National Confederation of Private Business Associations - CONFIEP

Brief History 
The National Confederation of Private Business Associations (CONFIEP) is an organization that gathers and represents the Peruvian Private Business Community, both nationally and internationally. CONFIEP’s main aim is to contribute to the sustainable economic growth process, based on investment and labor promotion, founded upon individual initiative efforts, disseminating businesses, and private property. The organization’s increasing responsibility is to examine the world context and promote the integration of Peru in the world markets.

CONFIEP was founded on November 12, 1984. The founding business associations were:

- Exporters Association – ADEX
- Lima Chamber of Commerce - CLL
- Peruvian Chamber of Construction - CAPECO
- National Confederation of Merchants - CONACO
- National Industrial Association -SNI
- National Mining and Petroleum Society- SONAMINPET
- National Fisheries Association - SNP

At present, CONFIEP is composed of a total of 20 business associations, which represent private businesses nationwide.

CONFIEP represents the efforts of the Peruvian business community in order to achieve national development; thereby contributing with the State in the process of making decisions with a national impact by formulating proposals and projects on short, medium and long term national interest topics.

Guiding Principles
CONFIEP’s guiding principles are:

• To promote the achievement of national objectives on sustainable development and growth with social evolution serving national interests, improving the Peruvian society, and the full realization and growth of the human being.
• To support a private business system, founded upon personal freedom and the State’s subsidiary role, individual initiative, compensation for efforts, private property, and the appropriate return on investment within a market social economy. 
• To act applying the values and ethical and moral principles which support the formation and behavior of any society.

Purposes
CONFIEP’s purposes are: 

• To strengthen private businesses and defend their rights; 
• To promote private investment; 
• To maintain and develop the unity of the Peruvian private businesses an their organizations; 
• To enable the participation of the private business sector in forging a corporate social responsibility culture within a market economy that promotes sustainable development; 
• To disseminate the achievements and benefits of private businesses; 
• To promote consensus between private and public entities; 
• To strengthen the relationships between employers and workers; 
• To promote a legal and economic framework that encourages free competition and growth, favoring the competitiveness of businesses; 
• To promote and disseminate the ethical principles upon which private businesses must develop their activities; 
• To voice the opinion of the private businesses with the different branches of the State and the diverse organizations of the society; and 
• Those not listed explicitly, as long as they contribute to the economic and institutional strengthening and development of Peru.

Institutional Goals

Business Unity
To strengthen the unity among Peruvian entrepreneurs in order to build an order founded upon free enterprise and market economy.

Representativeness
To act as main spokesperson of the national private sector with the State, and public and private forums.

Services
To promote more communication and coordination with the different sectors, and to support, assist, and advise businesses.

Development Objectives

Investment Climate
To promote Peru and the opportunities it offers in the different economic sectors and to promote the appropriate climate for the development of new investments.

Competitiveness
To increase productivity and quality so that Peru can be competitive within the global market, with good social responsibility practices.

Wellbeing
To support the social development of Peru by improving labor relationships, a culture of excellence and quality and the interrelationship between businesses and the academia.

Structure

Following CONFIEP’s bylaws and in order to properly channel the participation of its business base, CONFIEP is structured as follows:

General Assembly
This is CONFIEP’s highest governing body gathering all member organizations. The Assembly holds regular and extraordinary meetings.

Board of Directors
This body is in charge of directing and executing the Organization’s internal topics.

Consultancy Board
This body contributes with its opinion and experience. The Board consists of the Past Presidents.

Executive Committee
The Committee directs the regular organization activities and controls its permanent operation.

Presidency
Organization’s legal representative in public and private events (or activities?), presiding the Board of Directors and the Executive Committee.

Working Committees
Advisory and consulting bodies for the Presidency

General Management
Executive and administrative unit responsible for implementing the Board of Directors and Executive Committee’s resolutions.

Members

1. Asociación de Bancos del Perú – ASBANC (PERUVIAN BANKING ASSOCIATION) 
2. Asociación de Administradoras Privadas de Fondos de Pensiones- Asociación AFP - (ASSOCIATION OF PRIVATE PENSION FUND ADMINISTRATION COMPANIES) 
3. Asociación para el Fomento de la infraestructura Nacional - AFIN 
4. Asociación de Gremios de Productores Agroeportadores del Perú - AGAP 
5. Asociación de Exportadores – ADEX – (EXPORTERS ASSOCIATION) 
6. Asociación de Propietarios de Omnibus Interprovinciales del Perú – APOIP (PERUVIAN BUS SERVICE OWNERS ASSOCIATION) 
7. Asociación de Representantes Automotrices del Perú – ARAPER (PERUVIAN ASSOCIATION OF MOTOR VEHICLE REPRESENTATIVES) 
8. Asociación de Laboratorios Farmaceúticos – ALAFARPE (PERUVIAN ASSOCIATION OF PHARMACEUTICAL LABORATORIES) 
9. Asociación Peruana de Avicultura – APA (PERUVIAN POULTRY ASSOCIATION) 
10. Asociación Peruana de Empresas de Seguros – APESEG (PERUVIAN ASSOCIATION OF INSURANCE COMPANIES) 
11. Asociación Peruana de Entidades Prestadoras de Salud – APEPS (PERUVIAN ASSOCIATION OF HEALTH SERVICES PROVIDERS) 
12. Bolsa de Valores de Lima S.A. – BVL (LIMA STOCK EXCHANGE) 
13. Cámara Nacional de Turismo – CANATUR (NATIONAL TOURISM CHAMBER) 
14. Cámara Peruana de la Construcción – CAPECO (PERUVIAN CONSTRUCTION CHAMBER) 
15. Sociedad de Comercio Exterior del Perú – COMEXPERÚ (PERUVIAN SOCIETY OF FOREIGN TRADE) 
16. Sociedad Nacional de Minería, Petróleo y Energía – SNMPE (NATIONAL SOCIETY OF MINING, PETROLEUM AND ENERGY) 
17. Sociedad Nacional de Pesquería – SNP (NATIONAL SOCIETY OF FISHERIES) 
18. Sociedad Nacional de Radio y Televisión – SNRTV (RADIO AND TELEVISION ASSOCIATION) 
19. Sociedad Nacional de Seguridad – SNS (NATIONAL SECURITY ASSOCIATION)
20. Instituto Peruano de Auditores Independientes - IPAI
    

