The Secretary General of the Organization of American States (OAS), José Miguel Insulza, highlighted the existence of a "new optimism" in the Americas and Africa, during his opening remarks today at a business forum between the two regions, called "New Commercial Partnerships for Economic Growth," co-organized by the OAS and the government of Trinidad and Tobago.

"While it is true that both regions face a number of ongoing challenges which we must tackle if we are to continue to move forward, for the first time in our history, our two continents have a chance to achieve transformative growth that is widely shared and inclusive. It is now up to our leaders in the public and private sectors to seize this opportunity," said the leader of the hemispheric institution...