OECD Secretary-General Angel Gurria to be Keynote Speaker at Ex-Im Bank 2010 Annual Conference March 11-12 in Washington, D.C.
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Angel Gurria, secretary-general of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), will deliver a keynote address at the Export-Import Bank of the United States (Ex-Im Bank) 2010 Annual Conference on March 11-12 in Washington, D.C. The theme of the conference is Powering Jobs, Sales and Profits through Exports.
We are honored to have Secretary-General Gurria addressing our conference, said Ex-Im Bank Chairman and President Fred P. Hochberg. His participation not only will benefit conference attendees, but also will help increase global awareness about the critical importance of exports to job creation and economic growth.
Gurria will speak on the morning of March 12.
The OECD, with 30 member countries, uses its wealth of information on a broad range of topics to help governments foster prosperity and fight poverty through economic growth and financial stability.
As the secretary-general of the OECD since June 2006, Gurria has reinforced the organization's role as a hub for global dialogue and debate on economic policy issues. He has agreed to open membership talks with a wide range of countries, and strengthened links with other emerging markets with a view to possible membership.
Gurria served as Mexico's minister of Foreign Affairs from 1994-1998, stressing dialogue and consensus-building in his approach to global issues. He was minister of Finance and Public Credit from 1998-2000.
The Ex-Im Bank conference will be held at the Omni Shoreham Hotel and will be attended by more than 1,000 U.S. exporters, domestic and international lenders, brokers and foreign buyers and government representatives.
Ex-Im Bank is the official export-credit agency of the United States. The independent, self-sustaining federal agency has for over 75 years helped create and maintain U.S. jobs by financing the sales of U.S. exports, primarily to emerging markets throughout the world, by providing loan guarantees, export-credit insurance and direct loans. In fiscal year 2009, Ex-Im Bank set a record, authorizing more than $21 billion in support of U.S. exports to help ease tightened liquidity during the economic crisis. The Bank authorized a record $9.9 billion in loans, guarantees and insurance during the first quarter of fiscal year 2010 (Oct. 1-Dec. 31, 2009) - more than three times the $3.28 billion authorized in the same period of fiscal 2009.
For more information on Ex-Im Bank and the annual conference, including the current agenda, and to register online to attend, visit www.exim.gov.