During the Second Lecture of the Americas, IDB President, Enrique Iglesias explained that trade agreements are vital to promote full cooperation in the Americas
February 9th, 2005

February 9th, 2005.- Trade agreements are a very important vehicle for full cooperation in the Americas, Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) President Enrique Iglesias asserted, as he headlined the second monthly event in the Lecture Series of the Americas, launched on January 2005 by the Organization of American States. He added that “trade agreements can spur full cooperation in the economic, political, social and cultural areas,” citing the European experience as an example.

In his lecture entitled “The Americas: From Economic Integration to Full Cooperation,” Iglesias gave an overview of the evolution of integration and cooperation mechanisms in the Americas, explaining that expanded cooperation cannot succeed without a duly responsive domestic agenda—one that addresses the region’s social problem of poverty, income distribution, exclusion and unemployment as a matter of priority.

Participants in this second Lecture in the series included OAS Acting Secretary General Luigi R. Einaudi, who chaired the session and moderated a discussion that followed Iglesias’ presentation; OAS Permanent Council Chairman Ambassador Manuel María Cáceres del Paraguay; Peru’s Ambassador to the OAS Alberto Borea, who introduced Mr. Iglesias; and José Antonio Chang, President of Peru’s San Martín de Porres University, co-sponsors of the program.

The videoconference was transmitted in FUNGLODE’s headquarters in Santo Domingo to a wide audience, including representatives from the office of the OAS in the Dominican Republic, officials from various embassies and governmental agencies as well as members of the academia and civil society organizations.

This activity is part of the agreement between FUNGLODE/GFDD and the OAS which aims at promoting and supporting the OAS Lecture of the Americas in the Dominican Republic.