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Day 1|24 September 2019

14:00 - 14:45 - Opening remarks

14:45 - 15:00 - Group picture and coffee break

15:00 - 18:00 Session 1. Fining  methodologies for competition law infringements

19:00 - 21:00 - Welcome reception hosted by CDPC

Day 2|25 September 2019

09:30 - 13:00 - Session 2. Peer Review of El Salvador's Competition Law and Policy

13:00 - 15:00 - Lunch bufffet

15:00 - 18:00 - Session 3.  Practical approaches to assessing digital platform markets for competition law enforcement

18:00 - 18:30 - Evaluation and future work

Download the programme

 

Other meetings the same week

23 September 2019 (afternoon): Special session with the Peer review of Mexico's Competition Law and Policy
24 September 2019 (morning): National Competition Day of Honduras
26 September 2019 (morning): Ibero-American Forum on Competition 
26 September 2019 (afternoon): Meeting of the Latin American Regional Centre for Competition

Conference Venue - Accommodation

Registration - Visa

Registration

Participation in Forum events is by invitation only and is open to senior officials of Latin American and Caribbean competition institutions, competition experts from OECD countries and international organisations. A registration link can be found here.

Documents

A passport with a minimum expiration date of six months is required.

Visa

A visa to enter Honduras is required for citizens of the following countries:

  • Bolivia (consular visa/diplomats not required)
  • Cuba (consulted visa/ diplomats not required)
  • Dominica (consular visa)
  • Ecuador (consular visa)
  • Granada (consular visa)
  • Guyana (consular visa)
  • Haiti (consulted visa/ diplomats not required)
  • Jamaica (consular visa)
  • Venezuela (consulted visa)

Medical information

San Pedro Sula has four highly regarded hospitals, with excellent doctors and last generation equipment that permits it to serve as a reception center for health seeking tourism as well as odontology tourism.  

 

General information on Honduras

Honduras is a country located in the central-northern part of Central America. Its capital is the Central District jointly comprised by the cities of Tegucigalpa and Comayagüela. To the north and east is the Caribbean Sea, to the southeast is the Republic of Nicaragua, to the south is the Gulf of Fonseca and the Republic of El Salvador, and to the west is the Republic of Guatemala.  The size of its territory, including all islands, is around 112,492 square kilometers.

In terms of the political and administrative divisions, Honduras is comprised of 18 departments and in turn of 298 municipalities. Its form of government is republican, democratic and representative. There are three branches of government: the legislative branch, the executive branch and the judicial branch, which are complementary, independent and with no subordinate relations. The population of Honduras is above 8.2 million inhabitants.

Honduras is multiethnic, comprised of four large ethnic groups: the whites and mixed-race people that are the majority, the native people (lencas, misquitos, tolupanes, chortis, pech, tawahkas), the garífuna people, and the creole people that speak English. The official religion is catholic, but the Constitution of the Republic guarantees freedom of religious beliefs.

The territory of Honduras is very irregular, comprised of ranges of high mountains, elevated plains, deep valleys with long fertile flats, crossed by more or less copious rivers, some of them navigable. All of which contributes to its rich biodiversity. It is estimated that in Honduras exists some 8,000 plant species, about 250 reptiles and amphibious, more than 700 birds and 110 mammal species, distributed in the different ecological regions of Honduras.

Climate Conditions in Honduras

Honduras is located in a tropical position of 15 to 16 degrees to the north of the equator. There are only two well defined seasons: the dry season and the rainy season. The rainy season starts in May until the month of July, with a pause in the month of August.  Then, it generally starts again in September until the month of November. That moth is when the dry season starts until the month of Abril or May. Nevertheless, with the effects of the climatic change, the dry season prevails.

  • The central zone that comprises the departments of Francisco Morazán, Comayagua and La Paz, has on average a medium temperature of 22.4 degrees Celsius, a maximum of 27.2 degrees Celsius and a minimum of 17.4 degrees Celsius. On average rainfall amounts to approximately 1,000 millimeters during more than three months of the year.
  • The average high temperatures throughout the year in the whole country is 34 degrees Celsius (90 degrees Fahrenheit), and the low temperatures is 20 degrees Celsius (68 degrees Fahrenheit).
  • The annual average temperatures in the interior of Honduras is 21 degrees Celsius (70 degrees Fahrenheit).
  • The lowlands in the coastal region have an annual medium temperature of 27 degrees Celsius (80 degrees Fahrenheit) with high humidity grades.

Electricity

Everywhere in the country, an alternate current of electricity of 110 volt is available. The type of electrical socket are of type A and B.

Exchange rate

The official currency of Honduras is the Lempira. It is named in honor of Cacique Lempira, the great lenca leader, a war captain and lenca Caudillo that fought against the Spanish invaders during the 1530 decade.

