WASHINGTON, D.C. – Representatives from the U.S. Agency for International Development and the World Bank today launched a two-day business conference in Bogota, Colombia.

Entitled Doing Business in Latin America: Sharing Reform Experiences, the conference will allow participants to develop strategies to improve the legal and regulatory environment for businesses. Senior government officials, business leaders, technical experts and members of the donor community are expected to attend.

In his remarks at the conference, Mark Lopes, USAID Deputy Assistant Administrator for Latin America, urged Western Hemisphere countries to work more closely together and access the region’s wealth of expertise. “The region is brimming with talent, experience, and a track record of success,” Lopes said. “And now we need to be open, inclusive, and transparent and share those successes with each other.”

The full text of Lopes' speech, can be found here in English:

And here in Spanish:

For more information about USAID, visit www.usaid.gov.