Working Committess

The Committees are working groups gathering business men, specialists, and academia. The Committees propose policy and action recommendations, develop consulting or executive tasks, determine the organization’s general policies, and promote specialized researches.

Support to National Disasters: The purpose of this Committee is to outline strategies that enable Peruvian Businesses to participate actively, synchronized, and orderly in the event of emergencies resulting from natural disasters coordinating with nationwide sector organizations.

Labor Affairs: This Committee collaborates to improve work related issues, such as: vocational training, social dialogue, employment policies and labour regulation.

Tax and Economic Affairs: This Committee gives its opinion on topic concerning the tax and economic policy, evaluating its impact on the business activities. It also proposes alternatives that contribute to the performance of the business community.

International Trade: The purpose of this committee is to coordinate the business community’s position regarding future negotiations of trade agreements. It also ensures the participation of the business community in other areas such as bilateral or multilateral agreements on foreign trade.

Small Enterprises: This Committee discusses about policy outlines for the small enterprises and coordinates activities to promote their development, counting with the participation of representative business associations.

Science and Technology Policy: The intent of this Committee is to awaken the Peruvian public’s awareness on the importance of applying technological knowledge and innovation in the manufacturing of goods and in the rendering of services. It contributes in strengthening the State - University – Business alliance.

“PRESENCIA” Magazine: The aim of this Committee is to cooperate with CONFIEP’s Management on the contents of editorial of the organization’s most important publication in order to disseminate the views of the business community’s position on the major issues of the national agenda and to improve the rapports with the State, the academia, and the Peruvian society altogether.

Corporate Governance: This Committee has been set up in order to serve as a scenario to gather, obtain and offer the full cooperation of the private businesses in discussions and in contributing with opinions on the development and the firm implementation of good corporate governance principles and practices in Peru.

Promotion of Perú  – “PERU GROWS”: This Committee proposes that private investment should be a national objective. It works articulately with public entities in charge of promoting investment, tourism, and exports in order to cooperate in forging a framework favorable to investment and employment generation.

Education: The purpose of this Committee is to coordinate the tasks of the business sector in education; to participate and propose policies, actions, and programs that allow improving access to and the quality of educational services in elementary and high schools, technical institutions, colleges, and universities.

Global Compact: This Committee coordinates the activities of the Technical Secretariat of the Local Network for the Global Compact – Peru.

Projects

GLOBAL COMPACT
CONFIEP is responsible for the execution of a project related to the Global Compact. In an address to the World Economic Forum on 31 January 1999, United Nation Secretary-General Kofi Annan challenged business leaders to join an international initiative – the Global Compact – that would bring companies together with UN agencies, labour and civil society to support universal environmental and social principles. The Global Compact seeks to promote responsible corporate citizenship so that business can be part of the solution to the challenges of globalization.

On November of 2004, the Global Compact was successfully launched in Peru and CONFIEP assumed the Technical Secretary. So, in order to strengthen the activities of the local network, the office of the Global Compact of the United Nations approved the financing of US$25.000 in a six-month project leaded by CONFIEP. These actions must improve the diffusion of the Pact in the country by means of: the implementation of different communication mechanisms (informative material, Web site, electronic newsletter, etc.), supporting the firms in the incorporation of the Global Compact principles in their enterprise practices and attend them in the elaboration of their progress reports (Reporting and Annual Communication on Progress).

Development Agenda
The project has as main objective the elaboration of a national business agenda of reforms. That agenda contains: policies, actions and monitoring indicators in the areas of reform of the State, investment and competitiveness as well as social development. In this way, CONFIEP fortifies their role as generator of proposals and impeller of the pending reforms.

The Andean Development Corporation (CAF) approved the financing (US$75.840) of the project in October 2005. This project includes specialized consulting services, roundtables discussions, business lunches with the candidates to the presidency, as well as publication of the national agenda.

actualizado el 5 de setiembre de 2007