Texas– Chihuahua-New Mexico

Regional Economic Competitiveness Forum

The regional economic competitiveness forums are aimed at convening key regional stakeholders, to promote the exchange of information on strategies to improve the border region’s competitiveness, and develop local, state legislative, and executive branch recommendations to achieve the goals outlined during the events. Four regional economic competitiveness forums are planned and will be targeted along the following border sub-regions: California – Baja California; Arizona – Sonora; Texas -Chihuahua- New Mexico; and Texas– Coahuila- Nuevo Leon- Tamaulipas.

The forums will be interactive and encourage participation by attendees. Each forum will begin with a series of panel discussions on relevant topics to the particular regions. Time will be provided after each panel for discussion and questions. Upon completion of the panel discussions participants will have an opportunity to attend one of three interactive brainstorming sessions with a facilitator who will record suggestions and recommendations aimed at improving competitiveness and economic growth.

The input gathered from each regional forum will be published in the weeks following the forum, but will also form part of a comprehensive report that will be presented to local, state and federal officials from both Mexico and the United States this fall.

Topics to be addressed at the regional forums will include tourism, increasing the capacity and staffing of land ports of entry, trusted traveler programs, border master plans, enhancing state-federal interagency cooperation, access to capital, investment in transportation infrastructure, and the use of new technologies to improve the movement of people and goods will also be topics of consideration.

The goal of the economic competitiveness forums is to promote strategic planning and develop collaborative partnerships among federal, state, local, regional, and private entities on both sides of the border. These forums will build on the work completed during the first round of regional economic forums that took place in 2005, which led to the development of a white paper titled “A New Vision for Trade along the U.S. – Mexico Border Region,” which contained recommendations to enable secure and efficient trade throughout the region.

Texas– Chihuahua-New Mexico Regional Economic Competitiveness Forum

September 12th, 2014

El Paso, Texas

Preliminary Agenda

Register