Secretary's Speech

Secretary of Commerce Carlos M. Gutierrez
White House Conference of the Americas
Arlington, Virginia

I’m pleased to be here for the White House Conference on the Americas. I’ve had the opportunity to live and work in North and Latin America since the 1970s. I’ve experienced firsthand the economic and political progress that has taken place in many countries throughout the region.

Our vision for the Western Hemisphere is one of growth and prosperity. Growth empowers people with the tools to take ownership and improve their lives. It promotes trade and investment. It encourages economic expansion.

Growth strengthens the delivery of true social justice, which we believe is about giving everyone an equal opportunity to succeed. However, there is a competing vision, one that:

• Spreads poverty, not prosperity.
• Empowers governments, not people.
• Discourages creativity, individualism, free speech and open markets.

We have the opportunity now to continue with the progress of recent decades. We must work to ensure that there is equal opportunity for everyone in the Americas, not just those at the top of the economic ladder.

We must bridge the educational divide which perpetuates income inequality and poverty. And work harder to ensure that we are preparing the workforce we will need to maintain and grow our competitiveness.

Last month we held the Americas Competitiveness Forum, focused on improving local and regional competitiveness, growing economies, and creating jobs and more prosperous societies. We gathered some of the best minds in the hemisphere to share their expertise, experiences and success strategies.

In strengthening partnerships and competitiveness in the Americas, we can extend greater opportunity into every home, reduce poverty and hopelessness, and raise living standards for all of our citizens. That is true social justice.

One way we achieve greater competitiveness and prosperity for our citizens is by harnessing the power of the private sector. Governments provide the framework for prosperity, but the private sector enables people to achieve it.

Many nations have turned to free enterprise when other economic systems have failed to deliver. While there are a number of models in effect around the globe, our entrepreneurial model delivers the greatest results.

By developing an environment which encourages the creation of growth businesses, attracts capital and investment and creates real opportunities for the creation of jobs and wealth, only then can a society truly benefit from free enterprise.

I’m proud of the role U.S. companies are playing in the hemisphere. They are investing capital, putting people to work and creating customers for American goods and services. They are also exporting core values of good governance, transparency and respect for the rule of law—hallmarks of stable societies. Here are a few examples:

Citibank has partnered with Simon Bolivar University in Venezuela to train leaders in project development, micro-business project financing and responsible management. In a coastal area which was devastated by landslides and floods, Citibank is helping give entrepreneurs the skills they need to better their lives, rebuild their communities and create jobs and opportunity.

In conjunction with UNICEF, Coca-Cola has an educational program in Bolivia, and has invested in a business school in Peru to help retailers increase business skills.

In Chile the company leads the Coca-Cola Science Laboratory Program, a partnership with the Ministry of Education that is in place in 50 schools and more than 30 cities, to help the next generation of scientists and engineers for Chile’s future.

Merck is helping improve the health of citizens in places like the Dominican Republic, Ecuador and Nicaragua through various vaccination programs in partnership with the local governments. In the Dominican Republic alone, Merck partnered with the government and a non-profit called Project HOPE to donate nearly 400,000 doses for the prevention of illnesses such as measles, mumps and rubella.

Cargill, Eli Lilly, Wal-Mart, Avon, Chevron, Procter & Gamble—the list of companies partnering with governments and NGOs to improve education, healthcare and overall quality of life—goes on and on.

But it is not only U.S. companies that are helping create opportunity in the hemisphere—Latin American entrepreneurs are stepping up to the plate as well.

Endeavor, a non-profit which helps support, train and grow entrepreneurs in developing economies, has hundreds of case studies of successful Latin pioneers.

Entrepreneur Francisco Gross has a company in Uruguay that is helping deliver drinkable water and wastewater management through affordable water treatment devices. His patented product is so affordable and efficient that the company has been hired to consult with companies in China.

Alltournative, a company run by Carlos Marin in Mexico, is supporting thousands of impoverished Mayan Indians by helping them develop a sustainable tourism infrastructure. So far, over 200,000 tourists have visited the Alltournative-Mayan sites.

These are examples of the entrepreneurial spirit at work. We know that government is not—and cannot be—the only solution to all challenges. We also know that handouts aren’t the only or best way to improve standards of living.

We believe that empowering people rather than empowering governments brings true social justice. Access to education, opportunity and employment will help lift citizens out of poverty and put them on the path toward self sufficiency.

In closing, let me say that this Conference signifies the importance this Administration places on the Western Hemisphere.

Globalization has brought the corners of the world closer together in many ways, but there is still no more important relationships than those we have with our neighbors.

While we work to elevate the quality of life for those throughout the Americas, we know that doing so will also result in strengthening our communities and increasing our regional competitiveness.

I’m eager to hear from the panelists on how public-private partnerships can increase understanding and create new opportunities for growth, prosperity and hope.