48th Annual Washington Conference on the Americas

May 8, 2018

11:00 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.

U.S. Department of State

Washington, DC

Overview

READ THE 2018 CONFERENCE REPORT.

WATCH AMBASSADOR NIKKI HALEY'S REMARKS.

READ HER REMARKS.

WATCH THE PERISCOPE OF MARCO RUBIO'S REMARKS.

Registration for the event is now closed.
Please email dcprograms@as-coa.org with any questions.

Follow the discussion on Twitter: #2018WCA | @ASCOA

Council of the Americas will hold its forty-eighth annual conference May 8, 2018, at the U.S. Department of State.

Our annual conferences have traditionally featured presentations by the president, the secretary of state, foreign heads of state, cabinet officials from the hemisphere, and leaders of the business community. View the 2017 conference report.

The 2018 Washington Conference on the Americas, the premier Washington event on the Americas, will bring together U.S. administration senior officials and distinguished leaders from across the Americas to focus on the major policy issues affecting the hemisphere. Please make plans now to join us for this important event.

Speakers:

Nikki Haley, U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations @nikkihaley @USUN
Rick Perry, U.S. Secretary of Energy @SecretaryPerry @Energy
Wilbur Ross, U.S. Secretary of Commerce @secretaryross @CommerceGov
John J. Sullivan, U.S. Deputy Secretary of State @StateDept
Robert Menendez, U.S. Senator (D-NJ) @SenatorMenendez
Marco Rubio, U.S. Senator (R-FL) @marcorubio
Benjamin Sasse, U.S. Senator (R-NE) @BenSasse
Marcello Estevão, Secretary for International Affairs, Ministry of Finance, Brazil @MarcelloEstevao @FazendaGovBr
Philippe Le Houérou, Chief Executive Officer, International Finance Corporation, World Bank Group
David Malpass, Undersecretary for International Affairs, U.S. Department of Treasury @USTreasury
Ted McKinney, Undersecretary of Trade and Foreign Agricultural Affairs, U.S. Department of Agriculture @USDA
Francisco Palmieri, Acting Assistant Secretary, Western Hemisphere Affairs, U.S. Department of State @WHAAsstSecty
John Markels, President, Latin America, Merck @JohnMarkels @Merck
Maria Pica Karp, Vice President and General Manager, Government Affairs, Chevron @Chevron
Shery Ahn, Anchor, Bloomberg TV @SheryAhnNews @BloombergTV
Shawn Donnan, World Trade Editor, Financial Times @sdonnan @FT
John Negroponte, Chairman Emeritus, Council of the Americas @ASCOA
Susan Segal, President and CEO, Council of the Americas @s_segal @ASCOA
Eric Farnsworth, Vice President, Council of the Americas @ericfarns @ASCOA

Download the conference brochure and registration form.

Learn more about our past conferences.

Watch Wilbur Ross speaking at our 2017 conference.

For sponsorship information (read the sponsorship benefits), please contact Council of the Americas via phone at 202-659-8989 or email sdavis@as-coa.org.

Caption: U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley, U.S. Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross, and U.S. Secretary of Energy Rick Perry. (Images: U.S. Government)

Agenda

Download a pdf of the agenda.

11:00 to 11:45 a.m. Registration

12:00 to 1:35 p.m. Keynote Luncheon (Benjamin Franklin Room)

Welcome and Introduction

Eric Farnsworth, Vice President, Council of the Americas
Susan Segal, President and CEO, Council of the Americas
Francisco Palmieri, Acting Assistant Secretary, Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs, U.S. Department of State

Keynote Remarks

Nikki Haley, Ambassador, U.S. Mission to the United Nations
Introduced by John Negroponte, Chairman Emeritus, Council of the Americas

1:55 to 2:20 p.m. Outlook on the Region: The View from the State Department (Loy Henderson Conference Room)

John J. Sullivan, Deputy Secretary, U.S. Department of State
Introduced by Francisco Palmieri

2:20 to 3:15 p.m. Future Drivers for Regional Growth

Marcello Estevão, Secretary for International Affairs, Ministry of Finance, Brazil
Philippe Le Houérou, Chief Executive Officer, International Finance Corporation, World Bank Group
David Malpass, Undersecretary for International Affairs, U.S. Department of Treasury
Shawn Donnan, World Trade Editor, Financial Times (moderator)

3:15 to 3:40 p.m. Energy Integration in the Americas

Rick Perry, Secretary, U.S. Department of Energy
Introduced by Maria Pica Karp, Vice President and General Manager, Government Affairs, Chevron

3:40 to 4:05 p.m. Networking Break

4:05 to 4:30 p.m. The State of Democracy in the Western Hemisphere

Robert Menendez, U.S. Senator (D-NJ), Ranking Minority Member, Senate Committee on Foreign Relations
Introduced by Susan Segal

4:30 to 4:55 p.m. A New Trade Agenda for the Americas

Wilbur Ross, Secretary, U.S. Department of Commerce
Introduced by John Markels, President, Latin America, Merck

4:55 to 5:20 p.m. Trade and Agriculture in the Americas

Ted McKinney, Undersecretary of Trade and Foreign Agricultural Affairs, U.S. Department of Agriculture
Shery Ahn, Anchor, Bloomberg Television (moderator)

5:20 to 5:45 p.m. Future Directions for Global Trade

Benjamin Sasse, U.S. Senator (R-NE), Chairman, Subcommittee on National Security and International Trade and Finance
Introduced by Eric Farnsworth

6:00 to 7:00 p.m. Closing Reception (Delegates Lounge)