Ambassador Lisa Kubiske, the U.S. Senior Official for Foreign Affairs for the Americas Partnership for Economic Prosperity (Americas Partnership), and Dr. Jonathan McFadden, research economist at the U.S. Department of Agriculture, are set to participate in the inaugural Americas Partnership Food Security Conference. The conference, which will focus on Global Food Security and the Bioeconomy, is scheduled to take place on May 20-21, 2024, in Quito, Ecuador.
Ecuador and Peru spearhead the Americas Partnership Sustainable Food Production workstream. This initiative also sees participation from countries including the United States, Canada, Barbados, Colombia, Costa Rica, and the Dominican Republic.
Santiago Apunte, Ecuador’s Under Secretary, will welcome officials from partner countries. Experts from the Inter-American Development Bank and other regional specialists will convene in Quito to discuss how new technologies, climate-smart tools, and bioeconomic approaches can bolster efforts to ensure a sufficient supply of sustainably produced food. The two-day conference aims to establish a regional agenda and concrete projects that support sustainable food production goals.
Following this event, Ambassador Kubiske will travel to Costa Rica from May 21-22. She plans to discuss with Costa Rican government officials, industry representatives, and academic institutions how the Americas Partnership can advance digital workforce development in the region. Costa Rica leads the Americas Partnership digital workstream and is developing a Center of Excellence focused on future digital technology sectors – including semiconductors, cybersecurity, 5G technology and artificial intelligence – working alongside industry and academia to create a pipeline of talent and employment opportunities in these sectors.
The founding countries of the Americas Partnership include Barbados, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Mexico Panama Peru United States Uruguay More information about the Americas Partnership can be found at their webpage: https://www.state.gov/americas-partnership-for-economic-prosperity/, and in Spanish at: https://www.state.gov/alianza-para-la-prosperidad-economica-en-las-americas-apep/. To stay updated, follow the hashtag #AmericasPartnership and Under Secretary Fernandez on X: @State_E, LinkedIn: @State-E, and Facebook: @StateDeptE. For further media information, please contact E_Communications@state.gov.
