Ibero-American foreign trade promoters share good practices in the face of Covid-19 crisis

• 16 export and investment promotion agencies participated.

San José, August 8, 2020. The first meeting of the Ibero American Network of Entities for the Promotion of Exports and Attraction of Investments (REDIBERO), chaired by the Costa Rican Foreign Trade Promoter (PROCOMER) since 2018, was held online last week due to the adjustments and new normality that member countries and organizations have had to implement as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic.

During the meeting, the 16 participating promoters presented the impacts and measures they have been implementing within their institutions to ensure their support of the foreign trade sector, and thus ensure the continuity of business in the region.

Pedro Beirute Prada, General Manager at PROCOMER, and President Pro Tempore of REDIBERO, insisted that now, more than ever, the organizations that make up the Network have to serve as catalysts for a better world, where sustainability in its entirety (people, environment and profitability) is the fundamental basis of trade and investment. “In an era fraught by unemployment and inequality,” he exclaimed, “we must be empathetic, bringing hope and optimism to our export and investment sectors, to begin rebuilding together. What better way to do this than to share good practices and support the members of the Network with information and knowledge to guide and helps us develop strategies that result in well-being for our nations.”

Among the strategies that RedIbero countries are implementing to get ahead of the crisis caused by the pandemic are the migration towards the internet, with commercial promotion activities through various virtual platforms, continuous support for exporters and investors, virtual training programs for SMEs, webinars regarding the latest global trends on a number of topics, and the creation of web portals that bring together all information on government measures designed to contain the spread of the virus and to reactivate the economy. They also emphasize on the creation of digital marketing campaigns to position the exportable offer and benefits of investing in the different member countries of the Network.

Organizations that participated in the meeting include ICEX of Spain, APEX of Brazil, PROCOMER of Costa Rica, PROPANAMÁ of Panama, PROEXPORT of Bolivia, Ministry of Economy of Guatemala, PROCOLOMBIA of Colombia, InvestChile of Chile, Uruguay XXI of Uruguay, Agency Argentina de Comercio, REDIEX from Paraguay, PROESA from El Salvador, PROCUBA from Cuba, CEI-RD from the Dominican Republic, PROMPERÚ from Peru and PRONICARAGUA from Nicaragua along with other organizations that support the Network such as the Latin American Integration Association (ALADI), the International Trade Center (ITC), the Association of Free Zones of the Americas (AZFA) and the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB).

About RedIbero

The Ibero American Network of Entities for the Promotion of Exports and Attraction of Investments (REDIBERO), was created in Madrid, Spain, on June 17, 1999. It was established as an itinerant conference to further relationships between member organizations, debate technical topics of common interest and share experiences and successful commercial promotion tools.

The Ibero Network has a two-year, voluntary and rotating presidency and, as of 2007, has the technical, financial and operational support of the Integration and Trade Sector of the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), along with the support and alliance of other entities such as UN Women, ECLAC and ITC.