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XI LAB4+ Forum concludes with business projections of more than US$10 million

Posted on by Angélica Alfaro
27
Nov

The event, organized by ProChile in conjunction with ProColombia, the Mexican Ministry of Economy and Promperú, brought together 157 companies, including 33 startups, 16 investors, 28 buyers and 80 exporters of services from the member countries of the Pacific Alliance.

November 27, 2024.- With results that reaffirm its impact on the innovation and export ecosystem, the XI LAB4+ Forum concluded with business projections exceeding US$10 million. This meeting, held in Santiago, Chile, stood out as a strategic platform to strengthen the international presence of startups, exporters and innovators from the Pacific Alliance (PA).

The event brought together 157 companies, including 33 startups, 16 investors, 28 buyers and 80 exporters of services from the member countries of the Pacific Alliance: Chile, Colombia, Mexico and Peru. A total of 189 business meetings were held, generating concrete opportunities to expand markets and establish strategic alliances in key sectors such as information technologies, climate change, cybersecurity and financial services.

The general director of ProChile, Ignacio Fernández, said that “the results of this Forum reflect the potential of the Pacific Alliance as an innovative and competitive economic bloc. A business projection of more than US$10 million not only represents an achievement for the participating companies, but is also an indicator of the transforming impact that this platform generates in the internationalization of our entrepreneurs”.

During two days of activities, a business roundtable was held between exporting companies from Chile, Colombia, Mexico and Peru, and importers from the Pacific Alliance countries and priority markets. In addition, there were academic spaces and a day of pitch sessions between investors from the innovative ecosystem of the countries of the bloc, Europe and North America, interested in the services and technological innovations offered by entrepreneurs from the countries of the Pacific Alliance.

The president of ProColombia, Carmen Caballero, highlighted Colombia’s role in strengthening innovation and sustainability in the framework of the XI LAB4+ Forum. “Colombia, ‘The Country of Beauty,’ has immense potential to position itself as a key player in global markets thanks to its diversity and its ability to develop innovative and sustainable solutions. From ProColombia, we celebrate the outstanding participation, creativity and talent of our entrepreneurs in this important meeting, which included services in agritech, cybersecurity, edtech, healthtech and other software solutions from creative and cultural industries,” she said.

For his part, the Director of Business Investment Promotion of PROMPERÚ, Daniel Córdova, said that “we are very satisfied with our participation in LAB4+, because it has allowed us to show that Peru aims to grow and consolidate its entrepreneurship and innovation ecosystem, whose strength lies in a thriving business network that is gradually becoming more sophisticated, composed of universities, incubators, accelerators, impact investment funds, corporate actors and business groups that form and nurture startups. Proof of this has been the participation of Peruvian startups, which have been able to present the value of their technological solutions and the potential of their business models to representatives of venture capital companies, which -we trust- will bet on Peruvian entrepreneurship in innovation. I welcome the effort being made by the Pacific Alliance to promote the economic and technological development of our region”.

Beatriz Cervantes Mandujano, Economic Affairs Attaché of the Embassy of Mexico in Chile, said that “the XI LAB4+ Forum reaffirms Mexico’s role as a benchmark in the export of innovative and sustainable services. From the Ministry of Economy and the Embassy of Mexico in Chile, we promote regional integration and seek to expand opportunities for our companies in key sectors such as technology, cybersecurity and clean energy. We highlight the participation of startups and service exporters, who achieved business projections of more than US$10 million in a space that connected talent, creativity and technological solutions between the countries of the Pacific Alliance. With an eye on the future, the next edition of LAB4+ in Colombia will be an opportunity to continue consolidating the presence of Mexico and the region as an innovative and competitive bloc in global markets.”

About LAB4+

Since its creation, LAB4+ has supported the internationalization of more than 100 startups and innovative companies. This year, with projections of $10,943,701 million, the Forum reinforces its position as a key driver for economic growth and the development of sustainable and innovative solutions in the region.

