During his remarks at the 2013 Washington Conference on the Americas, U.S. Vice President Joe Biden gave an overview of U.S. goals for the Western Hemisphere during the second term of U.S. President Barack Obama. “It’s time, the president and I believe, to seek a much deeper engagement within the Western Hemisphere,” he said. “The Western Hemisphere has always mattered to the United States, but I think it matters more today because it has more potential than any time in American history,” he added.

During the conference’s opening remarks, the assistant secretary shared her perspective after having joined President Barack Obama during his May 2-4 trip to Mexico and Costa Rica, noting that trade, energy, and education were top agenda topics during meetings. She went on to paraphrase the president during his remarks in Mexico City, saying: “We are all rooting for each other’s success as it means our success, too.”

A finales de mayo, la Organización Mundial del Comercio (OMC) tendrá un nuevo director general. El economista Herminio Blanco, candidato mexicano para ocupar esa posición, habló con la Voz de América sobre su candidatura y sus objetivos para modernizar la OMC, con el fin de evitar que ésta pierda relevancia. "La OMC tiene que permanecer siendo la líder, la que plantea y establece las condiciones más modernas y aptas para que fluya el comercio… como una manera de generar empleos y prosperidad".