Speakers:

• Larry Kudlow, Director, U.S. National Economic Council
• Kimberly Breier, former Assistant Secretary for Western Hemisphere Affairs, U.S. State Department
• Clay Neff, President, Chevron Middle East, Africa, South America Exploration and Production Company
• Eric Farnsworth, Vice President, Americas Society/Council of the Americas
• Susan Segal, President and CEO, Americas Society/Council of the Americas

After a welcome from Eric Farnsworth to the 2020 Washington Conference on the Americas plenary session of the day, Ambassador Kimberly Breier spoke, noting how the conference and the Council were “key partners” during her time at the U.S. State Department. Next, Chevron’s Clay Neff, in introducing keynote speaker Larry Kudlow, said that, “If I may take the liberty to speak on behalf of our member companies, we are all very fortunate to work with an administration that sees us as partners” in the economic recovery from the pandemic.

In his keynote, Kudlow said he believes the overall effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on the U.S. economy is “very mild” and that the economy is experiencing a v-shaped recovery. He called the recently implemented United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement on trade “an extremely important deal, maybe the best deal of its kind ever written.” Responding to a question from Susan Segal about Beijing’s seemingly ubiquitous presence in Latin America, Kudlow said, “We are particularly unhappy with China’s continuous efforts to subvert American businesses, to hack, to commit espionage, to eavesdrop, and … to undermine financial markets,” cautioning member companies in attendance, “I would suggest keeping your eyes open.” Kudlow also said he personally believes all of Latin America should be dollarized. “That would take away a lot of problems,” he said. “Stable currencies are essential to economic growth.” 

• Learn more about the 2020 Washington Conference on the Americas virtual series.

Speakers

• Jesús Seade, Under Secretary for North America, Ministry Foreign Affairs of Mexico
• Eric Farnsworth, Vice President, Council of the Americas

A candidate for Director General of the World Trade Organization (WTO), Ambassador Jesús Seade Kuri offered wide-ranging comments on global trade at the 2020 Washington Conference on the Americas. He was introduced by COA's Eric Farnsworth and a video message from former Assistant Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs Alec Watson.

Seade, who served as a chief negotiator for Mexico for the updated North American trade agreement that went into effect July 1, spoke of the danger to the United States, China, and other countries if the WTO is allowed to become irrelevant. He argued that the WTO should be playing an important role in educating the global public about the benefits of trade, and that the new director general must have the expertise, relationships, and negotiating skills to play the role of honest broker among countries, build trust, and coordinate efforts that lead to real results in the trade arena, including in fields such as digital trade. Seade also stressed the need for more attention to private sector interests, both in terms of encouraging multilateral companies to expand trade and opening space for small- and medium-sized enterprises to participate in global trade.

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Speakers:

• Sebastián Piñera, President of Chile
• Jan Van Acker, President of Emerging Markets Human Health, Merck (introduction)
• Andrés Gluski, Chairman, Americas Society/Council of the Americas (moderator)
• Eric Farnsworth, Vice President, Americas Society/Council of the Americas (welcome)

Early 2021. That’s when Sebastián Piñera hopes Chile will be past the peak of COVID-19 and on its way to economic recovery. In a keynote address as part of the 2020 Washington Conference on the Americas and Presidents of the Americas series, the head of state touted his country’s achievements in per capita income growth and poverty reduction in the three decades since the return to democracy, while also acknowledging the need for those gains to continue so that the country doesn’t become ensnared in the “middle-income trap.” To that end, he highlighted his commitment to improve and invest in technology and education and spoke about the importance of foreign investment. Later, the president took questions from AS/COA members about Chile’s pension plans, the upcoming plebiscite on constitutional reform, pandemic economic relief legislation, and more.

Speakers

• David Malpass, President, World Bank Group
• Susan Segal, President and CEO, Americas Society/Council of the Americas
• Eric Farnsworth, Vice President, Council of the Americas

"We're not fated to go into one direction." That was one of the messages World Bank Group President David Malpass had to Latin American governments when discussing the region's recovery in a post-pandemic world at COA's 2020 Washington Conference on the Americas. The future of these economies, he told AS/COA President and CEO Susan Segal, will depend on what each country does. 

Malpass explained that coun tries need to take meaningful steps and actions that would mitigate the blow now, allowing capital and labor to move from industries that don't survive into jobs needed after the crisis. "Governments can’t create all the jobs needed for the people losing their jobs now," he said, adding that countries must take social inclusion into account. The former U.S. treasury under secretary for international affairs said cooperation and transparency are going to be critical in creating the attractive investment climates that could boost recovery.

Malpass also told the audience about his years as member of the Council of the Americas and described the Washington Conference on the Americas as "one of the most dependable, value-added events in Washington.” Before his discussion with Segal started, U.S. Ambassador to Mexico Christopher Landau, whose father served as president of AS/COA from 1985–1993, gave pre-recorded video remarks highlighting the importance of our organizations and promoting private investment in Latin America.

