WAIPA Annual Report 2011

Jeffrey A.
Finkle
CEcD
President & CEO
Dear WAIPA members,
The International Economic
Development Council (IEDC)
welcomes the opportunity to
continue to serve as a member of
WAIPA’s Consultative Committee.
For the last several years, the
relationship between IEDC and
WAIPA has flourished with our
organizations attending each
other’s conferences, and sharing
expertise on pertinent issues
related to economic development,
investment promotion, and
professional development among
our members.
With lacklustre growth in
2011, and 2012 continuing
to undermine a robust global
economic recovery, collaboration
among economic development
professionals at all levels and
across all regions is more
important than ever. Notably,
a 2012 United Nations report
concluded that most developed
economies are still struggling to
overcome the economic burdens
resulting from the financial crisis.
High unemployment rates and
rising public debts are further
hindering economic growth and
threatening global sustainability.
In 2011 all major economies - with
the exception of Brazil, China,
and Germany – experienced
employment-to-population
ratios that remained below their
2007 levels. By the close of
2011, approximately 48 million
additional jobs were required for
employment-to-population ratios
to return to pre-crisis levels. And
while developing countries in
general experienced a rebound
in employment, on average, the
tepid growth in mature economies
is expected to have a negative
effect on those developing
regions in the short-term.
The outlook for 2013 is thus
subject to a high degree of
uncertainty, as long-term
WAIPA Report of Activities 2011-2012
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