International experts and authorities from the region’s countries will gather at the headquarters of the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) for the III CORPYME Training Workshop: Trade Single Windows for the Internationalization of SMEs.
This meeting will take place on Monday, May 13, 2019 at the United Nations organization’s headquarters in Santiago, Chile. It will be inaugurated at 9:00 a.m. by Raúl García-Buchaca, ECLAC’s Deputy Executive Secretary for Management and Program Analysis; Gabriela Orosco, Director General of Trade and Investment Agreements at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Bolivia, in its capacity as President Pro Tempore of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC); and Jo Yung-Joon, Director General for Latin America and the Caribbean at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Korea, the country that sponsors the CORPYME project implemented by ECLAC.
CORPYME is an action plan to strengthen the capacities of countries to promote the internationalization of small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in the countries of CELAC, through a more intensive use of information and communication technologies (ICTs) and export innovation.
SMEs in Latin American and Caribbean countries represent 99% of all companies and two thirds of employment. However, their participation in regional exports is only 6%, which reflects their low degree of internationalization and productivity. To access international markets, SMEs not only face a lack of access to credit, but also a shortage of information on the functioning of markets and the difficulties accessing foreign distribution channels; high costs associated with compliance of standards and certification procedures for products, and the absence of information on the applicable regulations in other countries; and a lack of knowledge regarding the complexity of customs and bureaucratic procedures.
Trade facilitation measures offer a solution to some of these obstacles and, in turn, allow SMEs to increase their participation in international trade. In this area, Trade Single Windows (TSWs) are one such measure that has a leveraging effect on these kinds of operations.
Members of the media are invited to attend this workshop. Journalists must carry their media credentials or identity documents with them to gain entry.
More information, including the event program, is available at this link.
What: III CORPYME Training Workshop: Trade Single Windows for the Internationalization of SMEs.
Who:
Inaugural speakers (Monday, May 13, 9:00 a.m.):
When: Monday, May 13, 2019.
Where: ECLAC’s Headquarters. Av. Dag Hammarskjöld 3477, Vitacura, Santiago, Chile (Celso Furtado room).