To buy dollars is better to do so in any local bank, and exchange bureaus and even at the reception of the hotel. The exchange rate between the Lempira and the US Dollar has slights fluctuations within an exchange rate band. The current exchange rate is about 24.4420 lempiras to buy a US Dollar and 24.6131 lempiras to sell a US Dollar. Another foreign currency less commonly accepted is the Euro. The current exchange rate is 26.5196 lempiras to buy a Euro, while the rate is 29.1665 lempiras to sell a Euro. Is likely that both exchanges rates have slight increases during the event. 

Taxes

In Honduras, the Sales Tax is of 15 per cent. For hotels services, there is an additional 4 per cent rate, increasing the tax rate for hotels to 19 per cent.

Time Zone

The time zone of Honduras is in the universal time coordinate -6 (UTC -6).

Telephone communication

The main mobile carriers are Tigo and Claro. The main fix landline company is Hondutel.  To make a call:

  • From a foreign country to Honduras, add 504 (country code) and the phone number.
  • From Honduras to a foreign country (+) / country code / area code / phone number, or (+) / 00 / country code / area code / phone number.

Tips

The suggested tip in restaurants is around 10 per cent. Tips are not customary to taxi drivers. 

Suggested Clothing

It is indispensable to carry:

  • Sunscreen
  • Bug repellent
  • Clothing appropriate to tropical climate

General information about San Pedro Sula

San Pedro Sula was founded by the Spanish Captain Don Pedro de Alvarado the 27th of June 1539. Located at the shore of the Chamelecón River and the feet of the Merendón mountain range. At the beginning of the Twentieth Century the city went through a physical reorganization aiming at improving the appearance and distribution of streets and avenues. This allowed San Pedro Sula to become a well-organized both for commerce and citizens neighborhoods.

This makes San Pedro Sula the second most important city in Honduras, surpassing both in terms of population size and economic dynamism the rest of non-capital cities in Central America. Currently, the cities’ population is over 500,000 inhabitants. It has education centers at the primary, secondary and tertiary level, health centers, industries that account to roughly 28.5 per cent of the economically active population of the city. In addition it has shopping malls that have improved the appearance of the city and a myriad of factors contributing to its economic and social development.

It has been the economic engine of the country, popularly dubbed as the “Industrial Capital of Honduras”. Given its location in Valle de Sula, one of the most fertile valleys of the country, agriculture and livestock have been strong drivers of its economics prowess. Another of the economic advantages derives from the fact that it is only located at 55 km from Puerto Cortés, the main maritime port of Honduras and Central America. This has been vital in the development of the maquila industry, the second most important good in income generation in Honduras.

The climate in the city is hot and humid. The average temperature ranges from 32 to 37 degrees Celsius between March and May, and as the rest of the country the probability of rain is high between September and November, which may have the effect of reducing the hot temperatures.

Another big advantage is that it is near tourists destinations in the west and north part of the country. Thanks to its modern and certified airport and excellent roads, the city has turned into the main arrival point for international passengers that come to Honduras searching to dive and snorkel in the Bay Islands (Roatán, Utila and Guanaja), go to the tropical rainforest of Tela, La Ceiba and La Mosquitia or Las Ruinas de Copán.

At the international airport, Ramón Villeda Morales, an airport tax of US$ 48.24 is paid.

Vaccination

Upon arrival to Honduras, a yellow fever vaccine is compulsory for every national or international passenger that is coming from endemic countries. Countries by region are listed below:

  • América: Panamá, Trinidad & Tobago, Argentina, Bolivia, Brasil, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana Francesa, Perú, Surinam, Venezuela and Paraguay.
  • Rest of countries: Angola, Benin, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Central Republic of Africa, Chad, Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Ethiopia, Ivory Coast, Democratic Republic of Congo, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Liberia, Mali, Mauritania, Guinea, Guinea Bissau, Kenya, Republic of Sierra Leone, Senegal, Somalia, Sudan, Tasmania, Uganda, Rwanda, República Democrática de São Tomé e Príncipe, and Togo

The vaccine should be applied at least 10 days before entering or leaving the country. The traveler has to carry the international vaccination card valid for 10 years.

Session 1. Fining methodologies for competition law infringements

Session 2. Peer review of El Salvador's competition law and policy

Session 3. Practical approaches to assessing digital platform markets for enforcement

Scope

Platform markets are not new: competition authorities have been assessing competition in radio, television, newspaper, and classified advertisement markets, among others, since the introduction of competition law. However, with digitalisation, the size of these markets, and the frequency with which competition authorities will be required to assess them, is on the rise. Competition authorities face the challenge of applying the growing academic literature on platform markets in the context of the usual constraints of case work; namely, limited time, access to data and resources. This session will focus on practical approaches for assessing platform competition for mergers and antitrust cases, and highlight the types of platform markets that may be particularly relevant in a Latin American and Caribbean context.

Documentation will be available soon in this page

Suggested bibliography 

Full bibliography will be available in the call for contributions 


    

This conference is a paper-smart event organised in line with OECD greening policies.
Only copies of the programme will be available in the meeting room.