2013 Latin American Cities Conferences Santiago – Chile: Leading through Trade

New York, July 30, 2013—Join Americas Society and Council of the Americas at our annual Santiago conference “Chile: Leading through Trade” on Thursday, August 8, 2013 from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. Presented in partnership with the Ministry of Finance of Chile, the conference will convene senior public officials and private sector leaders to focus on the pivotal role of trade in the Chilean economy, both regionally and globally. This conference will be webcast live.

Widely regarded as the first “Latin Tiger” for its robust, continuous growth and open economy, Chile stands as a model for progress in Latin America. In 2012, Chile became the second largest recipient of foreign direct investment in Latin America after Brazil. Last year, the country’s GDP grew by 5.6 percent, the largest amount of all Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) members. In 2013, Chile is expected to lead the OECD with a 4.9 percent growth rate.

More than 20 trade agreements with over 50 countries make of Chile one of the top signers of free-trade agreements in the world. The Pacific Alliance, launched in 2012, hopes to invigorate the country’s economic momentum. The Alliance—which also counts Colombia, Mexico, and Peru as members—has dropped tariffs on 90 percent of goods and has committed to eliminating the remaining 10 percent in the next few years. Together, the countries of the Alliance account for 50 percent of trade in the region and almost 40 percent of its GDP. Chile is also part of the Trans-Pacific Partnership, a trade deal among 12 major economies in the Americas and Asia-Pacific region which together produce 40 percent of global GDP.

Local and international panelists at the Santiago conference “Chile: Leading through Trade” will include: Felipe Larraín, Minister of Finance, Chile; Alfredo Moreno, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Chile; Susan Segal, President and CEO, Americas Society/Council of the Americas; Luis Guillermo Plata, CEO, The Cornerstone Group; Former Minister of Trade, Industry and Tourism of Colombia; Alicia Bárcena, U.N. Executive Secretary of the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC); and Jorge Rosenblut, President, Endesa Chile.

Visit www.as-coa.org/chile2013 for the complete agenda, blog, and live webcast of the conference.
The webcast begins Thursday, August 8, 2013, 9:00 a.m. local and ET time.
Get live updates on Twitter via @ASCOA and #ascoa_cl
Tune into the live webcast here.

2013 Latin American Cities Conferences – Santiago
Chile: Leading through Trade

Thursday, August 8, 2013
Registration: 8:30 a.m. to 9:00 a.m.
Presentation: 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.

Club El Golf 50
Av. El Golf 50, Las Condes
Santiago, Chile
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Press Inquiries: Please contact Adriana La Rotta at alarotta@as-coa.org or 1-212-277-8384.