Brazilian legislators and other officials will meet this week in Brasilia, Brazil, with an Atlanta delegation to rally support for the city’s bid to become the headquarters for the Free Trade Area of the Americas, said an official with Hemisphere Inc., the organization charged with pursuing Atlanta’s bid. Alexander Mejia, vice president of government relations for Hemisphere, told GlobalAtlanta the delegation was invited there by members of Brazil’s Congress, who arranged for a presentation of Atlanta’s bid to their Foreign Relations Committee.
The delegation, which includes Mr. Mejia, Jose Gonzalez, Hemisphere’s executive director, and Axel Leblois, executive director of CIFAL Atlanta, will also meet with local authorities at a two-day CIFAL meeting, he said.
In addition, a meeting is scheduled with the governor of the state of Parana and with the mayor of Curitiba, Brazil. Mr. Mejia said plans for a Curitiban trade mission to Atlanta will be addressed at that time.
CIFAL Atlanta is one of 11 international training centers in the world affiliated with the Geneva-based United Nations Institute for Training and Research. CIFAL is a French acronym for Centre International de Formation des Acteurs Locaux.
For more information, contact Mr. Mejia at (404) 214-9442 or amejia@atlantagateway.org.