Media Advisory: 43rd Annual Washington Conference on the Americas

Washington, D.C. May 1, 2013 – Vice President Joe Biden will join our 43rd Annual Washington Conference on the Americas to speak on U.S. administration priorities for the Americas. The event, co-organized by the Council of the Americas and the U.S. Department of State's Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs, takes place on Wednesday, May 8, 2013, from 8:00 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. The 43rd Washington Conference on the Americas will also feature U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano for a conversation about security and immigration reform.

With an engaging format featuring conversational interviews and Davos-style panels, this year’s conference will give attendees an overview of the Obama administration’s response to Latin America’s opportunities and challenges, as well as the region’s place in the global economy.

Speakers at the event will include:

• Vice President Joe Biden
•  Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano
•  Acting Secretary of Commerce Rebecca Blank
• Associate Justice of the Supreme Court Anthony Kennedy
• U.S. Senator John McCain
• Governor of Maryland Martin O’Malley
• Assistant Secretary of State for the Western Hemisphere Affairs Roberta Jacobson
• Managing Director of the World Bank Sri Mulyani Indrawati
• President and Chief Executive Officer of Freeport-McMoRan Copper & Gold Richard Adkerson

Visit the event page for further details.

Wednesday, May 8, 2013

U.S. Department of State
Press Access from the 23rd Street Entrance
(between C and D streets)

All remarks will be on the record. Click here for the registration form.

Morning Session: 8:45 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. to be held in the Loy Henderson Conference Room
Pre-set time for press camera equipment is 5:30 a.m. from the 23rd Street entrance.
First access time for journalists and still photographers is 8:00 a.m. from the 23rd Street entrance.
Final access time for all press is 10:30 a.m. from the 23rd Street entrance.

Luncheon: 1:00 p.m. – 2:30 p.m. to be held in the Ben Franklin Diplomatic Reception Hall (8th floor)
Pool coverage.

Admittance to the Department of State for this event will require press credentials with photo identification. Media representatives may attend this event upon presentation of one of the following: (1) a U.S. Government-issued identification card (Department of State, White House, Congress, Department of Defense, or Foreign Press Center); (2) a media-issued photo identification card; or (3) a letter from their employer on letterhead verifying their employment as a journalist, accompanied by an official photo identification card (driver's license, passport). Press should allow adequate time (at least 15 minutes) to process through security.

Please note that conducting interviews in the hallways of the State Department is prohibited.
For more information and press registration, please contact Adriana La Rotta at alarotta@as-coa.org or (212) 277-8384.

Council of the Americas is the premier international business organization whose members share a common commitment to economic and social development, open markets, the rule of law, and democracy throughout the Western Hemisphere.