of Costa Rica. 

PANEL WITH THE NATIONAL FOCAL POINTS OF SMEs IN CENTRAL AMERICA 

• Costa Rica: Welmer Ramos González, Ministry of Economy, Industry and Trade of the Republic of Costa Rica
• El Salvador: Jaime Domínguez, Head of the Legal Unit. National Commission for Micro and Small-sized Enterprises (CONAMYPE),
• Guatemala: Carlos Arturo Hegel, Coordinator. Technical Unit. Guarantee Fund. Vice-Ministry for Development of Micro, Small and Medium-sized Enterprises of the Ministry of Economy,
• Honduras: Francisco Fortín, General Trust Administration. Vice-Ministry for Micro, Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (MIPYME) and the Social Sector of the Economy (SSE) of the Secretariat of Industry and Trade (SIC),
• Dominican Republic: Escarlen Vidal, Analyst of Development for Financial Inclusion. Vice-Ministry for Development of Small and Medium-sized Enterprises and Trade,
• Nicaragua: Ministry of Development, Industry and Trade (*), 

4:15 – 4:30        COFFEE BREAK 

4:30 – 5.30        GENERAL DEBATE

Friday, 4 September 2015

9:00 – 10:30       SESSION II:      MARKET ANALYSIS OF GUARANTEES FOR SMES IN THE CENTRAL AMERICAN REGION: SYNTHESIS OF SUPPLY AND DEMAND FOR SME GUARANTEES.

Moderator: Emilio Zevallos; Director of PYMEScopio, Costa Rica. 

PANEL WITH NATIONAL GUARANTEE SOCIETIES AND PROMOTERS OF FINANCING AND GUARANTEES IN CENTRAL AMERICA. 

• Costa Rica: Ana Lucía Solano, Special Fund for Development of Micro, Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (FODEMIPYME) of the Ministry of Economy, Industry and Trade (MEIC). 

• El Salvador: Mélida Mancía, President of the Development Bank of  El Salvador (BANDESAL) 

10:30 – 11:30    SESSION III: CONSOLIDATED GUARANTEE SYSTEMS IN LATIN AMERICA

Moderator: El Salvador: Ingrid Durán, Management of the Development Bank of El Salvador (BANDESAL) 

• Colombia: Mauricio Beltrán Sanin, Vice-President for Legal and Administrative Affairs of the National Guarantee Fund (FNG) (*).
• Mexico: Mario de la Vega Escamilla, Director of Product Development of Nacional Financiera (NAFIN)Peru: Edgard Coquis, General Manager. Guarantee Fund for Loans to Small Industries (FOGAPI). 

11:30 – 11:45   COFFEE BREAK 

11:45 – 12:30   GENERAL DEBATE 

12:30 – 2:30     FREE TIME FOR LUNCH 

2:30- 3:45      SESSION IV:  POTENTIAL OF A REGIONAL GUARANTEE SYSTEM FOR SMALL AND MEDIUM-SIZED ENTERPRISES IN CENTRAL AMERICA.

Moderator: Pablo Pombo, Technical Secretary of the Ibero-American Guarantee Network (REGAR).

General presentation: Alessandro Bozzo, SELA’s Consultant

PANEL WITH REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT BANKS AND INSTITUTIONS SPECIALIZED IN GUARANTEES FOR SMEs: EXPERIENCES IN PRACTICE. 

• Central American Bank for Economic Integration (CABEI): Otto Gutiérrez Kikut, Director of CEMPROMYPE-CABEI. Coordinator of Operations for the Private Sector and Head of the Strategic Programmes and Acquisitions Department.
• CAF–development bank of Latin America: Alejandro Soriano, Senior Executive of the Division for Promotion of MSMEs.
• Latin American Association of Guarantee Institutions (ALIGA): Francisco Martinotti, President 

3:45 – 4:00        COFFEE BREAK 

4:00 – 4:30        GENERAL DEBATE

4:30 – 5:30        SESSION V:  CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS                       

• Antonio Leone Durante, Coordinator of the Latin American and Caribbean Regional Programme for Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SELA-SME Programme).
• Alessandro Bozzo, SELA’s Consultant.
• Pablo Pombo, Technical Secretary of the Ibero-American Guarantee Network (REGAR). 

5:00                  CLOSING SESSION 

Antonio Leone Durante, Coordinator of the Latin American and Caribbean Regional Programme for Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SELA-SME Programme).

Geannina Dinarte Romero, Vice-Minister of Economy, Industry and Trade of the Republic of Costa Rica

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(*) To be confirmed.