The course will last 2 weeks and will be available to young people from Chile, Colombia, Mexico and Peru and to former Pacific Alliance volunteers.

September 2nd, 2020. The youth entities of the Pacific Alliance countries: National Youth Institute of Chile, Presidential Counseling for Youth of Colombia-Young Colombia, Mexican Youth Institute and the National Youth Secretariat of Peru, launched today the call for the “Virtual Course on Transformative Volunteering in Times of Pandemic”.

This course is aimed at volunteers and managers of organizations that are developing voluntary actions in the context of Pandemic either face to face or virtually.

Applications will be open until September 20 and young people between the ages of 18 and 29 who are nationals of Pacific Alliance countries and who are resident in their home country at the time of application, may register.

There will be 60 places for new volunteers and 24 for ex-volunteers from previous versions of the program who will be able to apply for the course without age limit.

The course will be developed in seven online sessions that will cover topics such as Transformative Volunteering in Times of Pandemic; Volunteering applied to COVID19; Principles of Voluntary Action; Mental Health Protection; there will also be a start seminar and another at the end of the course.

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The XXII Meeting of Finance Ministers of the Pacific Alliance was held in virtual format. The participants were the Minister of Finance of Chile, Ignacio Briones; the Minister of Finance and Public Credit of Colombia, Alberto Carrasquilla; the Secretary of Finance and Public Credit of Mexico, Arturo Herrera, and the Minister of Economy and Finance of Peru, María Antonieta Alva. The meeting was chaired by Minister Briones as Chile holds the pro tempore presidency of the Pacific Alliance.

Santiago, Chile (August 28, 2020) – The Finance Ministers of the Pacific Alliance met virtually in order to analyze the substantive challenges arising from the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as to review the progress made by the working groups of the Council of Finance Ministers, in fulfilling the presidential mandates established in the Lima Declaration.

During the meeting, the ministers exchanged experiences on the financial and economic measures taken to contain the emergency, as well as strategies for the early recovery of investment, job creation, and greater dynamism in economic activity.

Likewise, considering the magnitude of the pandemic in the region, they highlighted the relevance of the Pacific Alliance as a platform for the effective consolidation of economic and financial integration between the four countries, as well as to articulate international cooperation efforts.

The Ministers agreed on the importance of adapting fiscal and financial measures in order to continue supporting businesses and households, particularly those belonging to the most vulnerable groups, taking into account that this stage has been characterized by a period of confinement longer than expected and with negative effects on the economic growth of the bloc.

Additionally, they highlighted the importance of maintaining and strengthening international cooperation mechanisms in the face of current challenges. On the other hand, they reiterated their commitment to continue supporting the flow of financing to the productive sectors, with special emphasis on SMEs; the promotion of public investment in infrastructure, as a lever for economic recovery; the strengthening and integration of capital markets, to make them stronger and more resilient to future shocks; and the implementation of pro-employment policies.

For their part, the Ministers welcomed the progress made in recent months on Financial Integration and Tax Treatment, through the exchange of experiences and regulatory frameworks among the four countries, as well as the implementation of capacity-building activities. Similarly, considering the preponderant role that the digitalization of the economy plays in the current context, they agreed on the creation of the Cybersecurity Working Subgroup, which will generate a space for discussion to reduce the risk of occurrence and mitigate the impact of threats derived from cyber attacks to the financial sector.

Finally, the Ministers thanked the working groups for their efforts to achieve concrete results in this context, and reiterated the need to continue working on outstanding deliverables for the upcoming Pacific Alliance Summit.

Pacific Alliance countries launch national studies on the MRV of Mitigation Actions

The Technical Subgroup on MRV and Climate Change (SGT-MRV) of the Pacific Alliance (PA) has commenced a series of technical baseline studies across each of the PA countries. These studies are being prepared by national experts to synthesize the current status of the monitoring, reporting and verification systems (MRV) for greenhouse gas (GHG) mitigation activities in each PA country. The analyses describe the challenges and opportunities for achieving the Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) to the Paris Agreement in each country. The project is benefiting from the technical and financial support of Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC).

The Baseline Analysis of the MRV of Mitigation Activities in Colombia, Peru, and Chile have been recently published. Mexico is currently analyzing to conduct a similar report. To support the dissemination of the results, public webinars are being organized in each country, with the key participation of additional national ministries, public institutions, private entities, and civil society organizations. The webinars for Colombia, Peru and Chile are available.

