Alianza del Pacífico (octubre 14/16). After finishing a round of meetings of more than 10 technical groups of the Pacific Alliance (PA) that took place this week in the city of Santiago, today gathered the High Level Group, formed by the vice-ministers of Commerce and Foreign Affairs of Colombia, Mexico and Peru, and the general director of International Economic Affairs of the Foreign Office, Andrés Rebolledo, who led the meeting on behalf of Chile’s pro tempore presidency of the PA.

“This is the first meeting of vice-ministers after the Puerto Varas Summit. We were greatly impressed by the advances reported by each of the technical groups involving the presidential mandates set forth last July. After listening to their reports, we established an action plan for the next High Level Group meeting in Colombia by the end of this year in order to continue strengthening our integration mechanism”, said Andrés Rebolledo.

It is also worth mentioning the progress made on the coordination with the four countries’ business sectors, which is why the HLG received today representatives from the PA Business Council and the Swiss company Nestlé, along with the ambassador of Switzerland in Chile, all of which participate in developing an important cooperation program to foster youth employability within the member countries.

Another topic of relevance is the current work being done to close ties between the Pacific Alliance and ASEAN, where the agreement made between both integration blocs last September in New York as part of the UN General Assembly, is paramount.

Significant progress

Part of the review of the work of the technical groups performed by the vice-ministers of the HLG includes the level of progress on Regulatory Cooperation for pharmaceuticals and food supplements. This time the Regulatory Cooperation Group also met with representatives from the private sector of those sectors from the four countries that took part in the “Adjoining Room” (Cuarto Adjunto) exercise.

One of the groups that reported important progress is the People Mobility Group, who noted the definitive start of the exemption for visas to permanent residents of third markets when visiting member countries of the Pacific Alliance; the consulates cooperation project; and the agreements of the Vacation & Work program.

In the Chilean city of Puerto Varas, Los Lagos Region, the XI Summit of the Pacific Alliance (PA), which was attended by the Presidents of Chile, Michelle Bachelet; of Colombia, Juan Manuel Santos; of Mexico, Enrique Peña Nieto; and of Peru, Ollanta Humal, came to an end today.

They were accompanied by the President-elect of Peru, Pedro Pablo Kuczynski and by the Ministers of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade as well as by senior government representatives from the four countries.

At the plenary meeting, the Presidents highlighted the achievements of the PA over the past year, including the entry into force of the Framework Agreement of the Alliance on July 20, 2015 and its Trade Protocol, on May 1, 2016. They also emphasized the increase in the number of observer states from 32 to 49, the advances in the preliminary framework for negotiations with ASEAN, the holding of an informal dialogue with APEC and the signing of a partnership agreement with Canada last June.

The foreign ministers signed the “Interinstitutional Agreement on the Implementation of a Mechanism of Consultation of Information for Immigration Purposes to Facilitate the Mobility of People” and its annex, the “Platform for Immediate Consultation of Information for Immigration Purposes to Facilitate the Mobility of People”. Likewise, the Ministers of Foreign Trade signed the “Second Protocol of Amendment to the Additional Protocol of the Framework Agreement of the Pacific Alliance”.

The presidential meeting concluded with the signing by the four Presidents of the Declaration of Puerto Varas, in which the pro tempore Presidency held by Peru for one year was officially handed over to Chile.

You can access the Declaration of Puerto Varas at: http://bit.ly/298yTMA

Puerto Varas, July 1, 2016

The President of Chile, Michelle Bachelet, and the presidents of Colombia, Juan Manuel Santos; of Mexico, Enrique Peña Nieto; and of Peru, Ollanta Humala, today brought to a close the Third Business Summit of the Pacific Alliance (PA), “Vision into the Future” in Frutillar, Los Lagos region, Chile.

In her introductory remarks, President Bachelet stressed the importance of strengthening innovation in the PA and the role that investment in young people’s education should have, in order to meet this challenge. In this regard she mentioned that Chile has developed policies to achieve a productive transformation.

