Mexico decided some years back to resolve its
internal problems and to try to take advantage of
growth opportunities brought about by globalization,
to open itself up, as it were. This country is
important in terms of strategic location on the
continent, with a good potential for capitalizing on
its growing work force and with good capability in
scientific and technological skills. These reforms
led to rapid and sustained growth, giving all
investors, but particularly foreign companies, a
conducive environment in which to invest and
innovate technologically.
For these reasons, ITPO Italy has promoted Mexico,
or rather, Mexican firms, in areas of joint interest
with Italy with the intent to define and develop
actions to favour technological exchange and
innovation. These activities have concentrated in
industries such as aerospace, nanotechnology,
automotive, leather and footwear, textiles and
clothing, and renewable energy.
In order to multiply chances for cooperation
between these two countries, UNIDO ITPO Italy
jointly with UNIDO ITPO Mexico and Promos – a
specialized agency of the Milan Chamber of Commerce
-- organized a workshop and B2B meetings during a
special event, “Investment and Trade Opportunities
between Mexico and Italy”. The event took place on
November 25th-26th at Club de los Industriales
in Mexico City.
The workshop was led by Mr. Felice Scauso, Italian
Ambassador to Mexico, Mr. Roberto Ronza, Deputy
Secretary for International Affairs of the Lombardy
Region, Ms. Cristina Mazzei, Deputy Director for
International Promotion – Milan Chamber of Commerce;
Mr. Hector Alvarez de la Cadena, Vice President of
Canacintra, the National Chamber of Transformation
Industries; Mr. Palemón Gonzalez Barraza, General
Director for Industrial Promotion - Secretariat for
the Economy, and Mr. Kai Bethke, UNIDO
Representative and Chief of the Central America and
the Caribbean Regional Office. During the first
session, the speakers presented the opportunities,
goals, and objectives for each country/region from a
policy or institutional point of view, as well as
possibilities for developing joint initiatives.
The second part of the workshop focused on
investment opportunities and on the technical
support offered through the UNIDO ITPO network, as
well as through other Mexican and Italian
institutions mandated to assist and facilitate
partnerships between both countries/regions. This
session opened with a presentation by Ms. Violeta
Ledesma, Head of ITPO Mexico, followed by Mr. Dino
Fortunato, Investment Promotion Officer at ITPO
Italy, who described the ITPO’s mandate as well as
the strategy to develop a partnership between Mexico
and Italy and some actions planned for the coming
year. The session was followed by other legal and
technical interventions in support of investment
and innovation.
