The Americas Chart a Path for Success in the 21st Century

About the Author: Daniel Erikson serves as Senior Advisor for the Bureau ofWestern Hemisphere Affairs.

As we enter 2013, we’d like to share with you how the United States worked with our partners in the Americas last year. The year 2012 brought dynamic new developments in the Western Hemisphere, highlighted by the Sixth Summit of the Americas in Cartagena, Colombia, where President Obama attended the first CEO Summit of the Americas and launched a series of ambitious new initiatives together with our hemispheric partners. Connecting the Americas 2022 is working to provide universal access to electricity in our hemisphere over the next decade. 100,000… more »

About the Author: Mike Hammer serves as Assistant Secretary of State for Public Affairs.

As soon as I stepped off the plane in Miami for my visit to our Media Hub of the Americas I sensed a certain dynamism. As I met with journalists, members of the business community, academics, and students during my visit, I found that this energy permeated throughout my meetings, as all were eager to engage to further strengthen the ties that bind the United States to Latin America.

The Hub of the Americas is a part of the Bureau of Public Affairs’ network of six media hubs around the world; and it is the only hub located domestically. Our media hub in Miami takes advantage of the city’s location as a gateway to Latin America to communicate our policies not only to audiences in the Hemisphere but also to the growing Spanish-speaking community in the United States. During my trip,… more »

About the Author: Hannah Johnson serves as an Assistant Editor for DipNote.

Our “Photo of the Week” shows Deputy Secretary of State William Burns and Colombian Vice Foreign Minister Patti Londono signing a memorandum of understanding on the Small Business Network of the Americas in Cali, Colombia, October 23, 2012.

Deputy Secretary Burns and Assistant Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere AffairsRoberta Jacobson traveled to Cali for the fifth Pathways to Prosperity in the Americas ministerial. The government of Colombia hosted the event, attended by high-level government officials, policy makers, business leaders, academics, and representatives from international organizations throughout the… more »

Assistant Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs Roberta Jacobson will hold a conversation with Diana Villiers Negroponte, Senior Fellow, Latin America Initiative, Brookings Institution and Michael Shifter, President, Inter-American Dialogue, on the U.S. government’s foreign policy agenda in the Western Hemisphere. The discussion will be moderated by Cheryl Benton, Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Public Affairs, and will… more »

Deputy Secretary of State William Burns and Colombian Vice Foreign Minister Patti Londono sign a memorandum of understanding on the Small Business Network of the Americas on the sidelines of the Pathways to Prosperity in the Americas ministerial in Cali, Colombia, October 23, 2012. [State Department photo/ Public Domain]

About the Author: Miles Bullock serves as an intern in the Press Office of the Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs at the U.S. Department of State.

When it comes to finding inventive solutions to world challenges, one program brings forth a group of vibrant students that embody the optimism and drive needed to enact tomorrow’s change by taking action today: Jóvenes en Acción (Youth in Action). Jóvenes en Acción is an intensive program that provides outstanding Mexican high school students with an innovative five-week exchange in the United States that develops leadership skills, fosters civic engagement, and supports students in creating service projects to implement in their communities. This year’s 77 Jóvenes en Acciónparticipants, representing 13 Mexican states from Baja California to Yucatán, prove that one of the most reliable forms of investment is the irreplaceable capital of youth. As the third group of students participating in the program, these ambitious high… more »

U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs Roberta A. Jacobson delivers remarks on recent travel to Central America and the Western Hemisphere Affairs agenda at the Foreign Press Center in Washington, D.C. on July 11, 2012. A text transcript can be found at http://fpc.state.gov/194826.htm.

About the Author: Roberta S. Jacobson serves as Assistant Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs.

Last Friday, I had the opportunity to introduce Secretary Clinton as she, Assistant Secretary Ann Stock, and I welcomed a group of 21 Youth Ambassadors to the State Department from the Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, and Panama. The conversation I had with these amazing high school leaders from non-elite backgrounds reminded me of why I’m optimistic about our hemisphere — and why I love my job!

These young people will spend three weeks in Washington, D.C., San Antonio, Texas, and Marquette, Michigan, staying with host families, attending workshops on leadership and service, and taking part in community service projects and cultural activities with American teenagers. It was clear from the start of our conversation why they were… more »

Assistant Secretary of State for Public Affairs Mike Hammer held a briefing in Spanish on June 1, 2012, in advance of the 42nd OAS General Assembly, which will take place in Bolivia June 3-5, 2012. You can find a transcript of the briefing in English and Spanish at http://go.usa.gov/dZx.

About the Author: Roberta Jacobson serves as Assistant Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs.

Economic recovery, at home, in Europe, across the globe, seems to be on everyone’s minds these days. In the United States, the engine to power our economic recovery is fueled by human and physical resources right here in our own hemisphere. No one knows this better than the Council of the Americas. Since its founding in 1965, the Council’s approximately 200 members account for a large percentage of U.S. investment in Latin America and the Caribbean. Their investment is linked by a shared belief that free markets and private enterprise, coupled with strong democratic governance, offer the most effective means to achieve regional economic growth and prosperity.

Yesterday, when we addressed the Council at their annual conference,… more »