A framework technical cooperation agreement aimed at facilitating the development of joint activities to support competitiveness and the technological modernization of the region's businesses was concluded on Tuesday 19 August 2014 by the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) and the Latin American Business Council (CEAL) in Santiago, Chile.
The agreement - which was signed by the Executive Secretary of ECLAC, Alicia Bárcena, and the President of CEAL, Samuel Urrutia - will be in force for five years, and includes actions to help devise strategies to enhance production chains and improve small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).
The agreement also covers the formulation of indicators and information systems, as well as the organization of seminars, conferences, courses, training and staff exchanges. Both institutions are seeking to use their networks to promote Latin America and the Caribbean's international integration, particularly with Europe and, more specifically, the Iberian Peninsula.
ECLAC is one of the five regional commissions of the United Nations, and its objective is to contribute to the economic, social and environmental development of Latin America and the Caribbean. As for CEAL, it was set up 24 years ago as a business network helping countries to achieve socioeconomic progress. It has a presence in Latin America, Spain and Portugal.
