CEIB continues its roadshow to promote the Ibero-American Business Meeting in the Dominican Republic

The Permanent Secretary of CEIB, Narciso Casado, travelled to Santo Domingo from 1 to 4 September as part of the visit of the Ibero-American Secretary General, Andrés Allamand, to the Dominican Republic, where he had an intensive schedule of meetings with Government representatives and the heads of the country’s business organisations. Casado is thus continuing his roadshow to promote the forthcoming Ibero-American Business Meeting, which began with his trips to Colombia and Ecuador.

During the visit, Narciso Casado, along with the Head of Economy and Business at CEIB, Esteban Campero, met the Minister of Industry, Trade and MSMEs of the Dominican Republic, Ito Bisonó, and members of his cabinet; the Deputy Minister for Free Zones, Carlos Guillermo Flaquer; and the Deputy Minister of Foreign Trade, Vilma Arbaje, to assess the preparatory work for the forthcoming Ibero-American Business Meeting, which is due to be held as part of the Heads of State and Government Summit in 2023 in the Dominican Republic. Casado also reported on 5th MSME Forum, which is due to be held in November in Lisbon.

The Permanent Secretary of CEIB and the Head of Economics and Business at SEGIB also held meetings with the Deputy Minister of Multilateral Foreign Policy at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Rubén Silié; with the Economic and Commercial Advisor of the Spanish Embassy in the country, Clara Fernández; and with senior representatives of the Government’s public administration, coinciding with the visit of the Ibero-American Secretary General, Andrés Allamand, to the island.

During their visit, on Friday, 2 September, they participated in the Converting 2022 Forum, which focused on resilience for sustainable business development. The event consists of a regional conference for public-private exchange and dialogue around trends in practical sustainability in companies in the region, which is held every two years by the Central American Integration Network for Corporate Social Responsibility (INTEGRARSE).

In the business arena, Narciso Casado and Esteban Campero met the members of the Monitoring Committee of the 14th Ibero-American Business Meeting, which consists of the country’s main business organisations: the Employers’ Confederation of the Dominican Republic-COPARDOM; the National Council of Private Enterprise-CONEP; the Association of Industries of the Dominican Republic-AIRD; the National Association of Young Entrepreneurs-ANJE; the National Association of Hotels and Restaurants-ASONAHORES; the Dominican Confederation of Micro, Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises-CODOPYME; the Dominican Association of Exporters-ADOEXPO; the Association of Foreign Investment Business Guild-ASIEX; the Organisation of Commercial Enterprises-ONEC; and the Dominican Association of Free Trade Zones-ADOZONA. 

They discussed logistical issues to prepare for the Meeting and other matters pertaining to content related to the Meeting. Thus, Casado and Campero highlighted the great work being done by these organisations, grouped into the Committee, and which acts as a model for preparing future meetings in other countries where business organisations are fragmented too, as in the Dominican Republic.

Thematic and business priorities

During the various meetings held, the content and themes of the forthcoming Ibero-American Business Meeting were set out; it will focus on priority matters for the region, such as sustainability and climate action, as key factors for recovery; new financing models to develop sustainable business; the economic outlook for Ibero-America facing the challenge of recovery and transformation; connectivity and infrastructure in the region; energy and the ecological transition towards a decarbonised economy; digital transformation as the basis for productive and sustainable innovation; and tourism, as the great lever for Ibero-America’s recovery.

Besides analysing all the issues related to this major business event in the region in 2023, they also discussed the 5th Ibero-American MSME Forum, which is due to take place in November in Lisbon. In this 5th edition of the Forum, as is usual, the challenges and opportunities for this type of companies will be assessed: from credit and financing to the public policies that should accompany them. The Forum will be organised on this occasion by CEIB, SEGIB and CIP (Confederação Empresarial de Portugal - Business Confederation of Portugal).

Colombia and Ecuador: starting point of the promotion roadshow

At the end of August, the Permanent Secretary of CEIB travelled to Colombia and Ecuador, as part of Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez’s official visit to both countries. Taking advantage of their stay, Casado and CEOE Vice-President, Íñigo Fernández de Mesa held meetings with the ministers and other authorities who participated in the Business Meeting in Bogota; with the ANDI President, Bruce Mac Máster, and his team; and with ANDI del Futuro Director Andrés Raigosa. During the various meetings, an assessment was made of the last Open Innovation Forum, which was held at the CEOE; discussions were held on the 5th Ibero-American MSME Forum, which is due to be held in October in Lisbon; and organisation of the 14th Ibero-American Business Meeting continued, as part of the Heads of State and Government Summit, which will take place in 2023 in the Dominican Republic. 

In Quito, Narciso Casado also had an intense schedule of meetings, as he had already done in Colombia, with the country’s Minister of Production, Foreign Trade, Investment and Fisheries, Julio José Prado; with the President of the Ecuadorian Business Committee, Miguel Ángel González (a body that brings together the country’s major business organisations, including the CIP and CIG); and the President of the Chamber of Industries and Production-CIP, José María Ponce, and its Executive Vice-President, Pablo Jiménez, with whom he once again assessed the preparatory work for the Ibero-American Business Meeting, as part of the Heads of State and Government Summit next year. He also held a meeting with the Executive President of the Association of Young Entrepreneurs of Ecuador, Weldyn Quezada, to further intensify the excellent relations CEIB enjoys with the members of the Iberian-American Federation of Young Entrepreneurs-FIJE, an organisation that collaborates on a permanent basis in all our activities.