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First meeting of the Working Group for the accession of Costa Rica to the Pacific Alliance is held

Posted on by Angélica Alfaro
21
Aug

August 21, 2024.– Yesterday, the first meeting of the Working Group for the accession of Costa Rica to the Pacific Alliance (PA) was held, with the participation of the National Coordinators (NCs) of the PA and representatives of the Ministries of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade of Costa Rica.

The meeting was chaired by the National Coordinators of Chile, Marcela Otero and Cristóbal Ramírez, representing the pro tempore presidency of Chile 2024, and was attended by the NCs of Colombia, Mexico and Peru. On behalf of Costa Rica, the Director General of Foreign Trade of the Ministry of Foreign Trade, Adriana Castro, and the Minister Counselor of the Directorate of Foreign Policy of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Worship, Rolando Madrigal, were present.

“The process of Costa Rica’s accession to the Pacific Alliance will strengthen Latin American integration and give new impetus to our regional integration mechanism, with emphasis on a mixed economy model that reacts to the inequalities generated by the market, with the equality and sustainability that our countries require,” said Marcela Otero at the beginning of the meeting.

For their part, the representatives of Costa Rica thanked the event and expressed their complete willingness to work with the CNs.

This first meeting between Costa Rica and the PA marks the beginning of the process of joining the regional integration mechanism.

Communications PPT 2024 Pacific Alliance

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Pacific Alliance National Coordinators meet with the Permanent Representatives of ASEAN

Posted on by Angélica Alfaro
16
Aug

August 16, 2024.- This August 15, in Jakarta, Indonesia, the National Coordinators (NCs) of the Pacific Alliance (PA) countries met with the Committee of Permanent Representatives (CRP) of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), to advance with the next actions between both regional mechanisms, contemplated in the Work Plan 2021-2025, and reaffirm the commitment to continue strengthening ties between the two blocs.

The meeting was co-chaired by the national coordinator of the pro tempore presidency of Chile, Marcela Otero, and Ambassador Hjayceelyn M. Quintana of the Philippines, the country in charge of relations with the PA this year. In addition, the national coordinators of Colombia, Mexico and Peru participated remotely and the permanent representatives of the ASEAN countries participated in person. The activity was also attended by the Director of External Relations of the ASEAN Political Security Community Department, Bala Kumar.

“As pro tempore presidency, Chile wants to take this opportunity to strengthen our relationship, fulfilling the ministerial mandate to meet, to follow up and boost ties between our two mechanisms but also looking to the future,” said Marcela Otero.

The AP-ASEAN Work Plan 2021-2025 was adopted on November 24, 2021, during the virtual meeting between the Permanent Representatives Committee and the National Coordinators. The plan includes 23 actions in five areas: economic cooperation; education and culture; science, technology and innovation, as well as smart cities and connectivity; environment and sustainable development; and post-pandemic recovery.

Chile’s national coordinator, Marcela Otero, also participated in a round table on Trade and SME policies, organized by the Embassy of Chile in Indonesia, where she presented the various initiatives of the Pacific Alliance on small and medium-sized enterprises, as well as on gender and trade issues.

Communications PPT 2024 Pacific Alliance

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Pacific Alliance English Network meets

Posted on by Angélica Alfaro
08
Aug

August 8, 2024.- The second meeting of the Pacific Alliance English Network (RIAP) was held today. It is made up of representatives of the Ministries of Education of the countries of the bloc: Chile, Colombia, Mexico and Peru.

The working group of the Alliance’s English Network worked on the planning and organization of a Survey and established guidelines to launch a pilot of the form for English teachers in Chile, Colombia, Mexico and Peru through their Ministries of Education.

The meeting was led by the team from the International Relations Office and the English Opens Doors program of the Chilean Ministry of Education, as coordinators of this network during the Chile 2024 pro tempore presidency.

It is expected that the Network and the Technical Group on Education of the Pacific Alliance will be able to meet this year in person in Santiago.

