Geneva, Switzerland – The World Economic Forum on Latin America, co-hosted by the Government of Mexico under the patronage of President Felipe Calderón, will be held in Cancún, Mexico on 15 and 16 April 2008.

The meeting in Mexico will focus on discovering and highlighting the business opportunities brought about by the successful execution of a priority reform agenda. A globally attuned agenda that secures Latin America’s place in a shifting global landscape will be built around five core pillars:

Global Trends and Economic Shifts

Asia and Latin America

Merging Business and the Environment

Growth Through Critical Investments

Enhancing Innovation in Business and in Social Issues

The region closed four years of 5%+ GDP growth with unusually solid fundamentals. However, the long-term impact of a shift in the global power equation is still to be defined and there are many important reforms that need to take place or that are being postponed. “The implications of the current uncertainty in the world financial system, as well as the increased competition from other emerging markets, pose an important to-do list to the region in terms of the need for collaborative innovation within countries among the different stakeholders. Considering the important backlog of work in terms of trade, energy and infrastructure integration, this will occur at the regional level as well,” noted Emilio Lozoya Austin, Head of Latin America, World Economic Forum.

The Co-Chairs for the World Economic Forum on Latin America are José Sergio Gabrielli de Azevedo, President and Chief Executive Officer, Petroleo Brasileiro Petrobras, Brazil; Alejandro Baillères, Chief Executive Officer, Grupo Nacional Provincial, Mexico; Samuel A. DiPiazza, Global Chief Executive Officer, PricewaterhouseCoopers, USA; José Antonio Fernández Carbajal, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, FEMSA, Mexico; Guo Shuqing, Chairman, China Construction Bank, People's Republic of China; William R. Rhodes, Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer, Citibank, North America, Citi, USA.