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Institute of the Americas signs agreement with Chinese Academy of Social Sciences to host a series of conferences in Beijing, U.S. and Latin America  BEIJING – The Institute of the Americas (IOA) has signed an agreement with the Institute of Latin American Studies (ILAS) of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences to hold a series of seminars and workshops in China, the United States and Latin America on the opportunities and challenges posed by the growing economic relationship between China and Latin America. During a Jan. 29 ceremony in the Beijing offices of ILAS, Institute of the Americas President Jeffrey Davidow called the agreement “an important opportunity to build stronger economic ties in China and Latin America by deepening the understanding between our regions.” Dr. Zheng Bingwen,executive director of ILAS, said the agreement marked the beginning of a long relationship with the IOA. He noted that the Institute’s location on the Pacific Coast, coupled with its location 30 miles from the U.S.-Mexico border offers a strategic advantage in forging new economic relationships between China and Latin America. The first IOA-ILAS conference will be held in Washington, D.C. in May and will focus on several key issues in the maturing China-Latin America relationship. A second symposium on climate change and alternative energy will be hosted by the two organizations in Beijing in October. A representative of ILAS will also attend the Institute’s 19th annual La Jolla Energy Conference, which will include a special session on China-Latin America energy issues during the May 10-12 symposium. The Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, with 35 institutes for international study, is the largest government research institution in China. ILAS was founded 46 years ago  and now has more than 60 academics and researchers. It is the oldest research institute in the CASS network. The research conducted by ILAS is becoming increasingly important as China increases economic activity in Latin America. In 2008, the Chinese government issued its first white paper on Latin America. During a November 2008 visit to Latin America, President Hu Jintao reinforced his intention to strengthen China’s rapidly growing economic, trade and diplomatic ties with Latin America. During a weeklong visit to Bejiing, Davidow, IOA Vice President Lynne Walker and IOA board member Sergio Ley, the highly respected former Mexican ambassador to China, met with top officials at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, with the China Institute of International Studies and with representatives of the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade (CCPIT), which is the country’s leading international trade organization. Board President David Weaver also attended several of the meetings. The IOA delegation's trip to Beijing was sponsored by the Inter-American Development Bank and the Andean Development Corporation (CAF).  The CCPIT agreed to work with the Institute of the Americas and the Inter-American Development Bank to hold a two-day conference in Chengdu in October. The conference will focus on best business practices in Latin America, on labor issues, on regulatory requirements and on ways to access legal, accounting and other professional support services. The conference will also include a breakout session on the cultural aspects of doing business in Latin America, with a special focus on building professional relationships to strengthen business activities. During a meeting with top officials at the China Institutes of Contemporary International Relations (CICIR), Davidow and Dr. Wu Hongying, director of CICIR’s Institute for Latin American Studies, explored the possibility of a China-Latin America conference on the IOA's La Jolla campus in September. Dr. Wu noted that over the past two decades Sino-Latin American ties have strengthened as business and government leaders recognized the economic opportunities that exist by working together. “The last 25 years have been the most important for Latin American development, “ Wu said. “Latin American democracies have made some progress. They are more open, more representative. Socially, the poverty phenomenen is improving. “I believe there is a promising future for the two regions,” she said.  LA JOLLA- There are signs of revival in Haiti. Men are shining their shoes. Women are putting on their lipstick. Every now and then, someone smiles. Haiti is slowly returning to life, Janine Schooley, senior vice president of programs for Project Concern International, said during a Feb. 9 presentation at the Institute of the Americas. Schooley, who had just returned from two weeks in Haiti where she worked on San Diego-based International’s relief effort, said she was struck by “this sense of the human spirit.” “You see all this destruction right in front of you. The bodies are still there. You walk by a building and you can smell death,” said Schooley. “But at the same time you see all this destruction you see this resiliency. There are a lot of people who are stressed and frustrated but most people are remarkably patient and they’re trying to get on with their lives.” More than 1 million people are now living in settlement camps, many in makeshift tents fashioned from bed sheets and sticks. Most have lost their homes. Those whose homes are still standing are living in tents in their yards because they are fearful that an aftershock could bury them alive. In Port-au-Prince, the nation’s capital, “you see a lot of people living in strange places,” Schooley said. “People want to stay in their communities, in their neighborhoods. They don’t want to leave the places where their family members are buried, where they died. The 35 seconds of terror that gripped Haiti on the afternoon of Jan. 12 has devastated the nation of 9 million. Nearly 200,000 people died in the 7.0 earthquake, which crumbled 30,000 commercial buildings and 250,000 houses. ”Everything makes people panic – a loud noise, an abrupt movement,” Schooley said. “If you’re driving along you see signs, ‘We need water. We need help’ ” In the midst of the crisis, “the Haitian government is quite non-existent,” said Stanley Vincent, who was born in Port-au-Prince and now works in Los Angeles as a California Highway Patrol officer. Vincent, who attended the Institute’s presentation, had recently returned from a trip to Haiti to visit his mother and sister. “Survival after the disaster is so hard,” he said. “No electricity, no potable water, they don’t know where their next meal is coming from. People don’t ask you for money anymore. They see you drinking out of a bottle and they say, ‘Give me some of that water'.  