Category: Noticias

Colombia’s enthusiastic participation at the EXPO 2020 Dubai has yielded excellent results for the country. The pavilion has had more than 1.600.000 visitors in a span of six months, and over 394 bilateral meetings and 60 promotional and commercial activities held in the premises. Local businesses in the country have achieved a great boost through the many investment and business opportunities presented by the EXPO. Over 300.000 products of the Colombian export offer that worth more than AED 8 million were sold in the four commercial spaces of the country’s pavilion both during and before the global exposition.

The South American country successfully displayed its artistry, culture, diversity, and opportunities by hosting various events, ranging from coffee and cacao tastings to agriculture and food weeks, along with in depth sessions regarding the investment potential of the departments in the country. Colombian companies in sectors such as fruit, coffee, meat, flowers, confectionary, creative industries, and highly specialized industrial equipment, among others, have exported around AED 117 million (USD 32 million) as a result of the country’s strategy.

Juan Pablo Cavelier, Commissioner General of Colombia said, “The EXPO 2020 at Dubai has truly delivered exactly as promised. It has produced tremendous results and has served as a major boost to the Colombian economy. We have been able to carry out several events, conferences, and business meetings in the presence of extremely distinguished government officials, and global business leaders. Local businesses and agricultural sectors have experienced tremendous growth during this period, achieving targets well before planned. Most importantly, the EXPO has helped shine a spotlight on Colombia, highlighting what makes our country unique, and we are looking forward to furthering our partnerships with this visionary nation.”

ProColombia’s International Macro-Roundtable conference was also held at the EXPO in November and resulted in 450 meetings between buyers from 25 different countries and exporters from 17 departments of the region. This has served as a major boost to the Colombian economy, creating a positive balance of AED 15 million (USD 4.1 million) in immediate purchases, and business expectations of more than AED 218 million (USD 59.6 million). A total of 258 Colombian public and private entities, and more than 2,371 international businessmen and country representatives took part in these high-level gatherings

Various events and discussions have also succeeded in highlighting the unique features of the country visitors have gained the opportunity to access in-depth knowledge about the country, its biodiversity, nature, and opportunities. Colombia was also able to successfully direct attention towards its sustainable practices, resulting in the country meeting its 2022 target for non-mining energy exports by the end of 2021. They witnessed a 38 per cent increase in the segment, amounting to AED 32 million (USD 8.8 million).

Expo 2020 has been very successful in highlighting Colombian hospitality, and the country has received a lot of encouragement from the positive feedback directly and through their social media platforms. Correctly placed in the Opportunity sector, the EXPO has also helped bring forward Colombia’s opportunities in sectors, such as coffee, chocolate, biodiversity, renewable resources, and budding IT sectors among others. The country has also been able to utilize the platform to showcase their prowess in innovation, development, research, and technology, signaling their future-oriented outlook.

The UAE has been extremely forthcoming in ensuring that countries that participate in the EXPO receive ample opportunities to demonstrate their potential. The event has strengthened trade relations between the UAE and the world and has facilitated Colombia’s partnerships. Colombia is looking forward to witnessing the positive impacts that the partnerships developed over the EXPO will have on future innovations and growth in the country.

María Juliana Ruíz Sandoval, The First Lady of Colombia, and the Colombian Vice President and Minster of Foreign Affairs Marta Lucía Ramírez Blanco, participated as panelists in the World Government Summit on March 28, 2022, at the Dubai Exhibition Center of EXPO 2020.

The First Lady of Colombia addressed the gathering with a speech about the role of women in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals of 2030, and the Vice President spoke on the topic, ‘The 50% Cabinet: Why Women Must Sit in Executive Government.’

Colombia has always been at the forefront for championing women’s causes. The country has launched several initiatives to empower several communities in the region. The Expo 2020 platform has further highlighted the importance of addressing these issues, providing the country with a platform for global dialogue and policy formulation to develop effective solutions.

Hosted by the World Government Summit Organization, the event was attended by world leaders and senior government officials.

