 |
 |
|
AMLO's Airport More Expensive, Less Useful
MEXICO DECLINES ON AT KEARNEY FDI RANKING
Mexico declined eight spots on the latest The A.T. Kearney FDI Confidence Index.
The Index is constructed using primary data from a proprietary survey of 500 senior executives of the world’s leading corporations. The rankings are calculated based on questions about the respondents’ companies’ likelihood of making a direct investment in a market over the next three years.
Mexico now ranks in 25th – or last – place, compared with 17th place last year.
“Despite a significant fall in rank, Mexico’s score increase indicates it remains attractive to investors,” A.T. Kerney says. “These mixed results may be due to the expectation that the government will roll back privatization measures while opening the economy through new trade deals.
NEW AIRPORT 66% MORE EXPENSIVE, INSUFFICIENT
https://www.animalpolitico.com/2018/09/aeropuerto-santa-lucia-mas-caro/
PANAMA ELECTIONS
Goodbye, Tortugon
https://www.census.gov/foreign-trade/balance/c2010.html
https://elfinanciero.com.mx/economia/por-vez-primera-mexico-es-el-mayor-socio-de-eu
https://www.milenio.com/negocios/mexico-convierte-principal-socio-comercial-eu
The Wilson Center Honors Four Distinguished Latin American
Philanthropists, Civil Society Leaders
The Latin American Program at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, a
prominent research organization in Washington, D.C., will honor leading Latin American
philanthropists and civil society leaders at an awards ceremony in Miami on April 30, including a
senior figure in Caritas Venezuela who has helped address the country’s unprecedented
humanitarian crisis.
Founded in 1977, the Latin American Program bridges the gap between scholarship and public
policy by providing non-partisan expertise to decision makers in the United States and Latin
America. The annual awards ceremony highlights exemplary leaders in government, the private
sector, and civil society. This year, the awardees for corporate citizenship are Woods Staton,
executive chairman of Arcos Dorados, and Ricardo Poma, CEO of Grupo Poma. The awardees
for public service are María Helena Quiñonez, executive director of VallenPaz, Colombia, and
Susan Raffalli, senior advisor of Caritas Venezuela.
Corporate Citizenship in the Americas
Mr. Staton has been a leading figure in the McDonald’s franchise, opening the first restaurant in
Argentina in the mid-1980s. Since that time, he has been successful in identifying where
philanthropic efforts can best address the challenges facing the region, such as enhancing
entrepreneurship and formalizing entry into the labor market for thousands of young people.
According to the World Economic Forum, six out of 10 young people in Latin America work in
the informal labor market. For Mr. Staton, “a business model focused on youth participation and
inclusion, where economic opportunities can lead to a career and newly acquired skillsets, is
critical in tackling the difficulties young people face every day in Latin America,” he stated.
Since 2007, Arcos Dorados has provided opportunities to more than 600,000 young people aged
16 to 24 years old, which for more than 80 percent represented their first formal job. Beyond his
business, Mr. Staton’s native Colombia and current home in Argentina have been the epicenter of
his philanthropic work. He has helped found Endeavor and Ashoka in Argentina, platforms that
promote entrepreneurship to address pressing social issues.
Mr. Staton also currently serves as the chair of the Advisory Board for the Wilson Center’s Latin
American Program. “Woods understands the complexities of politics and policies throughout the
region. He has a passion for ideas and is always looking for new and better ways to create
opportunities, not just for entrepreneurs, but also for people that have been marginalized and
underserved historically,” stated former U.S. ambassador to Argentina, Noah Mamet. “This is
why the Wilson Center looks forward to honoring his long-standing work at our upcoming
awards ceremony,” added director of the Latin American Program, Dr. Cynthia Arnson.
Ricardo Poma’s expansive career has grown, from the early days of his father’s automotive
business to a diverse portfolio managed by Grupo Poma. One of the initial investors in Bain
Capital, Mr. Poma has helped shaped major industries in his native El Salvador after its twelve-
year civil war. According to former Salvadoran foreign minister, Marisol Argueta, “Ricardo has
not only been an outstanding business leader who has excelled in his corporate endeavors; his
vision and social commitment have also been truly inspiring.” Argueta added that Ricardo Poma
“has led multiple initiatives that have transformed the lives of many.”
For more than 30 years, the Poma Foundation has been dedicated to developing projects that
promote social progress, focusing on health, education, culture, and environmental issues. In
addition to his foundation work among other philanthropic activities, Mr. Poma serves on the
board of the Salvadoran Foundation for Health and Human Development, founded by his late
father, Luis Poma.
Public Service in Colombia and Venezuela
Since the early 2000s, the Colombian non-profit VallenPaz has promoted the difficult but
necessary task of addressing major social and development challenges in Valle del Cauca. The
area has suffered from violence stemming from Colombia’s guerilla conflicts with the FARC and
ELN. Added to this difficulty are the historic legacies of indigenous and Afro-Colombian
communities that have faced discrimination and other serious challenges. The executive director
of VallenPaz, María Helena Quiñonez, is an Afro-Colombian leader who has worked extensively
in the public and private sectors in and around Cali and the port city of Buenaventura.
“María Elena embodies the tenacity of Colombian women. Her longstanding trajectory and work
in Buenaventura, the main port city on Colombia’s Pacific coast, is well known. She has been a
true social activist, helping to bring forward the interests of disenfranchised sectors of our society.
Her advocacy in favor of the social improvement of vulnerable communities is remarkable,”
stated Colombia’s Ambassador to the United States, Francisco Santos.
Meanwhile, the economic collapse of Venezuela has led to the largest refugee crisis in Latin
American history, with over 3 million Venezuelans seeking refuge in neighboring countries.
Hyperinflation, corruption, and the collapse of the country’s productive capacity have caused a
humanitarian crisis inside Venezuela, marked by shortages of food and medicine and extended
power outages.
Caritas Venezuela’s senior advisor Susana Raffalli has been identified by Americas Quarterly as
one of the leading humanitarians who will one day rebuild the country. She has dedicated her
career to addressing nutrition crises in situations of emergency and has worked with local and
international organizations on food security and resilience programming in vulnerable countries.
“The difficulties faced by Venezuelans on a daily basis are hard to summarize. Lack of adequate
public services, insufficient access to medical treatment and a growing food shortage will make
any recovery a decades-long task requiring all to be involved,” she stated.
“Susana’s work is truly inspiring,” stated senior advisor to the Latin American Program and
former director of South America in the National Security Council, Dr. Benjamin Gedan. “The
Wilson Center’s Latin American Program is paying attention to Venezuela, and we hope our
work to understand the situation on the ground and engage with public and private actors will
help offer peaceful, non-partisan solutions to address the crisis.”
The Latin American Program thanks the Gala’s International Sponsors, Bain Capital and Grupo
Poma.
For more information about the Wilson Center’s Latin American
