Secretary Antony J. Blinken addressed the Americas Partnership for Economic Prosperity Foreign Affairs Track Ministerial on July 17, 2024, in Washington, D.C. In his remarks, Blinken emphasized the historical and geographical ties binding countries from Canada to Chile and highlighted shared challenges such as climate change, irregular migration, and unequal opportunity.
"These collective aspirations – and the conviction that we could better achieve them by working together – led President Biden to launch the Americas Partnership for Economic Prosperity just two years ago at the Summit of the Americas in Los Angeles," said Blinken.
The partnership aims to modernize economic relationships and grow economies from the bottom up and middle out. Blinken stressed that enhancing worker protections, making supply chains more resilient, and committing to digital infrastructure's trust, safety, and openness are key components of boosting competitiveness.
"In just these past two years, our 12 countries have made significant progress in lifting up our communities and further unlocking the potential of all of our people," he stated.
Blinken announced several initiatives under this partnership. The Americas Partnership Platform, Inter-American Development Bank, and U.S. International Development Finance Corporation are providing technical assistance and financing for private sector investment in infrastructure across the hemisphere. This effort has already laid groundwork for $3 billion worth of high-standard projects.
"We’re also investing in our people," noted Blinken. Costa Rica has established a Center of Excellence for high-tech fields like cybersecurity and artificial intelligence. The United States, Canada, and Uruguay have created an accelerator program for 750 entrepreneurs throughout the region.
The clean energy economy is another focus area. "We’ve launched a Clean Hydrogen Working Group to coordinate on technical as well as regulatory issues," he mentioned.
A new initiative called the Western Hemisphere Semiconductor Initiative was also announced. Funded by the bipartisan CHIPS Act, it aims to enhance semiconductor assembly capacities starting with Mexico, Panama, and Costa Rica.
"The United States will also hold a symposium in Mexico this September...to identify ways that the region can play a larger role in the global supply chain for this critical technology," Blinken added.
Blinken expressed eagerness to include more countries in this partnership to make it more representative while maintaining high standards and values. He announced another leader-level summit scheduled next year in Costa Rica following last November’s Leaders’ Summit in Washington.
"This has been a true partnership in every sense of the word," said Blinken. He acknowledged contributions from trade and finance ministers working towards boosting commercial ties across the region.
He concluded by reflecting on his travels throughout the region where he met various stakeholders who stand to benefit from this partnership: "If we follow through on the full promise of this partnership...we have a historic opportunity to help realize the aspirations of our people."
The meeting ended with applause as participants prepared to delve into detailed discussions.
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