The nations of the Western Hemisphere are bound together by history and geography, family and community, and trade and commerce, declared U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken at a recent gathering of regional foreign ministers of the Americas Partnership for Economic Prosperity.
Launched two years ago, the 12-nation partnership is linked by “shared hopes for a more secure, a more prosperous, a more democratic future for all of our countries and all of our peoples,” said Secretary Blinken.
“This partnership is part of a broader effort to modernize our economic relationships, to grow our economies from the bottom up and from the middle out. To demonstrate that the way to boost our competitiveness is to enhance protections for our workers as well as for our climate; to make our supply chains more resilient; to commit to the trust, safety and openness of our digital infrastructure.”
Secretary Blinken noted that the Americas Partnership Platform, the Inter-American Development Bank, and the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation are providing technical assistance and financing to attract private sector infrastructure investment across the hemisphere.
“By improving the backbone of our supply chains, better infrastructure will help ensure that the goods that our people rely on — semiconductors, electric vehicle batteries, medical supplies — are more affordable, more secure and made right here in the Americas.”
“We're also investing in our people,” said Secretary Blinken.
“Costa Rica has established a Center of Excellence to prepare workers from across the Americas to be more competitive in the high-tech fields of the future, from cybersecurity to artificial intelligence. The United States, Canada, [and] Uruguay have created an accelerator to recruit and train 750 entrepreneurs throughout the region.”
Secretary Blinken announced a new joint effort, the Western Hemisphere Semiconductor Initiative, which is made possible with funding provided by U.S. legislation known as the CHIPS Act [Creating Helpful Incentives to Produce Semiconductors]. “[T]his initiative,” he said, “will turbocharge countries’ capacity to assemble, test, and package semiconductors, beginning with Mexico, Panama, and Costa Rica.”
Many people stand to benefit from the work of the Americas Partnership for Economic Prosperity. “If we follow through on the full promise of this partnership,” said Secretary Blinken, “I think we have a historic opportunity to help realize the aspirations of our people, to strengthen their faith in our democracies, and to build a more equitable, sustainable and prosperous region for everyone.”