Communications PPT 2024 Pacific Alliance

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Pacific Alliance organizes ministerial meeting on empowerment and economic autonomy of women

Posted on by Angélica Alfaro
07
Aug

August 7, 2024.- The “II Ministerial Meeting on Empowerment and Economic Autonomy of Women in the Pacific Alliance” was held today in Santiago, Chile, organized by the pro tempore presidency Chile 2024 of the bloc, with the collaboration of the Development Bank of Latin America and the Caribbean – CAF. The activity brought together authorities and representatives from Chile, Colombia, Mexico and Peru.

The opening was attended by the Secretary of Foreign Affairs of Mexico, Alicia Bárcena, who highlighted the efforts made by her country in this area, and the Undersecretary of International Economic Relations of Chile, Claudia Sanhueza, who reaffirmed the importance of sharing good practices among the countries of the region to eliminate the barriers that limit the economic autonomy of women, which is a common challenge in the Pacific Alliance.

This was followed by the panel “Prioritizing the care system for gender equality and sustainable development”, with the participation of Javiera Toro, Minister of Social Development and Family of Chile; Diana María Parra, Coordinator of Feminist Foreign Policy of Colombia; Nadine Gasman, President of the National Women’s Institute of Mexico; and Elba Espinoza, Vice-Minister of Women’s Affairs of Peru. The panel was moderated by CAF’s Gender specialist, Luciana Fainstain.

During the event, the PA authorities gave an account of the different initiatives that are being implemented in their respective countries to address the issue of care and highlighted the main challenges they face in strengthening this system, which has been addressed in a cross-cutting manner, especially in the countries represented in the Pacific Alliance. They also referred to how these policies or initiatives on care contribute to reducing the gap in women’s participation in the economy by favoring their autonomy.

Communications PPT 2024 Pacific Alliance

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Dialogue is held to update the roadmap of the Pacific Alliance Regional Digital Market

Posted on by Angélica Alfaro
01
Aug

August 1, 2024.- On July 30 and 31, 2024, the “Dialogue to Update the Roadmap of the Regional Digital Market (MDR) of the Pacific Alliance” was held in Santiago, Chile. This event brought together representatives of the four member countries of the Pacific Alliance (PA), as well as members of the private sector, trade associations, civil society and academia, both in person and remotely.

On the first day, at the premises of the trade association Sofofa, the current MDR Roadmap was presented and reviewed, and the importance of continued cooperation between the public and private sectors was highlighted, allowing the identification of key areas for improvement and new opportunities for the development of the Regional Digital Market (MDR) in its three pillars: improving connectivity, creating an enabling environment for the exchange of digital goods and services, and developing a robust digital economy.

The event was attended by representatives of the Pacific Alliance’s PPT 2024, Chile’s Undersecretariat of Telecommunications and the Chilean Chapter of CEAP, as well as the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC), the Development Bank of Latin America (CAF) and the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB). The international organizations contributed their experience and guidance, highlighting the importance of adopting a coherent regional approach to face the challenges and take advantage of the opportunities of the digital market.

On the second day, at the premises of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Chile, the Subcommittee on Digital Economy of the Pacific Alliance met, with the in-person participation of representatives of the four member countries, to analyze the work carried out.

This segment was particularly relevant, as it allowed to review and define the future work of the Subcommittee, laying the groundwork for the future approval of the Roadmap by the High Level Group (HLG). The presence and collaboration of all member countries underscored the PA’s joint commitment to the development of the MDR, reflecting a strong will to ensure inclusive and sustainable development, which enhances economic growth and innovation in the region.

Communications PPT 2024 Pacific Alliance

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Chile welcomes participants of the Pacific Alliance Volunteer Program

Posted on by Angélica Alfaro
31
Jul

July 31, 2024.- This morning, in the Montt Varas hall of the Palacio de la Moneda, Chilean authorities officially received the 20 women leaders who will participate in the Pacific Alliance Volunteer Program in the country this year. The event was headed by the Minister of Social Development and Family, Javiera Toro, the Minister of Foreign Affairs (s), Gloria de la Fuente, the Undersecretary of Social Services, Francisca Gallegos, and the National Director of the National Youth Institute, Juan Pablo Duhalde.

