49th Washington Conference on the Americas

May 7, 2019

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

U.S. Department of State

Washington, DC

Overview

READ THE 2019 CONFERENCE REPORT.

GET A RECAP OF HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE EVENT.

Get the 2019 conference brochure.

Follow the discussion on Twitter: #2019WCA | @ASCOA

Our forty-ninth annual conference will be held on May 7, 2019, at the U.S. Department of State. See the agenda.

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

We are delighted to recognize Senator Marco Rubio’s leadership in U.S. foreign policy toward the Western Hemisphere by presenting him with the 2019 Chairman’s Award for Leadership in the Americas.

Confirmed speakers include:

Mike Pence, Vice President, United States
Nayib Bukele, President-Elect, El Salvador
Marta Lucía Ramírez, Vice President, Colombia
Marcelo Ebrard, Minister, Foreign Affairs, Mexico
Jim Carr, Minister, International Trade Diversification, Canada
Kevin McAleenan, Acting Secretary, U.S. Department of Homeland Security
Marco Rubio, U.S. Senator (R-FL), Chairman, Subcommittee on Western Hemisphere
Bill Cassidy, U.S. Senator (R-LA), Member, Finance Committee
Eliot Engel, U.S. Representative (D-NY), Chairman, Foreign Affairs Committee
Joaquim Levy, President, BNDES
Tao Zhang, Deputy Managing Director, International Monetary Fund
Kimberly Breier, Assistant Secretary, Western Hemisphere Affairs, U.S. Department of State
Jan Van Acker, President, Latin America and Emerging Markets, Merck
Axel van Trotsenburg, Vice President, Latin America, World Bank Group
Maria Pica Karp, Vice President, Government Affairs, Chevron
Michelle Caruso-Cabrera, Contributor, CNBC
James Politi, Global Trade Editor, Financial Times
Shery Ahn, News Anchor, Bloomberg TV
Andrés Gluski, Chairman, Council of the Americas
John Negroponte, Chairman Emeritus, Council of the Americas
Susan Segal, President & CEO, Council of the Americas
Eric Farnsworth, Vice President, Council of the Americas

For registration or sponsorship information, contact Council of the Americas via phone at 202-659-8989 or email: sdavis@as-coa.org

For media inquiries: mediarelations@as-coa.org

Read the 2018 conference report and agenda and watch speaker videos.

Agenda

Download a PDF of the agenda.

10:45 a.m. to 11:45 a.m. Registration

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

Welcome and Introduction:

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

Keynote Interview:

Nayib Bukele, President-elect, El Salvador
Michelle Caruso-Cabrera, Contributor, CNBC (interviewer)

Chairman’s Award for Leadership in the Americas

Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL), Chairman, Western Hemisphere Subcommittee, U.S. Senate
Andrés Gluski, Chairman, Council of the Americas (presenter)

2:15 p.m. to 3:25 p.m. Panel: “Prospects for Investment, Innovation, and Inclusive Growth in the Americas”

Bill Cassidy (R-LA), U.S. Senator and Member of the Senate Finance Committee
Joaquim Levy, President, BNDES
Axel van Trotsenburg, Vice President, Latin America, The World Bank Group
Tao Zhang, Deputy Managing Director, IMF
Shery Ahn, Bloomberg (moderator)
Jan Van Acker, President, Latin America and Emerging Markets, Merck & Co. (introduction)

3:25 p.m. to 3:50 p.m. U.S. Leadership in the Hemisphere

Mike Pence, Vice President, United States
Andrés Gluski, Chairman, Council of the Americas (introduction)

3:50 p.m. to 4:15 p.m. U.S. Foreign Policy toward the Western Hemisphere

Eliot Engel (D-NY), Chairman, Foreign Affairs Committee, U.S. House of Representatives
Maria Pica Karp, Vice President and General Manager, Government Affairs, Chevron Corporation (introduction)

4:15 p.m. to 4:40 p.m. The View from Colombia