In a complementary, similar initiative to advance towards the harmonization and alignment of Climate MRV systems in the Pacific Alliance, the SGT-MRV is concurrently launching a series of technical baseline studies on the MRV of Climate Finance and the MRV of GHG Emissions and Short-lived Climate Pollutants (SLCPs) Inventories in the countries of the PA.

The Pacific Alliance is a trade bloc for regional integration, comprised of Chile, Colombia, Mexico and Peru. Among the multiple sectoral goals of the PA, there is an explicit commitment to the environment and green growth and to address the drivers and challenges of climate change. With the Cali Declaration in 2017, the Pacific Alliance reaffirmed its support for the Paris Agreement, and committed to intensify efforts to strengthen MRV systems of GHG/SLCPs in the region.

Likewise, the Presidents of the Pacific Alliance have recently expressed their full support to the Chilean presidency for the success of the upcoming 25^th Conference of the Parties (COP 25) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) to be held in Santiago Chile in December 2019. The Pacific Alliance is committed to continue advancing the implementation of the Paris Agreement and the Katowice Package for the Climate adopted at COP 24— increasing the ambition to reduce levels of GHG emissions and the ability to adapt to climate change, within the framework of the 2019 Lima Declaration.

The Technical Sub-group on MRV and Climate Change (SGT-MRV) was created by the countries of the Pacific Alliance, with the principal objective to strengthen and advance the harmonization and alignment of Climate MRV systems for the reduction of GHG and SLCPs. The SGT-MRV reports to the formal Working Group on Environment and Green Growth (GTAMCV) of the PA.

The SGT-MRV will continue exchanging knowledge at the regional level, and strengthening capacities at the national level in order to advance the creation and implementation of effective climate policies.

For more information on the Pacific Alliance MRV Technical Subgroup please contact the SGT-MRV Coordinator: Francisco Pinto

From its formation until today, Chile, Colombia, Mexico and Peru, countries that make up the Pacific Alliance, have been articulating efforts to turn this block into a leader in business and opportunities, resulting in its position as the eighth largest economy in the world and export power.

In Latin America and the Caribbean, the bloc accounts for 37% of GDP, it concentrates 52% of total trade and attracts 45% of foreign direct investment.

In April 2011, the Pacific Alliance was created with the aim of achieving the development and competitiveness of the Member States, to overcome socio-economic inequality, to promote the social inclusion of its inhabitants and to become a projection platform to the world with special emphasis on the Asia-Pacific region.

In order to achieve these objectives, activities have been performed focused on obtaining greater competitiveness, as well as growth and development in trade, which will be achieved with the progressive advance of the free movement of goods, services, capital and people.

The joint work of the member countries is evidenced by the massive presence of entrepreneurs of the bloc in different activities and promotion fairs that take place around the world, both their own and those organized by other entities.

Among the most representative activities carried out by the Pacific Alliance since its creation, is the Entrepreneurship and Innovation Forum LAB4+, which in its six editions has had the participation of 6.192 attendees.

Also, the Women Entrepreneurs Leaders Forum, which, in its four versions, has generated US $9.4 million in business expectations.

On the other hand, the Pacific Alliance Business Matchmaking, in its six editions, has accumulated US $861.8 million in business. It is important to mention that the Business Meeting has become the main platform that brings together important leaders and entrepreneurs of the region, both from the bloc countries and from some observer States.

It is worth highlighting the implementation of the Investment Opportunities Forum of the Pacific Alliance with the participation of the Heads of State of the bloc, which is held every year in New York, United States and that has brought together the most important companies worldwide, interested in doing business or financing projects in the member countries.

Tourism has also been a priority topic for the Pacific Alliance, for this reason the Tourism Business Matchmaking, the Tourism Roadshow in China and the Tourist Caravan have been carried out.

In Addition, the Pacific Alliance has been present at international fairs with excellent business expectations such as Sial (France), Lateinamerika Tag (Germany) as well as panels such as “The London Produce” (United Kingdom).

Every year is a new challenge for this economic bloc, which expects in the medium term to be placed in a better position among the economies of the globe for the development and benefit of its more than 225 million inhabitants.

On May 10^th, the XXI Meeting of the Council of Ministers of the Pacific Alliance, formed by the Ministers of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade of Chile, Colombia, Mexico and Peru, was held in Mexico City.

One of the main objectives of the Council was to review the preparations for the Lima Summit, which will take place on July 5^th and 6^th in that Peruvian city, with the presence of the Heads of State of the countries of the mechanism.

