Border Conference on the U.S.-Mexico Competitiveness Agenda

New York, July 25, 2013—Last year, U.S.-Mexico trade amounted to nearly half a trillion dollars. With this crucial economic relationship in mind, Council of the Americas, in partnership with The University of Texas at El Paso and U.S. Representative Beto O’Rourke, will hold a conference on the U.S.-Mexico competitiveness agenda on Wednesday, August 7, from 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. The program will take place at The University of Texas at El Paso campus, located on the U.S.-Mexico border, and will include a series of on-the record, Davos-style conversations on bilateral commerce, infrastructure investment, and the Mexican and U.S. reform agendas, among other topics. This conference will be webcast live.

As North American economic integration deepens, the importance of the border will increase—and with it the urgency to strengthen efficiency, reduce congestion, and upgrade infrastructure. The conference’s roster of speakers includes Mexican Ambassador to the U.S. Eduardo Medina Mora and U.S. Ambassador to Mexico E. Anthony Wayne. These and other high-level participants from the private and public sectors will explore what lies ahead for the U.S.-Mexico economic relationship nearly 20 years after the implementation of NAFTA.

This will be the fourth event held by the Council of the Americas border initiative, which aims to foster a public-private dialogue on deepening economic integration within North America and on improving management of our common borders. Previous events were hosted in Laredo, Texas; La Jolla, California; and Washington D.C.

"North America is a co-production platform; we do not just trade with Mexico, but we build products together," said AS/COA Chairman, Ambassador John Negroponte. "New models of public and private partnerships will be a critical element in facilitating cross-border trade and improving North America’s competitiveness."

"The University of Texas at El Paso is honored to partner with the Council of the Americas, Ambassador John Negroponte, and Congressman Beto O'Rourke in sponsoring this conference," said UTEP President Diana Natalicio. "We welcome the distinguished speakers who will join us and the opportunity to engage with them in thinking and exchanging perspectives about issues that have a direct and profound impact on all of us in this Paso del Norte region."

"We must draw attention to the positive aspects of the border. Cross-border trade between the U.S. and Mexico is a source of six million jobs in the U.S. and millions more in Mexico. Now is the time to highlight the economic opportunities that the border represents so that we can create jobs and grow our local, state, and national economies, " said Congressman Beto O’Rourke. "Our countries are connected by a long history of cooperation, migration, and economic and cultural ties, I trust that this conference will help strengthen that relationship and pave the way for continued growth and collaboration."

Confirmed speakers at the Border Conference on the U.S.-Mexico Competitiveness Agenda include:

• Eduardo Medina Mora, Ambassador of Mexico to the United States
• E. Anthony Wayne, U.S. Ambassador to Mexico
• Beto O’Rourke, U.S. Representative
• Javier Treviño, Member of Mexican Federal Congress
• John Negroponte, Chairman, Americas Society/Council of the Americas
• Diana Natalicio, President, The University of Texas at El Paso
• John Steen, Texas Secretary of State
• Gerónimo Gutiérrez, Managing Director, North American Development Bank
• Enrique Norten, Principal, TEN Arquitectos
• Francisco Uranga, Corporate Vice President and Chief Business Operations Officer for Latin America, Foxconn
• Bernardo Ayala, Vice President Mexico Markets, Union Pacific
• Amgad Shehata, Vice President for International Public Affairs, UPS
• Eric Farnsworth, Vice President, Americas Society/Council of the Americas
• Rolando Pablos, CEO, Borderplex Alliance (moderator)
• Veronica Escobar, El Paso County Judge (moderator)
• Thomas Fullerton, Chair for the Study of Trade in the Americas, Professor of Economics, College of Business Administration, UTEP (moderator)

Visit the event page and the agenda for further details.

Wednesday, August 7, 2013
Registration: 8:30 a.m. - 9:00 a.m.
Conference: 9:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m.

The University of Texas at El Paso
500 W. University Avenue
El Paso, TX United States
View map

For press inquiries or to schedule a media interview, please contact:

COA Media Relations Director Adriana La Rotta at alarotta@as-coa.org or 1-212-277-8384.
UTEP Public Information Officer Veronique Masterson at news@utep.edu or 915-747-5526.

Read AS/COA’s Get The Facts series for five reasons why the U.S.-Mexico border is critical to the economy.