December 10, 2021.- The Pacific Alliance presented this Friday the Shared Virtual Training Portal, a space aimed at acquiring the necessary job skills for the tourism sector, digital and linguistic skills, as well as essential competencies for other areas, such as trade and marketing and entrepreneurship, in order to promote the reactivation of the region.

Adela Maestre, representing the pro tempore presidency of Colombia, emphasized the importance of strengthening tourism activity, given its sharp decline both in the PA countries and on a global scale as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, one of the purposes of this new platform.

«It is achievements like these that give meaning to integration and allow our citizens to feel that the efforts made by governments translate into concrete benefits for them,» added Maestre.

The initiative was led by the Technical Labor Group (GTL) with the support of the European Union Program for Social Cohesion in Latin America – EUROsociAL.

Janet Ortega, GTL Coordinator, also stressed that, with this platform, «we want to promote the strengthening of the employability of the region’s workers and thus ensure that they are prepared to adapt to a changing labor market, favoring, when necessary, their labor mobility and with it, their social welfare».

To learn more about the platform just click here: https://capacitacion.alianzapacifico.net/

December 9, 2021.- The Embassies of Chile, Colombia, Mexico and Peru in the Republic of Korea, in collaboration with the School of Public Policy and Management of the Korea Development Institute (KDI), held an Academic Forum on December 9 in Sejong City, headquarters of the Korean Public Administration, to commemorate the 10th anniversary of the creation of the Pacific Alliance (PA).

Under the coordination of the Embassy of Colombia, in its capacity as pro tempore presidency of the Pacific Alliance, the Academic Forum 2021 was attended by Dr. Chun Yoon-jong, Vice Minister of Trade and Negotiations of the Ministry of Industry, Trade and Energy of the Republic of Korea, who formally opened the Forum in the company of the Rector of the KDI School of Public Policy, Dr. You Jong-il, and the heads of the Embassies of the Pacific Alliance in Korea.

During his inaugural message, Vice Minister Chun highlighted his country’s strong coincidence with the integration objectives of the Pacific Alliance, in addition to expressing the Korean government’s deep interest in continuing to deepen its partnership with the member countries, in its capacity as an Observer State and an aspiring PA Associate State. The Vice Minister also emphasized the strategic nature of the PA for Korea, since, at the close of 2020, trade with the four countries accounted for 60% of its total trade in Latin America. Korea joined the PA as an Observer State in 2013.

In their speech, the Ambassadors of Colombia, Mexico and Peru, and the Chargé d’Affaires, a.i. of Chile, presented a detailed balance of the main achievements of the PA in its first 10 years, with emphasis on the actions implemented to fulfill the Strategic Vision 2030, which will deepen its level of integration to promote the development of its members.

Formally established in April 2011, the Pacific Alliance is a regional integration mechanism that brings together Chile, Colombia, Mexico and Peru, with the purpose of promoting greater growth, development and competitiveness of the economies and advancing the free movement of goods, services, capital and people.

PACIFIC ALLIANCE PPT COMMUNICATIONS

November 29, 2021.- With the slogan «Economic and sustainable reactivation of the region: contributions of international cooperation», the III Cooperation Forum of the Pacific Alliance was held on Monday, a space for dialogue and exchange of knowledge and experiences with the Observer States of the bloc, other regional blocs and allies such as the Inter-American Development Bank, with the purpose of promoting and stimulating cooperation in the context of the post-pandemic.

The forum, which was held virtually, had the opening words of the Vice Minister of Multilateral Affairs, María Carmelina Londoño, as representative of the pro tempore presidency of the Pacific Alliance, who emphasized the priority that economic reactivation means for the PA countries and the fundamental role of international cooperation in fulfilling this purpose. «International cooperation is one of the fundamental pillars of the PA and contributes significantly to the achievement of a more global Alliance,» said the Vice Minister.

During the Forum, five dialogue tables were held on the topics of gender and women’s economic empowerment; environment and sustainability; creative industries; economic recovery with emphasis on the tourism sector; and disaster risk reduction. The dialogue tables served as a space for the technical bodies of the Pacific Alliance and experts from the Observer States to exchange views and share experiences that can contribute to the resolution of a regional need identified in each of the tables.

«We are sure that this space will be conducive to generate exchanges of experiences and good practices, for the benefit of our countries and at the same time, explore the possibility of sharing our experiences as a bloc and promote relevant issues by deepening cooperation relations with allies and partners with whom we meet today,» concluded Vice Minister Londoño.

Also speaking at the opening of the III Cooperation Forum were the Deputy Minister of International Trade of Canada, John Hannaford; the Executive Director for the Americas of the European External Action Service, Javier Niño; the Deputy Director General for the Americas of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, Ambassador Yurii Diudin, and the Director of Supply of the Presidential Agency for International Cooperation of Colombia (APC Colombia), Catalina Quintero. The closing and conclusions were in charge of the Director of International Cooperation of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Colombia, Álvaro Calderón Ponce de León.

PACIFIC ALLIANCE PPT COMMUNICATIONS

November 24, 2021.- In order to continue strengthening the ties of friendship and cooperation between the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and the Pacific Alliance (PA), the annual meeting between the Permanent Representatives Committee and the National Coordinators of both regional blocs was held on Wednesday. At this meeting, the 2021-2025 Work Plan was adopted, which is focused on the following areas: economic cooperation; in education and culture; science, technology and innovation, as well as smart cities and connectivity; environment and sustainable development; and post-pandemic recovery.

«We are sure that it will contribute to the rapprochement between our regions, generating spaces for interaction and cooperation, exchange of experiences and best practices that will strengthen the capacities of our blocs and each of our countries,» said Luis Felipe Quintero, Colombia’s Chief Negotiator for the Pacific Alliance and National Coordinator (E).

Among the initiatives contemplated in terms of economic cooperation are the organization of investment and trade activities between member countries; the promotion of cooperation in areas such as the digital economy, e-commerce, cybersecurity and the development of micro, small and medium-sized enterprises, the economic empowerment of women and youth employability.

In the area of education and culture, both mechanisms agreed to promote cooperation and the exchange of experiences and knowledge in e-learning, technical and vocational education and training, people-to-people contact (mainly in relation to the revival of sustainable tourism) and cultural exchanges.

In relation to science, technology and innovation, they will also work on the exchange of experiences and best practices in digital economy material such as the PA Regional Digital Market Roadmap and the ASEAN Digital Masterplan, the promotion of women’s participation in these areas, as well as the exploration of opportunities in connectivity and smart cities.

On a joint work on environment, issues such as the fulfillment of the Sustainable Development Goals, plastic waste management, the fight against deforestation, the promotion of circular economy, among others, are part of the Work Plan. «Environmental transformation is one of the issues that will not only protect our planet, but also stimulate our economies and promote their growth,» added Luis Felipe Quintero.

Faced with the post-pandemic recovery, there are two main bets: a recovery with a gender focus and the promotion of the exchange of information on prevention and response measures to COVID-19.

«In these challenging times, the Pacific Alliance and ASEAN need each other to fight the pandemic, boost trade and the economy, address climate change, and reinforce our common goals on issues such as digital transformation and gender equity,» concluded Luis Felipe Quintero.

Read the 2021-2025 Work Plan in English here.

PACIFIC ALLIANCE PPT COMMUNICATIONS