Press Release
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE |
CONTACT OFFICE OF PUBLIC AFFAIRS |
Friday, June 8, 2007 |
202-482-4883 |
Commerce Secretary Gutierrez to Kick-Off Inaugural Americas Competitiveness Forum in Atlanta
Hemispheric Leaders, U.S Cabinet Secretaries and Business Leaders to Discuss Competitiveness in Education, Innovation, Supply Chain Strategies, and Small Businesses
WASHINGTON—U.S. Secretary of Commerce Carlos M. Gutierrez will host the inaugural Americas Competitiveness Forum to be held June 11–12, 2007, in Atlanta, Ga.
“The inaugural meeting of the Americas Competitiveness Forum creates a unique opportunity for us to generate new forward momentum in the Western Hemisphere,” said Gutierrez. “Strengthening the hemisphere’s partnerships and competitiveness will extend greater opportunity into every home, reduce poverty and hopelessness, and raise living standards for all of our citizens.”
In an increasingly competitive global environment, the Americas Competitiveness Forum (ACF) allows countries in the region to discuss how to foster competitiveness in the Western Hemisphere. The ACF will facilitate the sharing of ideas and examples of success from other countries in the region in education, innovation, supply chain strategies, workforce development and small business development growth.
Joining Gutierrez will be U.S. Secretary of Treasury Henry M. Paulson and Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings as well as Overseas Private Investment Corporation (OPIC) President Robert Mosbacher, Jr. High-level government officials from 30 of the 33 democratically-elected countries of the Western Hemisphere will also participate, including two Vice Presidents from Central America: Ana Vilma de Escobar of El Salvador and Jaime Morales Carazo of Nicaragua. The ACF will bring over 700 government and private-sector decision makers together to one forum.
Also scheduled to address the state of competitiveness on the Western Hemisphere are: Luis Alberto Moreno, president of the Inter-American Development Bank, and Hernando de Soto, president of Peru's Institute for Liberty and Democracy.
The Americas Competitiveness Forum will provide a venue for government ministers from the Western Hemisphere and leaders from the private sector, academia, and non-governmental organizations to explore cutting edge ideas and best practices in several key areas of competitiveness. Each day will be filled with dynamic plenary speakers and breakout sessions.
For more information about ACF, please visit http://www.ita.doc.gov/competitiveness/ACF