OAS Assistant Secretary General Meets with Entrepreneurs in Sao Paulo

The Assistant Secretary General of the Organization of American States (OAS), Albert Ramdin, has called, in a meeting with businessmen in Sao Paulo, Brazil, for strengthening public-private dialogue in the countries of the Americas to be able to effectively address the global economic slowdown and to continue the progress made in reducing poverty in recent years.

The meeting, organized by the Brazilian chapter of the Latin American Business Council (CEAL), focused on the changing global economic scenario, the needs of the growing middle class and the need for Latin American and Caribbean countries, in alliance with their productive sectors, to address obstacles to sustained economic growth in the region, which is estimated will reach three percent in 2014.

The entrepreneurs expressed concern about low levels of productivity, particularly the need to prioritize the development of human capital, technological innovation and logistics, as well as increased intra-regional integration.

The President of CEAL Brazil, Ingo Ploger, highlighted that, now more than ever, there is a need for governments and the private sector to work hand in hand to maximize the diversity and economic openness of countries in the hemisphere for economic and social development.

Assistant Secretary General Ramdin said that, in his experience, the private sector is called upon to play a central role in the reforms needed to propel growth and development with social inclusion. He also emphasized the need to prioritize education and quality training for the youth of the Hemisphere and to prepare them for the jobs of the present and the future.

The senior OAS official also invited the entrepreneurs to participate in the Private Sector Forum to be held in Asunción, Paraguay, in the framework of the General Assembly of the hemispheric institution in June.