The World Government Summit Organization is a global, neutral, non-profit organization dedicated to shaping the future of governments. The Summit, in its various activities, explores the agenda of the next generation of governments, focusing on harnessing innovation and technology to solve universal challenges facing humanity.

Investment prospects and opportunities to contribute to Colombia’s sustainable development in the water sector will be extensively discussed by the country’s Vice Minister of Water and Basic Sanitation, Jose Luis Acero, during his visit to the Expo 2020 Dubai. Delegates from the water and sanitation sector, will also be present along with the Vice Minister for the Expo Water Week, which will take place from March 20 to 26, 2022.

The Expo Water Week will feature a wide range of worldwide water interventions, innovations, and best practice solutions to promote the efficient use of water. Colombia is keen to invest in increasing water consumption efficiency in all its sectors in order to ensure the sustainable management of water supply to address water scarcity issues and to enhance water quality.

Furthermore, Colombia also targets cutting down on water pollution by reducing the release of chemicals and hazardous materials into its waterways. It thus would require the need to invest in technologies such as water recycling and safe reuse of treated water by up to 95 percent. In this regard, the country’s leaders in the water sector seek to benefit from Expo events in line with its goals of building sustainable partnerships and promoting investment opportunities in the country.

Acero will participate in several business meetings and forums during the week to share Colombia’s commitment to achieve the UN Sustainable Development Goals, particularly SDG 6 which is focused on ensuring access to water and sanitation for all.

The delegation from the Vice Ministry of Water and Basic Sanitation (VASB, acronym in spanish) will include the Superintendent of Home Public Services, the President of FINDETER (National Development Bank) and the President of the Colombian Association of Sanitary and Environmental Engineering (ACODAL, acronym in spanish), among others. They will join the Vice Minister in various business meetings and conferences throughout the Expo Water Week. Some of these activities include the Water Business Forum and meetings focused on developments in Latin America.

The VASB will organize the event “The transformation of people’s lives with the 2018-2022 water and sanitation policy”, to present the sector’s achievements and challenges, as well as investment opportunities in water, sanitation and solid waste infrastructure projects. The Colombia Pavilion will also showcase sectorial innovations and present opportunities for collaboration with other countries in developing new and efficient methods in water efficiency and conservation, while aiming to attract investments in the field.

The EXPO Water Week will serve as a platform for the South American country to showcase its innovations, collaborate with other countries to develop new and efficient methods, and to further increase the country’s investment potential.

The President of the National Hydrocarbons Agency (ANH) Dr. Armando Zamora visited the Colombia pavilion at the EXPO 2020 Dubai from March 13-15, 2022. The President carried out this visit to showcase Colombia’s fossil fuel potential and explore various partnership and investment opportunities with the UAE.

The ANH is an administrator and regulator of the nation’s hydrocarbon resources. The agency invited prospective domestic and foreign investors in line with Colombia’s commitment to developing its oil, natural gas, and coal resources export to world markets.

Colombia possesses numerous fossil fuel and natural resources. The country is studded with various petroleum, coal, and natural gas reserves that remain significantly untapped and unexplored. Colombia is home to the largest coal reserves in South America, which also makes it the largest coal producer. An estimate of just the proven potential reserves in Colombia come up to 10,400MBOE (Million Barrels of Oil Equivalent). However, the sustainability-oriented country sources almost 70 per cent of its electric power from hydroelectric sources.

By offering attractive systems, economic and political stability, fully operational agency, high investor confidence, and vast geological potential, the Colombian government has created the ideal environment for businesses to thrive. The country has liberalized its energy and mining sector to encourage more participation from international companies to explore and develop the country’s resources. The EXPO 2020 Dubai acts as the ideal platform for the ANH to engage further in such discussions.

Colombia, conocida por su riqueza y abundancia de productos, participó en Gulfood 2022, el mayor evento anual de abastecimiento de alimentos y bebidas del Oriente Medio.

