On September 4 and 5, 2007, Corporación Andina de Fomento (CAF), the Inter-American Dialogue and the Organization of American States (OAS) sponsored their annual conference aimed at identifying a working agenda for the region. Participants included CAF President Enrique Garcia, OAS Secretary General José Miguel Insulza, Inter-American Development Bank President Luis Alberto Moreno, several U.S. Congress members, Latin American policymakers, and economists specializing in the region.
The annual CAF conference brings together more than 250 people—U.S.and Latin American government officials; lawmakers, leading policy analysts and journalists; and corporate and financial leaders. The aim of this sustained collaboration is to demonstrate the importance of U.S. economic and political relations with the Andean region and Latin America more broadly, and to provide a detailed review of broader hemispheric economic affairs to Washington officials and opinion leaders.
During two days of discussions, conference participants examined a number of developments in Latin America. An unprecedented stretch of economic growth continues, democratic processes remain in place, and trade is flourishing, especially trade driven by commodity demand from China. But the economic good times have not brought poverty levels down to desired levels nor have governments instituted policies to sustain growth and development. A major shortcoming has been the failure of the region to generate enough formal jobs for its workers.
