Colombian American Association

Discussion topics included:

• The contributions of Plan Colombia
• The importance of USAID’s support for the peace process
• The USA and Colombia’s new administration finding a common cause

Colombian Presidential Election 2022 Results & Analysis discussion with Silvana Amaya, Senior Analyst, Global Risk Analysis, Control Risks & Alejandro Rincon, International CorrespondentNTN24 & RCN Televisión

Perspectivas de Colombia en el mundo es un evento donde discutimos las propuestas  de los candidatos a la cámara de representantes en el exterior sobre problemas relevantes a la diáspora Colombiana y a la comunidad internacional.

This conversation reviewed the economic performance of Colombia in 2021, analyzed Colombia's economic trends and the investment market for 2022, as well as prospects for the upcoming elections.

Este conversatorio tiene como propósito resaltar el impacto que generan los emprendedores sociales creando oportunidades, transformando realidades y dando un cambio positivo en las comunidades. Los panelistas invitados son dos emprendedores sociales que nos hablarán de cómo surgió su proyecto y el camino que han recorrido para crecer su negocio y convertir una idea en un emprendimiento sostenible.

Laura Laurens es una diseñadora de modas que conjuga de manera armónica la sostenibilidad, diversidad e inclusión en sus diseños. Las prendas creadas por Laura integran el trabajo artesanal y el trabajo con comunidades vulnerables y subrepresentadas en Colombia, entre ellas las mujeres transgenero de la comunidad indigena Emberá Chamí y con excombatientes del conflicto armado en Colombia.

Alejandro Vizcaino, es el cofundador de Indiegrow, una plataforma que con el apoyo de la Naciones Unidas ayuda a comunidades rurales de áreas de pos-conflicto a comercializar sus productos. Actualmente están trabajando con un colectivo de 50 mujeres, “50 Amigas”, caficultoras en el departamento del Cauca. El café para este colectivo de mujeres es una forma de vida, su identidad, independencia y una forma de  liberarse de las restricciones que han sentido durante toda su vida, tanto económicas como sociales. Su café lo venden en Colombia y Estados Unidos.

Según el último informe de GEM, Colombia mostró un aumento significativo en la proporción de mujeres en el ecosistema de emprendimiento. De acuerdo al informe 30.2% de mujeres formaron parte de la actividad emprendedora en etapas tempranas comparado con un 32.1% de hombres. Esto representa una proporción de 0.9 mujeres a hombres en este segmento.

Aunque estos son cambios importantes en el empoderamiento femenino, todavía existen barreras que enfrentan las emprendedoras como acceso a financiamiento a través de inversión, falta de redes de apoyo y capacitación.

En este webinar, discutiremos el panorama, las barreras y la importancia de apoyar el emprendimiento femenino para el desarrollo de Colombia.

De acuerdo con el informe del Global Entrepreneurship Monitor (GEM), Colombia se destaca en la cuarta posición en la tasa de actividad emprendedora en etapa temprana (TEA). En este estudio participaron 35 países en el año 2019 y el 2020. Colombia remonta dos puestos con respecto a la última clasificación, mientras tanto 21 de los países participantes experimentaron una caída en este indicador.

En este webinar, hablaremos de la importancia de apoyar a los emprendedores en etapa inicial para impulsar el crecimiento económico del país y analizará las oportunidades y desafíos del ecosistema emprendedor en el país con grandes ponentes como Miriam Herz, Directora y Fundadora de CAPRITEC, Pablo Santaeufemia, CEO y Cofundador de Bridge for Billions, Esteban Paba, Cofundador y Líder de expansión de Mi Megáfono, y Marcela Shine, Directora de la Comunidad de Ureeka como moderadora.

In this program, we will analyze Colombia's current economic and political environment, as well as the recent social unrest. The speakers will also discuss the potential path forward for the country. Thank you to our panelists, Juan Carlos Echeverry, Former Colombian Minister of Finance, Elizabeth Dickinson, Senior Analyst at the International Crisis Group, and Paul Angelo, Fellow for Latin America Studies at Council on Foreign Relations, and our moderator, Camila Zuluaga, Journalist at Blu Radio Colombia. 

On February 8, 2021, Colombian President Iván Duque Márquez, announced that Colombia will grant temporary protected legal status (TPS or Estatuto de Protección Temporal by its name in Spanish) to Venezuelan migrants for ten years. This decision has been applauded by the international community and has set a historic precedent for the region.