For his part, President Santos highlighted the importance of the creation of the Latin American Integrated Market (MILA) as part of the efforts to broaden and deepen capital markets among the four countries. In that regard, he underlined the fact that, for the PA, to boost its digital integration is today a necessity.

In his speech, President Peña Nieto mentioned the priority that must be given to trade integration. He noted that it is necessary to publicize the value of this regional integration initiative, which to date has attracted the attention of 49 observer countries, as well as provided benefits for the people.

Meanwhile, President Humala emphasized the need to invest in education, noting that Peru has been promoting a firm policy to achieve a high-quality school education. He also indicated that education is a key point in the cooperation program of the Pacific Alliance.

Finally, the Presidents agreed that the creation of the Venture Capital Fund and the progress toward the internationalization of SMEs, will allow a better projection of the PA to other regions. Similarly, they stressed that the PA is one of the most attention-grabbing business initiatives in the world.

Business summit development

The Minister of Foreign Affairs of Chile and the President of the Business Council of the Pacific Alliance (CEAP), Chilean chapter, conducted the opening of the event.

Later, the Foreign Minister of Chile, the Minister of Foreign Trade, Industry and Tourism of Colombia, the Secretary of Economy of Mexico, and the Minister of Foreign Trade and Tourism of Peru participated in the first panel of the morning.

Throughout the day, interventions by the Presidents of Argentina, Mauricio Macri, and of Costa Rica, Luis Guillermo Solis, as well as by the President-elect of Peru, Pedro Pablo Kuczynski were made. Similarly, the ministers of finance of Chile, Colombia, Mexico and Peru participated in a panel on financial integration and its challenges.

In the afternoon, participants were able to attend four panels that were held in parallel on the business opportunities for SMEs, entrepreneurship and innovation, trade facilitation and financial integration.

The III Business Summit of the Pacific Alliance (PA) attracted over 700 attendees, including top executives of companies and SMEs, and took place days after the IV Business Matchmaking event held in Santiago, which generated nearly USD 200 million in business prospects.

Frutillar, June 30, 2016

The vice-ministers of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade of the member countries of the Pacific Alliance (PA), began today, at Hotel Patagonico in Puerto Varas, Chile, the XXXVI meeting of the High Level Group (GAN) of the integration body.

During this event, government officials fine-tuned details of the XI Summit of the Pacific Alliance, which will take place in that city of Los Lagos Region, on Friday, July 1.

This was essentially a working session aimed at reviewing details of the important events that will take place during this week: the meeting of the PA Council of Ministers, the meeting with the Observer States and the Summit of Heads of State of the Pacific Alliance.

Furthermore, the vice-ministers reviewed the schedule of activities to be carried out during the pro tempore Presidency of the Pacific Alliance that Peru will hand over to Chile after the XI PA Summit, which will include meetings with MERCOSUR, ASEAN and APEC; as well as the rotation of the coordination of the various technical working groups in the coming period.

International Press Center

At the same time, the authorities of the Pacific Alliance today visited the International Press Center that will operate during the entire Summit at Hotel Bellavista, which will have the capacity to accommodate some 200 local and international media professionals accredited to cover the XI Summit of the PA and its related meetings.

During this visit, it was announced that the four Heads of State of the member countries of the Pacific Alliance, the President of Argentina, the President of Costa Rica and the President-elect of Peru, over 40 ministers and vice-ministers, 280 representatives from observer countries, 715 business people and 170 journalists will be present at the Summit, which is a very important fact for the Pacific Alliance’s image.

The center, which will run from 10:00 to 19:00 hours, has Internet service through high-speed Wi-Fi and 120 workstations with Internet access and printers. The area will also have transmission and delivery of the official signal, spaces for interviews, documentation service with press releases and a rest area, and catering.

Puerto Varas, June 28, 2016

With the attendance of the presidents of Chile, Colombia, Mexico and Peru, the XI Summit of the Pacific Alliance will be held from June 28 to July 1, in the city of Puerto Varas, in southern Chile. The progress and prospects of this important integrative mechanism, as well as the challenges to promote the economic and social competitiveness of its member countries will be analyzed during this meeting, which will also be attended by delegates from the 49 observer countries.

