Alem Tedeneke, Media Manager, World Economic Forum; Tel.: +1 646 204 9191, +52 55 6608 7317; Email: ated@weforum.org
Riviera Maya, Mexico, 7 May 2015 – With Latin American and Caribbean countries facing a more competitive and volatile global economy, implementing necessary reforms will build their resilience and allow them to achieve the next level of development, the leaders of Mexico, Panama and Haiti told over 750 business, government and civil society leaders in the opening session of the 10th World Economic Forum on Latin America.
“Reforms are the foundation for building a better country,” said Enrique Peña Nieto, the President of Mexico, in his welcoming remarks. “They are a platform for beginning a new stage of development.” The theme of the meeting is “Advancing through a Renovation Agenda”.
Mexico has pushed forward reforms in several areas including education, telecommunications and fiscal policy, Peña Nieto said, noting that the benefits will take time to be felt by all the people in the country. “We have dared to make the structural changes that will lead the country to a better future. We were able to break with paradigms that we thought were impossible to change.”
Mexico is also focusing on improving governance to build trust in institutions, he added. Asked in the session about the problem of corruption, which is a challenge faced by many countries in Latin America and other regions, Peña Nieto reaffirmed the need for major social reform. “If we really want to achieve change in these practices, then this has to be a structural change throughout society. We have to be the government that knocks down the walls that are in the way of our achieving a more equitable and just society.”
Juan Carlos Varela Rodríguez, the President of Panama, stressed the importance of democracy in supporting the renovation agenda. “When democracy serves the public, it brings great benefits to society and the entire population,” he observed. “We have to have institutions that guarantee the democratic system.” Politics should not get in the way of reforms, he argued. “The most important thing is not to build parties, but to build the nation and prosperity for all. Varela Rodríguez told participants that public-private partnerships are essential to implementing reforms such as the restructuring of education that is in progress in Panama.
Educating and mobilizing young people is another priority for Latin America, said Varela Rodríguez. “The big challenge is to inspire our young people to work for the future of their country.” Michel Joseph Martelly, the President of Haiti, agreed. “Haiti must change completely and it is only through adequate training of young Haitians that we can do it.” His country is opening vocational schools and sports facilities to enhance the engagement of youth and gain their trust.
The leaders said that, as Latin American and Caribbean economies reformed, regional integration would inevitably deepen. “We will see a lot of changes in each country,” Peña Nieto reckoned. “This will bring us closer together.” “Greater integration is moving forward at a good pace. Latin American countries are increasingly working together on their challenges and setting aside any problems that we may have with each other,” concluded Varela Rodríguez.
The Co-Chairs of the World Economic on Latin America are: Carlos Brito, Chief Executive Officer, Anheuser-Bush InBev, USA; Carlos Slim Domit, Chairman, América Movil, Mexico; Angelica Fuentes, President of Angelica Fuentes Foundation, Mexico; Eduardo Leite, Chairman of the Executive Committee, Baker & McKenzie, USA; Ignacio Sánchez-Galán, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Iberdrola, Spain; and Joseph E. Stiglitz, Professor, School of International and Public Affairs, Columbia University, USA.
Notes to Editors
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