In the afternoon, the young women attended the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to talk with five female Chilean political leaders with the aim of making visible the relevance of women’s political and social participation in different territorial spaces.

The 20 young women were selected from among more than 500 applicants from Chile, Peru, Mexico and Colombia for the project “Youth, feminism and memory”, which seeks to highlight the historical memory of women social leaders in recent years, as well as to strengthen advocacy skills and the development of projects with a gender focus.

The volunteers will spend two weeks in Chile participating in a series of activities such as training workshops on leadership, discussions with organizations linked to civil society, visiting the O’Higgins region and ending their stay with an exhibition of their work related to the memory of women leaders in their countries at the Palacio de La Moneda Cultural Center.

PA Youth Volunteering

The Pacific Alliance Youth Volunteering program seeks that young people from member countries contribute to overcoming the challenges of the region through an experiential training experience.

Participation in this program provides an enriching experience of social and cultural exchange between young people from different countries, in which meaningful bonds are created and proposals for change are built in response to social and environmental problems affecting the region.

Communications PPT 2024 Pacific Alliance

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Pacific Alliance holds conference on sustainability in the meetings industry

Posted on by Angélica Alfaro
31
Jul

July 31, 2024.- Yesterday, in the framework of the Pacific Alliance Tourism Cooperation Agreement, the Master Conference ‘The importance of sustainability in the Meetings Industry’ was held via telematic means, delivered by the four institutions responsible for the international promotion of tourism in the member countries of the Pacific Alliance (PA): Sernatur of Chile; ProColombia of Colombia, Sectur of Mexico; and PromPerú of Peru.

The event, which was attended by nearly 100 people, was open and aimed at industry players in the PA member countries -Chile, Colombia, Mexico and Peru- with an interest in sustainability to improve their processes and differentiate themselves in the market, adhering to practices that allow a balanced development between the environment, the community and the economic benefit, making it possible to preserve a better place to live for future generations.

At the beginning, Claudio Sances, leader of the MICE channel for the Pacific Alliance, representing Chile as PPT 2024, pointed out the relevance of this topic that came to complement the “Capacity Building Program for the Meetings Industry”, given previously. He added that this is an issue that transcends the borders of our peoples and it is strictly necessary to approach it from a holistic perspective.

The conference was given by Alejandra Hernández Zita, a specialist in sustainability for the meetings industry, a member of the Global Sustainable Destinations Movement, and the first Latin woman to join the Global Destination Sustainability Movement (GDS-Movement) as a sustainability consultant, a leading international organization based in Europe.

The expert spoke about the problem of global warming and the vision that users and beneficiaries of this industry have about it, highlighting that the vast majority want to travel and make use of increasingly sustainable services. She presented the “Hannuwa” methodology to gather background information, transform the environment and control actions in the management of sustainable events, and cited world-class success stories such as SAP (ERP) and the TOP 40 MICE destinations index that adhere to sustainability.

She also highlighted the opportunities and strengths that the industry can develop and that sometimes respond to simple but innovative actions. On the other hand, she added that the negative practice of “green washing” (generating actions that seem sustainable but are not, with the aim of improving image) as an element that disfavors the real and genuine desire to enjoy of current users who are committed to the environment.

The conference concluded with a question and answer section where attendees were able to raise questions and concerns to the expert on macro and micro environmental matters.

