TOPICS TO BE DEVELOPED
- Productive transformation, value chains and their determination
Production processes consist of a series of links that form a chain that includes design, production, promotion, sale and marketing of a product. This fragmentation of the production process and the international dispersion of tasks (relocation of production) are creating a system without borders where products are “made in the world”, organized in sequential chains and complex networks that are known as global value chains (GVC) (Ferrando, 2013).
Although these chains can also be run in a country, the development of networks among countries is also feasible, provided that there are productive complementarities at the sectoral level. To that end, it is important to identify those items marketed among countries and study the similarities and differences in their productive structures. The existence of integration mechanisms at the regional level could facilitate the identification of productive complementarities and niches, which would lead to the generation of regional linkages. - Public initiatives in the field of productive transformation for inclusion in value chains
SMEs generate most jobs in Latin America and the Caribbean; in addition, their flexibility and adaptability can turn them into key players for the structural change of the region and, in particular, for the inclusion of countries in international markets. However, there are obstacles that limit the development and operation of small and medium-sized enterprises, such as their participation in efficient production processes and foray into new markets, informality, high costs in time and required documentation, credit restrictions, low investment in technology, among others. In this connection, it is necessary to consider the design of public policies that mitigate these difficulties, focusing on reducing costs, increasing access to financing and promoting development in productive activities with higher value added, in order to promote their inclusion in national and regional value chains.
- Opportunities for cooperation to enhance trade and productive development
Some initiatives for international cooperation will be presented to enhance the exchange of goods and services as a contribution to productive development. In this connection, and in order to support the Latin American and Caribbean integration process, the Secretariat for Central American Economic Integration presents the Central American Network of Commerce (RCAC), a regional platform for business intelligence and information developed to build partnerships among the business sector, professionals and institutional sector and provide information on business opportunities, market access, among others, as a fundamental element for trade facilitation among countries.
- Determining productive niches
In this session, experts in the field will enhance the exchange of experiences in the development of methodologies for identifying and determining productive sectors with potential. The Permanent Secretariat of SELA will present the methodology for the preliminary mapping of productive niches, linkages and trade links among countries in the region and will identify potential productive complementarities between sectors and countries. The goal is to encourage the creation of strategic partnerships among SMEs at the national and regional levels, thus promoting competition, trade, and innovation. In this connection, the aim is to provide information needed for the enrichment of the directory of SMEs, interconnections and business clusters.
