Cooperation projects are expected to be launched in the areas of education, labour, tourism, SMEs, gender, among others, with resources from the Pacific Alliance Cooperation Fund, support from the IDB and cooperation from the European Union.

July 9th, 2020. The virtual meeting of the High Level Group (GAN, by its acronym in Spanish) of the Pacific Alliance (PA), made up of the Vice-Ministers of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade of Chile, Colombia, Mexico and Peru, was recently held.

The meeting was led by Rodrigo Yáñez, Undersecretary of International Economic Relations of Chile – the country holding the pro tempore presidency of the regional bloc – and was attended by the Vice-Ministers of Multilateral Affairs, Adriana Mejía, and of Foreign Trade, Laura Valdivieso, from Colombia; the Undersecretary for Latin America and the Caribbean, Maximiliano Reyes, and the Undersecretary for Foreign Trade, Luz María de la Mora, both authorities of Mexico; and the Vice-Minister of Foreign Affairs, Jaime Pomareda, and the Vice-Minister of Foreign Trade, Sayuri Bayona of Peru.

The authorities reviewed the progress of the Work Plan to address COVID-19, which they approved last April, and which included measures in 14 priority areas such as market access, productive linkages, trade facilitation, support to our SMEs, tourism, e-commerce, among others.

The GAN also evaluated the projects submitted to the Cooperation Fund of the mechanism, whose resources will be used to alleviate the economic and social effects of the coronavirus in the countries of the PA.

For the time being, the GAN approved four projects presented by the Technical Groups of the mechanism:

• a promotion plan for the revival of tourism;
• the creation of a Social Observatory (which will also be supported by the European Union’s EUROsociAL + programme);
• a training plan to strengthen the digital skills of teachers and teaching managers; and
• strengthening the tourism sector through virtual training in PA countries.

In addition, the GAN agreed to continue working jointly with the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) and the Development Bank of Latin America (CAF) to develop other projects in the Work Plan to deal with COVID-19. Among the proposed projects, the following stand out: the Virtual Macro-round of Tourism of the Pacific Alliance 2020; the Policy Report on Reconciliation of Work and Family Life, and its impact on women entrepreneurs in the post-COVID-19 context; and the creation of web platforms on the digital economy.

On the occasion, the authorities highlighted the success of other actions promoted by the Technical Groups and Committees of the mechanism, such as the Covid Challenge, which was carried out with the support of the IDB, and for which 396 initiatives with innovative solutions to alleviate the pandemic were presented. The eight winning projects, two from each Pacific Alliance country, will receive seed money and advice from PA experts. Regarding trade facilitation, the online procedures for receiving certificates of origin and health certificates in digital form were highlighted; this has undoubtedly supported exporters during this period.

In terms of Trade Promotion, the adequacy of business macro-rounds in a digital way was analyzed, highlighting the success of the first e-round carried out with the United Kingdom, which achieved concrete business for US$1.5 million and expectations for US$17 million for the 50 exporters of the four countries. The next macro-rounds will be: Intra-Alliance and Central America, Europe and Asia-Oceania.

March 13th, 2020 – The Vice Ministers of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade of Chile, Colombia, Mexico and Peru, who make up the High Level Group (GAN, by its acronym in Spanish) of the Pacific Alliance, met in Lima, Peru, in order to evaluate strategic topics of this integration mechanism.

The GAN, at its first meeting in 2020, assessed progress in presidential mandates and issues related to the governance of the mechanism; in addition, it received the Director for the Americas of the European Foreign Service, Edit Hrdá, to discuss the current Pacific Alliance-EU agenda and identify possible cooperation actions within the framework of the Joint Declaration signed in 2019.

On the other hand, the GAN received Jessica Soto, Manager of Economic Affairs of the National Confederation of Private Business Institutions (CONFIEP) and Chapter of Peru in the Pacific Alliance Business Council (CEAP). The GAN had a detailed explanation of the actions that CEAP is developing and the actions that are being taken in the governments in this regard.

In addition, the GAN analyzed the measures that are being taken in the Pacific Alliance countries with regard to COVID-19 and agreed on the need to coordinate efforts in the face of the commercial impact that it might have.