Work will begin on June 28 with the meeting of the High Level Group (GAN), formed by the vice-ministers of Foreign Trade and Foreign Affairs of the four countries. The GAN is responsible for overseeing the progress of the technical groups, evaluating areas of opportunity and preparing proposals for projection and outreach to other countries and international organizations.

The Ministerial Meeting of the Pacific Alliance with the Observer Countries will take place the following day, which will be the starting point for the new work plan with those states. This event will seek to channel the collaboration programs and activities of the Pacific Alliance’s future projection through four panels that will focus on priority areas such as SMEs, Education, Science, Technology and Innovation and Trade Facilitation.

On June 30 the Ministers of Foreign Trade and Foreign Affairs will meet in order to make decisions regarding the development of the objectives and the specific actions provided in the Framework Agreement – the Alliance’s incorporation agreement – and in presidential statements.

 At the same time, the Business Summit of the Pacific Alliance will take place, in which more than five hundred business people from Chile, Colombia, Mexico and Peru will participate, attended by the leaders of the four countries, the presidents of Argentina and Costa Rica and more than 20 representatives from the Business Council of the Pacific Alliance. At the meeting, the vision of economic and financial integration, as well as innovation and the entrepreneurial role in the leadership of the Pacific Alliance will be analyzed, among other topics.

 The main date will be July 1, when Heads of State Michelle Bachelet of Chile, Juan Manuel Santos of Colombia, Enrique Peña Nieto of Mexico and Ollanta Humala of Peru, will meet to set new mandates that will guide the future of the Alliance . On this date, Peru will hand over the pro tempore Presidency to Chile, which will be in charge of leading the implementation of the mandates.

 The accession of 49 Observer Countries with which substantial work plans are being developed under a new cooperation scheme is a reflection of the deep interest that exists around the world for this integration mechanism. The Summit will also be attended by representatives of the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), the European Union (EU), and international organizations that have been supporting the Alliance’s integration projects.

Five years after its creation on April 28, 2011, the Pacific Alliance is a solid mechanism that as a whole is the world’s eighth-largest economy, formed by countries with an outstanding economic performance in the region.

 Its pillars are the free movement of goods, services, capital and people on a main axis of cooperation.

This activity was aimed at increasing the flow of tourists from the Chinese market to the member countries of the bloc and strengthening intraregional tourism.

• The event took place on 7 and 8 June and 2,430 business meetings were held.

• Next meeting to be held in Chile in the first half of 2017.

The 3º Tourism Matchmaking event of the Pacific Alliance, held in the Peruvian capital in order to strengthen the flow of travel within the intraregional sphere and encourage tourism from the Chinese market, brought forth business deals for USD 8 million between member countries of the bloc alone.

This figure was achieved thanks to the 2,430 business meetings held on 7 and 8 June and it represents a 43% increase against the previous event.

Outbound and inbound tour operators and airlines participated in this meeting. A total of 229 companies from the four member countries of the Pacific Alliance attended, with a significant participation of 20 Chinese tour operators, a market prioritized by the block for joint promotional actions. In this occasion, 30% of participants visited Peru for the first time.

“Success would not be possible without the commitment for a deep integration from the member countries of the Pacific Alliance. The III Tourism Matchmaking event has been an opportunity to strengthen the commercialization of combined packages for the Chinese market that include the main attractions of our countries, as well as to promote tourism products intraregionally,” said Peru’s Minister of Foreign Trade and Tourism, Magali Silva Velarde-Alvarez, who will soon hand over the pro tempore presidency of the bloc to Chile.

 The countries of the Alliance recorded in the first quarter of this year an average 35% increase in arrivals of Chinese tourists. According to preliminary estimates, an average growth of 15% in visits of Chinese tourists to the bloc’s countries is expected by the end of this year, which means that over 170,000 Chinese tourists will be visiting Chile, Colombia, Mexico and Peru.

