New USAID program matches Latin America's environmental technology needs with products and services of U.S. companies - Environmental Technology Network for the Americas

A new program matches the environmental technology needs of Latin America with the environmental products and services of U.S. companies. The Environmental Technology Network for the Americas (ETNA) provides information on environmental trade and investment opportunities in Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Ecuador, Mexico, Paraguay, Peru, Uruguay, and Venezuela. It was initiated last December by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), with the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), and the U.S. Department of Commerce.

To collect the information, ETNA uses an extensive network of local technical representatives and environmental business advisors who identify product, service, and infrastructure needs in Latin America. This network, the Technology Information Promotion System (TIPS), is funded by UNDP and operated by DEVNET International. The TIPS representatives develop trade leads by conducting on-site interviews and technology requirement reviews with members of the government and business communities. Each lead is sent electronically to ETNA's Washington office and outlines the needs of a Latin American buyer, available funding, and detailed contact information. Using an extensive coding system, the products and services requested by the Latin American buyer are matched to the correlating products and services provided by the U.S. companies in ETNA's client database. The trade opportunity notice is then faxed out to the appropriate U.S. firms within 48 hours to ensure a timely response. ETNA has been disseminating approximately 30 trade leads per month, and this number is expected to rise substantially as the program develops.

The ETNA program is mutually beneficial because it addresses environmental sustainability and economic development in Latin America by mobilizing U.S. technological resources. Deborah Diaz, Deputy Director of USAID's Center for Trade and Investment Services, which administers the ETNA program, says, "The success of this program lies in the fact that it is a demand-driven, tailored system. Latin American technology buyers are alerting ETNA of their needs, and U.S. environmental technology companies are fulfilling these needs." The ETNA program was patterned after a successful program developed by the United States-Asia Environmental Partnership. This program, the Environmental Technology Network for Asia, has been operating for more than two years and disseminates an average of 95 trade opportunity notices per month to appropriate U.S. environmental businesses.

Other ETNA services include disseminating current market and country information and updates on future trade shows in 11 Latin American countries. ETNA also provides counseling services to U.S. environmental companies, non-governmental organizations, and state and local government agencies.

Two other related programs have also been announced. The Latin American Fund for the Environment will provide small grants to small- and medium-sized U.S. environmental firms for environmental projects in Latin America. Managed by the National Association of State Development Agencies, the Fund will facilitate U.S. investment to meet critical Latin American environmental needs. The Environmental Enterprises Assistance Fund, a USAID-supported venture capital fund, will be managing the Corporacion Financiera Ambiental, which is being established to finance environmental businesses in Latin America. With a $4.85 million contribution from the Inter-American Development Bank, the fund will target $10 million in investments in renewable energy, energy efficiency, and pollution abatement, among other sectors.

For more information, contact Joe Duncan or Julie Williams at Environmental Technology Network for the Americas, USAID Center for Trade and Investment Services, SA-2, Room 100, Washington, D.C. 20523-0229, tel. (202) 663-2674.

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