COMMUNICATIONS PPT 2024 PACIFIC ALLIANCE

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Webinar “Mainstreaming Gender Equality: Exchange of Good Practices between the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and the Pacific Alliance”

Posted on by Angélica Alfaro
26
Jul

June 26, 2024.- Yesterday, the webinar “Mainstreaming Gender Equality: Exchange of Good Practices between the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and the Pacific Alliance” was held, organized by the Gender Technical Group (GTG), under the leadership of Mexico, in the framework of the ASEAN-Pacific Alliance Work Plan 2021-2025 and the Roadmap for the Autonomy and Economic Empowerment of Women of the Pacific Alliance

This activity aimed to address good practices, commitments, initiatives and strategies to promote gender equality in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and the Pacific Alliance (PA) in order to identify challenges and common efforts. More than 90 representatives from technical groups, committees and subcommittees of the PA, ASEAN and the embassies of the four member countries of the Alliance participated in the event.

The inaugural part of the event was attended by the Deputy Secretary General of the Ministry of Women, Family and Community Development of Malaysia, Chua Choon Hwa; the ASEAN Deputy Secretary General for the Socio-Cultural Community, Ekkaphab Phanthavong; Marcela Otero Fuentes, General Director of Multilateral Economic Affairs of Chile’s Undersecretariat of International Economic Relations, representing the Pro Tempore Presidency of the Pacific Alliance; and Elba Espinoza, Vice Minister of Women’s Affairs of Peru, as coordinator of the PA’s Technical Group on Gender.

A representative of ASEAN and the PA presented their progress, good practices and experiences on the topics addressed during the three segments of the webinar: “The importance of sex-disaggregated data to boost women’s economic empowerment”; “An agenda for gender mainstreaming”; and “Inclusive trade, main regional strategies”.

Throughout its three interventions, ASEAN highlighted three main good practices: ASEAN Gender Outlook (2022), a study that provides statistical evidence to promote investment in women and girls in vulnerable situations to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs); the ASEAN Gender Mainstreaming Strategic Framework (AGMSF) 2022, which seeks to promote gender mainstreaming in the work of ASEAN, as well as in ASEAN member countries. Finally, the ASEAN Comprehensive Framework on Care Economy (2021) and the Declaration on Building a More Sustainable, Inclusive and Resilient Future (2022) as experiences for the promotion of women’s entrepreneurship.

For its part, the Pacific Alliance highlighted official documents such as the Presidential Declaration on Gender Equality, the Roadmap for Women’s Autonomy and Economic Empowerment, as well as some studies and initiatives that drive the agenda such as the diagnostics “Radiography of the participation of PA women entrepreneurs in foreign trade in the PA (2019)”, “Annex: Impact of COVID-19 on the operations of women-led enterprises in the PA (2021)”, the Survey for Gender Mainstreaming in PA Technical Groups and the Community of Women Entrepreneurs launched in collaboration with the Inter-American Development Bank.

Gender equality and women’s empowerment is a priority in the agendas of the Pacific Alliance and ASEAN, therefore “cooperation with our allies is crucial, especially in identifying thematic areas where we can work together […] we will continue to advance the gender agenda as a strategy to promote substantive equality”, said Sandra Mendoza Durán, Coordinator of International Affairs of the National Institute of Women of Mexico during the closing remarks of the webinar.

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XI Pacific Alliance Business Roundtable holds nearly 530 meetings with business projections exceeding US$ 55 million

Posted on by Angélica Alfaro
11
Jul
  • The three-day event was successfully concluded, where 102 exporters from Chile, Colombia, Mexico and Peru had the opportunity to show their products to 52 importers from PA countries and markets such as North America, Europe and Asia.

July 11, 2024.- The XI Pacific Alliance (PA) Business Macro-Round, which took place between July 1 and 4 in Santiago, Chile, concluded successfully after three intense days of networking and business roundtables.

This commercial activity, which brought together exporters and importers from Chile, Colombia, Mexico and Peru, as well as the United States, the United Kingdom, South Korea, Japan, Denmark, Sweden and Italy, once again demonstrated the bloc’s potential for economic and commercial cooperation.

