CAD participates in the Latin American Forum on strategies and solutions for the sustainability of the region in Costa Rica.
On May 24, Fernando Casado participated in the forum in San Jose, Costa Rica to reflect on future strategies necessary to bring innovative solutions to the challenges of sustainable development in Latin America. The three day forum was highlighted by the participation of the most renowned international scholars in corporate sustainable strategies: Stuart Hart, Chris Laszlo, Vijay Sathe, Dane Smith, Robert Sroufe, Greg Unruh, and Dennis Young. The objective of this event, organized by Urs Jäger, Silke Bucher and the Latin American Center for Competitiveness and Sustainable Development (CLACDS) of INCAE, was to create a research and action agenda to support sustainable growth in Latin America.
During the first two days of the forum, three cases involving leading companies in sustainability were analyzed: the Costa Rican Florida Ice & Farm, the Islita Group and the Vanguardia Group of Honduras. The third and final day was named Professional Forum and presented the results of the first two days of work. The invited scholars Chris Laszlo, Vijay Sathe, Dane Smith, Robert Sroufe, Greg Unruh, Dennis Young and Fernando Casado, as well as the Professor of INCAE, Felipe Pérez, shared their knowledge, experience and specific recommendations regarding sustainable business development in Latin America and revealed what they believe are the challenges of the development and implementation of long term strategies in the region. Among others, they mentioned the inequality between the people of Latin America, poverty levels and high crime rates. They further emphasized the need for the private sector to get involved in finding solutions, for governments will not be able to address these challenges alone. However, the experts also highlighted strengths, like the great amount of natural resources in the region and the entrepreneurial spirit of its population.
Following this meeting, and with the contribution of the academic participants, a book on recommended future sustainability strategies to address the major challenges of the region will be published.
Information about the Forum: www.incae.edu
