Introduction
Mr. Komla Dumor, Presenter, Focus on Africa, BBC (Publicado el 26/10/2013)

SHIFTING TRADE WINDS

The Hon. Daniel Godinho, Secretary of Foreign Trade, Ministry of Development, Industry and Foreign Trade, Brazil
Mr. Rod Hunter, Senior Vice President, International, Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America
Dr. Uri Dadush, Senior Associate and Director of the International Economics Program, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace
Dr. Eltie Links, Chair, Doing Business in Africa, USB
Moderator: Mr. Bruce Stokes, Director, Pew Global Economic Attitudes, Pew Research Center

With multilateral trade negotiations at a virtual standstill, a greater focus has fallen on regional and bilateral agreements in recent years. Some of the current bilateral and regional negotiations like the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) and the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), have the potential to cover a significant part of the global economy. At the same time trade patterns are shifting as emerging economies are increasing their share of trade flows and global supply chains are playing an increasingly important role. Such developments are further affected by growing South-South flows, regional initiatives especially in Africa, and the prospect of Africa becoming the growth continent of the 21st century as recently stated by Pascal Lamy. This session will focus on these new dynamics of global trade relations and the contribution of Atlantic exchanges. (26-10-2013)

PLANES, CRANES AND LANES

Mr. Jean-Pierre Elong Mbassi, Secretary General of United Cities and Local Governments of Africa
Ms. Dominique Lallement, International Development Consultant
Ms. Rachel MacCleery, Senior Vice President, Content, Urban Land Institute
Mr. Philip Yang, Founder, Instituto de Urbanismo e Estudos para a Metropole, Brazil
Moderator: Mr. Andrew Tuck, Editor, Monocle

According to a 2013 McKinsey and Company report, in order to keep pace with projected global GDP growth, there is a worldwide need for an estimated $57 trillion dollar investment in infrastructure between now and 2030. This crisis is especially acute in cities because of the wide range of challenges and needs of North and South Atlantic cities — from fixing aging infrastructure in the era of austerity to developing basic systems that provide for growing populations. A common theme across Atlantic cities is the recognition that infrastructure is a cornerstone of a competitive economy; smart investments can enhance quality of life, improve the environment, expand mobility choices, and unlock economic opportunities. Moreover, these investments make a permanent mark on the city space and have an impact on its overall efficiency, connectivity, and resiliency.

While the need for infrastructure is clear, there is an increasing need for local leaders to consider their approach to planning, financing, and implementation. For example, the level of transparency and civic engagement in major critical infrastructure projects is an increasingly hot topic, as demonstrated by recent unrest in Brazilian and Turkish cities. In Africa, foreign direct investment is playing a major role in national level infrastructure projects, but how are local governments and stakeholders engaging in these projects? Also adopting a «build it at any cost» mentality may not consider how infrastructure investments can play a role in urban socio-economic transformation. In this context, the panel will discuss these and other challenges facing leaders and stakeholders in Atlantic cities.

GROWTH

Mrs. Esther Silver-Parker, President and CEO, Silver Parker Group
Dr. Frannie Leautier, Executive Secretary, African Capacity Building Foundation
Dr. Luiz Awazu Pereira Da Silva, Deputy-Governor in Charge of International Affairs, Risk Management, and Financial Regulation, Central Bank of Brazil
Dr. Mostafa Terrab,CEO and Chairman, OCP Group, President, OCP Foundation
Moderator: Mr. John Yearwood, World Editor, Miami Herald

While the North Atlantic partnership still represents the biggest economic bloc in the world, it remains stuck between a fragile U.S. recovery and an ongoing crisis in Europe. Meanwhile, the countries of the Southern Atlantic — from Africa, to South America and the Caribbean — provide new opportunities and economic potential, but many transitional difficulties remain. The economic dynamic of the Atlantic Basin is shifting, as trade and consumption patterns are developing and new energy sources are being unlocked throughout the region. Demographic challenges, aging societies in the North, and growing middle classes in the South, further contribute to the image of a region that will undergo significant transformations over the following decades. This session will focus on these challenges and explore how Atlantic societies and policymakers are adapting to these changes.

REGIONAL STABILITY IN AFRICA

Major General Obed Akwa, Commandant/Executive Director, Kofi Annan International Peacekeeping Training Centre
Mr. Kamal Amakrane, Chief Adviser to the Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General, Côte d’Ivoire
Ms. Amanda J. Dory, Deputy Assistant Secretary for African Affairs, U.S. Department of Defense
Lt. Gen. Pasquale Preziosa, Chief of the Italian Air Force, Ministry of Defense, Italy
Moderator: Howard W. French, Associate Professor, Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism

Stability and progress in part of the Atlantic Basin, particularly in Africa, are threatened by extremist ideology, weak institutions, economic uncertainty, and insufficient rule of law. The tensions as countries in the Maghreb struggle toward democratic reform, the growing violent extremism in the Sahel, and economic challenges in the south pose questions for not just the African continent, but for nations — north and south — along the whole of the Atlantic Basin. For African and European as well as North and South American governments and international institutions, the challenge is how to support host nations efforts to establish better security and stronger institutions without usurping national authority. What are the key issues?