In the framework of this meeting, the technical groups that make up the Pacific Alliance met. Likewise, the Committees that are part of the Trade Agreement of the mechanism met.

The Pacific Alliance is a regional integration initiative made up of Chile, Colombia, Mexico and Peru, officially created on April 28^th, 2011. The countries of the mechanism represent the world’s eighth largest economy.

With the participation of representatives of the public and private sectors, a dialogue on innovation as the main instrument for generating productivity and competitiveness of SMEs was held in Lima.

The public-private dialogue aimed to identify the barriers and challenges that SMEs face to innovate, as well as to know the instruments to bring innovation closer to SMEs and the strategies of the startup model. All this in order to give them adequate support that allows them to transcend and internationalize, taking advantage of the opportunities offered by the Pacific Alliance.

During the event, the relevance of SMEs for the Pacific Alliance was highlighted and initiatives in favor of these were disseminated, such as the CAF Fund; likewise, the importance of the Pacific Alliance innovation and entrepreneurship ecosystem made up of initiatives such as AcelerAP or InnovAP was underlined.

It should be noted that the Pacific Alliance considers the development of innovation as the main instrument to increase the productivity and competitiveness of SMEs in the region; since innovation contributes to the acquisition of new knowledge and capabilities, it shortens technological gaps and accelerates the internationalization of SMEs.

Lima, Peru, March 10th, 2020 – Today, at the Ministry of Foreign Trade and Tourism of Peru, the signing of the Agreement for the creation of a voluntary registration of Engineering professionals from the countries of the Pacific Alliance took place.

This Agreement will allow the visibility of the Pacific Alliance Engineers at regional level, facilitating liaison with companies from other Alliance countries and generating for the four countries greater opportunities in this area, future production chains and increased commercial exchange.

This Agreement was agreed upon by nine participants: the College of Engineers of Chile, the National Professional Council of Engineering of Colombia; the National Professional Council of Electrical, Mechanical and Related Professions of Colombia; the Professional Council of Transport and Roads Engineering of the Republic of Colombia; the Professional Council of Chemical Engineering of Colombia; the Professional Council of Naval Engineering of Colombia; the Mexican Committee for the International Practice of Engineering in Mexico; the Technical Advisory Commission of Engineering of Mexico; and the College of Engineers of Peru.

An Engineering professional who meets the established criteria and requirements may belong to a voluntary registry that will give him/her greater visibility, prestige and reliability when working in other countries of the Alliance.

Alejandro Buvinic, National Coordinator of Chile said that this Agreement “represents a boost for the deepening of a better trade in professional Engineering services within the Alliance. We are enthusiastic that the Colleges and Professional Engineering Councils of Chile, Colombia, Peru and Mexico have been able to sign this agreement, which will also bring immediate results.

Within the framework of the meetings of the Technical Groups and the High Level Group of the Pacific Alliance is held in Lima, Peru, the training “Gender Mainstreaming in the Pacific Alliance” aimed at the Technical Groups that make up this integration mechanism.

The event was opened by the Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs of Peru, Jaime Pomareda, the Deputy Minister for Foreign Trade of Peru, Sayuri Bayona and the General Director of Gender Equality and Non-Discrimination of the Ministry of Women and Vulnerable Populations, Jeannette Llaja.

In his opening remarks, the Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs of Peru, stressed that carrying out this training constitutes in itself the fulfillment of a presidential mandate of the Pacific Alliance and that the presence of technical groups in this activity contributes to the purpose of mainstream the gender approach in the activities of the Pacific Alliance.

She also highlighted that “activities like this are a tribute and a clear message for women, in the sense that gender equality is a priority topic on our agendas.”  For her part, Vice Minister Bayona, stressed that this activity is a space for reflection so that, from the different technical groups of the Pacific Alliance, the role of women can be addressed in order to achieve a more just and equitable society.

As part of the training, the conference “Mainstreaming gender equality: with an emphasis on trade and gender” was held by the consultant to the Inter-American Development Bank, Alicia Frohmann, during which members of the various Technical Groups of the Pacific Alliance actively participated.

