FIU co-hosts 13th annual Americas Conference

Former President Clinton among speakers at premier business and political forum

MIAMI – An internationally distinguished group of government officials and business leaders will gather in Coral Gables at the Biltmore hotel on September 29-30, 2009 for the 13th annual Americas Conference®, an event co-hosted by Florida International University, the State of Florida, The World Bank and The Miami Herald.

The forum, covering economic, political and public policy issues facing the region, is expected to draw top executives and political leaders from throughout Latin America and the Caribbean – more than 500 of the hemisphere’s key decision makers – for roundtable discussions focusing on the region’s recovery, economic development and business opportunities.

This year’s theme is “After the Crisis: Emerging Challenges and Political Stability” and keynote speakers will include Nobel Laureate and President of Costa Rica Oscar Arias; United Nations Special Envoy for Haiti and Former President Bill Clinton; Secretary General of the Organization of American States (OAS) Jose Miguel Insulza; Prime Minister of the Commonwealth of The Bahamas, Hubert Alexander Ingraham and Dan Restrepo, Head of Latin American Affairs for U.S. National Security Council.

For the second year, The Miami Herald and FIU have joined forces to organize the Americas Conference®, with the support of the State of Florida’s Office of Tourism, Trade and Economic Development and FIU’s Institute for Public Management and Community Service (IPMCS). For the first time this year, they will welcome the World Bank as a programming partner.

“By joining forces, we are bringing together some of the leading thinkers and analysts of Latin America,” said FIU President Mark Rosenberg, who will participate in the conference. “Efforts like this enhance our students’ education and represent FIU’s commitment to global and local engagement.”

The conference will feature panels and discussions on topics such as:

• Latin America and the Caribbean After the Crisis
• The Business of Cuba: A Post-embargo Discussion
• Mexico’s Economy at a Crossroads
• Critical Policy Issues in the Region
• Going Green in Latin America and the Caribbean

Other confirmed speakers include: Everett Eissenstat, Assistant U.S. Trade Representative for the Americas; Jose Antonio García Belaúde, Peru’s Minister of Foreign Affairs; Javier Hurtado Mercado, President of Irupana Andean Organic Food; Mauricio Macri, Buenos Aires’ Mayor; Edmundo Perez Yoma, Chile’s Minister of Foreign Affairs; Daniel Scioli, Governor of the Buenos Aires province; and Eduardo Torres Llosa, CEO of Peru’s BBVA Banco Continental, among others.

Allan Rosenbaum, director of the IPMCS, called it “an extraordinary event.”

“It has become the most important annual gathering on Latin American policy to take place in the United States,” he said.

 Media Contact:    Madeline Baró  at 305-348-2234 or Maritza Arceo, Americas Conference at 305-347-4321. 

-FIU-

 About the Americas Conference®:
The Americas Conference® is the region’s largest and most acclaimed annual forum of international executives and top government leaders, who gather for two days to discuss a wide spectrum of relevant business and political issues of crucial importance for Latin America and the Caribbean.  For more information about the Americas Conference® 2009, please visit www.americasconference.com

About IPMCS:
Located in the Department of Public Administration at FIU, the Institute for Public Management and Community Service (IPMCS) coordinates training programs and technical assistance for various countries in the world. Established in 1994, the Institute has trained thousands of public servants to be more effective, transparent and responsive. To learn more about the IPMCS involvement with local institution building, log onto www.ipmcs.fiu.edu.

About FIU:
Florida International University was founded in 1965 and is Miami’s only public research university. With a student body of more than 38,000, its 17 colleges and schools offer more than 200 bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral programs in fields such as engineering, international relations and law. More than 100,000 FIU alumni live and work in South Florida. FIU has been classified by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching as a “High Research Activity University”. In August 2009, FIU welcomed the inaugural class of the Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine. For more information about FIU, visit http://www.fiu.edu