Real InterContinental Hotel Costa Rica
San Jose 1856-1000
San José
Costa Rica
Registration: 8:30 a.m. to 9:00 a.m.
Conference: 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m....
Live broadcast
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2013 Latin American Cities Conferences: San José
Members of the public and private sectors discussed five years of the CAFTA-DR trade accord.
Registration: 8:30 a.m. to 9:00 a.m.
Conference: 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m....
Real InterContinental Hotel Costa Rica
San Jose 1856-1000
San José
Costa Rica
Live broadcast
Share
Overview
COSTA RICA: FIVE YEARS AFTER CAFTA-DR
On January 2009, Costa Rica implemented the Dominican Republic-Central America-United States Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA-DR) with four Central American countries (El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua), the Dominican Republic, and the United States. This pact is fostering regional integration and facilitating trade and investment among the seven countries of the agreement.
The CAFTA-DR zone is the third-largest export market for the United States in Latin America behind only Mexico and Brazil. In 2012 it was the fifteenth-largest U.S. export market in the world. Two-way trade in 2012 was $60.1 billion.
In the last five years Costa Rica’s GDP has grown an average of 3.2 percent, despite the effects of the international financial crisis.
In addition, CAFTA-DR opened up Costa Rica’s state monopolies in telecommunications and insurance. Since then, foreign direct investment has grown and the telecom and insurance markets have increased their competitiveness.
Americas Society/Council of the Americas held a conference in partnership with the World Bank and the Ministry of Foreign Trade of Costa Rica (COMEX), “Five years after CAFTA-DR.”
Speakers:
- Luis Liberman, Vice President of Costa Rica
- Anabel Gonzalez, Minister of Foreign Trade of Costa Rica
- Randy Melzi, Senior Director, Public Policy Programs and Corporate Relations, Americas Society/Council of the Americas
- Felipe Jaramillo, Director for Central America, Latin America & Caribbean Region, World Bank (Download his presentation)
- Arturo Condo, President, INCAE Business School
- Jeff Hornbeck, Associate Director, PATRI Inc.
- Julio Lizano, President – Operations Director, Vitec Videocom Ltda.
- Jaime Molina, President, Costa Rican Union of Chambers and Associations of the Private Sector (UCCAEP)
- Muni Figueres, Ambassador of Costa Rica to the United States
- Christopher Padilla, Vice President, Government Programs, IBM Corporation
- Alberto Trejos, Ex-Minister of Foreign Trade of Costa Rica
- Jorge Abadía, CEO, Telefónica Costa Rica
- Víctor García, Chief of Regulatory and Wholesale Services, CLARO
- Ronald Jiménez, Vice President, Chamber of Information and Communication Technology (CAMTIC)
- Rowland Espinosa, Vice Minister of Telecommunications, Ministry of Science, Technology and Telecommunications of Costa Rica
- Alfredo Ramírez, Country Manager, Pan-American Life Insurance Costa Rica
- Said Breedy, Associate, Insurance Practice, BLP Lawyers
- Tomás Soley, Superintendent, General Superintendence of Insurance of Costa Rica
- Ricardo Monge, Technical Secretary, Presidential Council for Competitiveness and Innovation of Costa Rica
- Fernando Ocampo, Vice Minister of Foreign Trade of Costa Rica
Event Information: Guillermo Zubillaga | gzubillaga@as-coa.org | 1-212-277-8362
Sponsorship Opportunities: Ana Gilligan | agilligan@as-coa.org | 1-212-277-8364
COA Corporate Membership Information: Monica Vieira | mvieira@as-coa.org | 1-212-277-8344
Press Inquiries: Adriana La Rotta | alarotta@as-coa.org | 1-212-277-8384
In partnership with:
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Agenda
Hotel Real Inter Continental
8:00 – 8:30 a.m. Coffee and Registration
9:00 – 9:30 a.m. Welcoming Remarks
- Anabel González, Minister of Foreign Trade of Costa Rica
- Ragnhild Melzi, Senior Director, Public Policy Programs and Corporate Relations, Council of the Americas (Keynote Speaker)
9:30 – 10:15 a.m. Presentation on the World Bank Report: “CAFTA-DR to Five Years after Its Entry into Force in Costa Rica”
- Felipe Jaramillo, Director of Central America, World Bank
10:15 – 10:45 a.m. Coffee Break
10:45 – 12:00 p.m. Panel I – CAFTA-DR’s Impact on Foreign Trade, Attracting Investment, and Business Development
- Arturo Condo, President, INCAE Business School
- Jeff Hornbeck, Associate Director, PATRI Inc.
- Julio Lizano, CEO, VITEC
- Jaime Molina, President, Costa Rican Union of Chambers and Associations of the Private Sector
- Muni Figueres, Ambassador of Costa Rica to the United States (Moderator)
12:00 – 1:15 p.m. Lunch – Discussion on the Impact of CAFTA-DR to Five years after Its Entry into Force
- Christopher Padilla, Vice President, Government Programs, IBM Corporation
- Alberto Trejos, Ex-Minister of Foreign Trade of Costa Rica
- Anabel González, Minister of Foreign Trade of Costa Rica (Moderator)
1:15 – 2: 30 p.m. Panel II – Impact on the Country’s Competitiveness: The Opening of the Telecommunications Market
- Jorge Abadía, CEO, Telefónica Costa Rica
- Víctor García, Chief of Regulatory and Wholesale Services, CLARO
- Ronald Jiménez, Vice President, Chamber of Information and Communication Technology
- Rowland Espinoza, Vice Minister of Telecommunications, Ministry of Science, Technology and Telecommunications
- Ricardo Monge, Technical Secretary, Presidential Council on Competitiveness (Moderator)
2:30 – 3:45 p.m. Panel III – Impact on the Country’s Competitiveness: The Opening of the Insurance Market
- Alfredo Ramírez, Country Manager, Pan American Life Costa Rica
- Tomás Soley, Superintendent, General Superintendence on Insurance
- Fernando Ocampo, Vice Minister of Foreign Trade of Costa Rica (Moderator)
3:45 – 4:00 p.m. Closing Remarks
- Luis Liberman, Vice President of Costa Rica