At the end of her presentation, the speaker highlighted that this activity represents a pioneering effort with a special level of depth in order to reach all the technical groups of the Pacific Alliance. She also emphasized that this is an initiative never before carried out in any country in Latin America and the world; in that regard, she congratulated the Technical Group of Gender for this activity.

ASEAN and the Pacific Alliance emphasized their commitment to forge stronger ties between the two regional mechanisms during the 6^th ASEAN-Pacific Alliance Ministerial Meeting held on 28 September 2019 on the sidelines of the 74^th Session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York City, USA. The Meeting was co-chaired by H.E. Mr. Prak Sokhonn, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation of the Kingdom of Cambodia, and H.E. Mr. Teodoro Ribera Neumann, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Chile.

The Ministers noted the recent developments in ASEAN and the Pacific Alliance, including the outcomes of the 52^nd ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Meeting and Related Meetings, the 34^th ASEAN Summit as well as the 14^th Pacific Alliance Summit. The Ministers took note of the key priorities of the Pacific Alliance Pro-Tempore Presidency which are reflected in the Lima Declaration signed in July 2019. The Ministers reaffirmed the importance of strengthening the cooperation through, inter alia, ministerial meetings on the sidelines of the UNGA in order to boost relations as well as to develop initiatives in dealing with regional and global issues for the benefits of the two regions.

Cognizant of global challenges such as an increase in protectionist measures, effects of climate change and the Fourth Industrial Revolution and Artificial Intelligence (AI), among others, the Ministers emphasized that countries and regions should cooperate and share best practices that support resilience and innovation in the Asia-Pacific. They also stressed the importance of promoting free trade and reaffirmed support for the open, rules-based multilateral trading system as embodied by the World Trade Organization as well as stressed the importance of supporting Micro, Small and Medium sized Enterprises since they play a significant role in both ASEAN and the Pacific Alliance.

The Ministers reviewed the implementation of the ASEAN-Pacific Alliance Work Plan (2017-2019), welcomed its extension for another year to December 2020 and agreed to expedite its implementation. While recognizing the existing four areas within the ASEAN-PA Framework of Cooperation that was adopted in 2016. Likewise, the Ministers underscored the importance of expanding cooperation to cover areas of mutual interests such as trade facilitation, smart cities, digital economy, disaster management, renewable energy, connectivity, addressing climate change, and combating plastic debris. Towards this end, the Ministers tasked officials to look into the development of a new Work Plan.

The Ministers recognized the importance to enhance efforts to achieve greater connectivity between the two regions via trade, tourism and people-to-people exchanges. In this regard, the Ministers encouraged utilizing technology such as video conferencing to increase contacts between both sides.

The Ministers extended their warmest congratulations to the Philippines for being conferred the status of Observer State of the Pacific Alliance at the 14^th Pacific Alliance Summit held in Lima in July this year, joining Indonesia, Singapore, and Thailand.ASEAN Ministers also congratulated Chile for its upcoming hosting of the 2019 United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP25) in December this year. Similarly, they welcomed Chile as the newest Development Partner of ASEAN and the accession of Peru to the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in Southeast Asia (TAC).

New York, 28 September 2019

Con la participación de los mandatarios de Chile, Sebastián Piñera; de Colombia, Iván Duque; del Perú, Martín Vizcarra; y de la Secretaria de Economía de México, Graciela Márquez, se realizó, el 25 de septiembre en la sede del Council of the Americas en Nueva York, el foro titulado: “El futuro del trabajo de la AP frente a los desafíos de la Cuarta Revolución Industrial”.

Durante su participación, el presidente de Chile, Sebastián Piñera, destacó el plan de acción con el que cuenta la Alianza del Pacífico a fin de enfrentar, entre otras cosas, los desafíos de la Cuarta Revolución Industrial. Asimismo, subrayó que la infraestructura, la educación y reglas de juego que impulsen el emprendimiento son fundamentales para esta revolución.

Por su parte, el presidente de Colombia, Iván Duque, destacó el enorme potencial de las industrias creativas, así como la necesidad de añadir componentes humanísticos y creativos a las áreas de la Cuarta Revolución Industrial a fin de generar grandes oportunidades de empleo para la juventud, cerrando brechas sociales y mejorando la calidad de vida.