The next edition of the LAB4+ Forum will be held in Colombia, further strengthening the collaboration between the Pacific Alliance countries in innovation and technological development. This move symbolizes the bloc’s commitment to maintain and expand cooperation spaces that connect Latin America with the world, promoting its entrepreneurs in global markets and consolidating the Pacific Alliance as a leader in innovation and entrepreneurship in the region.

With LAB4+ in Colombia, a strategic space will continue to be offered to promote growth, business opportunities and technological development throughout the region.

See photos

Communications PPT 2024 Pacific Alliance

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Lab4+, the Innovation and Entrepreneurship Forum of the Pacific Alliance, begins

Posted on by Angélica Alfaro
21
Nov

Within the framework of EtMday 2024, the pro tempore presidency Chile 2024 of the Pacific Alliance is holding this event in conjunction with the Technical Group of Promotion Agencies of the PA, which will be a meeting point for 40 startups, 17 investors, 31 buyers and more than 120 exporters of services and innovation.

November 21, 2024 – The XI Entrepreneurship and Innovation Forum LAB4+, organized by the Technical Group of Promotion Agencies of the Pacific Alliance: ProChile, ProColombia, Secretariat of Economy of Mexico and PromPeru, under the pro tempore presidency of Chile 2024, kicked off this Thursday.

The event is being held for the first time in the framework of the fourth version of EtMday 2024, the International Meeting of Innovation, Entrepreneurship and Investment, which takes place from November 21 to 23, 2024 at the Bicentennial Park of Vitacura, in Santiago de Chile.

The merger of these events is a strategic bet that seeks to maximize the impact of both meetings, boosting the innovation and entrepreneurship ecosystem in the member countries of the Pacific Alliance -Chile, Colombia, Mexico and Peru-, projecting it internationally.

The inauguration was attended by the Undersecretary of International Economic Relations, Claudia Sanhueza; the general director of ProChile, Ignacio Fernández; diplomatic and commercial representatives from Colombia, Peru and Mexico; Daniel Daccarett, co-founder of ETM; and Carlos Honorato, founder of LAB4+.

The event is a meeting point for 40 startups, 17 investors, 31 buyers and more than 120 exporters of services and innovation, in total, more than 230 companies from member countries, focusing on strategic sectors such as information technologies, artificial intelligence, climate change, cybersecurity and financial services.

Among the main activities, the Forum includes a business roundtable with more than 400 projected meetings between exporting companies from Chile, Colombia, Mexico and Peru, and importers from the Pacific Alliance countries and priority markets. In addition, there will be academic spaces and a day of Pitch Sessions between investors from the innovative ecosystem of the countries of the bloc, Europe and North America, interested in the services and technological innovations offered by entrepreneurs from the Pacific Alliance countries.

In previous editions, LAB4+ has been key in the internationalization of more than a hundred startups and innovative companies.

PHOTOS (Flickr album)

Communications PPT 2024 Pacific Alliance

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Pacific Alliance holds a meeting to learn about the strengths, opportunities and challenges of English language teaching and learning policies

Posted on by Angélica Alfaro
20
Nov

November 20, 2024.- On November 18 and 19, within the framework of the face-to-face sessions of the Pacific Alliance English Network (RIAP), the Chilean coordination of the Technical Education Group (GTE) of the Pacific Alliance organized the meeting “Strengths, opportunities and challenges of the policies for teaching and learning English as a foreign language”, with the participation of the focal points of the Ministries of Education of the four RIAP member countries: Chile, Colombia, Mexico and Peru.

Also participating in the meeting were authorities from the Chilean Ministry of Education (MINEDUC) and experts from its English Opens Doors Program (PIAP); members of the Chilean Research Network in English Language Teaching; and representatives from the embassies and institutes of some English-speaking countries that are Observer States of the Pacific Alliance and actively collaborate with RIAP.