El evento, realizado del 13 al 17 de febrero de 2022, fue una plataforma para que los aliados del pabellón de Colombia promovieran sus productos y exploraran diversas oportunidades de asociación e inversión, para ampliar el alcance internacional del sector de alimentos y bebidas del país.

Nueve empresas de Colombia mostraron sus últimas innovaciones y oportunidades en la industria alimentaria del país, especialmente para productos básicos como la carne de vacuno, el cacao, el café, las frutas y otros superalimentos.

Los aliados del Pabellón, participantes en Gulfood, fueron Fedegan (carne), Friogan (carne), Daabon (frutas, aceite, agricultura sostenible) Nutresa (cacao, café), Colombina (dulces) y Nativa (frutas). La Cámara de Comercio con las empresas: Selvática, Sommet (agua), La Gufanda (café).

En su periodo de participación en la Expo 2020, el Pabellón de Colombia ha recibido más de 300 empresas colombianas de diferentes sectores de la economía como agricultura, ganadería y pesca, textiles, floricultura, industrias manufactureras, construcción, comercio, salud, minas, energía, servicios financieros, educación, turismo, tecnología y emprendimientos creativos,   que  han expuesto sus productos y realizado acciones de promoción de negocios.

Desde el inicio de la exposición universal ha contado con la presencia de aliados del gobierno como la Presidencia, la Cancillería de Colombia, Ministerio de Hacienda, Ministerio de Comercio, Ministerio de Tecnología de Información y Comunicaciones, Ministerio de Hacienda, Ministerio de Comercio,Ministerio de Educación, Ministerio de Agricultura, Ministerio de Ambiente, Ministerio de Cultura y Ministerio de Vivienda.

Así mismo recibió las regiones de Cundinamarca, Risaralda, Antioquia, Valle del Cauca y Tolima, y  a los representantes de gobierno y empresarios de  Medellín, Cali, Cartagena,  Bogotá, del Rap Eje Cafetero, el Paisaje Cultural Cafetero y el municipios de Carmen de Viboral.

Durante su paso por Expo 2020 Dubái las entidades del sector público y privado, han sostenido agendas que incluyen  conferencias, workshops  y reuniones, con  el fin de encontrar oportunidades de asociación e inversión, y lograr intercambio de conocimientos con organizaciones y empresarios   de Emiratos Árabes y la región.

Durante lo corrido de la Exposición Universal de Dubái, el pabellón de Colombia se ha caracterizado no sólo por ser el más acogedor de toda la feria, sino también por toda su riqueza artística y cultural.

Artistas de diversas regiones del territorio colombiano, además de una gran cantidad de manifestaciones musicales tan variadas como la salsa, la zumba, la música caribeña, llanera y electrónica, además de una cartelera de cine colombiano, se han presentado tanto en el Pabellón de Colombia como en algunos otros escenarios de gran relevancia dentro de la Expo 2020.

Como parte de las celebraciones, la Ministra de Cultura de Colombia, Angélica María Mayolo Obregón, resaltó el papel de la cultura para resaltar la riqueza y el potencial de Colombia en escenarios internacionales.

Además de las activaciones con zumba y, salsa y Carnaval de Barranquilla, el pabellón ha contado con la presencia de artistas como:

Ensálsate

Grupo musical del valle del cauca, famoso por su manera acrobática de bailar este ritmo musical

Guarura

Grupo musical femenino Guarura interpretará Joropo, un género musical colombiano caracterizado principalmente por los sonidos del arpa, capachos o maracas, bandola, bandolín, tiple, bandolón y guitarra.

Julio Victoria

Julio Victoria, uno de los productores más influyentes en la escena de la música electrónica de Colombia.

Joe Taylor & the Fire Band

Grupo de la isla colombiana de San Andrés de música reggae, que destaca la música tradicional caribeña.

Unibirds

Obra de los artistas visuales Sergio Mantilla Soler y Miguel Chaparro Alvis, incluyendo el trabajo de colaboración de los artistas en su famosa instalación virtual “Unibirds”, inspirada en la biodiversidad colombiana.