Haiti’s future lies in “helping people in the countryside with agriculture, with helping people produce food for the cities,” said Frederick Conway, an assistant professor of anthropology at San Diego State University. Conway has conducted several forestry projects in Haiti and speaks Creole. “People who are in the countryside and can produce their food are much better off than people in Port-au-Prince,” he said. “With the devastation of Port-au-Prince, there will be a movement toward decentralization that will help restore agriculture. “Now is the time to reinvigorate investment in the countryside,” he said. Conway and Schooley said the challenge is to keep the people of Haiti “in the forefront of our hearts and minds because the emergency goes on.” Political and economic reforms needed in Mexico, analyst Denise Dresser says at IOA talk  In a measured and often witty tone, Dresser said the single most important change Mexico needs is reelection to political office. Why? Because politicians are not accountable, and, although not reelected, move from one political seat to the next without impunity, she said. Dresser described Mexico as a democracy without representation, which is unable to produce economic equity for its 105 million citizens. The past 10 years, have cast Mexico into paralysis: Electoral reform worked, but people became complacent and did not seek the necessary structural reforms such as changes in regulatory framework, dismantling the old oligarchy, or competition and antitrust laws to level the economic playing field. Dresser lays the responsibility, though not blame, on Vicente Fox for wasting an opportunity to confront the establishment, but said he lacked the character or expertise to take on the task. She pointed to the limitations Fox faced as he operated in a dysfunctional democracy where he could exert no influence in the Congress. View a short interview with Denise Dresser by Institute’s Vice President Lynne Walker Listen to a podcast of the Tequila Talk with Denise Dresser
The Institute of the Americas is building on the success of its professional training programs for Latin American and Caribbean health care professionals and science journalists by creating its "Health Innovation Advisory Council" for the region. The Council is a multidisciplinary, inter-American group of highly regarded health professionals who will provide strategic guidance on key aspects of health challenges and innovation, and * Advise about creating a policy environment conducive for creating and adopting more rapidly health innovation in Latin America and the Caribbean; * Suggest initiatives and partnerships for the Institute to further the spread of health care innovations; and * Advise key potential change makers about these innovations, directly and through educational work with Latin American and Caribbean journalists. Institute president Ambassador Jeffrey Davidow said, "The crisis in Haiti underscores the importance of collaboration in health in the Americas and the importance of improving the skills and access to the latest advances in evidence-based public health to all. We must work to reduce the health care disparities in our region, and our Council will have this as one of its aims." Lucila Ohno-Machado, MD, PhD, Chief, Division of Biomedical Informatics, Department of Medicine University of California, San Diego. Educated at the University of São Paulo, she is a world leader in collection, management, and application of biomedical knowledge and information to improve patient care, biomedical education, and life sciences research -- and an expert on both the North American and South American situation in this field. Almino C. Ramos, MD, São Paulo, Brazil. Director General / Surgery, Gastro Obeso Center, Obesity Surgery Advanced Center. One of the leading clinicians pushing the state-of-the-art in gastric surgery as well as international cooperation and understanding of techniques and practice. For more information, contact This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it New programs planned in border cities under Merida Initiative
LA JOLLA – U.S. and Mexican officials have agreed to implement new programs to combat the rise in drug violence in cities on the U.S.-Mexico border, leaders of the two governments said during a Dec. 4 news conference at the Institute of the Americas. Under the Merida Initiative, “there will be a greater involvement by both governments, with projects on both sides of the border,” Guillermo Valdes, director of Mexico’s Center of Investigation and National Security (CISEN), told reporters. Funded by a $1.3 billion congressional appropriation, the Merida Initiative is designed to help Mexico in its fight against drug cartels that has claimed more than 15,000 lives since Mexican President Felipe But with border cities such as Tijuana and Cuidad Juarez ravaged by drug violence, Valdes and U.S. Ambassador to Mexico Carlos Pascual said new strategies are needed to fight the cartels. “What we’re seeking to do is bring many of our activities down to a local level -- not just federal government level engagement – and look at how to improve the security situation in Mexico and how to translate that into real programs on the border,” Pascual said during the news conference.
