“I believe that in the Americas today, there are no senior partners and there are no junior partners, there are equal partners.  But equal partnerships, in turn, demand a sense of shared responsibility.  We have obligations to each other, and today, the United States is working with the nations of this hemisphere to meet our responsibilities in several key areas.”

President Barack Obama
March 21, 2011 Santiago, Chile

Economic, Trade and Commerce

President Obama is committed to enhancing U.S. leadership in Latin America, and at the same time, recognizing the region’s emerging markets as key players in the global economy.  Latin America’s rapid pace of growth – around 6 percent in 2010 – is creating new opportunities for mutually beneficial trade that creates prosperity abroad and new jobs at home.  The United States and Latin America are connected together not just by a common geography, but by common interests and values.

The President set a goal of doubling our exports by 2015, and with nearly 20 percent growth since 2009, we are on pace to meet this challenge. But as the United States competes globally, strengthening our partnerships for progress with our American neighbors is crucial to winning the future.  U.S. trade agreements with Latin American already cover nine countries and $471 billion in total goods trade with more set to be added when the outstanding issues with Panama and Colombia are resolved and those FTA’s are put forward for Congressional approval.   

These agreements, along with extensive trading and investment relationships and government-to-government mechanisms to promote United States economic engagement in the region are positioning the U.S. to successfully compete in Latin America and around the world.
United States trade facilitation and technical assistance partnerships with Latin American countries has helped to strengthen economic institutions across the region and further integrate countries into the global trading system and improved economic linkages to the United States.

• To view the fact sheet on The U.S. Relationship with Central and South America:  An Emerging Partnership for Economic Growth click HERE.
• To view the fact sheet on Pathways to Prosperity click HERE.

Citizen Security

Insecurity and violent crime is near the top of citizens’ concerns in most countries in the Americas, and the President has recommitted the United States to creating practical partnerships in the hemisphere to advance shared interests and protect our citizens. This cooperative approach is based on a deeper recognition of new and traditional threats to the safety of our citizens in the hemisphere. This strategy is grounded in our shared responsibility for addressing such challenges; the critical importance of political will, rule of law, and effective institutions of governance; and the common aspirations for secure, prosperous and inclusive societies.

• To view the fact sheet on Partnerships for Progress: Citizen Security in the Americas click HERE.
• To view the fact sheet on The Central America Citizen Safety Partnership click HERE.
• To view the fact sheet on the Merida Initiative click HERE.
• To view the fact sheet on the Central American Regional Security Initiative (CARSI) click HERE.
• To view the fact sheet on the Caribbean Basin Security Initiative (CBSI) click HERE.
• To view the fact sheet on the Colombia Strategic Development Initiative (CSDI) click HERE.
• To view the fact sheet on Demand Reduction click HERE.

Education and Innovation

Education and innovation are keys to progress in the Americas.  By fostering more educational exchanges and more effectively tapping into the connection between education and innovation, the United States and its partners throughout the Americas can foster greater economic growth.  
By working in partnership with governments, civil society, and private sectors throughout the Americas, the United States can enhance competitiveness.  To fulfill our part of this shared responsibility, President Obama announced two initiatives – 100,000 Strong in the Americas and NEXUS – to double educational exchanges between the United States and the Americas while enhancing the connection between education and innovation.

• To view the fact sheet on Partnerships for Progress: Education and Innovation click HERE.
• To view the fact sheet on Existing Education Exchanges click HERE.
• To view the fact sheet on the NEXUS Innovation Initiative click HERE.

Energy and Climate

Through the Energy and Climate Partnership of the Americas (ECPA) the United States is working with partners in the region to advance the development and deployment of innovative clean energy technologies to combat global climate change, enhance national security, and advance sustainable development and green growth.

At the Summit of the Americas in April 2009, President Obama invited countries of the Western Hemisphere to participate in ECPA.  Since then, the United States and other partners including Brazil, Canada, Chile, Colombia, El Salvador, and Mexico, have launched close to 40 different initiatives and projects throughout the region.

• To view the fact sheet on Energy and Climate Partnership of the Americas click HERE.

Defense Cooperation

The United States promotes defense cooperation in the Americas on the basis of equal partnership.  In an age of transnational security challenges, nations act unilaterally at their own peril because the problems facing the Western Hemisphere require multinational solutions.  Thus, the principal objective of U.S. defense policy in the Americas is to be a partner of choice because collective action is essential for U.S. security and for the security of our hemispheric neighbors.

• To view the fact sheet on U.S. Defense Cooperation in the Americas click HERE.