 INTEGRAL VISION

At the closing of the Matchmaking, Marisol Acosta, PromPeru’s director of Tourism Promotion, indicated that these business meetings allow to identify marketing opportunities, integrating new products into travel programs combined among the bloc’s countries, for both the intraregional and the Chinese markets: “Tourism between our countries has been favored with the entry of new airlines and new routes, as is the case for Mexico’s Interjet, Latam flights between Antofagasta and Lima and Avianca’s upcoming flight from Bogota to Cusco,” she said.

“In this meeting we are not only talking about destinations, but also of new products, like a gastronomy route integrated by the four countries. Additionally, through the bloc, we can take advantage of Mexico’s air connectivity with various world capitals,” said Omar Macedo, representative of Mexico Tourism Board for the Pacific Alliance.

Meanwhile, Joanne Ellis, Chile’s Vice-ministry of Tourism Advisor, pointed out that the Pacific Alliance represents an opportunity for the southern country to exploit, for example, the city’s attractions and the cuisine of Santiago de Chile. “We can also promote southern Chile’s Andean crossings to Argentina, which would be very interesting for Mexican and Colombian tourists. We are also increasingly working on the integrated routes with Peru,” she said.

“Our four countries do not compete with each other, we complement our destinations, gastronomy, routes and connectivity. We must find our strengths, since each country comes with an offer that is differentiated and complementary to a tourist package,” said lastly Enrique Stellabatti, ProColombia’s Vice President of Tourism Promotion.

UPCOMING ACTIVITIES

Next year, Chile will host the IV Tourism Matchmaking event, where US operators focused on the Chinese market will participate for the first time. This meeting will take place during the first half of 2017.

In addition, as part of the efforts to strengthen ties with China, a road show will be held in the cities of Hong Kong, Beijing, Guangzhou and Shanghai, from 19 to 26 August, that will include the participation of 28 companies from the tourism sector of the bloc. As many as 480 business meetings are expected to be held.

The Pacific Alliance was created with the aim of building an economic and trading regional integration in the Asia-Pacific market, particularly the Chinese market.

Lima, June 9, 2016

The Council of Ministers of the Pacific Alliance met today in Mexico City, in order to make progress on the different coordination efforts, in preparation for the XI Summit of Heads of State of the Pacific Alliance, to be held in Puerto Varas, Chile, next 1st of July.

The XV Ministerial Council meeting began with a minute of silence in memory of Ambassador Raúl Patiño Alvistur, Vice-Minister of Foreign Affairs of Peru and member of the High Level Group, who died recently in Lima.

As part of its program, the Council of Ministers evaluated the work done by the Technical Groups during the first half of 2016 and the fulfillment of the presidential mandates contained in the Declaration of Paracas 2015. It also analyzed the current state of external relationships of the Pacific Alliance, particularly with Observer States and other integration initiatives such as the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and Mercosur. In this context, the Council of Ministers decided to accept the requests from a new group of countries as Observer States to the Pacific Alliance: Czech Republic, Norway, Slovakia, Egypt, Ukraine, Argentina and Romania. Similarly, the issue of new mandates, in preparation for the next summit in Chile and the future development of the Alliance, was addressed.

Lastly, the Council of Ministers approved the creation of the Environment and Green Growth Technical Group, the Labor Technical Group, and the Digital Agenda Technical Subgroup.

In the course of this meeting, the Council of Ministers signed, together with the Minister of International Trade of Canada, a Joint Statement of Partnership between the members of the Pacific Alliance and said country, which will strengthen ties with Canada, this being the first statement of this nature.

It should be noted that the Pacific Alliance is a regional integration initiative formed by Chile, Colombia, Mexico and Peru, created on 28 April 2011. The countries in this initiative combine a population of 216 million people and account for 39% of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of Latin America and the Caribbean.

Take a look at the photos of the event on our Flickr account ➤ http://bit.ly/1swur3y

Mexico City, June 8, 2016

The 35th Meeting of the Pacific Alliance High Level Group was held in Mexico city on July 7, with the attendance of the vice-ministers of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade from Chile, Colombia, Mexico and Peru.

The main goal of this meeting was to make progress in the review of the “deliverables” related to the fulfillment of the mandates of the Declaration of Paracas 2015, as well as in the drafting of the new mandates, in preparation for the XI Summit to be held in Puerto Varas, Chile.