This is an on-the-record webinar hosted by the CAA, the VAAUS, and the Wilson Center. The conversation will focus on the impact of migrants from the standpoint of human rights, economic and cultural integration. Panelists will also reflect on the challenges of implementing TPS, the domestic and international resources necessary to support the policy, and ways that the public and private sectors can collaborate in integrating Venezuelan migrants and refugees.

Diana Sierra is the co-founder and CEO at Be Girl, a social enterprise focused on empowering women by design, dedicated to creating extremely affordable, aspirational and high performance products that support women and girls’ autonomy and generate opportunities to radically improve their quality of life. Special thanks to our moderator: Carolina Ocampo, Project Lead of Columbia Center for Sustainable Investment.

When Women Lead will highlight the importance of gender equality and the empowerment of women so that both men and women can thrive as equal participants in society.  The purpose of this panel is to discuss the importance of the role of men in the empowerment of women within the workforce. Panelists will share their experience implementing policies that promote women's empowerment and ultimately achieve gender equality in the society. Felipe Janica, Lead Partner, Ernst & Young and Jurgen Loeber, Projects & Drilling Vice-President, Ecopetrol will join us as panelists, and Maria Jose Ramirez, President, LarrainVial Colombia SCB, as moderator. 

Durante este webinar, analizaremos los esfuerzos del gobierno, las empresas y la sociedad civil organizada, para impulsar a que niñas y jóvenes estudien carreras enfocadas en STEM, lo que permitirá seguir cerrando la brecha de género en el país y así generar bienestar social. Nuestros invistados son H.E. Mabel Torres, Ministra de Ciencia, Tecnología e Innovación de Colombia, Alberto Mario Rincón, Director General de L'Oréal Colombia, Andrea Costantini, Head of Scientific Engagement for Latin America, Philip Morris International y Rosario Casas, CEO & Co-Fundadora, XR Americas, como moderadora. 

During this webinar, our speakers discuss how the new opportunities and challenges throughout Latin America's entrepreneurial ecosystem emerged from the pandemic and share their views on the drivers of growth in Colombia and the region. Our panelists include featured Tarek El Sherif, Founder and CEO of Zinobe, Juan Camilo Gonzalez, Business Director at Trinity Capital, Carlos Ramos, Manager of Venture Capital at LAVCA. Special thanks to our moderator Marcela Shine, Head Community at Ureeka. 

Our panelists for this event are Richard Francis, Director at Fitch Ratings, Angela Hurtado, Managing Director at J.P. Morgan and Stephen Donehoo, Managing Partner at McLarty Associates. They will review the economic performance of Colombia in 2020 and analyze upcoming economic trends and forecast the investment market in 2021. Special thanks to our moderator Rodrigo Riaza, Country Analyst at The Economist Intelligence Unit.

Fashion on a Mission Edition II was an interactive event featuring Colombian designers who will share their fashion industry insights and feature their latest creations. For our panel in English, the Colombian designers Laura Laurens and Raul Penaranda shared with us the story and the work behind the creative process and the development of their brands. 

The purpose “Reshaping the Future: Women and Tech for Development” is to highlight how government programs and organizations are investing and using technology to support vulnerable groups in the economy's reactivation process.

The purpose “Technology Leading the Way to a Competitive Workforce” is to discuss the way that technology is changing the future jobs and highlight the way start-ups and tech companies are helping create a more competitive workforce through technology.

Colombia is becoming a hubspot for outsourcing services. The purpose of “Outsourcing in Colombia: From Goods to Services” is to highlight the new opportunities for Colombia in the global reshoring trends by showcasing foreign companies that have invested in Colombia. 

The purpose of “Beyond COVID-19: New Opportunities for Fintech Companies” is to discuss the challenges, projection and current issues of this sector, government regulation and also how Fintech startups in Colombia are providing tools to small businesses and low-income individuals to access the financial system.

The COVID-19 outbreak has made a significant impact on e-commerce worldwide, and Colombia is no exception. During the lockdown the e-commerce sector in Colombia grew by 9.9%, leading the way in Latin America. The purpose of “E-Commerce & COVID-19: Challenges and Solutions” is to create a discussion of how e-commerce platforms are creating solutions for businesses and helping the reactivation of the economy as a result. 

The CAA is proud to be hosting this timely virtual conference focused on how  innovation  and  technology  are contributing to the reactivation of the Colombian economy in the B2B, financial, and professional services industries, as well as helping workers develop new skills to take advantage of new employment opportunities. This conference will also aim to highlight investment opportunities in Colombia in the aforementioned industries to the international community. We are honored to have H.E. Iván Duque Márquez, President of Colombia, as the keynote speaker for this event. 

