About the Forum
In 2003, the Inter-American Development Bank and the OECD decided to join their efforts to foster effective competition law and policy in Latin America and the Caribbean by launching the Latin American Competition Forum. The Forum was seen as a concrete means for both organisations to promote dialogue, consensus building and networking among policy makers and enforcers.
In 2015, competition authorities decided to change the official title of the Forum to “Latin American and Caribbean Competition Forum” to reflect the involvement of Caribbean countries in this annual event.
On an yearly basis, the Forum brings together competition officials and experts from the LAC region to share best practices and identify potential policy reforms in a regional context. The participation of practitioners from OECD member governments and input from other international organisations promotes an exchange of views and experiences from different perspectives.
The Forum is held in a different Latin American country every year with the partnership/support of a host competition authority. In 2020 and 2021, the 18th and the 19th meeting of the LACCF took place virtually in view of the Covid-19 situation. Last year in 2022 the 20th meeting took place in person in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. This year in 2023, the LACCF will take place also in person, in Quito, Ecuador.
Previous host countries
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2003 Paris, France 2004 Washington, United States 2005 Madrid, Spain 2006 San Salvador, El Salvador 2007 Puebla, Mexico 2008 Panama, Panama 2009 Santiago, Chile 2010 San Jose, Costa Rica 2011 Bogota, Colombia 2012 Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic |
2013 Lima, Peru 2014 Montevideo, Uruguay 2015 Montego Bay, Jamaica 2016 Mexico City, Mexico 2017 Managua, Nicaragua 2018 Buenos Aires, Argentina 2019 San Pedro Sula, Honduras 2020 Virtual meeting with zoom 2021 Virtual meeting with zoom 2022 Rio de Janeiro, Brazil |
Access all materials related to the previous forums.
Participants
Participants in previous LACCF meetings include:
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Argentina Barbados Bolivia Brazil Canada Chile Colombia Costa Rica Curaçao Dominican Republic Ecuador El Salvador EU |
France Guatemala Guyana Italy Jamaica Honduras Jamaica Mexico Nicaragua Panama Paraguay Peru Portugal |
Spain Saint-Lucia Trinidad and Tobago Uruguay United States Venezuela Andean Community CARICOM ECLAC IDB UNCTAD World Bank WTO |
Quotes about the forum
The Forum facilitates dialogue and co-operation among competition officials across the region and helps them to influence governments. Making the voice of competition heard is central to the development and maintenance of open market economies. The OECD is proud to be a partner in this regional initiative. Together, we will ensure that competition law and policy remain an essential part of the toolkit to ensure a stronger, fairer, cleaner world economy.
Angel GURRÍA
Secretary-General, OECD
The Latin American and Caribbean Competition Forum is a unique platform for the promotion of the dialogue among the competition authorities in the region. The discussions coordinated by LACCF are tailored to the reality of the Latin American countries fostering the reflection about our common challenges. CADE is committed to continue cooperating with LACCF and believes that its participation in the forum is a great opportunity to share successful experiences and contribute to the development of competition policy in Latin America.
Alexandre BARRETO
Presiden, CADE Brazil
A competitive market, free from cartels or other unfair practices, is a key condition for economies to be able to grow on a sustained basis, and for the benefits of that growth to reach all segments of the population, especially the poorest.
We, at the IDB, are pleased to be part of this regional effort, promoting the exchange of technical and operational experiences that lead to practical recommendations for enhancing the implementation of this valuable economic policy tool. For all of these reasons, we are optimistic about what we can achieve together in the coming 10 years.
Luis Alberto MORENO
President, Inter-American Development Bank
The Latin American and Caribbean Competition Forum (LACCF) continues to be an invaluable resource for the competition authorities in the Caribbean Community (CARICOM). The LACCF not only allows for the sharing of experiences between countries with similar economic landscapes on competition issues but also serves as a platform for establishing and strengthening inter-agency collaborations, which are needed for cross-border antitrust enforcement.
CARICOM Competition Commission
The OECD-IDB Latin American and Caribbean Competition Forum is a unique, innovative and highly successful example of long-term co-operation between an international organisation and a regional bank. There are institutional and market problems unique to Latin America and the Caribbean in the context of their various stages of economic development. Markets are often characterised by highly concentrated industrial sectors, large informal economies and historically close links between business and the political community. All of which suggested there was scope for a forum dedicated to addressing the competition challenges these countries face in promoting growth through the development of well-functioning market economies.
Frédéric JENNY
Chairman, OECD Competition Committee
The Latin American Competition Forum is an invaluable platform for the sharing of knowledge for small and newly founded agencies. It provides an opportunity to learn from the experience of well-established agencies and make personal contact with experts in the field, as well as providing an opportunity for dialogue and discussion of the latest important issues in competition. As such, participation in the forum is indispensable for small and newly founded agencies like PROCOMPETENCIA in Nicaragua.
Luis Humberto GUZMÁN
President, PROCOMPETENCIA Nicaragua