The CEO of International CEOE and permanent secretary of CEIB, Narciso Casado, has inaugurated the X Iberoamerican Congress of Young Entrepreneurs, IMPACT, in Santa Cruz, Bolivia, in which More than 600 young people from the region have participated, including business executives and professionals from Latin America from various sectors. The day, which has focused on pursuing the development of young people in Latin America based on the social, technological, entrepreneurship and innovation impact, has been held within the framework of the Assembly of the Ibero-American Federation of Young Entrepreneurs, FIJE. In the course of it, the new Executive Committee of the organization has been chosen, and it has been decided to provide it with a Permanent Secretariat that has fallen to CEAJE Spain and its vice president, Antonio Magraner, following the model of the Board of Directors of Iberoamerican Businessmen, CEIB.
IMPACT
At the inauguration of the X Congress of Young Entrepreneurs, the permanent secretary of CEIB has presented the newly elected president of FIJE, César Eduardo Durán, of the Mexican business organization COPARMEX, as well as the outgoing president, Juan Manuel Barreda, president of CONAJE Argentina.
Likewise, the Ibero-American Secretary General, Rebeca Grynspan, has sent a message of support and congratulations to FIJE, for her important role in the region and for joining the decisive work being carried out by the Council of Ibero-American Businessmen, CEIB.
Casado stressed in his speech that business organizations in Latin America have never been so coordinated, so present, working together and so committed to the region. During these days in Santa Cruz, he said, a momentous step has been taken, thanks to the incorporation of FIJE to the roadmap that the Ibero-American Summit of Veracruz has been following the business organizations of the Council of Ibero-American Businessmen, CEIB. These organizations, he added, have a common frame of reference for belonging to the largest business platform in the world, the OIE, which brings together more than 150 organizations.
Collaboration between organizations
The CEO of International CEOE has stressed that the work done thanks to the close collaboration with the Ibero-American General Secretariat, SEGIB, since the creation of CEIB in 2015, is paying off, and has been extended to young entrepreneurs and their representative organizations , especially through CEAJE, in Spain, and FIJE, in Latin America. “A team work with institutions as important as the International Youth Organization, OIJ,” he stressed. In this sense, he has given as an example of the work well done the last two business meetings organized within the framework of the Ibero-American Summit of Heads of State and Government in Cartagena de Indias, Colombia, and in La Antigua, Guatemala, and the two editions of the Forum of Latin American MSMEs of Madrid and Buenos Aires. "From today that work we will continue doing with renewed sap, with a fresher air, hand in hand and forming a team with FIJE," he said.
CEIB and SET
In 2019, from CEIB, Casado said, fulfilling the commitment to follow up on the mandates of the Latin American summits, The Open Innovation Forum has been launched with SEGIB, which will lead to the Conference on Innovation next November in Madrid, and that represents the prelude and preparation of the next Ibero-American Summit in Andorra 2020. He also stressed that since CEIB “we have spoken with a single voice of freedom and democracy, commitment to multilateralism, regional integration, a strong boost to intra-regional trade , promotion of strategic alliances, social dialogue, legal and social security, competitiveness, removal of barriers, administrative simplification, development of infrastructure projects, retention of talent, innovation and digitalization, public-private and sustainable collaboration and the 2030 Agenda ”.
In short, he added, it is about promoting a true Latin American platform that relies on available capacities and resources, business synergies, associated talent and a common language and way of being. Casado has highlighted that CEIB has also done so with the voice and message of Latin American entrepreneurs in other forums in which it participates, such as BusinessEurope, the B20, the Global Business Coalition, the WTO, the OECD or recently the OAS .
"All this we are going to continue doing with new travel companions, of fatigue and, I hope, of success, the organizations that form FIJE", said Casado. In this regard, he recalled a phrase that resonated in one of the OIE meetings at the United Nations Palace in Geneva and is that "we go faster alone, but together we go further." This is the bet, he assured, of the Ibero-American business organizations, of CEIB and, now, also of FIJE.
The permanent secretary of CEIB has opted to involve young people, in collaboration with FIJE, in the generation of public opinion and that this is favorable for the business world, positioning young entrepreneurs as strategic development actors, identifying talent and supporting it decidedly. Therefore, he has considered that education in young people is the central axis of development, since with more education it is possible to improve the social, economic and cultural conditions of the countries. It is essential, he added, the promotion of entrepreneurship and independent employment of young people so that they do not leave school just to look for work, but also to create it. "Business vocations are key to economic growth", has sentenced.
In this regard, Casado called on governments to adopt appropriate political measures, to promote the necessary conditions for innovative, prosperous and sustainable ventures. We need, he said, companies that grow in number and size, and solve the productivity deficit in the region. “Young people are the present and future of Latin America and we need many more young entrepreneurs who, through the creation of companies, assume the commitment to be a symbol of progress and innovation for our societies. Pedagogy in short ”, explained Casado.
Challenges
The permanent secretary of CEIB informed that the absence of specific competences, the difficulty of access to financing and the complex and expensive regulation can lead to a reduction in the entrepreneurship process in young people. Therefore, he said, it is necessary to promote the development of the digital economy, the provision of connectivity services, the conditions to establish and develop companies and “start over a hundred times if necessary, since undertaking is risky and not always achieved success at first ”.
Casado also spoke of promoting training and learning, better access to networks, strengthening points of attention for young entrepreneurs, shortening the procedures prior to the start of business activity and lightening costs or simplifying knowledge protection processes, among others factors. In this regard, he explained that business models have changed and "that change is you," he said. In the face of the traditional capital-based business model, he added, talent becomes the most valuable tool. “Collaboration against competition and concepts such as relocation of work and technological environment allow collaborating anywhere. Ideas and commitment to a current language, that of young people, are the guarantee of success, ”he concluded.
Bilateral meetings
The permanent secretary of CEIB, during his visit in Santa Cruz, held meetings with members of the Executive Committee of the homologous employer of CEOE, the Confederation of Private Entrepreneurs of Bolivia (CEPB), headed by its president, Luis F. Barbery; and with representatives of the Federation of Private Entrepreneurs of Santa Cruz. The meeting was also attended by the vice president of CEAJE, Antonio Magraner.
Expocruz 2019
IMPACT was also held within the framework of the most important exhibition in South America, Expocruz 2019, which began yesterday and will last until September 29 in the Bolivian city. During his visit, the permanent secretary of CEIB, Narciso Casado, attended the 44th edition of the Fair, where visitors could be present at the inauguration of the Youth Company Pavilion 2019. They also offer visits to companies and the opportunity to participate in the International Business Roundtable from September 25 to 27, organized by CAINCO, where more than 36 sectors from 21 participating countries meet.