Business, Economy

Convention Center Opens Just Under the Wire

President Ollanta Humala inaugurated the city’s newest, largest and most modern convention center on Oct 1st, just four days before the building is scheduled to begin hosting thousands of bankers and economists  from all over the world, arriving in Lima for the International Monetary Fund and World Bank governors meeting.

The $160+ million center, designed and supervised by Idom, a Barcelona-based  architectural and engineering firm, was commissioned and financed by the Ministry of Housing.

Convention Center - 27 de Enero
President Humala leads government officials up the escalator in the new convention center in San Borja.

The construction has been completed, or almost, in 16 months.  Located in the San Borja district, at Av. Javier Prado, the property forms a large city block that includes the Ministry of Culture, Ministry of Education and the Grand National Theater, across  from the National Library, which has been the venue for the work meetings building up to the WB/IMF meeting.

The minister of Housing, Milton von Hesse, said the building has been named “27 de Enero” in honor of the date that the International Court of Justice at The Hague ruled in favor of Peru in its maritime border dispute with Chile.

“It gives me satisfaction because works like this have not been seen for a long time. The idea is to improve the country’s image,” said President Humala at the inauguration.

At a time of plummeting polls and constant attacks by the opposition, the President took full advantage of the moment to point out that the complex is being delivered fully completed and not “half built, like in other governments.”

The complex is host to the IMF/WB meeting this coming week, and in 2016 will be the venue for the Asia Pacific Economic Forum, APEC,  Unesco’s World Congress of Biosphere Reserves, and Unesco’s 27th International Coordination Council of Biosphere Reserves.

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