FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Monday, May 21, 2007

CONTACT OFFICE OF PUBLIC AFFAIRS (202) 482-4883

WASHINGTON—U.S. Commerce Secretary Carlos M. Gutierrez announced today that he will release a report, Competitiveness in the Americas, at the Americas Competitiveness Forum, a gathering of top government officials, corporate leaders and academics, in Atlanta, Ga. June 11-13, 2007.

“The Competitiveness in the Americas report will help us examine what may be impeding or promoting competitiveness in the Western Hemisphere,” said Gutierrez. “The report will help government leaders identify policies to take the region on the road to prosperity and economic opportunity in the increasingly competitive global marketplace. President Bush is following through on his commitment to promote growth and opportunity in the Western Hemisphere.”

The Americas Competitiveness Forum will provide a venue for government ministers from the Western Hemisphere and leaders from the private sector, academia, and non-governmental organizations to explore cutting edge ideas and best practices in several key areas of competitiveness. Each day will be filled with plenary speakers and breakout sessions.

Joining Gutierrez, the host of the Americas Competitiveness Forum, are United States Secretary of Treasury Henry M. Paulson and Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings.

In addition to dozens of minister-level government officials from throughout the region, the 33 democratically-elected countries of the Western Hemisphere will be represented by three vice presidents: Ana Vilma de Escobar of El Salvador, Jaime Morales Carazo of Nicaragua, and Kevin Casas Zamora of Costa Rica. Luis Alberto Moreno, president of the Inter-American Development Bank, and Hernando de Soto, president of Peru's Institute for Liberty and Democracy, will address the state of competitiveness in the Western Hemisphere.

The ACF agenda will include plenary addresses by Chief Executive Officers (CEO) and senior executives of corporations. Michael L. Eskew, Chairman and CEO of UPS, and Vinton Cerf, Vice President and Chief Internet Evangelist for Google, are among the business leaders who have agreed to address ACF attendees. Representatives from numerous additional corporations, including Nortel, Hewlett Packard, PNC Financial Services Group and Wal-Mart, as well as leaders from private sector energy and transportation companies will be in attendance. ACF speakers will address such critical topics as Education and Workforce Development, Innovation, Small Business Development, and Supply Chain Strategies.

For more information, please visit http://www.ita.doc.gov/competitiveness/ACF and for the agenda, please visit http://trade.gov/competitiveness/acf/acf-agenda.pdf.