Friday, March 20, 2008

The FIA 2008 arises as the follow-up to the Americas Competitiveness Forum - ACF) that was held from June 11 to 12, 2007 in Atlanta, USA. The Forum, hosted by the US Commerce Department, convened over 600 top-level representatives of the public and private sectors from 20 nations in the Americas.
The event seeks to boost innovation as a tool for development and growth in the region, summoning well-known experts to our country, and offering attendees a chance to come together with leaders from the business sector, academia and government to explore issues related to Innovation in the Americas.

Fernando Lopez-Fabregat
Consul General
Consulate General of Uruguay
300 Sheppard Av. W Suite 302
Toronto ON M2N 1N5
Tel. 416-7301289
Fax. 416-7300192
E-mail: conurutor@on.aibn.com

On behalf of the Colombian Government, I would like to take this opportunity to formally invite you to participate in an exclusive Agrobusiness Matchmaking Forum to be held in Cartagena on April 2^nd and 3th. The focus of AgroBizmatch 2008 is the Food industry covering both fresh and processed products. This is an initiative of the Colombian Government to provide a win-win situation for buyers from Canada, USA, Germany, United Kingdom, and Italy to find sourcing alternatives from our exporters. During these two days, pre-arranged meetings will take place with agendas prepared in advance with the help of our consultants and with the buyer’s approval. Each Business Matchmaking meeting allows international buyers to meet face-to-face with a group of carefully selected Colombian sources. Here are more reasons why you should not miss this event:

· This is not merely an opportunity to trade business cards, as it is the case with traditional trade shows.

· This forum in Cartagena is a unique occasion for Canadian Buyers looking to expand and grow your businesses by increasing your international sources with high quality products from more than 600 qualified exporters.

· A team of specialized professionals will be available to help you prepare your personal agenda for this business days.

AgroBizmatch 2008 will certainly increase business opportunities for you company. Please log-in to our website at www.agrobizmatch2008.com to register now. Space is limited to 20 Canadian Companies. Once your company is approved, you will receive written confirmation and one roundtrip airfare to Cartagena per company will be granted. For additional information, agendas and travel arrangements feel free to contact Rafael Vargas at 416 363-9225 rvargas@proexport.ca or Miss. Claudia Rico at crico@proexport.ca

6th Latin American Leadership Forum - 'Building the Global Network for Sustained Competitiveness & Opportunity'

Save the date! April 1-3, 2008 in Miami, Florida (just prior to the Annual Meetings of the Inter-American Development Bank).

Strategic Projects - The 6° Annual Leadership Forum hosts the Top 50 strategic infrastructure projects in Latin America, across 10 sectors - electricity generation, water/wastewater, ports & logistics, mining, urban mass transit, tourism, highways, oil & gas, 'new' infrastructure and strategic projects (those that most transform the region's competitiveness). The theme - "Building the Global Network for Sustained Competitiveness & Opportunity" - focuses on bringing global resources - and a vision of where the world is going - to the design and financing of the next generation of projects. 50 Project Presentations, each of 10-12 minutes, over two days!

CEO Forum - A new and innovative feature of the 6° Leadership Forum is the participation of 10 key infrastructure decision-makers from around the globe, including 5 CEO's and an equal number of heads of state. Presentations will be both live and interactive, and pre-taped, focusing on why Latin America needs to quadruple its investment in infrastructure, how that is going to happen, and who is going to benefit - over 30 years!

Private Meetings - Private Meetings will go live on January 31, 2008. Each registrant in the Forum has the right to schedule up to 15 private meetings, each of 15 minutes in length, with project presenters, sponsors, and participating EO's. This evolving model has proven highly successful. As one participant in our recent Global Infrastructure Leadership Forum said "this works great, I make my numbers every year at your meetings - and since you started our revenues have grown 20 times!"

"Deep Dives" - Increasingly the Leadership Forum provides context for private sector participants, and a strong feedback loop for the public sector, through workshops, roundtables and breakfasts, all organized by sponsors and focused on specific topics. Last year's successful workshops included a World Economic Forum event on infrastructure financing; for this year the 'deep dives' will focus on Brazil, South American and IIRSA, "What is Really Going on in the Region's Infrastructure - Winning and Losing Sectors, Countries and Regions," and "Making the DR/Cafta Competitive."

World Class Sponsors - Key sponsors for the 6° Annual Latin American Leadership Forum include the following: latinum - Banco Centro-Americano de Integración Regional, CEI-RD Gold -- Banco do Brasil, CitiBank, Export Development Canada; MIGA - World Bank Group, and Panalpina.

CG/LA Infrastructure LLC
1730 Rhode Island Ave., NW
Suite 707
Washington, DC 20036
Tel: (202) 776-0990
Fax: (202) 776-0994
Email: nfa@cg-la.com

or

Av. Paulista, 2, 202 Cj 61
Sao Paulo, S.P. 01310 300, Brazil
Tel: 55 11 3285-2055
Fax: 55 11 3285-2967

The 2008 LAVCA-AMEXCAP Summit will convene the major players in Latin American PE and VC, from Mexico, Brazil, Argentina, Chile, Colombia, Peru and Central America for two days of high-level debate and discussion. Under the theme "Investing in the Future of Latin America", fund managers, investors, regulators and government officials will map out a path for the future of private capital in the region.

