For Immediate Release: May 3, 2011
Contact: Lorri Crowley (202) 482-3809
Commerce Trade Official Joins Dominican Vice President in Announcing Americas Competitiveness Forum 2011 in Dominican Republic
SANTO DOMINGO—U.S. Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Market Access and Compliance Michael Camuñez today joined Dominican Vice President Alburquerque to announce the fifth annual Americas Competitiveness Forum (ACF) will be held in the Dominican Republic, Oct. 5-7, 2011. The ACF was first hosted by the United States Department of Commerce in 2007, and it has grown to become the preeminent economic and commercial public-private policy dialogue in the Western Hemisphere.
The Dominican Republic has chosen five key themes to focus this year’s ACF: innovation in services, education, renewable energy, business climate, and trade facilitation.
“The United States greatly appreciates the Dominican Republic’s leadership in hosting this year’s ACF. The ACF is a unique event in the Western Hemisphere,” said Camuñez. “No other conference provides the opportunity for private sector and government leaders to share their ideas and best practices for enhancing the competitiveness, innovation, and prosperity of the region.”
The ACF provides a venue for U.S. companies to explore growing markets and industries across the hemisphere, a market that includes 34 countries, approximately 900 million inhabitants and accounts for $1.5 trillion in trade in goods and services. U.S. exports to the Western Hemisphere accounted for 41.8 percent of overall U.S. exports in 2009. “I look forward to learning what our partners in the Americas have to share at the fifth annual Americas Competitiveness Forum this October,” Camuñez said.
Earlier in the day, Assistant Secretary Camuñez represented the U.S. government at a meeting of the Inter-American Competitiveness Network (RIAC) Steering Committee. The meeting focused on raising the priority level of competitiveness in the Americas and participants agreed to a collaborative work plan to address regional issues including education, innovation, renewable energy, and challenges to doing business. They also discussed the agenda for the upcoming 2011 Americas Competitiveness Forum in October.
The RIAC fosters a hemispheric dialogue on competitiveness and functions as a clearinghouse for best practices, research studies, and other coordinated endeavors to promote innovation in the Western Hemisphere. RIAC Steering Committee members come from 9 countries of the Americas (Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Dominican Republic, Guatemala, Jamaica, Mexico, Panama and the United States) and 8 international organizations (Organization of American States, Andean Development Corporation, Inter-American Development Bank, Central American Bank for Economic Integration, Global Federation of Competitiveness Councils, Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean, Caribbean Export, and the World Bank).
“In an increasingly competitive global market place, we must work together as a region. In doing so, we will create the jobs and sustained economic growth so vital to our respective futures. The United States is fully committed to working with our partners in the Americas,” Camuñez said.
For more information on the 2011 American Competitiveness Forum, please visit: www.competitivenessforum.org.###
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