During the meeting, the High Level Group (GAN) received reports from the Ministries of Finance on the progress and current status of the work plan 2015-2016 contained in Annex II of the Declaration of Paracas; was informed of the status of the recommendations and proposals of the Pacific Alliance Business Council (CEAP); and evaluated the progress of the works of the Technical Groups to date.

In other matters, the GAN met with a representative from the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), who submitted the report on the situation status of the cooperation provided by that body to the Pacific Alliance Technical Groups.

Lastly, the Vice-Minister of Foreign Trade of Chile, Andrés Rebolledo, reported on the preparations for the 11th Summit of the Pacific Alliance to be held from June 28 to July 1 in Puerto Varas, Chile.

The Pacific Alliance is a regional integration initiative formed by Chile, Colombia, Mexico and Peru on April 28, 2011. The countries in this initiative combine a population of 216 million and account for 39% of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of Latin America and the Caribbean.

 Mexico City, June 7, 2016

The Ministers and Vice-Ministers of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade of Chile, Colombia, Mexico and Peru will be present at the meetings of the Council of Ministers and the High Level Group of the Pacific Alliance, to be held in Mexico City on 7 and 8 June.

The main objective of these meetings is to progress in the review of the “deliverables” that correspond to the fulfillment of the mandates of the Declaration of Paracas of 2015, as well as in preparing the new mandates, on the road to the XI Summit to be held in Puerto Varas, Chile, next July 1.

The High Level Group (GAN, Grupo de Alto Nivel) will receive reports from the Ministries of Finance on the progress and current status of the work plan 2015-2016, contained in Annex II of the Declaration of Paracas; will be informed of the status of the recommendations and proposals of the Pacific Alliance Business Council (CEAP, Consejo Empresarial de la Alianza del Pacífico); and will evaluate the development of the Technical Groups’ works to date. Also, the GAN will receive a representative from the Inter-American Development Bank (IADB) who will present the report on the situation status of the cooperation provided by that body to the Pacific Alliance Technical Groups.

Meanwhile, the Council of Ministers will evaluate the work done by the High Level Group and the Technical Groups in the first half of 2016, analyze the current state of external relationships, decide on requests from States asking to be admitted as Observers to the Pacific Alliance, examine the progress of implementation in regard to the “deliverables” of the Declaration of Paracas and propose new mandates, as well as learn about the preparations for the next XI Summit of the Pacific Alliance.

June 3, 2016

• There were more than 5,000 registrations for the event, including investors, business people, corporate representatives and entrepreneurs, among others.

• Two central themes were developed: information and communication technologies (ICT), and social and business innovation.

• The event was followed via streaming by more than 10,000 users from Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Chile, Mexico, Spain, United Kingdom, United States and Peru.

The Minister of Foreign Trade and Tourism of Peru and President of the Board of PromPeru, Magali Silva, reported that the fourth LAB4+, the Entrepreneurship and Innovation Forum of the Pacific Alliance, generated business deals and investments for USD 26 million between business matchmaking events, specialized workshops and technology investment roundtables.

Mrs. Silva also reported that 70 technology exporting companies and 50 innovation buyers attended the business matchmaking. At the same time, a technology investment roundtable – ‘Demo Day’ – was carried out with 24 start-ups and 53 investors, as well as a roundtable for investment on social enterprises – ‘Social Demo Day’ – with 12 social enterprises and 16 investors. These last two events achieved more than 100 business appointments.

“We can say that this new version of the Pacific Alliance’s Entrepreneurship and Innovation Forum has been a resounding success. More than 5,000 people were registered, including 60 venture capital investors, 750 businessmen or representatives of corporations and entrepreneurs, 50 delegates from government organizations and public authorities, 20 more from development banks, another 20 from innovation centers and 50 from incubators or university entrepreneurship centers,” explained Silva.

On the other hand, Valentina Venegas, ProChile’s coordinator for the Pacific Alliance, said that “we are very pleased with the large participation of Chilean entrepreneurs and service exporters, who could take advantage of the various prospects offered by this last LAB4+ forum. No doubt it has established itself as an ideal space to generate business, find capital for their ventures, discuss their common challenges and create networks with their peers, considering that Peru, Colombia and Mexico are among the main destinations for our service exports.”

