QUITO – United States Trade Representative Katherine Tai today delivered remarks at the first in-person trade ministers meeting under the Americas Partnership for Economic Prosperity (Americas Partnership). In her remarks, Ambassador Tai affirmed the Biden-Harris Administration’s commitment to work with Americas Partnership economies to use trade to deliver better results for more people across the region.
Ambassador Tai’s remarks as prepared for delivery are below:
Good morning, everyone. Welcome to the first face-to-face meeting of the Americas Partnership trade ministers.
I know we have had virtual gatherings, but it is truly special when we are able to be in the same room together.
I want to start by thanking Minister García for hosting us. Thank you for your hospitality and making us feel welcome in this beautiful city of Quito.
This is my first time in Ecuador, and I was able to take a look around the Historical Center.
As I walked through sprawling plazas and incredible architecture dating back centuries, I was reminded of something very basic but fundamentally important—which is that wherever you go, whether that is here in Quito, in Nairobi, Kenya, or Detroit, Michigan, in the United States, people have wanted the same thing, for generations.
That is to provide for our families. To give our children a better future than we had. And a desire for these dreams to be durable and lasting.
We all aspire to greater opportunity, to enjoy our fair share of the economic pie, to be a part of economic growth and access its benefits.
To get there, people must be at the center our economic policies, because without people, you have no economy.
This is foundational to what we are trying to accomplish under the Americas Partnership.
When our leaders gathered in Washington, D.C. last November, they directed us to begin building our shared economic prosperity through three lines of work: foreign affairs, trade, and finance.
They also emphasized that the work of these tracks should be ambitious and complementary.
And now, less than a year later, our work has truly begun, and we are making real progress.
Our countries already have deep trade and economic relationships, based on long-standing agreements and preference programs. And yet, we are all here because we know our trade relationships can be so much more.
We need to think creatively and outside the box, so that our work enables our people to not only overcome today’s challenges but also seize tomorrow’s opportunities.
That is exactly what we are doing through the Americas Partnership, and specifically through the Trade Track.
I know our Senior Officials and technical experts have been busy implementing our Leaders’ guidance in the East Room Declaration.
One example is the work we are doing through the Inclusive Trade and SMEs Committee.
If we want our trade policies to work for our people, we need to make sure that smaller companies and their workers are at the table.
We need to make sure that more people—especially those that have been historically left out of trade discussions—not only have a seat at the table but that their priorities are reflected in our work.
This is the focus of other ongoing work under the Trade Track—like advancing strong labor standards, tackling the climate crisis, and providing greater opportunities for SMEs to trade within our hemisphere through improved trade facilitation measures and promoting the use of digital signatures.
On that last topic of trade facilitation, I know that the Committee on Trade Rules and Transparency has been actively considering best practices for implementing the WTO Trade Facilitation Agreement, including at the first annual Americas Partnership Experts Dialogue on Trade Facilitation, which took place in Bogotá just last week.
This is just one example of how we can work together to further deepen our economic engagement and integration within our hemisphere.
At its core, this is about building resilience, including for our supply chains.
For the Biden-Harris Administration, this is much more than just moving goods around. Our goal is to craft our supply chains in a way that advances our core values.
We have a real opportunity to work together on issues of common interest that affect our hemisphere and our people. This includes focusing more on empowering workers and driving a race to the top for our shared planet.
We know this will not be easy. But I am confident that, together, we can create something truly unique and lasting that will benefit our people in the long run.
So, as we take stock of the progress we have made so far, let’s also challenge ourselves to be ambitious as we advance the work of the Partnership and prepare for the Leaders’ Summit in Costa Rica next year.
Let me conclude with where I started.
I learned that Quito’s Historical Center was granted UNESCO World Heritage Status in 1978. It was included in the very first group of sites designated by UNESCO, for being “the best-preserved, least-altered historic center in Latin America.”
This was despite a massive earthquake in 1917 that threatened to destroy this beautiful heritage.
This history shows us that Quito and its people symbolize resilience, grace, and devotion in the face of turbulence.
So, as our economies continue to adapt to a changing world—as we all grapple with uncertainty and unknowns—it’s very appropriate that we are gathered here, to reaffirm our commitment to work toward our collective future.
Thank you again for hosting us, and I look forward to our discussions.
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