On Tuesday, Panama is hosting the World Free Zones Congress, an event that will run until May 14, where business and political leaders will analyze the future of trade and investment.

The forum, convened by the World Free Zones Organization, will be held under the theme “Free Zones in the New Global Operating Model: Challenges and Opportunities.”

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According to an institutional statement, the event aims to boost the sector as an engine of development, regional integration, and economic diversification.

The presence of more than 1,500 public policymakers, business leaders, and high-level executives is expected. They will examine an environment shaped by geopolitical transformations, the acceleration of digitalization, and the sustainability agenda.

The organizers confirmed that the event will include high-level ministerial sessions to evaluate public policies that facilitate cross-border trade. Mohammed Al Zarooni, president of the organizing body, indicated that this edition underscores the importance of innovation, digital transformation, and integrated economic ecosystems to boost competitiveness and long-term value creation.

The text reads, “President Abinader to lead economic agenda in Panama alongside business leaders and free zone executives in Panama.”

The program includes ministerial roundtables, plenary sessions, and leadership dialogues. Key forums include the Caribbean Ministerial Roundtable, the Latin American Ministerial Roundtable, the Mercosur Integration Roundtable, and the BRICS+ Free Zones Roundtable.

The agenda will also address the impact of emerging technologies, with panels dedicated to artificial intelligence, smart infrastructure, and sustainable industrial transformation. At the entrance to the Atlantic, Panama is home to the Colón Free Zone, a space where more than two thousand companies are based and which has expansion plans to become the main commercial redistribution center of the Western Hemisphere.

The congress will include capacity-building initiatives and direct meetings to facilitate strategic alliances.

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