Speakers

• Mike Pompeo, Secretary of State, United States
• Andrés Gluski, Chairman, Americas Society/Council of the Americas
• Susan Segal, President and CEO, Americas Society/Council of the Americas
• Eric Farnsworth, Vice President, Council of the Americas

The Trump administration is focused on the economic trajectory of the Western Hemisphere, but that economic prosperity depends on freedom, said U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in remarks delivered as part of the 2020 Washington Conference on the Americas virtual series. Only the citizens of Cuba, Nicaragua, and Venezuela were not living under democratic administrations but, he said, “We’re working to change those outliers,” including through multilateral coalitions such as the Lima Group and the Organization of American States. Before answering some questions from COA members, Pompeo closed by stressing the importance of strengthening U.S. business in Latin America as a way to counter the influence of China, which he warned would take advantage of the COVID-19 crisis to grow its footprint in the region. The secretary also spoke about how the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA), due to enter into force on July 1, will help to solidify North American trade ties. “When the dust is settled, our companies will have new clarity,” he said.

COA Vice President Eric Farnsworth opened the event and gave a preview of the 2020 WCA series. AS/COA President and CEO Susan Segal then gave opening remarks. AS/COA Board Chair Andrés Gluski moderated the event.

At the 49th Washington Conference on the Americas, Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) received the 2019 Chairman’s Award from AS/COA Board Chair Andrés Gluski, who highlighted the senior senator from Florida’s leadership on Capitol Hill on U.S. policy toward Latin America and on Venezuela, in particular. Rubio, chairman of the Senate's Western Hemisphere Subcommittee, then spoke about the situation in Venezuela and how the country is part of what he described as a global battle between totalitarianism and democracy. “A lot of chavistas are too materialistic to be communists,” he said, dismissing the notion that loyalists to Nicolás Maduro are ideologues and saying that the regime instead is held together by a desire to stay in power so chavistas can protect their families and the millions of dollars they’ve stashed in foreign banks.

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"Today, the Maduro regime threatens the peace and security of the entire region," said U.S. Ambassador Nikki Haley at the 48th Annual Washington Conference on the Americas. She said "the time for talking is over" and called the country's upcoming elections a sham. Haley talked about rule of law and democracy as pre-conditions for economic growth in the Americas and also brough attention to protests in Nicaragua questioning President Daniel Ortega's rule.

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• Read Ambassador Haley's remarks. 

"The United States is committed to being the security partner of choice for the Americas," said the U.S. Deputy Secretary of State John J. Sullivan at the 48th Washington Conference on the Americas. The deputy secretary highlighted the importance of U.S. engagement in the hemisphere when it comes to collaborating on issues of security, drug trafficking, and corruption, among other problem areas. Sullivan also addressed the crisis in Venezuela ahead of the May 20 elections: “We support the Venezuelan people in their sovereign right to elect representatives through free, fair, and transparent elections.”

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At the 47th Annual Washington Conference of the Americas, AS/COA Chairman Emeritus John Negroponte interviewed U.S. Senator John McCain (R-AZ). McCain discussed everything from deteriorating human rights situation in Venezuela, to the dangers of negating the benefits of the North American Free Trade Agreement, known as NAFTA, with Mexico and Canada. He also noted that "the United States has a lot of responsibility" in the drug consumption fueling the violence in Central America that's driving migrants north, noting that already 10 percent of the population of the Northern Triangle—made up of El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras—has emigrated in just the last two years.

Security, econonomic prosperity, and defense of U.S. values. Those are the three pillars Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) said should shape U.S. strategy toward the hemisphere. "I think there has been a lack of focus on the hemisphere," he said, "and in the end, our future, both economic and security, is deeply tied to our region."

During his remarks at the 47th Annual Washington Conference of the Americas he also addressed the Venezuelan crisis, noting that "the solution to Venezuela is one election away" and that President Nicolás Maduro should follow the constitution of his own government. He added that the United States should support the Organization of American States in enforcing its Democratic Charter.

According to Rubio, the new U.S. administration should take advantage of this opportunity to enforce ties with the hemisphere and spread democratic values, and if necessary, diplomatically isolate those countries that repress its people, such as Cuba, he said.

In his remarks at the 47th Annual Washington Conference of the Americas, U.S. Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross explained the new U.S. administration's strategy to increase overall commerce while reducing the trade deficit. “We do not seek a trade war, least of all with our fellow citizens of the Americas,” he said, noting the administration's preference for bilateral rather than multilateral trade deals. Ross also expressed his eagerness to complete a renegotiation of the North American Free Trade Agreement with trade partners Canada and Mexico, and that the 90-day notice the White House has to submit to the U.S. Congress before starting talks will come soon.

At the 47th Annual Washington Conference on the Americas, Canada's Minister of Foreign Trade François-Philippe Champagne made the case for a progressive trade agenda that benefits all sectors of society. He also addressed recent U.S. tariffs on Canadian lumber and said that his country will defend its lumber industry as it looks for other export destination markets.