During these RIAP days, the focal points were also able to present and explain in detail their respective programs and mechanisms for teaching and learning English, sharing best practices and generating sectoral integration links that are extremely useful for the technical teams in charge of this matter.

There was also an illustrative visit to a Chilean educational establishment, which included a special meeting for the exchange of experiences among networks of English teachers. In addition, various networking activities were carried out with strategic actors to take full advantage of the presence in Chile of the focal points of the member countries.

Communications PPT 2024 Pacific Alliance

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Pacific Alliance participates in the Latin America Week 2004 at the University of St. Gallen in Switzerland

Posted on by Angélica Alfaro
24
Oct

October 24, 2024 – Representatives of the Pacific Alliance, a regional bloc made up of Chile, Colombia, Mexico and Peru, participated in Latin America Week 2024, an annual event organized by the Institute of Management for Latin America of the University of St. Gallen, Switzerland, whose objective is to promote collaboration between Swiss and Latin American institutions in the fields of science, innovation and diplomacy.

The “Roundtable on the Pacific Alliance: Opportunities and Challenges Beyond Trade” was organized in conjunction with the Embassy of Chile in Switzerland, which this year holds the pro tempore presidency of the bloc, and in collaboration with the other PA embassies, and focused on the opportunities and challenges facing the Pacific Alliance beyond trade.

In particular, Chile’s Ambassador to Switzerland, Frank Tressler, presented the work of the Pacific Alliance in supporting small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and promoting gender equality. The Ambassador of Colombia in Switzerland, Francisco Echeverri, referred to the Pacific Alliance’s initiatives to facilitate the movement of people between member countries.

In the area of cultural cooperation, the Mexican Ambassador to Switzerland, Cecilia Jaber, presented the Pacific Alliance’s projects in the field of cultural cooperation. And finally, the Peruvian Ambassador to Switzerland, Luis Castro Joo, addressed the environment and, specifically, the work related to the sustainable management of plastics in the Pacific Alliance.

The event was attended by academics, policy makers, private sector representatives and people interested in regional integration in Latin America and the prospects for the Pacific Alliance.

Communications PPT 2024 Pacific Alliance

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Good practices that promote women’s leadership in the tourism sector in the Pacific Alliance

Posted on by Angélica Alfaro
18
Oct

October 18, 2024.- Within the framework of the Cooperation Agreement on Tourism and the Specific Cooperation Program on Tourism, the Technical Group on Tourism of the Pacific Alliance held this week the webinar “Good practices that promote women’s leadership in the tourism sector”, which seeks to show opportunities for women’s participation in the workforce, thus expanding the role of women in society.

During the webinar, Conzuelo Contreras Rodríguez, in charge of the Local Development Sub-unit, of the Development Sub-directorate of the National Tourism Service (Sernatur) of Chile, presented the progress, achievements and challenges faced by this country in implementing a strategy focused on gender inclusion that has evolved over 22 years, highlighting the various initiatives related to gender and tourism for the industry that has been developed in Sernatur.

Likewise, Marai Tello Leyva, coordinator of the Sustainable Tourism Program, Friends of Siankaan and representative of Mexico, presented the implementation of the gender equality strategy of the “Kuxatur” project, which is the product of a collaborative analysis worked in three pilot sites: Baja California Sur, Oaxaca and Quintana Roo; which has managed to identify a set of external facilitating factors for gender mainstreaming, with emphasis on the community tourism sector of the 3 pilot sites, providing each party directly or indirectly involved with the project, a means of consultation and a tool that incorporates lessons learned and a set of good practices to generate synergies between actors and outline work plans both within the institution and on a multi-stakeholder scale.

About the Technical Group on Tourism

The objective of the TGT is to work on projects, activities and joint actions to strengthen the sector in the member countries of the bloc. These actions will be oriented towards the exchange of experiences, mutual support in multilateral scenarios, facilitation of mobility, and the realization of promotional events, or specialized business roundtables among others.