Festival de Cine Colombiano

El Pabellón de Colombia presentó el festival de cine colombiano que inició con la famosa película El Olvido que seremos, basada en el libro del mismo nombre del escritor colombiano Héctor Abad Facciolince y continuó con Jinetes del Paraíso, Jericó, Los Ajenos y El Piedra.

Antonina Canal

Una de las pioneras de la danza oriental en Colombia dio una muestra de danza árabe, fusionada con ritmos colombianos.

Grupo Bahía

La agrupación, representante emblemática de la música y la cultura del Pacífico colombiano, dio un magistral concierto en el Dubai Millenium Amphitheatre de la Expo.

Infinitos

Una obra transmedia de la Quinta del Lobo, hizo una reflexión sobre los tiempos de un mundo en pandemia.

Cayena Col Folk

Cayena, el primer grupo de danza folclórica colombiana en Emiratos Árabes, representó al Pabellón de Colombia en el Jubilee Stage, uno de los escenarios más importantes de la Expo.

Durante marzo el último mes de la Expo, el Pabellón de Colombia presentará a tres importantes exponentes de la cultura nacional.

Mopa Mopa

Un grupo de artesanos realizará un workshop en el Pabellón de Colombia para dar a conocer la técnica de origen indígena, que refleja el uso de la naturaleza en el arte.

Elkin Robinson

Uno de los exponentes más importantes de la música del Caribe colombiano, llega a la Expo para deleitar a los visitantes con una fusión de ritmos como el calypso, el polka y folk, durante conciertos en el Pabellón de Colombia y el Dubai Millenium Amphiteater.

Una travesía musical por Colombia

Para dar cierre a la agenda cultural del país en la Expo 2020 , el Pabellón de Colombia presentará un espectáculo a cargo de Cayena Colfolk que promete llevar a los espectadores a Colombia, a través de un recorrido lleno de música y danza por sus regiones.

* Parte de la agenda cultural de Colombia ha sido curada y financiada por el Ministerio de Cultura.

The Colombia Pavilion is set to feature Cartagena city, the capital of Bolívar in Colombia, at ExpoDubai 2020 on March 16 and 17, 2022. Cartagena’s participation at the Expo 2020 coincides with the country’s vision to strengthen its tourism sector, reinforcing its position as an industrial, export and commercial hub.

Cartagena city, also known as Cartagena de Indias, is strategically located on the Caribbean Sea and in the center of the American continent. It’s Colombia’s only industrial city with a world-class port, the country’s main platform for foreign trade and the first tourist, holiday, and business local destination. Cartagena city connect to the world in a quick manner through a continuous land, air, maritime, and inland waterway connectivity flow.

Cartagena is the country’s export platform and the gateway to trade with the Americas. It is expected to achieve the relocation of companies and add value to their processes, bringing them closer to their objectives and the conquest of international markets and contribute to the reactivation and economic revitalization of sectors, generating jobs and opportunities for the territory.

The Expo 2020 will provide visitors an opportunity to learn more about Cartagena’s history, culture, historical sites, logistic and Industrial sector, quality of life and connectivity, increasing awareness of Colombia’s tourism and investment potential. The international platform has provided Colombia with an opportunity to showcase its diverse regions as well as their investment potential, resulting in several Colombian businesses visiting the event to pursue potential business partnerships and investment opportunities.

The Colombia Pavilion welcomed over 14 companies from Tolima, one of the 32 departments of Colombia, to showcase their products from various industries and discover investment opportunities. Several products from various segments, including fashion, clothing, design, and more, are being featured and showcased at the pavilion for visitors to explore.

Tolima, located in the Andean region at the center-west of Colombia, has a strong trade and commercial presence, due to the country’s vast biodiversity, exotic fruits and vegetation, and wildlife and culture, making it an attractive destination for investors. The visit to Expo 2020 Dubai is in line with the department’s efforts to reactivate the economy and strengthen the nation’s export market and position itself on the world tourism map. Companies from various sectors have arrived to showcase their range of offerings, including fashion, design, and related industries.

