Commerce Secretary Gary Locke, Mayor Shirley Franklin Announce 2010 Americas Competitiveness Forum to be Held in Atlanta

At the closing of the 2009 Americas Competitiveness Forum (ACF) in Chile, U.S. Commerce Secretary Gary Locke and Atlanta Mayor Shirley Franklin announced that the United States will host the next ACF in Atlanta in the fall of 2010.

“I look forward to working with the city of Atlanta, the state of Georgia, the local business community and other stakeholders to convene the 2010 ACF in the Peach State,” Locke said. “The ACF is a unique opportunity for the Americas to work together on issues critical to the economic prosperity of the region.”

Locke led the U.S. delegation to Santiago to participate in the third-annual ACF, which brings together representatives from the public and private sectors to discuss ways to spark innovation, create jobs and expand trade among the countries of the Western Hemisphere.

“I’m pleased to welcome the ACF back to Atlanta,” Franklin said. “Our city, as a gateway to the Americas, is the ideal location for countries of the Western Hemisphere to discuss issues of competitiveness, economic growth and social prosperity.”

Government officials from 27 of the 34 democratically-elected governments in the Western Hemisphere attended the 2009 ACF, including the presidents of Chile and Guatemala, ministers of industry and economy from throughout the region, and hundreds of senior representatives from business and academia.

“Our economies do not operate in a vacuum,” Locke said. “The increasing interdependence of global economies requires us to work together to create jobs and develop strategies that will provide the greatest opportunity for the greatest number of people.”

This year’s ACF focused on energy and the environment, financing in times of crisis, increasing the value of supply chains, entrepreneurship and workforce development.

The 2009 ACF was hosted by Chile’s Ministry of Economy from September 27-29, 2009. The 2009 ACF was the first hosted outside the United States. ACF 2007 and 2008 were hosted by the U.S. Department of Commerce and the City of Atlanta, with support from CIFAL Atlanta, a U.N.-affiliated organization.