The Technical Group on Tourism will continue to work on activities that promote more women in leadership positions in the tourism sector, as well as other identified practices that contribute to closing economic gender gaps.

It is a priority for the Pacific Alliance countries to improve the empowerment of women and protect their rights in the tourism sector:

  • Promote the entrepreneurial spirit of women in tourism.
  • Promote women through education and training.
  • Protect vulnerable women and those working in tourism businesses from their homes.

Communications PPT 2024 Pacific Alliance

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Promotion Agencies of the Pacific Alliance open registrations to participate in LAB4+

Posted on by Angélica Alfaro
07
Oct

The Pacific Alliance Entrepreneurship and Innovation Forum expands its horizons to the European market.

October 7, 2024.- The Pacific Alliance announced the opening of the calls for the XI version of the Entrepreneurship and Innovation Forum LAB4+. The activity will take place from November 20 to 23, 2024 at the Bicentennial Park, Vitacura, in Santiago, Chile.

This year, under the pro tempore presidency of Chile, the Forum will be part of EtM Day, the largest innovation meeting in the region held annually in Santiago de Chile; and will seek to enhance the impact of service and innovation companies from Chile, Colombia, Mexico and Peru, and North America, expanding its reach to European markets.

LAB4+ has established itself as an iconic event for the export of services based on technology and innovation, being a key meeting point between entrepreneurs, investors, buyers and exporters of the 4.0 industry ecosystem of the member countries of the Pacific Alliance. This year, the link with the European ecosystem reinforces the Forum’s commitment to position the Alliance as a regional integration bloc that promotes entrepreneurship, innovation and trade in services.

About the activity

Organized by the Technical Group of Promotion Agencies of the Pacific Alliance (ProChile, ProColombia, Secretariat of Economy of Mexico and PromPerú), the LAB4+ Forum will offer a complete experience with four main components.

  1. Academic Agenda/Conference Program: Experts from the innovation ecosystem and representatives from promotion agencies will share their knowledge on key topics for business development in the prioritized markets. In addition, there will be academic support for startups to prepare their pitches.

  2. Orientation sessions: Leaders of companies in target sectors will present key aspects for doing business in the selected markets.

  3. Business Roundtable: Exporting companies from the AP bloc will present their offer to international buyers, with the aim of generating effective business meetings.

  4. Pitch Sessions: Startups from the AP block will present their innovations to major international investors, with a focus on sectors such as FinTech, HealthTech, AgriTech, EdTech, PropTech, among others.

Participation Process

Companies interested in participating in the Business Roundtable or Pitch Sessions must register through the official website of the event, completing the registration form before October 30. These registrations will be validated by the promotion agencies of each country and the selected companies will receive a confirmation email.

Registration and activities schedule

  • Registration: October 1 to 30
  • Validation and confirmation of companies: October 7 – November 8
  • Scheduling of business appointments: October 14 to November 11
  • Academic day: October 29th
  • Startups/Pitch Qualifiers: November 4 to November 8
  • LAB4+ Forum: November 20th to 23rd

This event promises to be a unique platform to strengthen business integration and innovation in the region, and explore new prioritized opportunities.

Communications PPT 2024 Pacific Alliance

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Technical Committee for the IX Pacific Alliance Youth Meeting kicks off the event

Posted on by Angélica Alfaro
30
Sep

September 30, 2024.- Today was held the 2nd meeting of the Technical Committee for the IX Pacific Alliance Youth Meeting, an event that will take place this coming October 23 at Espacio Riesco in Santiago, and which is organized together with the Swiss company Nestlé.

The meeting, held in the offices of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Chile, was headed by the general director (s) of Multilateral Economic Affairs of the Undersecretary of International Economic Relations of Chile, Cristóbal Ramírez, and the director of Corporate and Legal Affairs of Nestlé Chile, Andrés Eyzaguirre, accompanied by his team, and was attended by representatives of the Ministries of Economy, Agriculture, Education, Science, Technology, Knowledge and Innovation, Labor, as well as INJUV, CORFO and the Swiss Embassy in Chile.

