Press Release

Secretary Gutierrez Convenes Gathering of Western Hemisphere Leaders Today In Atlanta

Three U.S Cabinet Secretaries, Two Latin American Vice-Presidents, Political and Business Leaders from 30 Nations Gather to Discuss Competitiveness

ATLANTA—Today U.S. Secretary of Commerce Carlos M. Gutierrez convened the inaugural Americas Competitiveness Forum in Atlanta, Ga.

“I am pleased that we have gathered together to convene the inaugural Americas Competitiveness Forum of over 900 government and private-sector decision makers here in Atlanta,” said Gutierrez. “This Western Hemisphere conference will begin a dynamic dialogue to foster and cultivate competitiveness in the region, making the hemisphere better for all our citizens.”

In an increasingly aggressive global environment, the Americas Competitiveness Forum (ACF) will discuss how to foster competitiveness in the Western Hemisphere. The ACF will facilitate the sharing of ideas and examples of success from across the region in education, innovation, supply chain strategies, workforce development and small business development growth; these qualities are needed to continue building strategic partnerships and regional economic frameworks to remain globally competitive. Promoting growing economies will help democracy and free enterprise throughout the Western Hemisphere.

Atlanta was chosen to host this Forum for its commitment to competitiveness and its success in leveraging public-private partnerships to foster innovation and business development.

Joining Gutierrez at the Forum 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 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.

Also scheduled to address the state of competitiveness in 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 ACF agenda includes plenary addresses by Chief Executive Officers (CEO) and senior executives of corporations. Michael L. Eskew, Chairman and CEO of UPS, and Vinton Cerf, Vice President and Chief Internet Evangelist for Google, are among the business leaders who have agreed to address ACF attendees. Representatives from numerous additional corporations, including Nortel, Hewlett Packard, PNC Financial Services Group and Wal-Mart, as well as leaders from private sector energy and transportation companies will be in attendance. ACF speakers will address such critical topics as Education and Workforce Development, Innovation, Small Business Development, and Supply Chain Strategies.

For more information, please visit http://www.ita.doc.gov/competitiveness/ACF and for the agenda, please visit http://trade.gov/competitiveness/acf/acf-agenda.pdf. To see a live web cast, please visit http://www31.nortel.com/webcast.cgi?id=5688.