During this event, 154 participating companies held 538 business meetings, with business projections estimated at US$ 55 million. The 102 registered exporters from the four participating countries had the opportunity to present their products to 52 interested importers, thus opening up new possibilities for intra-regional trade as well as trade with other markets in North America, Asia and Europe.

The general director of ProChile, Ignacio Fernández -whose institution leads the Technical Group of Promotion Agencies of the PA- together with the Undersecretary of International Economic Relations, Claudia Sanhueza, headed the Chilean delegation.

Representatives from PromPerú, ProColombia and the Mexican Ministry of Economy also participated actively, underlining each country’s commitment to strengthening the Pacific Alliance.

Ignacio Fernández, general director of ProChile -the General Directorate of Export Promotion under the Chilean Foreign Ministry- highlighted that “the results of this Pacific Alliance Business Macro-Round show that this type of platform is important for the bloc’s exporting companies and, especially, for SMEs. This year we saw a remarkable interest from international buyers in search of innovative and sustainable products, which reflects current trends in the global market, and where Chile and the other PA countries have a high value-added offer that can be internationalized thanks to intra-regional and international trade”.

The participation of PromPerú, ProColombia and the Ministry of Economy of Mexico was crucial for the success of the macro-round and for the fulfillment of the objectives set this year by the Pacific Alliance, which focus on supporting the increase in productivity, sustainability and inclusiveness of these countries, as well as incorporating micro, small and medium-sized enterprises to intraregional and international trade.

To reinforce these commitments, this macro-round-which had the slogan “Road to a sustainable offer”- included a discussion on “Advances and challenges in the Pacific Alliance” on issues of sustainable exportable supply, moderated by Nicolás Millán (co-founder of GetFair, a SaaS that allows measuring, analyzing and tracing impact under ESG standards) and where four PA SMEs were able to present their experiences.

The president of ProColombia, Carmen Caballero Villa, comments that “Colombia, as a megadiverse country, has great potential to become a major supplier of sustainable agro-industrial products. For this reason, ProColombia celebrated the participation of Colombian exporters of coffee, processed fruit, cosmetics and containers and packaging. It is important to highlight that sustainability was the main focus of the Pacific Alliance Macro-round, in which, apart from the business roundtable, we had a significant space to present our proposals to invited buyers from countries such as Korea, India, the United States and Canada. This generated a deeper vision of the offer of Colombia, the Country of Beauty, as a bloc, awakening considerable interest in strengthening trade relations”.

Claricia Tirado, executive president of PROMPERÚ, comments that “the Pacific Alliance Business Macro-Round has been a clear example of the successful collaborative work between our agencies. This event has not only strengthened trade ties between Chile, Colombia, Peru and Mexico, but has also facilitated a fruitful exchange of appointments and business opportunities. The participation of 15 Peruvian exporters, who positively represented the Peruvian supply of food, clothing and inputs for the industry, has significantly reinforced the expectations of many companies to scale their ventures and enable their products to participate in value chains at the international level.

For her part, the Ambassador of Mexico in Chile, Dr. Laura Moreno Rodríguez, shared that “Mexico has 14 free trade agreements with the world and the Pacific Alliance represents a trading partner that strengthens Mexican foreign trade. The XI Pacific Alliance Business Macro-Round has been an important platform for B2B business linkages; a space of maximum use for the important presence of Mexican companies. The Ministry of Economy, in coordination with the Embassy of Mexico, participated as operational representatives in the Technical Group of Promotion Agencies of the PA. We shared strategic information for doing business, showcasing success stories of young entrepreneurs, guiding and approaching companies according to their focal interests in Mexican products, linking businessmen to other markets; increasingly creating more business opportunities with importing and entrepreneurial companies that appreciate the quality of Mexican products.

Activities of the Pacific Alliance Promotion Agencies Group

The Pacific Alliance Promotion Agencies Group will continue its activities this year 2024, under Chile’s pro tempore presidency of the bloc.

