Business leaders from the region participated in the American Business Dialogue, an initiative facilitated by the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) and led by the private sector, which seeks to promote public-private high-level dialogue for development in the Americas.

In the context of the seminar organized by the IDB, “Forging a Public-Private Dialogue for Development in the Americas,” held in Sao Paulo on June 11, business leaders from the region met to discuss the importance of public-private dialogue for the development of the region and to present an ongoing forum for dialogue leading up to the next CEO Summit of the Americas in Panama in 2015.

“The Americas Business Dialogue provides a space to facilitate high-level public-private dialogue in the region and to work with the business community on a shared agenda for the development of the Americas,” expressed the President of the IDB, Luis Alberto Moreno.

Important business executives from throughout the region participated in the event, including Alberto Vallarino CEO of Grupo Verde Azul; Marcos Molina, CEO of Marfrig; Jorge Errázuriz, Partner of BTG Pactual Chile; Alejandro Bulgheroni, CEO of Associated Petroleum Investors; and Pablo Vargas, CEO of Grupo Britt, among many others. High-level representatives from business associations also attended, such as Unión Industrial Argentina (UIA), Asociación Nacional de Empresarios de Colombia (ANDI), Cámara de Comercio, Industrias y Agricultura de Panamá (CCIAP), Confederação Nacional da Indústria of Brazil (CNI), U.S. Chamber of Commerce (USCC), Barbados Chamber of Commerce and Industry (BCCI), and the Cámara Nacional de Comercio y Servicios (CNCS) from Uruguay, among many others.

The event included presentations by the Working Groups of the Americas Business Dialogue, which covered the most relevant issues for the business community and regional development, including: energy; infrastructure; transport, logistics, and connectivity; regional and global integration; trade facilitation; regulation; innovation and human capital; finance; natural resources; and social development.