El presidente del Perú, Martín Vizcarra, afirmó que el gran reto de los países de América Latina es cerrar las brechas en tecnología a fin de mejorar la calidad de vida de los ciudadanos. El reto de nuestros países es lograr que estas nuevas tecnologías sirvan para mejorar el nivel de vida de todas las personas, puntualizó.

Finalmente, la Secretaria de Economía de México, Graciela Márquez, señaló que la innovación es una herramienta importante para enfrentar el reto que presenta la Cuarta Revolución Industrial en términos de empleo y desigualdad. Precisó que es necesaria una innovación que permita hacer un uso más eficiente de todos los recursos e insumos puestos en la producción.

Este evento, dio a conocer a los presentes los logros alcanzados por el mecanismo. Además, propició un intercambio de ideas que permitirá a la Alianza del Pacífico retomarlas y trabajarlas para enfrentar los retos actuales, incluidos los de la Cuarta Revolución Industrial.

En esta ocasión, los mandatarios y la Secretaria de Economía dialogaron sobre la necesidad que tiene la Alianza del Pacífico para avanzar en la ejecución de la Visión Estratégica 2030 para una Alianza más integrada, mejor conectada, más global y más ciudadana, y que aspire hacia un desarrollo más inclusivo y sostenible.

El evento contó con la presencia de inversionistas internacionales de alto nivel, representantes de fondos de capital, multinacionales del sector de servicios, empresas del sector inmobiliario y de infraestructura, así como empresas de capital de riesgo, entre otras.

Este foro, fue organizado por Chile en su calidad de presidencia pro témpore del mecanismo, con el apoyo de los demás países que integran este bloque -Colombia, México y Perú.

La Alianza del Pacífico es una iniciativa de integración regional profunda que apunta a disminuir las barreras comerciales y fomentar la libre circulación de bienes, servicios, capital y personas entre sus cuatro países miembros: Chile, Colombia, México y Perú.

Conformada en 2011, con especial énfasis hacia el Asia – Pacífico, la Alianza del Pacífico ha desempeñado un papel destacado en la economía de América Latina y el Caribe.

Today, in New York City, the High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy/Vice-President of the European Commission Federica Mogherini and the Council of Ministers of the Pacific Alliance composed of Chile, Colombia, Mexico and Peru, signed a Joint Declaration, in which they agreed to deepen the partnership between the two regional blocs.

High Representative Mogherini said at the occasion: “The European Union is committed to strengthening its political, economic and cooperation ties with the Pacific Alliance. The Alliance is a driver of regional integration in Latin America, with whom we have a solid friendship and we share fundamental values, a strong belief in multilateralism and a joint commitment in promoting the 2030 Agenda and its Sustainable Development Goals”.

Mr Teodoro Ribera Neumann, Foreign Minister of Chile, the country who currently holds the Presidency Pro Tempore of the Pacific Alliance, stated: “The instrument we subscribe today will allow us to strengthen these bonds of friendship and solidarity, and at the same time consolidate the economic relationship and cooperation we have, as Pacific Alliance, with the European Union.”

The Joint Declaration signed today provides a framework to strengthen cooperation and dialogue between the European Union and the Pacific Alliance for the coming years. It identifies multiple areas of common interest, where there is clear potential to deepen cooperation. Such areas include regional economic and financial integration, digital strategies, the fight against climate change and the promotion of green growth, the facilitation of the movement of persons, as well as innovation, science and technology.

Background

The European Union and the Pacific Alliance have been working for many years to strengthen their relationship and accomplish its objective of achieving the free movement of people, goods, services and capitals. In that sense, both parties have committed to promote these objectives in areas as such as trade and investment, financial integration, SMEs, digital economy innovation, science and technology.

In the margins of the EU-CELAC Foreign Ministers Meeting in Brussels in July 2018, hosted by High Representative Mogherini with Foreign Ministers of the Pacific Alliance and European Union Member States, both sides agreed to identify specific areas of dialogue, cooperation and mutually beneficial activities. The Joint Declaration is the result of this commitment and will guide the work towards a deeper and strengthened EU-Pacific Alliance partnership.