XXIX MEETING OF INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION DIRECTORS FOR LATIN AMERICA AND THE CARIBBEAN: STRENGTHENING COOPERATION IN COMMERCIAL CONNECTIVITY IN LATIN AMERICA AND THE CARIBBEAN: TOWARDS GREATER INTEGRATION INTO VALUE CHAINS

The XXIX Meeting of International Cooperation Directors for Latin America and the Caribbean  focused on the identification of the main opportunities and challenges posed by international cooperation, triangular cooperation and South-South Cooperation in strengthening trade infrastructure and on the presentation of the achievements made in the management of trade infrastructure through an evaluation of the status of execution of physical works and the use of information and communications technologies for the d, in order to make progress with efforts to achieve greater participation of the region in global value chains.

This meeting aimed to create a space for synergy in the management of trade infrastructure with a view to reducing costs and timeframes in foreign trade logistics. The Meeting of International Cooperation Directors for Latin America and the Caribbean has been a timely and suitable space to promote the analysis and treatment of issues of high priority on the international cooperation agenda from the Latin American and Caribbean perspective, as well as to serve as a meeting point for the exchange of successful experiences and best practices associated with the topic addressed. On this occasion, the topics were as follows: 

1. Importance of trade infrastructure for economic development;
2. Infrastructure as leverage for the development of regional value chains;
3. Funding opportunities in the field of infrastructure by financial development institutions and international cooperation agencies; and
4. Incentives for resource mobilization and harmonization of South-South Cooperation policies.

The “XXIX Meeting of International Cooperation Directors for Latin America and the Caribbean: Strengthening cooperation in commercial connectivity in Latin America and the Caribbean: Towards greater integration into value chains” was an initiative of the Permanent Secretariat of SELA, which counts on the support of the Perez-Guerrero Trust Fund (PGTF) of the Group of 77 (G77) and the cooperation of the Ministry of Economy, Planning and Development of Dominican Republic, through the Directorate-General for Multilateral Cooperation (DIGECOOM).