Good morning. Thank you all for being here.

I know we all wish we could meet in person and are disappointed to not be joined by our Brazilian counterparts. Secretary Raimondo is also disappointed not to be joining us. She sends her best wishes for a fruitful discussion and her sincere thanks for your commitment to advancing the U.S.-Brazil commercial relationship.

I want to recognize Mauro Gregorio for his leadership of our U.S. section and my co-chair Brian Deese for his partnership.

And welcome to our newest members, Robert Ford, Ken Xie, and Jean-Michel Ribiéras.

Thank you all for your work and dedication in completing the Joint Recommendations, which will guide our efforts to boost trade and improve the business climate between the U.S. and Brazil. The Secretary and I are eager to review them.

We also expect that the U.S. Government Progress Report on the previous set of Joint Recommendations will shortly be made public. I look forward to seeing the progress we have made in our joint commitment to the U.S.-Brazil trade relationship. 

Among the many accomplishments to highlight, I am thrilled to note that the Agreement on Trade and Economic Cooperation Protocols entered into force last week.

Also last week, after many years of work, the U.S. and Brazil finalized their agreement and launched the Global Entry system.

Both the ATEC protocol and Global Entry have been long-time CEO Forum recommendations, and their implementation will foster even closer economic ties between our countries through trade, investment, business travel, and tourism.

As our ninth largest trading partner, Brazil is vital to the U.S. economy, supporting American businesses and jobs. Despite the COVID slowdown, Brazil was responsible for $35 billion of exported goods purchases in 2020.

Brazil is also a crucial partner in our strategic international efforts to build resilient supply chains and close the global infrastructure gap. As you all know well, the private sector is essential to those initiatives, which are vital for jobs, growth, and American competitiveness.

As business leaders who depend on international trade you understand that strong, resilient supply chains are essential for our prosperity and security.

The global pandemic, highlighted supply chain vulnerabilities, and made clear the need for focused government action to improve transparency and resilience.

Over the past year, the Biden Administration has been at the forefront of shaping the global efforts to do just that. And our supply chains that run through Brazil are no exception. 

We are prioritizing critical sectors, many of which are represented here today. But we are also working diligently with stakeholders from industry, labor, and civil society all across our economy and around the world.

Later this year, Secretary of State Blinken and Secretary Raimondo will co-host a Supply Chain Ministerial Forum to further build cooperation with key partner nations like Brazil. The insights from this forum will help shape our approach.

Your participation is also crucial to the Biden Administration’s Build Back Better World, or B3W, initiative.

B3W aims to address the enormous infrastructure needs of low- and middle-income countries by offering high-quality, transparent infrastructure options in four key sectors: climate, digital connectivity, health and health security, and gender equality. 

B3W will help fill the global infrastructure gap and accelerate development while advancing high standards. And, like our supply chain work, it will expand opportunities for U.S. businesses and create good-paying jobs. 

Brazil holds huge potential for B3W investments, but given the last set of joint recommendations, I know you are keenly aware of the challenges that exist.

Guided by your work here, we can address many of those concerns and advance the objectives of B3W in Brazil.

I’d like to hear from you, not just about the recommendations, but also why Brazil is important to your business and to your U.S. workers. 

What challenges are you encountering, and what more can we do to support you?

What role do you see Brazil playing in resilient regional supply chains?

And how can we better incorporate U.S. climate change goals into our commercial engagements with Brazil?

I look forward to your thoughts.

I’d now like to turn to my co-chair, Brian Deese. Director Deese and his team at the National Economic Council play an important role in implementing the President’s economic agenda and are a valuable partner to the Department of Commerce on the U.S.-Brazil CEO Forum. The floor is yours.