The first United States-Mexico-Canada (USMCA) Small and Medium Enterprise (SME) Dialogue was held Friday April 22, 2022 in San Antonio, Texas, convened by the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative, the U.S. Department of Commerce, and the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA), together with the Global Affairs Canada and Canada’s Trade Commissioner Service, and the Development Productive Unit and the Vice Ministry of Foreign Trade of the Ministry of Economy of Mexico, and hosted by SBA resource partner the University of Texas San Antonio Small Business Development Center (SBDC) International Trade Center, and the U.S. Department of Commerce’s U.S. Export Assistance Center in San Antonio, Texas. Deputy USTR Ambassador Jayme White gave opening remarks for the United States, with Mexico Undersecretary of Foreign Trade Dr. Luz de la Mora and Canada Deputy Minister of International Trade David Morrison. Nearly 800 small business stakeholders from the U.S., Mexico and Canada participated online and in person, in three languages English, Spanish, and French. Delegations from the three countries were welcomed by San Antonio Mayor Ron Nirenberg and Vice Provost of the University of Texas San Antonio Dr. Lisa Montoya.
Created under the USMCA SME Chapter, the USMCA SME Dialogue brings together small and medium-sized businesses and stakeholders, including those representing underserved communities, with government officials to discuss strengthening regional trade and investment with USMCA, enhancing cooperation on issues of mutual interest to SMEs, and helping more small businesses benefit from the USMCA, which will foster economic growth and jobs in communities across North America. Topics for discussion included USMCA small business trade resources for exporting and importing under USMCA; SMEs sharing their best practices for trading across the U.S., Canada, and Mexico; and small business COVID-19 recovery resources.
In 2021, goods and services trade with USMCA totaled almost $1.2 trillion with the majority of traders from small businesses. Investments in each other’s economies totaled over $1 trillion, which includes small business supply-chains and communities.
The SME Dialogue is convened annually on a rotating basis among the three countries.
The 2nd USMCA SME Dialogue in 2023 will be hosted by Mexico.
Proceedings from the 1st USMCA SME Dialogue
- Agenda and panel presentations
- USMCA SME Export Checklist with Resources for Women, Minority and Native American Small Businesses
- Mayor of San Antonio’s Proclamation on the USMCA SME Dialogue
- Photos (credit: City of San Antonio)
- Senior Officials Opening (L-R: University of Texas San Antonio Vice Provost Dr. Lisa Montoya; San Antonio Mayor Ron Nirenberg; Deputy United States Trade Representative Ambassador Jayme White; Dr. Luz Maria de la Mora, Undersecretary of Foreign Trade, Mexico; and David Morrison, Deputy Minister of International Trade, Canada)
- Group Photo
- Panel Discussion
- Senior Officials Opening (L-R: University of Texas San Antonio Vice Provost Dr. Lisa Montoya; San Antonio Mayor Ron Nirenberg; Deputy United States Trade Representative Ambassador Jayme White; Dr. Luz Maria de la Mora, Undersecretary of Foreign Trade, Mexico; and David Morrison, Deputy Minister of International Trade, Canada)
- Press Release: USTR, SBA and Commerce Convene the First USMCA Small and Medium-Sized Enterprise Dialogue in San Antonio, Texas | United States Trade Representative
Links to additional USMCA trade resources for small businesses:
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