|  GUATEMALA
merges with globalisation |  |
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Ing. Luis Fernando Montenegro
President
Contact:
Ruta 6, 9-21 zona 4,
Edificio Cámara de Industria, Nivel 9
01004, Guatemala, Centromamérica
Tel: (502) 331-0651 or (502) 332-1794
Fax: (502) 334-7025
Website: www.cacif.org.gt
E-mail: cacif@infovia.com.gt
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 THE FUNDAMENTAL PRINCIPALS OF THE ORGANIZATION |
Forty years ago, the founding members of CACIF gathered to follow a long term vision and with the firm the conviction to lay the fundamental principals for organizational business in the country, molded in the Constitutional Statues are three main orientations:
THE GENERAL INTEREST PREVAILS OVER THE PARTICULAR
This principal reaffirms the conviction that only he who can be useful to the society as a whole can rebound positively to the productive activity that he as the businessman realizes.
THE FREE BUSINESS SYSTEM IS THE BEST MEANS TO ACHIEVE ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL PROGRESS OF THE NATION
One should understand that the Free Business System stimulates ones own initiative, guarantees honest and productive work and generates the opportunity to multiply one's wealth through the creation of employees, better earnings and larger opportunities for personal growth.
THE BASIS FOR THE HARMONY OF RADICAL INTERESTS IN THE STRICT OBSERVATIONS OF THE LEGAL AND CONSTITUIONAL RULES
Only the strength of the true Legal Rights, can guarantee to the population of a nation, the effective fulfillment of their rights and obligations.
| OUR HISTORY |
Since the first years of the independence life, the economic sectors of the country are organized with the objective of helping to create a favorable environment for investment and economic growth. The first of these institutions, La Sociedad Económica de Amigos del País (the Economic society of friends of the country), incorporated an innumerable group of prestigious and notable caretakers those with their progressive vocations and their long term vision contributed tot he development of the productivity of the country.
At the end of the last century, with the need to give a more trade union appeal to these organizations, the Chamber of commerce was born; it is in this entity that the organizations found enough space for all the economic activities of the period. With the passing of the years and the diversification of the productive activity new organizations were created that responded, in large proportion, to the expansion and dynamism to the new productive sectors.
It is then that in 1957, the business men of the country, organized in different Associations and Chambers, recognized the need to create coordinating entity, without damaging the role and the sole activity of each organization, promote a closeness between them and unifying the efforts and actions in the defense of Legal Right, the free business and the dignity of the individual In this framework the Coordinating Committee of Agriculture, Commercial, Finance and Industry CACIF was born. Since then, the business dome, in its promotional activity of the productive activities positions itself as a social actor of the highest orders and occupies an important space in the political, social and economical life of the country.
Its active participation in the definition of social and economic strategies, their commitment to continue to invest in the country no matter what the political difficulties have been in the last decades, its role in the construction of the democracy, the paper on the constitution, its desire for security of constitutionality and its firm stand on the peace process, they constitute a legitimate representative for the opinions and interests of the small, medium and large businesses of the country.
| THE INTERNAL STRUCTURE OF THE ENTITY |
In accordance to its statues, the entity is composed of two directional organisms: the General Assembly and the Board of Directors. The General Assembly answers for the Board of Directors to all of its entity members and is the Supreme hierarchy of the entity. For its part, the Board of Directors of CACIF, serves as the executing entity of the contours of the Assembly and is integrated by the Presidents and Vice Presidents of each of the affiliated entities. | The president of the Board of Directors rotates between the Presidents of the affiliated entities every 6 months, following a strict order of rotation. The brevity of the position is a response to the search for equilibrium between the sectors that participate in the direction of the dome.
The President of CACIF has under its responsibility the elaboration of the political administration of the entity, and carries out the functions of the coordination and representation. In any case, the President keeps, in relation to the rest of the directory members, qualities of equal consideration and hierarchy.
Administratively, it is directed by an Executive Director, that is designed in permanent form by the Board of Directors, who supports it with an assistant and a personal secretary for the progression and fulfillment of the activities. The responsibility of the Executive Direction take root basically in the management of the Directory of the Agenda and the permanent communication between the Chambers
The CACIF, for the work of formulation of strategy and analysis of the foci, disposes the Commissions of Work, integrated by businessman of the distinctive Chambers, that that constitute themselves in voluntary form, permanent and honorary for the analysis of those commanded issues. These Commissions of work, unite periodically and report directly to the Board of Directors.
Approximately there are about 10 commissions of work that exist. Among them are the Commission of Strategy, the Business Commission for Peace, the Labor Commission, the Fiscal Commission, the Economic Commission, the security Commission and the Political Commission.
Furthermore, there is representation of various entities of the Governmental Sector. These representations are tools that the organized private sector use to make their politics effective. Amongst these significant representations, there is the Monetary Board, the Guatemalan Institute for Social Security, the National Commission of Salary, the Joint Commission of Minimum Salary and the National Environmental Commission and the Council for Urban and Rural Development.
The CACIF is actually affiliated with the Federation for Private Entities of Central America and Panama, FEDEPRICAP, the dome of the business sector of Central America. Likewise, it is an active member of the International Organization of Employers, IOE, at the international level and belongs to the network of Management of Hemispheric Integration, instance of information and attention to the ALCA process.
| SOME USEFUL DATA |
Name: Coordinating Committee of Agriculture, Commercial, Industrial and Financial Associations-CACIF
Constitution: Government Agreement the April 24, 1961
Affiliated Entities:
Association of Sugar Plants of Guatemala
Chamber of Agriculture of Guatemala
Chamber of Commerce of Guatemala
Chamber of Industry of Guatemala
Chamber of Tourism of Guatemala
Chamber of Finance of Guatemala
Guatemalan Chamber of Construction
Entities that bind more than 10 Associations and 120 trade union committees, representatives of more than 200,000 businessman, of those 75% which belong to small and medium businesses. |
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© World INvestment NEws, 2001.
This is the electronic edition of the special country report on Guatemala published in Forbes Global Magazine.
June 11th, 2001 Issue.
Developed by AgenciaE.Tv |
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