Additionally, Tolima also brings its range of coffees to the event in hopes to offer further assistance in growing businesses, exploring investment and trade opportunities, and facilitate trade between Colombia and other countries by promoting Colombian origins abroad.

Colombia became a part of the ongoing Expo 2020 Dubai, in an effort to highlight the country’s cultural heritage, innovations, and investment offerings among others. As part of its efforts to attract more foreign investors, Colombia has initiated several programs and encouraged Colombians to visit the pavilion and support the country’s efforts to build a better future. The Expo 2020 Dubai has been inspiring and fostering connections among cultures and communities, making it the perfect platform for Tolima to showcase their market.

The visit highlighted the region’s vast potential and showcased their special coffee brand ‘Antioquia es Mágica’ for visitors to enjoy

Colombia, a South American country known for its food, diversity, and arts and culture, showcased the Department of Antioquia at the EXPO 2020 Dubai. The Department is one of the 32 diverse departments of Colombia.Delegates from Antioquia visited the venue to promote their department as a tourist destination with immense potential for foreign direct investments and development of trade relations. They also introduced their regional brand ‘Antioquia is Magic’ at the pavilion and engaged in the exchange of experiences and vital knowledge that would help boost the industries in Antioquia.

Utilizing the EXPO 2020 as a platform to explore new ideas that would aid the development of the tourism sector, the delegates visited the pavilions of countries such as Croatia, Spain, Switzerland, Peru, Singapore, Germany, Saudi Arabia, South Korea, and Luxembourg.

They expressed special interest in Croatia since the two regions shared similar characteristics in their local tourism development models. Currently, the Department of Antioquia has established 20 ‘magical’ municipalities in the region through their ‘Antioquia is Magic’ program to encourage collaboration through knowledge, talent, and experience to promote tourism in the region.
The Department also presented a special edition of its regional brand of coffee ‘Antioquia es Mágica’, which highlighted the quality, passion, and love that Antioquia’s coffee producing families pour into their produce. The special blend was made from the beans of three coffee growing families that hailed from the municipalities of Sonsón, Urrao and Abejorral and was presented amongst the six coffee tastings hosted at the pavilion.

This showcase was part of the Café Región programme, an initiative led by the Secretariat of Productivity and Competitiveness, in partnership with the National Federation of Coffee Growers of Antioquia, to empower families that are dedicated to coffee cultivation and production and ensure that they experience financial security.

Besides coffee, the region is known for livestock rearing. Further, its fertile landscape provides the ideal conditions for the production of a wide range of crops such as banana, rice, yucca, sorghum, beans, sugar cane and cocoa. The mineral rich area is also studded with various bauxite and gold deposits.

Delegates from Antioquia also announced the Government of Antioquia’s commitment to address the climate emergency by setting a goal to plant 400,000 trees by 2022. In commemoration of their visit to the EXPO 2020 Dubai, Antioquia will also introduce the ‘Dubai Forest’ in Antioquia on April 22, 2022 [TM1] as it marks the World Earth Day. The region has always been enthusiastic about nature and contains several cultural green tourist destinations. Antioquia has three national heritage parks- Paramillo National Natural Park, shared with the department of Córdoba, Las Orquídeas National Natural Park, and a UNESCO world heritage location- Los Katios National Park (between Antioquia and Chocó departments).

This mountainous 6,612 square kilometers department is also a part of the Andes Mountain range and shares a border with the Caribbean Sea, further underlining it as an ideal tourist destination for nature enthusiasts.

With a population of more than 5.5 million, Antioquia is Colombia’s most populated province and largest economy after the country’s capital, Bogota. Industry, commerce, and mining are the region’s main sources of income. The department also has a long history of international trade in coffee, textiles, gold, and flowers.

The EXPO 2020 has provided an ideal platform for Colombia to showcase its various diverse regions and their investment potential. Several businesses from Colombia have been visiting the EXPO to explore new partnership and investment opportunities between the two countries.