The representatives of the company emphasized that the Meeting will have the active presence of close to one thousand young people, 700 young people from Chile as host country, plus 112 guests from Colombia, Mexico and Peru, and 7 from Costa Rica, plus 51 foreign guests, as well as companies, local associations and national and international press.

They also confirmed that the event will be inaugurated by the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Chile, Alberto van Klaveren, and by the recently appointed Global CEO of Nestlé, Laurent Freixe.

During the event, the Youth Expo will also be held, there will be panels, talks, a discussion with authorities of the Pacific Alliance, among other activities.

Communications PPT 2024 Pacific Alliance

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Ministerial Meeting of the Pacific Alliance and ASEAN takes place in New York 

Posted on by Angélica Alfaro
25
Sep

September 25, 2024.- In the framework of the United Nations General Assembly, the Seventh Ministerial Meeting between the Pacific Alliance (PA) and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) was held today in New York, United States. This activity – which had not been held since 2019 due to the coronavirus pandemic – was co-chaired by the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Chile, Alberto van Klaveren, in his capacity as pro tempore presidency of the PA, and the Secretary of Foreign Affairs of the Philippines, Enrique Manalo, the country in charge this year in ASEAN of the relationship with the PA.

During the ministerial activity, the progress of the implementation of the 2021-2025 Work Plan between the Pacific Alliance and ASEAN was reviewed; and the need to further enhance cooperation between the Pacific Alliance and ASEAN in areas of mutual interest, including trade and investment, digital economy, MSMEs, tourism, education and cultural exchange, people-to-people engagement, science and technology, and sustainable development was highlighted.

In his speech, Minister Van Klaveren noted that the Pacific Alliance considers it very important to continue interregional cooperation in areas that are mutually beneficial to the peoples of both regions.

To follow:

CO-CHAIRS’ PRESS RELEASE

7th ASEAN-PACIFIC ALLIANCE MINISTERIAL MEETING

  1. ASEAN and the Pacific Alliance welcomed the Ministerial Meeting between the two regional mechanisms during the 7th ASEAN-Pacific Alliance Ministerial Meeting, held on 25 September 2024 on the sidelines of the 79th Session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York City, USA. The Meeting was co-chaired by H.E. Enrique A. Manalo, Secretary for Foreign Affairs of the Republic of the Philippines, and H.E. Alberto van Klaveren, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Chile, and was the first high level in-person interaction between ASEAN and the Pacific Alliance after their last Ministerial Meeting in September 2019.

  2. Acknowledging global challenges including post-pandemic economic recovery, climate change and disruptive technologies, the Ministers stressed the importance of continued inter-regional cooperation in mutually beneficial areas for the peoples of the two regions. In particular, the Ministers emphasized the importance of promoting free trade, digital economy, and people-to-people exchange. They also expressed continued support to the Micro, Small and Medium sized Enterprises (MSMEs) as a vital driving force of the economies of both regions.

  3. The Ministers reviewed the progress of the implementation of the ASEAN-Pacific Alliance (PA) Work Plan (2021-2025), following its adoption in November 2021, and underscored the need to further enhance ASEAN-Pacific Alliance cooperation in the areas of mutual interest, as may be mutually agreed, including trade and investment, digital economy, MSMEs, tourism, education and cultural exchange, people-to-people engagement, science and technology, and sustainable development. The Ministers also took special note of the virtual forum held on 26 June 2024, under the working theme “Mainstreaming Gender Equality: Sharing best practices between the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and the Pacific Alliance”, where both regional blocs reviewed the importance of sex disaggregated data to push forward women’s economic empowerment, and shared the efforts made to mainstreaming the gender perspective in our regions, including the main regional strategies on inclusive trade.

