The OECD CFE Local Economic and Employment Development (LEED) Programme organiseed this one-day event at the invitation of the Dominican non-profit organisation “Fundación Global Democracia y Desarrollo” and with the support of the Embassy of Italy in the Dominican Republic. The Inter-American Development Bank (IADB) was the main partner of this event.
This event contributed to the preparation of a OECD Caribbean Rim SME and Local Development Initiative to be carried out by the OECD CFE. This programme could be a unique platform for policy dialogue and concrete co-operation between national and local authorities, the business community, local development practitioners, civil society and international institutions. It follows the OECD Caribbean Rim Investment Initiative (CRII) launched in April 2002 which aim is to promote a creative and pragmatic cooperative approach between countries of Central America and the Caribbean and international organisations with a view to enhancing investment opportunities in the region.
Over 120 participants from the Caribbean Rim discussed the challenges of implementing endogenous development strategies in their region and analysed the use of SME clusters and entrerpreneurship as drivers for growth and local economic development. Keynote speakers included Ms Ligia Melo de Cardona, State Minister for Higher Education, Science and Technology, and Mr. Moisés Pineda, Special Representative of the IADB in the Dominican Republic. The experts stressed the importance of SME promotion and international cooperation in local development and addressed some key elements to foster local and social development through entrepreneurship activities.
For further information, please contact Ms. Gabriela Miranda
Presentations by the experts are available below:
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