From Dominican Today

Caracas.- Representatives from 26 Member States will meet from 28 to 30 November in Caracas, Venezuela, for the XLIII Regular Meeting of the Latin American Council of the Latin American and Caribbean Economic System (SELA), the highest decision-making organ of this inter-governmental organization.

The Permanent Secretariat of SELA will submit to the Latin American Council the “Forty-first Annual Report of the Permanent Secretariat”, corresponding to the activities carried out since last year’s Regular Meeting.

It will also present for consideration its “Draft Work Programme for the year 2018”, which is aimed mainly at developing activities that incorporate an innovative and up-to-date insight on those economic issues that are most useful for its Member States.

In this connection, priority will be given to the productive articulation (development of value chains) and economic promotion (trade, investment and sustainable tourism). It also envisages as a cross-cutting axis of work for 2018 the promotion, development and internationalization of micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) in the region. The projects and activities with Central American countries will also be strengthened.

On 29 November, the Ministerial Stage will start. It will be in charge of the Permanent Secretary of the Latin American and Caribbean Economic System (SELA), Ambassador Javier Paulinich, the new Chairman of the Latin American Council and the representative of the government of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, as speakers.

Prior to the opening of the Ministerial Stage, Luis Carranza, Chief Executive Officer of CAF-development bank of Latin America, will give a lecture on the “Current Situation and Prospects for Regional Economic Integration”.

Over 42 years of uninterrupted work, SELA – as a regional organization of a permanent nature with an international legal personality – has carried out activities to foster consultation and coordination, cooperation and joint economic and social promotion, vis-à-vis countries, groups of countries, forums and other international organizations.

The Latin American and Caribbean Economic System (SELA) is an intergovernmental regional body, with headquarters in Caracas, Venezuela, composed of 26 countries. Created on October 17, 1975 through the Agreement Establishing Panama. Currently, SELA is composed of: Argentina, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Cuba, Chile, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Jamaica, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Dominican Republic, Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago, Uruguay and Venezuela.

For more on this story go to: https://dominicantoday.com/dr/economy/2017/11/28/innovation-the-focus-at-latam-caribbean-conclave/