La Red de Innovacion e Impacto (La Red) and World Environment Center, and financed by the U.S. State Department is organization Virtual Grand Summit: Reinventándose con Innovación e Impacto” supporting micro-enterprise growth in Latin America on March 23rd, 24th and 25th.
La Red is a network of the most innovative local solutions supporting the sustainable growth of micro and SMEs throughout Latin America. Since 2014, each year we gather our members of this network to share their experiences in scaling their solutions, and partnering with each other and external stakeholders. The members cross sectors, geography, and markets, but they all have in common a mission to support sustainable economic growth in their region, and to do so with innovative approaches.
The Grand Summit will take place over 3 days virtually including a public open event and closed sessions only for La Red members. Throughout these days we will be featuring a series of speakers, panelists and organizing a business roundtable. For this special Grand Summit, we connect with experts who can provide valuable insight to our members in meeting the challenges of sustainability, innovation and growing their solutions and, we believe that your participation could be of a great value.
March 23 & 24 are open to members only & March 25th is an open to public/interested participants.
October 22, 2019
@
8:00 am
–
October 23, 2019
@
5:00 pm UTC
Funded by the US State Department La Red continues to create tremendous impact in Central America. La Red is holding its upcoming Annual Summit in Panama City, Panama, on October 22-23, 2019.
The Annual Summit convenes stakeholders, investors, and La Red members that are dedicated to promoting sustainable economic growth and prosperity across Latin America and the Caribbean. With financing from the U.S. Department of State coming to an end after 2020, this year’s Summit promises to be one of our largest-ever events with a special focus on connecting key stakeholders and investors with La Red members.
The Summit will feature a series of trainings, panels, and open networking including:
Workshop: Developing Business Models & Innovation
Session: Breaking into & Expanding International Market Shares for Micro-Enterprises
Capacity Building Session: Marketing, Communications & How to Apply for Funding
Panel: Resilient Agricultural Processes & Sustainable Development
Panel: Developing & Strengthening Value Chains with Micros
Panel: Financial Inclusion & Access to Markets for Small Enterprises
Session: Trade Regulations & How to Meet Supply-Chain Quality Standards/Metrics
You can find the draft agenda here in Spanish & English.
The Summit will provide members with training and capacity building in, among other topics, communication and best management practices as well as networking opportunities with stakeholders and other key representatives from the region. Additionally, key actors from corporate value chains, Ministries, multilateral agencies, and the US Government will be in attendance to discuss growth opportunities in Latin America. Highlighted speakers include:
Roxanne Cabral, Charge’ de Affairs a.i., U.S. Department of State- U.S. Embassy In Panama
Isabel Rioja-Scott, Political and Economic Counselor, U.S Department of State- U.S. Embassy in Panama City
Nelson Larrea, Officer and Technical Advisor, CAF Panama (Banco de Desarrollo de América Latina)
David Morales, Trade & Agri-Food Systems Officer, FAO for Central America
Felipe Ariel Rodriguez, President of CECOMRO (Center of Competitiveness of Western Region of Panama)
Ambassador Carmen Gisela Vergara, Executive Director,PROPANAMA
Gerardo Escudero, Instituto Interamericano de Cooperación para la Agricultura (IICA) – Panama
Up to 95% of companies in Central America are MSMEs, creating 61% of all jobs in Latin America and the Caribbean. The success of MSMEs and the prosperity of the region are inextricably linked. In order for MSMEs to succeed, they must be empowered with support and incentives to access new markets, adopt sustainable practices, and strengthen workers’ rights.
La Red member organizations provide comprehensive assistance to MSMEs in Latin America and the Caribbean, empowering them to grow and thrive. La Red helps member organizations increase their impact by leveraging their work with financial aid, technical assistance, and expert connections. Through the work of La Red, more than 5,000 MSMEs in Latin America have benefited from technical assistance, of which more than 95% were from Central America. More than 1,800 people have found new or better employment and almost all of them (1,787) were workers in Central America. Also, more than 4,500 farmers have improved their operations as a direct result of the work of member organizations funded by La Red -all of them in Central America.
“Through LA RED´s Annual Summit that will happen soon in Panama, LA RED members, which are organizations that are currently providing innovative solutions to Central American (CA) micro enterprises from the agro, agroindustry and textile sectors, will have a great opportunity to expand their network with key stakeholders that the Summit will gather” states Ernesto Samayoa, WEC Director of Operations for Latin America. He also explains that “with this important event, LA RED members will be able to share their great impacts that they are creating in their countries, and we expect to build a stronger network, where more C.A. micro-businesses can have more opportunities to be part and access international supply chains that are already being developed and strengthened through LA RED´s programs in this region”.
###
About LA RED
The U.S. Department of State has funded the World Environment Center (WEC) and its partners, Le Groupe-conseil baastel ltée (Baastel), and RioSlum Studio, to select organizations that are accelerating business development and promoting sustainable economic growth in Latin America. The Program, La Red de Innovación e Impacto (La Red), was established in 2014 and is a collection of 37 innovative solutions from 11 countries in the region.
