BASE Forum for the Development of the Base of the Pyramid in Latin America and the Caribbean Medellin, Colombia June 6-7 2013 (Provisional
agenda)
Thursday June 6, 2013 8:00am–8:45am
8:45am–9:15am
Registration Initial remarks Luis Alberto Moreno, Presidente, Banco Interamericano de Desarrollo Presidente Juan Manuel Santos, Presidente de la República de Colombia (TBC)
9:30am–10:30am
Plenary: Latin America’s Emerging Middle Class Some say this is “the decade of Latin America,” as the region emerges from the global fiscal crisis with an expanding middle class and economic growth across multiple sectors. This dialogue will reveal the secrets behind Latin America’s success, and look at the important role of private sector investment in the Base of the Pyramid as this growth continues.
10:30am–10:45am
Coffee break
10:45am–11:45am
Plenary: Financial Inclusion as a Tool for Development
11:45am–12:45pm
12:45pm–2:00pm
Plenary: Addressing Coordination Failures: Unleashing Opportunity at the Base of the Pyramid Establishing an “ecosystem” that supports and encourages the development and expansion of Base of the Pyramid business models will benefit all parts of society, from the private and public sectors to low-income communities. This dialogue will explore innovative and effective approaches to creating such an enabling environment. Free time for lunch Two Concurrent Sessions on Impact Investing
2:00pm–3:30pm
3:30pm–4:00pm
Distribution and Last Mile Solutions in BOP
Closing remarks
Unlocking scale: tapping existing platforms
Friday June 7, 2013 8:45am–9:00am
Initial remarks
9:00am–9:30am
Plenary: Equipping the Workforce for Regional Growth Three concurrent sessions: I. Equipping the Workforce for Regional Growth Today’s workers require skills that didn’t exist a generation ago. While businesses are growing across the region, vocational training programs have not kept pace, leading to a “talent blackout” that harms workers and companies alike. This panel presents innovative approaches to bridging this gap: preparing workers of all ages to fill these new jobs and helping employers find the workers they need.
9:30am–10:45am
II. Technology as a Tool for Inclusion: Affordable, Fast, Effective Programs in Africa and India are using mobile phones to bring “unbanked” people into the formal economy with a variety of financial services, as well as to expand access to education, health information, e-government and more. This panel will show how technology can lead to increased opportunities, both for the base of the pyramid in Latin America and the Caribbean, and for the companies that take the lead with these new solutions. III. Creating Housing Solutions for the BOP: Prosperity Begins at Home Improving access to safe and affordable housing is key to improving the quality of life at the base of the pyramid. Innovative partnerships between the private, nonprofit and public sectors bring together a diversity of expertise and have led to the emergence of new programs and products. This panel showcases some of the most successful business models in the low-income housing sector.
10:45am–11:00pm
Coffee break Three concurrent sessions:
11:00pm–12:15pm
I. Reaching the Last Mile: Solving Infrastructure Deficiencies Latin America and the Caribbean have seen tremendous improvement in the last decade in access to water, energy, other basic utilities and infrastructure. Nonetheless, the World Bank tells us that 40 million people in the region don’t have access to clean water, and some 113 million still lack access to sanitation facilities. These kinds of “last mile gaps” have a direct impact on the ability of millions of people to access economic development, health, security, education, and social inclusion. This panel will talk about the crucial role of the private sector in unlocking the demand and bridging these gaps. II. Meeting Human Needs: Providing Basic Services BOP communities throughout the region face challenges accessing medical
care because of a variety of factors, including costs, lack of nearby clinics and inadequate health literacy. Education options are similarly limited for children of low-income families, who often lack access to affordable, high-quality schools at all levels, from early childhood to university. The private sector is beginning to step into these voids, offering health insurance products, educational curricula, college loans and other innovative products and services through “social businesses.” This panel will examine a number of novel approaches to delivering basic services to the BOP. III. Distribution Platforms: Scale through Partnerships One of the biggest challenges for companies in launching Base of the Pyramid business models is a lack of knowledge about and experience with the populations they hope to reach. A growing number of businesses have found it effective to create symbiotic partnerships with organizations that already have relationships with low-income communities, using these “platforms” to help them reach scale more quickly and effectively. This panel shares examples of these kinds of innovative and beneficial alliances.
12:15pm–2:00pm
3:30pm–4:15pm
Free time for lunch
Plenary: What is Next in Market-Based Solutions for the BOP?
4:15pm–4:30pm
Closing remarks
5:00pm
Closing cocktail