Colombia's private sector has a long history of focusing on social and economic development. COA hosted a several prominent leaders from large Colombian companies to discuss the role of corporate social responsibility and the importance of the pending U.S.-Colombia free trade agreement for enhancing institutional development in Colombia.

Foreign policy and business experts joined Michael Reid, Americas editor of The Economist and author of Forgotten Continent: The Battle for Latin America´s Soul, to analyze his authoritative account of the battles for democracy and economic stability since the 1982 debt crises.

During a recent AS/COA panel, experts from multilateral organizations and the private sector offered their views on opportunities for infrastructure development in Latin America, focusing on project financing, public-private partnerships, and regional integration and competitiveness.

During the North American launch of the Vance Center's Pro Bono Declaration for the Americas and the introduction of the Spanish edition of AS/COA's Rule of Law Report, speakers discussed prospects and challenges to judicial reform and to cultivating a culture of pro bono work in Latin America.

Immigration experts joined Jorge Castañeda, Mexico's former secretary of foreign affairs, to discuss his new book Ex Mex: From Migrants to Immigrants, and the challenges facing immigration reform in the United States.

At the 7th Annual Latin America Conference, AS/COA hosted former Presidents José Sarney of Brazil and Alejandro Toledo of of Peru. The event also featured panels on social development in the Americas and a second on Venezuela's referendum on constitutional reform.

As part of its Asia-Latin America initiative, AS/COA co-hosted with the Asia Society a forum to discuss Asian Perspectives on Latin America. This report offers a summary of remarks by Chinese Ambassador Zhou Wenzhong and Chilean Ambassador Mariano Fernandez, as well as analysis of deepening Pan-Pacific trade and business relations with an eye to APEC 2008 in Peru.