For ProColombia, LAB4+ has become the ideal scenario for the exchange of experiences and knowledge, creating new business opportunities, strengthening and promoting more and better trade relations among the countries that form the Pacific Alliance.

Likewise, Daniela Robles, ProMéxico’s First Secretary in Peru, said that Lab4 + is becoming increasingly important, “given that we are members of the most innovative integration initiative of recent years, in favor of the free movement of goods, services, capital, people and, most importantly, innovation. Together we form a business alliance based on the mutual desire for innovation. This objective allows us to take firm steps in positioning globally the «Made in the Pacific Alliance» design.”

This innovative forum, said Silva Velarde-Álvarez, comprised six key areas where experiences were shared, business deals materialized and, most importantly, the four innovation ecosystems of the Alliance’s member countries were connected. According to the program, ten master class presentations and six thematic panels were given; 12 inspirational keynotes – ‘Lab Talks’; one business matchmaking; a roundtable of technology investments; a roundtable of investment for social enterprises; and eight workshops of high-tech subjects.

Magali Silva also said that “innovation is a fundamental factor in the development of companies. It is directly related to competitiveness, job creation and the economic growth of a country. That is why we have created a brand that seeks to be a reflection of Peru, as a country that promotes, rewards and forms creative minds, and that serves society.”

Therefore, she said, it was essential to start the Forum with the truly masterful presentation of Israeli engineer Uri Levine, creator of Waze, an application for assisted GPS navigation created to reduce the hours that drivers may waste in traffic and that today is used by more than 250 million people worldwide. Levine, with the topic of Global Scale Digital Ventures, captivated the audience by briefly tracing the history of his app’s success, from its origin to its fulfillment.

Immediately after, the panel on Innovative Cities took place, in which a number of Latin American stories were shown, where the experience of Ruta N in Medellin, Colombia; Singapore’s eco-district; and the Fertile Region Project in several towns of northern Chile gave us examples of how technological innovation is associated with social entrepreneurship to create an added value to the citizens’ quality of life.

Other panels discussed the subjects of Social Innovation from the Corporation; Social Innovation in Business and Societies; Innovation in the Pacific Alliance; Boosting the Entrepreneurship Ecosystem in Latin America; Investment in start-ups; all these had the participation of experts from specialized university centers and representatives from technology innovation companies from the four member countries of the Alliance and Spain.

On the forum’s second day, two master class presentations stood out. The first one, by Adam Gutstein, vice president of PwC: ‘Growth, Strategy and Successful Execution’; and the second, ‘Learning from the Best Innovation Teams in the World’ by Carlos Osorio, faculty fellow at the MIT Sloan School of Management, and professor and director of the Master’s in Innovation program (at Universidad Adolfo Ibañez, in Chile).

Twelve other Lab Talks took place that same day, where an equal number of innovative entrepreneurs in various fields shared their experiences in brief and inspiring presentations on topics such as Internet Challenges in Latin America, or Ending the Water Problem, plus eight intensive workshops on topics of technology, social innovation and investment, that convened more than 600 participants.

According to the World Bank, Pacific Alliance high-tech exports totaled USD 51 billion, which means an annual growth of 4.9% between 2005 and 2014. This amount represents 75% of shipments from Latin America and the Caribbean. It is also necessary to highlight the dynamism showed by foreign sales from Peru and Colombia, which grew 10% and 7.8%, respectively.

The first LAB4+ was held in Santiago de Chile on December 6, 2013 and was aimed at the IT start-ups sector. The second one took place in Cali, Colombia, on 29 and 30 October, focused on the manufacture and technology services sectors, and generated business worth USD 8.4 million. The third one was held in Puebla, Mexico, on 5 and 6 October 2015, and it focused on the sectors of creative, design and technology services industries, generating commercial operations for USD 12 million. The next LAB4+ will be held this following year in Chile.

Lima, June 3, 2016