During the meeting, the Ministers signed a first decision linked to the entry into force of the Cooperation Fund starting on July 6th, which will allow the development and financing of joint projects to generate greater opportunities for citizens and the strengthening of capacities for SMEs.

They also approved the establishment of the Technical Group of Development and Social Inclusion with the aim of advancing in the construction of a more citizen-friendly Pacific Alliance, one of the fundamental axes of the 2030 Strategic Vision.

In addition, recognizing the importance of continuing to move forward in an orderly and efficient manner, they reviewed the progress of the Work Plan for the implementation of Strategic Vision 2030, which will be presented next July, and will establish a medium and long-term route for the four countries.

On the other hand, the Council of Ministers made a positive assessment and welcomed the interest of Ecuador and Korea in approaching the Pacific Alliance. The results achieved at the latest meetings of chief negotiators of the PA on the process with the candidates to be Associated States, held between May 4th and 8th, were reviewed.

This meeting also allowed to review the status of the Declarations that the PA will subscribe with the EU, the Eurasian Economic Commission, the OECD and Japan, as well as the Declaration on Environmental Issues. These are instruments that must be subscribed in the framework of the XIV Lima Summit to be held on July 5th and 6th.

Likewise, the entry of two new AP Observer States was agreed: Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan, bringing the number of members in this category to 57.

The Pacific Alliance is a regional integration mechanism that aspires to be consolidated as a common economic platform with a projection to the Asia-Pacific and the world.

Today, April 28th, the eighth anniversary of the Pacific Alliance, recognized worldwide as one of the region’s most successful integration mechanisms, is celebrated. Peru, Chile, Colombia and Mexico commemorate this important event, carrying out various activities simultaneously.

In Peru, the country that holds the Pro Tempore Presidency, the flags of the four countries and the Pacific Alliance were hoisted at the Government Palace. Also, the projection of the colors, logo and informative video of this important mechanism of integration in the Magic Water Circuit at the Parque de la Reserva (Park of the Reserve) is planned to be performed this Sunday, April 28^th at night.

It is also worth mentioning the implementation in Lima, on April 23rd and 24th, of the I Technical Forum of Cooperation of the Pacific Alliance with its Observer States, in whose framework, the first portfolio of projects was announced; the IX Session of the Inter-parliamentary Committee for follow-up to the Pacific Alliance, at the Congress of the Republic, on the 24th and 25th of this month; and the launch of the Public Policy Index for Micro, Small and Medium-sized Enterprises in Latin America and the Caribbean (IPPALC, by its acronym in Spanish), on April 25th and 26th. Finally, on April 26th, a Film Series was inaugurated at the Inca Garcilaso Cultural Center, with the participation of the Embassies of Chile, Colombia and Mexico in Peru.

In the case of Chile, the eight years of creation of this regional integration effort, the most transcendental carried out in Latin America in the last decades will be commemorated with the raising of the flags of Chile, Colombia, Mexico, Peru and the Pacific Alliance at the La Moneda Palace, presidential seat of the Chilean Government since 1922, as well as with the dissemination of various cases of citizens who have benefited from the achievements of this area of deep integration.

In Colombia, the Chat Show “Pacific Alliance: from expectation to reality” was held on April 24th. This talk was accompanied by a gastronomic demonstration entitled “Flavors of the Alliance”. Also, between April 22th and 28th, the San Carlos Palace, headquarters of the Foreign Ministry, wore the flags of the four countries. To conclude, on May 30th, a seminar will be held in Bogota aimed at Colombian entrepreneurs, where the main advances and opportunities in trade, investment and tourism will be presented; organized by ProColombia.

For its part, the Government of Mexico will name a park in Mexico City as “Parque Alianza del Pacífico”. The inauguration will take place within the framework of the XXI Meeting of the Council of Ministers of the Alliance, which will be held on May 10th in the capital of the country. The park is a symbol of the deep integration between Chile, Colombia, Mexico and Peru. Its purpose is also to make the Alliance “more citizen-friendly” according to the 2030 Strategic Vision.

The Pacific Alliance is a mechanism of deep integration that was created on April 28th, 2011, with the signing of the Lima Declaration. It is projected to the world with emphasis in the Asia-Pacific region, promoting greater growth, development and competitiveness, through the free movement of goods, services, capital and people. The 2030 Strategic Vision projects the Pacific Alliance as the main commercial integration platform in Latin America and reinforces its actions as a more integrated, more global, more connected and more citizen-oriented mechanism.