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Meeting of Experts in Subnational Competitiveness Organized by the OAS Opens in Uruguay

The Organization of American States (OAS) opened a meeting in Montevideo, Uruguay, of the working group and experts on subnational competitiveness, in its capacity as Technical Secretariat of the Inter-American Competitiveness Network (RIAC).

The inauguration of the event included the participation of the Minister of Industry, Energy and Mining of the host country, Roberto Kreimerman; the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Planning and Sustainable Development of Trinidad and Tobago, Arleen McComie; the Director of the Institute of Competitiveness of the Catholic University of Uruguay (UCU), host of the meeting, Roberto Horta; the Director of the Department of Economic and Social Development of the OAS, Maryse Robert; the representative of the Development Bank of Latin America (CAF), Juan Carlos Elorza; and the Deputy Academic Rector of the UCU, Adriel Cuadro.

In her words during the inauguration, the Director of the Department of Economic and Social Development of the OAS, Maryse Robert, highlighted that “increased productivity does not automatically translate into job creation, higher incomes or improved quality of life for everyone.” “Therefore,” said Director Robert, “working on subnational competitiveness, bottom-up innovation endeavors and public-private partnerships to leverage real and sustainable economic and social development based on key assets and distinctive features of each of our communities, is at the heart of the future of our region.”

For his part, Director Horta said the meeting will focus on five central issues: innovation and subnational competitiveness, indicators and measures of competitiveness, case studies of clusters; impact on regional competitiveness, institutionality of competitiveness: national and regional competitiveness councils, and competitiveness in cities. In his conclusion, Director Horta expressed his conviction that the meeting “will contribute to a better understanding of the issue of competitiveness, its determinants, and the policies and actions that support its development.”

During the meeting, which ends Thursday, the participants will exchange experiences on the issue and hear presentations from representatives of various sectors of the member countries with the aim of promoting the competitiveness of the Hemisphere through interchange on subnational competitiveness and knowledge of different methodologies in the production of reports, measures and agendas of competitiveness at the provincial, state, subregional and city level.

For more information, please visit the OAS Website at www.oas.org.

Reference: E-322/14