T&T to host VIII Americas Competitiveness Forum

The Government of Trinidad and Tobago via the Ministry of Planning and Sustainable Development will host the VIII Americas Competitiveness Forum  in October 2014 with the theme: The Human Imagination at Work: Driving Competitiveness, Powering Innovation.

The American Competitiveness Forum (ACF) is the Western Hemisphere’s preeminent event for government and business leaders to discuss innovative methods to achieve economic competitiveness and promote innovation in the Americas. It arose from the recognition of the need to promote trade, address immigration reforms and highlight the importance of investments in R&D as a key tool for competitiveness. It is also meant to address the fact that the Latin American and Caribbean region lags behind the rest of the Americas in terms of income equality and the level of investment that occurs in Research and Development (R&D).

The forum distinguishes itself from other international gatherings by promoting novel approaches to economic competitiveness and enabling private and public representatives to take advantage of creative opportunities to explore new models and expand their business.

The ACF brings together more than 1,000 leaders from the 34 nations of the Americas and includes Heads of State, cabinet members, business executives, trade delegates, academics and representatives from the regions public and private competitiveness councils as well as non-governmental and international organisations. The main goal of the ACF is to inspire programs, policies and partnerships that will improve economic prosperity at local, national and regional levels and ensure a brighter future for the people of the region.

Through the ACF, the Inter-American Competitiveness Network (RIAC) was established in Chile in 2009.Its intention is to:

• Introduce a more consultative aspect on competitiveness issues affecting the region.
• Garner more structure, focus and institutional support
• Provide the guidelines for the parameters and ideas should be established for the overall event.

Through the RIAC the Consensus of Santo Domingo was agreed upon at ACF V in 2011 whereby the member governments agreed upon benchmarks and core objectives for competitiveness goals in the region.