What You Need to Know about the Ninth Summit of the Americas

At the 2018 Lima Summit, Western Hemisphere governments accepted an offer from then-Vice President Mike Pence for the United States to serve as the host of the Ninth Summit of the Americas. In January, the White House announced that Los Angeles will host the summit in June 7–10, 2022.

As host, the United States determines which leaders receive invitations. Invitations were only issued in May and it led to a great deal of discussion around whether the Summit should include only democratic countries—in accordance with commitments at the Third Summit of the America—or if should include all countries in the region.

At issue in particular was the United States' decision to withhold invitations from Cuba, Nicaragua, and Venezuela. Some countries threatened to boycott the event over the exclusions. You can find a tally of which leaders intend to go here. In addition to regional leaders, heads of multilateral institutions and extra-regional observers, along with private-sector and civil society stakeholders, will take part in summit-related activities.

Previous summits have launched initiatives on trade, democracy, environment, education, and anti-corruption efforts, as well as stimulating cooperation across a broad range of economic and social fronts. The White House announced in January that the summit will focus on the theme, “Building a Sustainable, Resilient, and Equitable Future,” under four priority areas detailed in an October 2021 concept paper: health, recovery, and resilience; our green future; equitable growth and prosperity; and strong and inclusive democracies. Since then, the White House has indicated that commitments on healthcare, digital economy, the clean energy transition, democracy, and migration will be at the top of its priorities for the Summit.

Since the Eighth Summit of the Americas held in Lima in 2018, National Summit Coordinators designated by each country have met regularly to discuss implementation of initiatives and plan for the Ninth Summit, with the Organization of American States serving as technical secretariat. They are supported by the Joint Summit Working Group, composed of 13 regional and international multilateral organizations. Peru handed over the chairmanship of the summit process to the United States in 2020. The Summit Implementation Review Group has been holding successive rounds of negotiations in recent months to complete documents. Foreign ministers will gather in Los Angeles prior to the opening of the Summit to finalize commitments.

The private sector provides input into the summit process through the Americas Business Dialogue (ABD) for which the Inter-American Development Bank serves as technical secretariat. Council of the Americas and its member companies are actively engaged in ABD working groups to develop policy and project recommendations on issues such as trade facilitation, good regulatory practices, human resources, technology, agriculture, and health. The working groups are open to any regional company that would like to participate. On June 2, the ABD issued its set of recommendations for the IX Summit of the Americas.

Since the 2012 Summit of the Americas in Cartagena, Colombia, private sector leaders have met at a CEO Summit in advance of the meeting of government leaders, with the goal of providing input and encouraging public-private collaboration and partnerships.

The IV CEO Summit will be held June 7–9 in Los Angeles, with participation from U.S. and regional CEOs and executives, as well as small and medium-sized companies. Participation in the CEO Summit is by invitation.

In addition to the CEO Summit, separate forums for youth and civil society will be held in Los Angeles on June 9. Participation in these forums is also by invitation.

Council of the Americas has been an integral part of the Summits of the Americas since 1994.

More recently, in 2020, at the request of the U.S. Department of State, the Council joined the U.S. Chamber of Commerce in submitting a paper offering U.S.-based private sector input into the Ninth Summit of the Americas. Along with papers from the Joint Summit Working Group and U.S.-based civil society organizations, the Council’s paper was submitted to National Summit Coordinators for review.

In collaboration with the State Department Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs, the Council hosted the 52nd Washington Conference on the Americas in May 2022, focusing on preparations for the Ninth Summit of the Americas. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken used the Washington Conference to highlight U.S. priorities for the Summit. His remarks, and those of other speakers, can be found here.

Council experts have produced regular analyses in advance of the Summit, and the Spring 2022 issue of Americas Quarterly focuses on the Ninth Summit of the Americas. COA Vice President Eric Farnsworth testified on May 26 before the U.S. Senate at a hearing on the Summit of the Americas. 

Read more:

• A Digital Economy of the Americas, Morning Consult, co-authored by Steve Liston
• LatAm in Focus: What the Summit of the Americas Was, Is, and Could Be — Interview with Eric Farnsworth about the VIII Summit in Lima
• COA Statement: Trade and Investment Belong at the Center of the IX Summit of the Americas
• Explainer: What Is the Summit of the Americas?

The U.S. Government has created a website for the summit with additional information on summit planning.

In addition, we will be updating this webpage as new information becomes available. Bookmark the link or check back at as-coa.org/ixsummit.