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U.S.-Mexico High-Level Economic Dialogue (HLED) Fact Sheet

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

The United States and Mexico agree to work on specific activities under each of the four pillars of the HLED, relaunched on September 9, 2021.

Pillar I: Building Back Together

Strengthening Supply Chains and Coordinating Supply Chain Management in a Crisis

  • Seeks opportunities to complement supply chain needs of both countries by establishing a Working Group that intends to identify specific sectors to promote competitiveness, attract investment, and reduce vulnerabilities in critical sectors.
  • The Working Group specifically intends to:
    • identify two areas of cooperation and identify the necessary skills and education tied to the selected sectors that are ripe for collaboration;
    • establish steps toward the creation of a joint list of critical sectors involved in cross-border supply chains in the event of a future economic crisis; and
    • conduct outreach to understand stakeholder considerations to increase investment and strengthen supply chain resilience.
  • The United States and Mexico intend to meet monthly to advance the Working Group's goals.

United States-Mexico Cooperation on Environmental Technologies

  • Advances technologies to improve environmental conditions and human health by addressing transboundary pollutants, while promoting economic growth in Mexico and the United States.
  • The United States carried out a successful virtual environmental technologies trade mission to Mexico on October 25, 2021, which included the participation of senior officials of the Mexican federal government and provided both governments an opportunity to exchange information on environmental technologies and explore the potential for commercial collaboration.

Enhancing Border Conditions to Facilitate Lawful Trade and Travel

Mexico and the United States are finalizing a proposal on cooperation to make their shared border more efficient:

  • Promotes U.S.-Mexico economic competitiveness through innovation and improvements to land border-crossing and marine port infrastructure, and a better understanding and expediting of cross-border trade flows.
  • Both governments intend to use the 21st Century Border Management Process to:
    • better leverage existing efforts and develop new activities and technological solutions to make the border more efficient, e.g., evaluate the expansion of the Unified Cargo Processing Program, consider the development of a framework for the sharing of Non-Intrusive Inspection imagery from strategic locations, and develop proposals to better integrate U.S. and Mexican customs processes;
    • expand opportunities for private-sector engagement with government; e.g., review each country’s Authorized Economic Operator programs and align security criteria, and review each country’s available public-private partnership engagement mechanisms to address border infrastructure deficiencies and process capacity constraints through alternative sources of financing; and
    • drive progress on key programs or projects under the 21st Century Border Management Process.

Trade Facilitation Partnership for Medical Devices

  • Seeks to improve Mexico’s access to relevant medical devices to combat Covid-19 through technical cooperation to facilitate imports into Mexico.
  • The Mexican sanitary agency (COFEPRIS) and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) have signed a letter of intent in August 2021 defining the terms of collaboration between the parties.
  • Both governments intend to develop cooperative activities over the next year for the implementation of the Medical Device Regulatory Convergence project - a public-private initiative.

Pillar II: Promoting Sustainable Economic and Social Development in Southern Mexico and Central America

Mexico and U.S. Partnership to Address the Root Causes of Irregular Migration in Southern Mexico and Northern Central America

  • Seeks opportunities for U.S.-Mexico cooperation on development in El Salvador, Honduras, Guatemala, and southern Mexico to address common challenges in the region and promote productive activities and investment projects.
  • USAID and the Mexican Agency for International Development Cooperation (AMEXCID) signed a MOU in June 2021 and have developed an action plan with benchmarks for new joint activities to be completed over the coming year.
  • Both agencies have made two joint visits to El Salvador and Honduras to identify opportunities for collaboration in the region. Both governments have agreed on a framework for joint youth workforce and agriculture initiatives (“Sembrando Oportunidades”).
  • The United States and Mexico are cooperating on the “Sustainable and Prosperous Communities” program in southern Mexico to support rural development and increase small farmer incomes through sustainable value chains.

Pillar III: Securing the Tools for Future Prosperity

U.S.-Mexico Cooperation on Next-Generation Telecommunications and ICT Networks

  • Seeks to foster greater collaboration between both governments in telecommunications and information and communication technologies by advancing policies and regulatory environments that promote open and competitive markets.
  • Both governments plan to hold a high-level dialogue with the private sector and other interested parties on the implementation of new technologies in Mexico and the building of ICT network infrastructure.
  • As an outcome of the forum, our governments intend to establish a non-binding mechanism to delineate collaboration on network deployments and ecosystem development. It would incorporate the analysis and discussion on use cases and applications of advanced connectivity, discuss potential areas of collaboration among industry and government stakeholders on test trials for demonstrations of wireless communication systems, and identify opportunities for information sharing and exchange of best practices.

Strengthening Cybersecurity Cooperation

  • Develops opportunities to strengthen cybersecurity protections in global supply chains. Facilitate collaboration and cooperation in tackling cybersecurity challenges through international industry practices and standards.
  • The United States and Mexico intend to coordinate a virtual trade mission of U.S. cybersecurity companies and U.S. government officials to meet with Mexican public and private sector stakeholders.

Digital Cooperation on Cross-Border Privacy Rules

  • Seeks cooperation at the global and regional level to promote the free flow of data, as well as the interoperability of privacy and data protection rules.
  • The United States and Mexico intend to coordinate on a joint campaign to promote the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Cross-Border Privacy Rules system among Mexican and U.S. industries.

Pillar IV: Investing in Our People

Campaign to Support Economic Growth through Innovation and Creativity

  • Seeks to create a public awareness campaign to support innovation and creativity, with the goal of protecting intellectual property while promoting economic recovery.
  • The Mexican Institute of Industrial Property and the United States Patent and Trademark Office intend to coordinate a joint campaign with a proposed launch in July 2022.

HLED Inclusive COVID Recovery

  • Seeks to promote initiatives to invest in entrepreneurs and micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) and collaborate to enhance access to economic opportunity for women, youth, indigenous persons, and members of the LGBTQI+ community.
  • Both governments intend to coordinate to:
    • identify and collaborate on initiatives aimed at improving access to economic opportunities for entrepreneurs, particularly for MSMEs led by women, youth, and members of indigenous and LGBTQI+ populations;
    • explore ways to support more Small Business Development Centers designed to provide management assistance to current and prospective MSME owners, ensuring MSMEs have the tools they need to emerge from the pandemic stronger than before;
    • explore opportunities for increasing the availability of capital to MSMEs run by members of target underserved populations through loan guarantees for microlending institutions;
    • promote and expand existing programs to empower marginalized communities in the workplace and as entrepreneurs; and
    • support activities to increase economic advancement for vulnerable, marginalized, and underserved communities, including women and adolescent girls, youth, indigenous peoples, minorities, and the LGBTQI+ community.

Technical Training Programs in Priority Sectors

  • Seeks to align the capacities of the workforce and government training programs with the labor requirements in priority sectors to improve the conditions of supply chains and the competitiveness of those sectors by educating, reskilling, and upskilling the workforce and expanding and targeting apprenticeships and internships.

The United States and Mexico plan to explore opportunities to align skills and education certifications in priority sectors, especially those related to supply chains.

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