Join us for a lively conversation with Tony and Olivier award-winning director/choreographer Sergio Trujillo (Ain’t to Proud, Memphis, Jersey Boys), renowned actor and producer Jack Noseworthy and six GRAMMY and Latin GRAMMY award-winning Julio Reyes Copello moderated by journalist Alfonso Diaz. They discussed the profound impact that the pandemic has had on the Broadway community, the way forward for the industry, and the vibrant legacy that Latinx artists have contributed.
Thank you to our partner: Young Professionals of the Americas

Our panelist for this event are Juan Carlos Pinzon, President of PROBOGOTA, former Ambassador of Colombia to the U.S, and former Minister of Defense of Colombia, and Maria Luisa Puig, Latin American Director at Eurasia Group. They discussed politics post-pandemic and the challenges towards economic recovery. Special thanks to our moderator Alejandro Rincon. 

For the last program of these series, we invited the Colombian health tech startup Harper. This was an interesting conversation with the CEO German Jimenez and the CDO Estefania Lozano. Harper was the winner of the 2020 HDI startup competition. This startup is a digital hospital that connects users with health professionals 24/7 through a video call, without appointments or delays in service times.

During this program, we had a lively conversation with Daniela Izquierdo, co-founder of the startup Foodology Inc. Daniela has a bachelor in Industrial Engineering from Universidad de los Andes and an MBA from Harvard Business School. The event was moderated by Marcela Shine, Head of Community at Ureeka.
We would like to thank our partner: Universidad de los Andes. 

For this first webinar, we invite Luisa Ochoa and Saulo Linares, members of the winning groups from Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)’s hackathon, “Latin America vs. Covid-19” on the track "Empowering Informal Economy" and Dean Catherine Pereira. The event will be moderated by Marcela Shine, Head of Community at Ureeka. 

La CAA presenta la serie de conversatorios "Historias de Éxito de Latinos", donde invitamos profesionales destacados en diferentes sectores para que nos hablen sobre sus retos, experiencias y luchas que han tenido que vivir en el camino para alcanzar sus sueños.

En esta oportunidad, tenemos como invitada a la directora y guionista colombiana, Mariana Saffon. Graduada del programa de MFA de Cine de Columbia University en la cuidad de Nueva York , becada por COLFUTURO y por el Milos Forman Directing Fellowship.

Su último proyecto, Entre tú y Milagros, ganó el premio Orizzonti por Mejor Cortometraje en la versión No. 77 del Festival Internacional de Cine de Venecia y el premio a mejor cortometraje en el Festival Internacional de Cine de Los Hamptons. El guión de este cortometraje recibió el premio de producción del Fondo para el Desarrollo Cinematográfico de Colombia, FDC, y el Indian Paintbrush Production Fund en el 2019.

El objetivo de estos programas virtuales es resaltar como las mujeres y organizaciones colombianas continúan  trabajando en igualdad de género, empoderamiento e inclusión económica femenina.

La inclusión financiera de las mujeres en áreas rurales fortalece no solo su empoderamiento económico, sino  que también les ayuda a su autonomía, confianza, entendimiento de su entorno, independencia y espíritu  empresarial.

Durante este tercer webinar, discutiremos como la inclusión y educación financiera son aspectos claves para  el empoderamiento económico de las mujeres y sus diferentes entornos. De igual forma, resaltaremos y  hablaremos con las organizaciones que se esfuerzan por reducir las brechas de acceso a los recursos financieros  en diferentes entornos rurales de Colombia.

El objetivo de programas virtuales es resaltar cómo las mujeres y organizaciones Colombianas continúan trabajando en igualdad de género, empoderamiento e inclusión económica femenina. Liderazgo Femenino en Altos Cargos Directivos de Compañías propone discutir los factores que contribuyen al techo de cristal, que impide a las mujeres alcanzar puestos de liderazgo,altos cargos ejecutivos, pago justo y oportunidades para el género femenino. Las panelistas van a compartir su experiencia profesional, la evolución del rol de la mujer en sus industrias y explorar cómo podemos alcanzar la igualdad de género y promover el liderazgo feminino en nuestra sociedad.

The CAA is hosting a webinar series to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the Beijing Declaration & Platform for Action, an unprecedented framework designed to advance women's rights. The purpose of these virtual programs is to portray how Colombian women and organizations continue to work on equal rights, empowerment, and economic advancement. Colombian Female Entrepreneurs Making a Social Impact seeks to highlight the impact of women entrepreneurs in Colombian in different industries through social responsibility. We hope to create a discussion about the role of women in entrepreneurship and how it can help empower other women to achieve gender equality.