ProCórdoba Agency together with the Ministry of Industry, Trade and Mining, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Worship of the Argentine Republic and the Federal Council of Investments, held the “Second International Conference and Exhibition on Humanitarian Assistance and the Private Sector".
"One of the main goals of this event is to position Córdoba and Argentina as a reference hub in South America. We are working to get more and more companies involved in the market, companies which can offer products, services and solutions for the market. These are specialized markets and we need to raise awareness of the importance of this issues. This time, we invited important international, national, provincial and municipal organizations to participate in the conference. We wanted to allow companies to meet face to face, as equals, with representatives from the United Nations, the White Helmets Commission, FAO, UNICEF and other institutions. We are very happy with the results. We have achieved our goals.”
The two-day event was held at the Holiday Inn Hotel in the city of Córdoba, and it welcomed not only companies which showcased their products and services, but also renowned speakers. One of them was Dmitri Dovgopoly, Director of the United Nations Procurement Division, who was pleasantly surprised by the Province’s productive capacity:
"In this event I got to know the companies, and the products they offer are very interesting. I believe Argentinian vendors are very competitive; they can offer much more.”
For his part, Marcelo Rozas Garay, Under-Secretary of Integral Disaster Risk Management of the Ministry of Security, insisted on the importance of raising awareness of humanitarian assistance issues and the necessities generated by emergency in all its stages (prevention, response, recovery) and which call for initiatives on the part of the private sector businesses. He added,
"The Province has a lot of potential. I am grateful for having been invited to the conference for the second time in a row, and I want to congratulate ProCórdoba on the organization of these kinds of events.”
Mariano Goicoechea y Garayar, Vice-President of the White Helmets Commission of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Worship, thanked the Agency for the invitation and said,
"I think the offer of Córdoba Province is quite good. Many SMEs rely on their export capacity, and these events allow for the establishment of contact between different sectors, they allow us to know one another, which will lead to more production, work and a better quality of life for Argentinians.”
Inforest SRL is a member company of the Emergency and Humanitarian Assistance Group. Inforest’s Representative Miguel Peláez was one of the presenters at the event and he praised the greater participation of companies from different countries:
"Being able to talk to the United Nations’ highest procurement authority is very important to us, as businesspeople, and it could not have been done without the help of ProCórdoba. That also goes for the authorities of the White Helmets Commission and from other countries, too. Being able to hold relaxed conversations with these people is invaluable. ProCórdoba has provided fundamental support to us thanks to their predisposition; we feel really comfortable working with the Agency.”
This Second Conference on Humanitarian Assistance and the Private Sector was also visited by:
- Isidro Duran Torres Fontes, Procurement Officer of the United Nations New York Procurement Division.
- Andrea Chiappini, National Director of Institutional Relations. Office for Civil Protection and Integral Management of Emergencies and Disasters. Ministry of Security
- Claudio Vignetta, Secretary of Climate Risk and Disaster Management. Ministry of the Interior. Government of the Province of Córdoba.
- Enrique Bruno Camacho, Secretary of Citizen Security – Government of Santa Cruz de la Sierra – Bolivia.
- Alberto Elías Magluf, Head of the Supply Department of the National Office for Emergencies – Ministry of the Interior and Public Security ONEMI (Chile).
- Officer Martin Bogao, National Directorate of Firemen. Ministry of the Interior (Uruguay).
- Mario Alberto Lanfri, Officer Responsible for the Environmental Emergency Unit and the Consultancy Unit on Spatial Applications of Alert and Early Response to Emergencies, CAEARTE. Teófilo Tabanera Space Center. Córdoba (Argentina).
- Gaston Hantouch, Humanitarian Logistics Coordinator. Emergency and Disaster Response Directorate. Argentine Red Cross.
- Abel Barros, Administration and Supplies Assistant. UNICEF Argentine Office.
After the event, Roberto Rossotto, General Manager of ProCórdoba Agency, thanked the presenters and exhibitors, whose presence puts Córdoba in the map as quality vendors in the humanitarian assistance international market. He remarked,
"It is of the utmost importance that Argentinian companies become involved in this market, and that interest in this issue grows among other partners, in order to generate more and better business opportunities. It is also important that they are willing to adapt their products and services to the needs of the different organizations, and to advertise them, regardless of whether they ultimately ordered or not.”
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