On April 9th-10th, the Latin American Venture Capital Association (LAVCA) and the Mexican Private Equity Association (AMEXCAP) will convene over 200 fund managers, investors, policymakers and regulators in Mexico City for an extraordinary joint Summit on the future of private capital investment.

Summit highlights include a program on the current investment landscape and opportunities in Mexico, a special investor workshop for regional pension funds and global institutional investors, and case studies of deals and exits from the leading managers in Latin America – from venture capital to mid-market buyouts and large-stage deals.

Alfredo Thorne, Managing Director of Economic and Policy Research for JPMorgan Chase will moderate a panel on mid- to long-term prospects for Latin America, with the participation of Francisco Gil Diaz, Former Finance Minister of Mexico and Gustavo Franco, Former Central Bank Governor of Brazil.

On April 9th LAVCA and AMEXCAP will also co-host a gala reception on Mexico City’s premier private club, Club de Industriales.

The International Economic Forum of the Americas - The Great Transition: Mastering Change

The International Economic Forum of the Americas/Conference of Montréal has as its principal mission the promotion of wide-ranging and completely open discussion of the major international economic issues. It also aims at facilitating the creation of contacts between representatives of businesses, governments and international agencies as well as members of the academic world and civic society, thereby encouraging international exchanges.

Join more than 400 transportation, logistic and economic development specialists from across Mexico, United State and Canada at this dynamic annual conference in Mexico which will focus on key trade and transportation issues and opportunities for improved cooperation and economic partnership among the three North American countries joined by the International Mid-Continent Trade and Transportation Corridor ( NASCO Corridor)

For more complete information on the conference and/or to register please visit www.nascogto.com.

For more information from the United States or Canada:
Rachel Connell
214-744-1006

A total of nine municipalities of the western Cuban province of Pinar del Rio will benefit from the assistance of the United Nations as 120 UN-sponsored development projects are being carried out in the region, the Latin American News Agency reported Wednesday.

The projects include housing construction and water and electricity supply to communities, which are the priorities of the UN's Program for Local Human Development in the Latin American country, said Leonel Salgado, provincial coordinator of the projects.

The UN will spend 2 million U.S. dollars in its collaboration with Cuban authorities in building the projects, Salgado said.

A total of 75 housing units in the Vinales Valley have benefited from an electricity project, and a project called guas Pinar will strengthen aqueduct networks and disaster prevention in the region, among other projects which are to be or being carried out, said the official.

Unlocking the Potential of the Canadian Energy Industry in the Americas
(FOCAL Point)

"… Latin America is estimated to hold 13.5 per cent of the world’s proven oil reserves but accounts for only six per cent of the total output.

A huge growth potential exists for the region’s energy resources, and this emerging market presents a valuable opportunity for Canadian energy companies.

Canadian small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) certainly have the necessary experience and knowledge to address their development gaps.

Several challenges within the region, however, impede this agenda. NOCs have been notoriously reluctant to embrace foreign involvement, and SMEs often lack the ability to compete for NOC contracts. …"

Mexican Sugar Sector May Declare Crisis
(Prensa Latina)

Mexico is threatened by an ensuing social crisis in the sugar sector, said Sen. Arturo Herviz, secretary of the Senate Special Commission for Agribusiness.

Herviz blamed the crisis to the low price of sugar and increasing costs of fertilizers and called to implement an emergency program with investments of $400 million to prevent protests.

The legislator also reminded the effects of the over 14-year enforcement of North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA): neither the machinery nor factories were modernized and the few allocation to hydraulic infrastructure were never implemented.

Uruguay and Venezuela are expected to have a shared communications satellite in the air soon which will cover South and Central America, an official from Uruguay's Communication Services Regulation Unit said Sunday.

The 250-million-U.S.-dollar satellite, which is designed for 15 years of service life, will boost both nations' communications and allow them to lower the cost of using the broadband Internet, LeonLev, president of the regulation unit told media.

"It (the satellite) will be jointly used by Uruguay and Venezuela for peaceful ends," Lev said, adding that " Uruguay is on the verge of a fundamentally important event."

Local media said the joint program has already enabled the two nations to improve their aerospace research. The satellite's launch site has yet to be confirmed.

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Disclaimer – CCA Update is provided as an information service to our members and key contacts. It is designed to provide the most up-to-date trade information from a variety of sources. The information we feature does not necessarily reflect the Council’s opinion on a given international trade issue. Although we endeavour to disclose accurate and timely information, there can be no guarantee that such information is accurate as of the date it is received or that it will continue to be accurate in the future. The Canadian Council for the Americas cannot assume any responsibility for actions taken solely or principally on the basis of information provided.