  4. The Ministers updated the ASEAN-Pacific Alliance Framework Agreement for Cooperation (FAC), adopted in September 2016, by endorsing the addendum to formally acknowledge that the National Coordinators of the Pacific Alliance subsumed the role of the Group of External Relations of the Pacific Alliance since July 2019. Both sides shared the relevance of institutionalizing the changes by revisiting the FAC periodically.

  5. The Ministers noted the recent developments in ASEAN and the Pacific Alliance, including the 57th ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Meeting and Related Meetings in July 2024, the upcoming 44th and 45th ASEAN Summits and Related Summits in October 2024 and the Pacific Alliance Presidential Summit next December in Chile, and the progress on the accession process of Costa Rica as a PA member and Singapore as a PA associated state.

New York, 25 September 2024

Communications PPT 2024 Pacific Alliance

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Young people who will participate in the Pacific Alliance Youth Volunteering program in Peru are welcomed

Posted on by Angélica Alfaro
17
Sep
  • “A-Gente de Cambio: Promotion of mental health in adolescents” runs from September 13 to October 2.

September 17, 2024.- The National Secretariat of Youth (Senaju) and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Peru, warmly welcomed the 20 young volunteers from the four member countries of the Pacific Alliance: Chile, Colombia, Mexico and Peru, who will participate in the project “A-Gente de Cambio: Promotion of mental health in adolescents”.

The ceremony was led by the Director of International Cooperation of the Peruvian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, César Jordán; the National Secretary of Youth, Carlos Vilela Del Carpio; and the Executive Director of the National Integral Program for Family Welfare, Jessica Ruiz.

“From Senaju we are very happy to be able to carry out a new edition of the Peruvian project A-Gente de Cambio: Promotion of mental health in adolescents. In Peru, 33% of young people between 15 and 29 years old had some mental or emotional health problem, although it is alarming, but it is also a reality that today we are already talking about it,” said the National Secretary of Youth, at the welcoming ceremony.

The 20 young people were selected from more than 1,050 applicants from Chile, Colombia, Mexico and Peru for the Peruvian project, entitled “A-Gente de Cambio: Promotion of mental health in adolescents”, which seeks to promote the mental health of adolescents in vulnerable situations from a community approach.

The project will be developed in the Integral Family Development Centers (Cedif), belonging to the National Integral Program for Family Welfare (Inabif), of Las Dalias, in Chaclacayo; Turquesas, in Ancon; Año Nuevo; in Comas, Tahuantisuyo, in Independencia and Rosa de Lima in Villa Maria de Triunfo.

It is important to mention that the on-site stage of the project runs from September 13 to October 2 and the execution of the mental health promotion programs for adolescents in the Cedifs will be from September 17 to 27.

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Work plan for the Regional Qualifications Framework for the Pacific Alliance moves forward

Posted on by Angélica Alfaro
12
Sep

September 12, 2024.- The Pacific Alliance Network of Qualifications Framework Specialists (REMCAP), composed of representatives of the Ministries of Education of Chile, Colombia, Mexico and Peru, continues to advance in a work plan that aims at the future consolidation of a Regional Qualifications Framework for the regional bloc.

The technical teams of the Qualifications Frameworks of the Ministries of Education of the PA countries have been holding monthly sessions since June, which develop agendas to update the understanding of the state of progress of the Qualifications Frameworks in each country, as an input to constitute the first phase of contrast of the qualifications of the tourism sector.

Based on the progress made by Colombia and Chile in the development of the qualifications of the target sector, together with the development of the REMCAP sessions, it is projected that Peru and Mexico will optimize the population process they are initiating for their qualifications frameworks.

It is expected that the Network and the Technical Group on Education of the Pacific Alliance can make significant progress during the remainder of Chile’s pro tempore presidency and in the management that Colombia will assume in 2025.

COMMUNICATIONS PPT OF THE PACIFIC ALLIANCE