Good News from Colombia

1. Guest Columnist

At the session of the World Chambers Federation General Council (WCF) on May 17, I was appointed as the upcoming president of this non-governmental and nonpolitical forum of the ICC, in which more than 1,200 chambers of commerce from 100 countries around the world come together to exchange experiences and good practices. Starting next July 1 and for a three-year term, after being ratified by the ICC World Council on June 14, I will have the honor of becoming the first person from the Americas to hold the most important position at the World Chambers Federation.

This designation highlights the confidence that the international community has in Colombia and its productive sector to lead a unified world chamber system that promotes support for the digitalization of SMEs and provides all the tools needed to prepare the next generation of entrepreneurs, as well as for the spawning of a new era of more inclusive, sustainable, and socially conscious companies. Additionally, it represents an opportunity for Colombia to position itself as a regional leader by guiding a new integration process in Latin American chambers that will position our region at the forefront of best practices for business development worldwide.

As the leader of the WCF, I will work specifically to identify successful global programs to obtain tools that support SMEs in accessing financing and increase their competitiveness; ensure the creation of policies that promote and facilitate entrepreneurship; provide assistance in strengthening chambers of commerce, especially in developing countries and emerging economies through the transfer of successful models and best international practices, to strengthen them as strategic agents of territorial development; and promote relations with international organizations to vindicate the role of the private sector in our society and promote suitable environments for business.

Before concluding, I would like to express my deepest gratitude to the Ibero-American Chamber of Commerce Association, the Argentine Chamber of Commerce and Services, and the Santiago Chamber of Commerce for placing their trust in me and the Bogotá Chamber of Commerce by nominating us for such an important task.

Please count on me as an ally in the World Chambers Federation to work tirelessly to consolidate businessmen and businesswomen as the main generators of equality and progress in our society and make business work for everyone, every day and everywhere.

Nicolás Uribe Rueda Executive President of the Bogotá Chamber of Commerce and President-Elect of the World Chambers Federation (WCF)