"If the consumption of a product is legal, so is its trade." Although the Guatemalan proposal to free up export of of the drug will surely kick up some dust, its logic is unassailable.
The Government has announced the creation of a unit focused on the incorporation of ethanol into the fuel energy matrix.
The Ministry of Energy and Mines (MEM), with technical and financial support from the Organization of American States will create a biofuels unit to incorporate a pilot plan to replace 5% of the gasoline used with ethanol.
In order to facilitate access to inventory credit for SMEs plans are underway to reform the Law flexibilizing on chattel mortgages.
From a press release by the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Competitiveness:
"The Cabinet Council has approved a bill that promotes access to credit and modernizes the system of mortgage deposits and has authorized the Minister of Trade and Industry, by Resolution of Cabinet, to present the initiative before the National Assembly.
The phenomenon affects much of Latin America, whose countries spend on average 8% of their GDP on security costs.
That was the conclusion reached during the forum "Connecting businesses as partners for prosperity with security in the Americas", organized by the Organization of American States (OAS) and the private sector, under the framework of the Guatemala Investment Summit.
From 2 to 4 October the VII Forum on Competitiveness in the Americas will be held in Panama, where the hemisphere's leading authorities in the field of economy, trade and industry will gather together.
From a press release issued by the Presidency of Honduras:
Panama will host the VII Competitiveness Forum of the Americas, which brings together representatives that make up the Inter-American Competitiveness Network and the hemisphere's leading authorities in the field of economy, trade and industry, to be held in the month of October.
Authorities are pushing for a pilot plan to blend ethanol in gasoline used by vehicles.
The signing of this agreement is being pushed by the Department of Sustainable Development at the Organization of American States (OAS). According to Ruben Contreras, representative of the entity, the country has a mature ethanol industry and this will also help clean up the environment.
On 18th and 19th of April Latin American small hoteliers in Costa Rica will meet to discuss issues such as competitiveness, promotion and marketing, and accommodation in small centers.
"Owners of small hotels in the Latin American region with a minimum of five rooms and a maximum of 50 will gather together on 18th and 19th of April at the Hotel Radisson Zurquí in Barrio Tournon," reported Elfinancierocr.com.
In May the websites of banks, energy distribution companies, ministries, and all those handling sensitive information will be attacked by ethical hackers.
Elperiodico.com.gt reports that "The Inter-American Committee Against Terrorism (CICTE), assigned to the OAS, has on its agenda for next May an attack of websites belonging to banks, power distribution companies, ministries and public secretariats and all those who handle sensitive information.
Every year 65 million gallons of ethanol is produced and exported in its entirety because the country lacks standards for blending it into the gasoline used by vehicles.
An article in Siglo21.com reports that "The Organization of American States (OAS), Universidad del Valle de Guatemala (UVG) and the Renewable Fuels Association (ACR) have proposed a national program to promote the development of biofuels" for Guatemala.
The country will host the next continental summit in 2015, a good business opportunity for tourism and hospitality.
The hemisphere's foreign ministers, meeting in the XLII General Assembly of the Organization of American States (OAS), today (Tuesday 5 June) elected Panama to host the Seventh Summit of the Americas, to be held in 2015, reported the organization in a press release.
In 2013, Guatemala will host the General Assembly of the Organization of American States (OAS), announced President Otto Perez.
The president, after meeting with Deputy Secretary General of the organisation, Albert Ramdin, told reporters that "the OAS General Assembly is an important matter for us because it is an event where representatives come from every country and it will take place here in Guatemala", reported the web site MiPunto.com.
The OEA, together with the public and private sector, will implement a pilot scheme for the combined use of ethanol with gasoline.
The program will begin next year (2012) and will be developed progressively, starting with a rate of 3% ethanol per gallon of gasoline, increasing up to 10%.
This year El Salvador will attend the OAS’s Inter-American Congress. The main theme is to develop business competitiveness as a tool for tourism development.
The OAS announced the following on its website:
The XIX Inter-American Travel Congress to be held in San Salvador, El Salvador, on 29 and 30 September, 2011 will focus on the following theme "Tourism, a challenge to poverty." Other important issues, such as the importance of public-private partnerships to promote investment and development for the tourism sector, tourism and cultural heritage, social responsibility of enterprises in the tourism industry and the challenges for sustainable tourism will also be discussed in plenary sessions.
CEOs and senior executives have pledged to expand trade and investment in view of the global economic slowdown.
Central America and the Caribbean together represent a market of approximately 56 million people. According to the Secretary General Albert Ramdin, it is time to exploit all business opportunities and implement specific initiatives to expand trade and investment between both regions. "To accomplish this, the governments of both parties must be willing to review the existing trade environment and reduce the barriers. At the same time, the private sector must be ready to establish creative relationships with their counterparts," said Ambassador Ramdin.