In November, the XI version of the Pacific Alliance Entrepreneurship and Innovation Forum LAB4+ will be held between November 21 and 23 together with EtM Day, which will seek to enhance the impact of this initiative and make the link with the entrepreneurship and innovation ecosystem part of the DNA of companies, contributing to generate a cultural change in the countries of the Alliance.

The activity will take place in Santiago de Chile and is expected to bring together more than a hundred companies from the PA, seeking to enhance the impact of this regional bloc through European observers interested in the supply of services and technological innovations of the companies.

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Chile chairs meeting of the High Level Group of the Pacific Alliance

Posted on by Angélica Alfaro
05
Jul

July 5, 2024 – This morning the meeting of the High Level Group (HLG) of the Pacific Alliance – composed of the Vice Ministers of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade of Chile, Colombia, Mexico and Peru – was held at the Federico Santa Maria Technical University in the city of Valparaiso, a meeting that closed three days of PA activities in this region of Chile.

The meetings were led by Chile, as the current pro tempore presidency (PPT) of this regional integration mechanism, and were attended by Chile’s Undersecretary of International Economic Relations, Claudia Sanhueza, and the Director General of Multilateral Economic Affairs and National Coordinator of Chile, Marcela Otero, who led the HLG; Colombia was represented virtually by the Vice Minister of Foreign Trade, Luis Felipe Quintero, and in person by the Director of Regional Integration Mechanisms, Ambassador Javier Higuera; Mexico was represented by the Undersecretary for Latin America and the Caribbean, Laura Elena Carrillo, and the Undersecretary of Foreign Trade, Alejandro Encinas; and Peru was represented by the Vice Minister of Foreign Trade, Teresa Mera, and the Secretary General of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Eric Anderson Machado.

During the meeting, the HLG gave the mandate to implement the creation of the Working Group to advance the process of Costa Rica’s accession to the bloc; the progress of the 2024 work plan of the Cooperation Fund and the status of technical projects financed by this Fund; the status of the PA-Singapore economic trade agreement, along with other processes of external relations of the Pacific Alliance; along with the preparations for the IX PA Youth Meeting.

Also, the Digital Economy Subcommittee made a presentation on the Regional Digital Market and highlighted the upcoming Dialogue to Update the Roadmap of the Regional Digital Market of the Pacific Alliance, with the participation of academia, civil society and the private sector, to be held on July 30 and 31 in Santiago.

The vice ministers also met with the Sherpa of the Chile Chapter of the Business Council (CEAP), to learn about the concerns of the private sector of the four countries and the activities planned for this year by the CEAP, also currently chaired by Chile; and virtually, they spoke with representatives of the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB).

Public-Academic Dialogue

Before the start of the meeting, the members of the HLG participated in the “Public-Academic Dialogue on Economic Growth and Regional Integration in the Pacific Alliance”, organized jointly by PPT Chile 2024 and the Federico Santa María Technical University.

In this activity, the PA authorities shared their thoughts and perspectives on the future of the regional bloc with academics, representatives of trade unions, small businessmen and students.

Presentation of the results of the SME Policy Index 2024

In addition, yesterday the Vice Ministers participated in the closing of the presentation of the results of the “SME Policy Index 2024: Towards an inclusive, resilient and sustainable recovery”, where they highlighted the importance of MSMEs in the economic growth of the regional bloc, and the efforts of the PA to support these companies through joint initiatives, specialized policies, support to develop productive linkages, among others.

In her speech, the Undersecretary of International Economic Relations of Chile, Claudia Sanhueza, pointed out that the 2024 edition of the Index, “identifies new challenges and offers precise recommendations to our governments and highlights the importance of supporting the digital transformation of MSMEs and promoting a green economy, integrating

This Index is a valuable resource for the Technical Group of SMEs of the PA, which uses it as input for the preparation of the MSMEs Public-Private Roadmap that is expected to be launched during this year, with the objective of growing intra-regional trade of MSMEs in a sustainable and inclusive manner.

Communications PPT 2024 Pacific Alliance