The Colombian city of Cúcuta was chosen as the venue for the 25^th edition of the Latin American Footwear Forum due to be held on the 22^nd and 23^rd of June 2023, which will be attended by representatives from Argentina, Chile, Brazil, Guatemala, Mexico, Ecuador, Paraguay, Uruguay, Peru, El Salvador, Venezuela, and Nicaragua.

The organizers of the event, namely the Association of Footwear Chambers of Latin America (ACCAL) and the Colombian Association of Footwear, Leather and Leather Goods (ACICAM), highlighted that San José de Cúcuta is home to one of the most important footwear clusters in Colombia, the host country, and is located close to the border with Venezuela, which may facilitate a future integration between the two countries. The forum will therefore also be supported by the Cúcuta City Council and the Chamber of Commerce of Cúcuta.

At the event, each national representative is expected to address the situation of the footwear industry in their country, as well as share experiences on sustainable practices and legal trade. Ultimately, the aim is to discuss intra-regional trade and its importance for the integration of footwear sector processes in the region.

“The Latin American Footwear Forum will be a scenario of integration, where we will be able to share experiences with our counterparts and observe the situation of the sector in the other countries of the region”, said Jorge Andrés Zuluaga, Executive President of ACICAM. “The footwear trade in Latin America is gaining momentum, which is why, in this space, we need to analyse the current dynamics of our markets and look for integration processes in the footwear value chain”, added said Willian Parrado, Director of Economic Research and Projects of ACICAM.