The U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the National Business Association of Colombia celebrate their 5th annual U.S.-Colombia Business Summit virtually
Business leaders and government delegates met to celebrate the successful trade relationship and deepen the strategic alliance between the two countries
Washington, November 19, 2021. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the National Business Association of Colombia (ANDI) met on November 17th within the framework of the fifth annual U.S.-Colombia Business Summit to strengthen cooperation between the U.S. and Colombian private sectors, expand business and economic relations, and deepen engagement with both U.S. and Colombian governments.
The meeting was attended by the President of Colombia Iván Duque Márquez and delegates from both governments who, together with business leaders, addressed issues of the greatest importance for the bilateral relationship, such as trade and investment and policy priorities relating to sustainability and climate, digital trade and infrastructure. President Duque, proposed that "the relationship between the United States and Colombia can be advanced under the concept of 'sustechnability,' whereby maintaining a focus on sustainability and technology, Colombia can be a great ally in the Build Back Better World (B3W) initiative of the United States." The President stated that "this concept will allow us to respond to the needs of climate change, diversity, [and] the circular economy; be more competitive; [and] offer an environment that ensures the economic sustainability of the two nations. The role of the U.S.-Colombia Business Council is fundamental to achieving these aims and ensuring a permanent public-private dialogue in the process."
On this occasion, business leaders from Colombia and the United States provided recommendations to governments with the goal of overcoming barriers that limit business between both nations in order to continue promoting post-pandemic economic reactivation.
During the meeting, Myron Brilliant, Executive Vice President and Head of International Affairs at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, stated, “The business community is committed to helping drive a sustainable economic recovery through closer commercial ties between the U.S. and Colombia. Today’s Summit allowed us to advance our public-private dialogue on the digital economy, infrastructure, and sustainability, with a vision toward growing the bilateral relationship in strategic ways.”
For his part, the President of the National Business Association of Colombia, Mr. Bruce Mac Master, said that "Colombia is already reporting very positive figures in its economic recovery as GDP grew 13.2% from July to September, and, so far this year, 10.3%." He also affirmed that "the close relationship between the two countries has driven these advances, for example, support in the vaccination process and tools such as the U.S.-Colombia Trade Promotion Agreement (TPA), which has boosted non-traditional exports and the arrival of investors from the United States to our country."
Meanwhile, Mr. Cesar Caicedo, CEO of Colombina and Chair of the U.S.-Colombia Business Summit, stressed that "Colombia and the United States have great potential to lead the conversation on regional integration between partners that share the same values and the U.S.-Colombia Business Council is a mechanism that can promote strategic, systematic and long-term activities with governments to promote social development.”
Mr. Mauricio Ramos, CEO of Millicom and Chair of the U.S.-Colombia Business Council, also referred to the bilateral relationship, stating, "This relationship has been sustained by strong bipartisan support and the successful initiatives that we all know well, such as Plan Colombia and a historic trade agreement. And, today, this relationship—just to be measured in economic terms—is worth over $40 billion dollars a year in two-way trade.”
With a view to 2022, when the two countries will celebrate 200 years of bilateral relations, the U.S.-Colombia Business Council is positioned as a strategic mechanism to maintain a dynamic public-private relationship that promotes sustained growth of mutual benefit.
The U.S.-Colombia Business Summit was established in 2016 by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the National Business Association of Colombia in order to convene a high-level meeting between U.S. and Colombian public and private sector leaders to strengthen the commercial bridge that exists between the two countries. The Summit serves as a platform to discuss policy priorities, identify areas for collaboration and share best practices. Both the U.S. and Colombian governments view the U.S.-Colombia Business Summit as an important vehicle for expanding and strengthening the bilateral relationship.
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The U.S. Chamber of Commerce is the world’s largest business organization representing companies of all sizes across every sector of the economy. Our members range from the small businesses and local chambers of commerce that line the Main Streets of America to leading industry associations and large corporations.
They all share one thing: They count on the U.S. Chamber to be their voice in Washington, across the country, and around the world. For more than 100 years, we have advocated for pro-business policies that help businesses create jobs and grow our economy.
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The National Business Association of Colombia (ANDI) is an association that brings together more than 1,300 companies belonging to sectors such as industrial, financial, agro-industrial, food, commercial and services, among others.
