Ibero-American business leaders jointly call for the respect for the right to freedom of association and the rule of law in the region

Presidents from over 20 employers’ organisations present a joint Declaration to the Heads of State at the XXVIII Ibero-American Summit in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic.

The leadership from employers’ organisations, attending the XXXI Meeting of Presidents of Ibero-American Employer Organisations, released the Santo Domingo Declaration urging governments to ensure respect for freedom of association, free enterprise and the rule of law in all countries of the region, without exceptions.

They also expressed extreme concern and rejection of the Nicaraguan government's decision to cancel the legal status of the Superior Council of Private Enterprise (COSEP) and the eighteen associations of the various business sectors that comprise it.

The Presidents met in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic on 25 March. The International Organisation of Employers (IOE) and the Council of Ibero-American Businessmen (CEIB) jointly organised this annual meeting.

The XXXI Meeting culminated with the adoption of the Declaration of Santo Domingo. Highlights from the Declaration include:

• The commitment of business to sustainable development, with freedom of entrepreneurship and individual initiative as the catalyst for sustainable development, economic growth and job creation.
• The need to coordinate between all political, economic and social actors to ensure the sustainability of companies, particularly with the reopening of the economy after the pandemic and in the context of the current global energy and geopolitical crisis.
• The importance of strengthening democratic institutions to generate legal certainty, social stability and a suitable climate for investment, increased productivity and employment, as well as transparency and integrity in the behaviour of public managers.
• In the face of the weakening of democratic institutions in many countries in the region, the defence of a climate free of coercion and threats in order to advance towards stability, social progress, sustainability, economic development and the transformation of the productive model.
• Greater (and more inclusive) participation in the digital transformation through investments in infrastructure and more inclusive technological access for individuals and businesses, particularly MSMEs, as well as ambitious reforms in education and vocational training systems that match the needs of the labour market and the opportunities of the digital revolution.
• The promotion of new forms of employment that generate adaptability mechanisms for market changes, greater resilience for companies and stimulate the creation of productive employment and decent work.
• Promoting women's entrepreneurship, as well as their access to digital and leadership skills, to achieve greater progress in terms of inclusion and participation.
• In the process of adapting to climate change, improving access to finance and incentives to transform business models, anticipating qualifications and skills to the needs of the green economy.
• More ambitious and innovative actions to reduce the high and unsustainable levels of informality in the region and facilitate a transition to the formal economy through more attractive regulatory frameworks and more efficient institutions, as well as by fighting corruption and excessive bureaucracy.

The XXXI edition of the Meeting is held within the framework of the XIV Ibero-American Business Meeting, organised by the Ibero-American General Secretariat (SEGIB) in collaboration with the Council of Ibero-American Businessmen (CEIB), and the XXVIII Ibero-American Summit of Heads of State and Government, whose theme this year is "Together for a fair and sustainable Ibero-America".

Keynote speakers at the Meeting included the Minister of Industry, Commerce and MSMEs of the Dominican Republic, Víctor Bisonó Haza; the Secretary General of the IOE, Roberto Suárez Santos; the President of COPARDOM, Laura Peña; the President of the Ecuadorian Chamber of Industry and Production (CIP), María Paz Jervis; the President of Cepyme and Vicepresident of CEOE, Gerardo Cueva, and the Executive Secretary of the Economic Commission for Latin America (ECLAC), José Manuel Salazar-Xirinachs.