Ibero-American Business Meeting
28/04/2021
The Principality of Andorra has hosted, for the first time this year, the XXVII Ibero-American Summit. The XIII edition of the Ibero-American Business Meeting, held on April 19 and 20, advocated a firm commitment to sustainability, innovation and digitization of the economy under the slogan “Innovation for sustainable development. Objective 2030. Ibero-America facing the challenge of the coronavirus ”.
Business Innovation
The Minister of Presidency, Economy and Business of Andorra, Jordi Gallardo, pointed out the need to cultivate an innovation ecosystem in order to carry out projects in Ibero-America, highlighting the keys that the Principality uses to do so: resilience and sustainability. The rest of the speakers (the representative of the Economy of Guatemala, Antonio Malouf, the Secretary General of the OECD, Ángel Gurría, and the Ibero-American Secretary General, Rebeca Grynspan) agreed on the importance of companies for the post-COVID economic recovery.
The debate on business innovation as a pillar for recovery pointed out the opportunity to take advantage of the Ibero-American space as a platform for open innovation, with tools for insertion in regional and global value chains. Regarding corporate sustainability, the need to refer to the 2030 Agenda for a better positioning of companies was indicated.
Energy efficiency and ecological transition
The presentation “Energy and ecological transition in Ibero-America: keys to a green way out of the crisis”, in which the Minister of the Environment, Agriculture and Sustainability of Andorra, Silvia Calvó Armengol, and the CEO of Forces Elèctriques d’Andorra (FEDA), Albert Moles, concluded on the need for energy efficiency and the creation of new business models that are based on sustainability.
Digital transformation
While the presentation on digital transformation and industry 4.0 addressed the growth of service companies based on knowledge and new tools for financial inclusion, the recovery of tourism centered a large part of the debates. Thus, the smart tourist destinations linked to sustainable development and biodiversity stood out, which Andorra has already turned into a country brand. Along the same lines, gastronomy and sport closed the circle of debate topics, in which the Minister of Tourism of Andorra, Verónica Canals, and the president of the Employers’ Confederation of the Dominican Republic (COPARDOM), William Matías Ramírez participated.
Innovation and technology for equality
The Meeting also welcomed the debate on innovation and technology as catalysts for gender equality, considering the use of digital technologies, the promotion of innovation and the entrepreneurial spirit of women to reduce the wage gap.