The development of business parks

In May 2014 the general managers of the regional employers federations of Bolivia met  in Santa Cruz de la Sierra to discuss business parks development in their region and the way employers could be involved.  During the  two days event, organized by the local Federación de Empresarios Privados de Santa Cruz with financial support by DECP, the managers visited the PADI industrial park and the Parque Industrial Latino Americano in nearby Warnes.

The actual workshop of the general managers took place on the second day. Among the topics discussed were effective lobbying and the issue of corporate social responsibility. During the workshop Ms.Roos Stolker, a Dutch expert on urban development, gave a presentation on the development of business parks in the Netherlands. She emphasized that industrial parks should be developed in such a way that they can cope with future challenges. Federations should also work out a joint vision about energy saving and how to deal with risks for the environment, she explained.

Ms. Stolker is an expert of PUM  (the Netherlands’senior experts programme), an ONG and DECP’s sister organization.  PUM  links entrepreneurs in developing countries and emerging markets with senior experts from the Netherlands, who provide their expertise free-of-charge for short-term, solid consultancy projects on the workfloor.  Ms.Stolker also visited La Paz and Sucre to provide more detailed advice to regional federations and authorities.

This kind of close cooperation between DECP and PUM was a first for Bolivia.