
In the last 30 years, most Latin American countries have implemented trade liberalization policies, both unilaterally and multilaterally, as well as within the framework of regional and extra-regional trade agreements. These policies resulted in a reduction of tariffs and non-tariff barriers, which have generated increases in the levels of trade and investment, which on average have been lower than expected. However, Paraguay stands out in the region as one of the countries with the greatest dynamism in terms of aggregate trade, with the sum of its imports and exports going from 32% of GDP in the period 1980-1984 to 70% of GDP in the period 2015-2019.
However, other indicators of openness, such as insertion in regional and global value chains measured as the value added in exports, both for Paraguay and for the rest of the region, show a much more modest performance.
This report explores the hypothesis that the low international insertion of Latin American companies in general and of Paraguay in particular, is due, in part, to poor use of the regional space as a complement to a strategy of global expansion of exports. This hypothesis focuses on the feedback and benefits between regional and global openness, what has been called open regionalism. To achieve this greater regional and global insertion, the report proposes to act on three specific areas: trade facilitation, physical infrastructure and productive integration.
Date: Monday, March 7, 2022
Time: 9 a.m. (Paraguay)
The transmission of the event will be available on this website.
program
Day 1
March 07, 2022
Opening panel
Speakers:

Sergio Díaz-Granados
Executive President, CAF -Development Bank of Latin America and the Caribbean-

Oscar Llamosas
Minister of Finance of Paraguay

Carolina España
Executive Vice President of CAF (E) and CAF Representative in Colombia
Presentation of the Economy and Development Report (RED) 2021
Comments: Jorge Pedraza, Secretary General of the CAN
Speakers:

Lian Allub
Principal Economist, Directorate of Socioeconomic Research, CAF -Development Bank of Latin America-

Jorge Hernando Pedraza
Secretary General, Andean Community
The economic integration of Paraguay
Moderator: Ernesto Schargrodsky, Director of Socioeconomic Research, CAF
*to be confirmed
Speakers:

Luis Castiglioni*
Minister of Industry and Commerce of Paraguay

Arnoldo Wiens*
Minister of Public Works of Paraguay

Iván Haas
Vice Minister of Economy of Paraguay

Carina Daher
President, Chamber of Maquiladora Companies of Paraguay, CEMAP

Sonia Tomassone
Director, Single Window Export Consortium, CONVUE

Joel Branski
Representative of Paraguay, CAF- development bank of Latin America
Closure
Speakers:

Adriana Arreaza
Head of the Knowledge Department, CAF -Development Bank of Latin America-

Jorge Srur
South Regional Manager, CAF- development bank of Latin America