“What we have seen is that this fight against drug traffickers and organized crime cannot be won by depending on one law enforcement agency,” said Pascual. “We have to break the lines that have traditionally been used in terms of law enforcement agencies and how they work.” Since the Merida Intitative was signed into law in June 2008, a police academy in the state of San Luis Potosi has graduated more than 3,000 federal police officers trained by U.S. instructors, Pascual said. With more than 400,000 state and local police officers in Mexico, the two governments are now looking at ways to implement “a more effective and intense training program” for police in those agencies, said Pascual. The U.S. and Mexico set up a training program for helicopter pilots, he said, and the U.S. will deliver five Bell helicopters in December 2009 worth $66 million. The United States is also looking at training lawyers and prosecutors who will be working under new laws established in Mexico’s recently implemented judicial reform. Valdes said the joint law enforcement efforts signal a stronger partnership between the United States and Mexico. “There is a new spirit in this relationship between Mexico and the United States to assume this problem of crime as a problem that we have in common, as a problem that requires solutions from both governments,” he said. For video of the press conference click here Binational Task Force calls for action on U.S.-Mexico border challenges  IOA president Jeffrey Davidow joined 30 business and civic leaders and former government officials from the Mexico and the United States to devise ways to improve the management of the U.S.-Mexico border. The task force, convened by the Pacific Council for International Policy and the Mexican Council on Foreign Relations, called on the U.S. and Mexican governments to “confront the challenges of border management directly and immediately.” In the 39-page report released in December 2009, the task force said, “We identify the policies they should adopt now to secure the border, expedite legitimate crossings, manage shared resources and foster economic development.” To read the report, click here.CAF President Enrique Garcia receives Leadership in the Americas Award LA JOLLA – Enrique Garcia, president and CEO of the Andean Development Corporation, was honored on Nov. 19 with the Institute of the Americas’ Leadership in the Americas Award. “It has been our custom to select a president of a country to receive the honor. This year, we have chosen not an elected official, but a noted economist, banker, diplomat and spokesman for transparency in government and finance,” David Weaver, chairman of the board of the Institute of the Americas, said during the award ceremony at the Institute’s 26th anniversary dinner. The Andean Development Corp., whose member countries include Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Venezuela, Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Costa Rica, Spain, Jamaica, Mexico, Panama, Paraguay, Dominican Republic, Trinidad & Tobago and Uruguay, as well as 14 private financial institutions, approves $10 billion each year for sustainable development and regional integration. “The Andean Development Corporation, which Enrique Garcia heads, is the most respected multilateral financial institution in the hemisphere in periods of both boom and bust,” Weaver told the audience of almost 200 people. “The CAF, as it is called for its initials in Spanish, is seen as the property of Latin America itself and not an institution that seeks to impose an outside ideology. Its work has brought economic development, social progress and more rational fiscal policies to many countries.” Garcia called on Latin American governments to set long-term goals for sustainable growth. “Latin America has to move from an export-concentrated economy to a more diversified economy.” The region should strive for sustained growth of 6 percent per year that produces high-quality employment and that takes into account ethnic differences and the need for environmental conservation, he said. “One of the main issues facing the region is that you still have exclusion. We have to plan a model of inclusive growth,” Garcia said. “It’s crucial that the region open itself, that there is a realization that globalization is a fact while at the same time engaging society in the process.” Politics play a key role in that process, he said. “You must have the right type of democratic institutions. Unless the long-term agenda, at least on the fundamental issues, is agreed upon by the main players and actors in society, you face the risk of having a reversal of basic policy.” Garcia called on Latin American countries to reshape the process of regional integration. But he cautioned other regions of the world “not to treat all the countries in Latin America the same way because each country is different.” “Mexico is one thing and countries in Central America are another,” Garcia said. “South America is different from countries in the Caribbean, so don’t expect all the countries to have the same structure.”  The award ceremony was the highlight of the Institute’s anniversary celebration, which included a Nov. 20 conference on critical issues in Latin America.The conference focused on three key areas: the evolving China- Latin America relationship, the assault on democracy and the threat posed by drugs and violence in the region. The China-Latin America panel. highlighted the Institute’s new initiative to increase cooperation between the two regions. The panel focused China’s efforts to strengthen trade, investment, technology, security and cultural ties with countries in the region since President Hu Jintao’s 2008 trip to Latin America and his meeting with leaders at the APEC summit. In a second panel, speakers commented on neopopulism, the role of Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, the erosion of freedoms, institutional weakness and the role of the press in Latin America. A third panel raised several critical questions and drugs and violence in Latin America: Has the war on drugs failed? Are alternative policies available? What is the impact of gang violence on societies with weak institutions? What does the future hold for Plan Colombia and the Merida Initiative? Davidow speaks at Group of 50 meeting in Madrid
The occasion was a meeting of the Group of 50, a private organization of Latin American business leaders. Other attendees at the panel session which dealt with international perspectives of the Latin American scene included the G-50 Chairman Moises Naim, Editor of Foreign Policy Managazine, and Spanish Crown Prince Felipe de Borbon y Grecia.
While the legislation contains many critical elements, the focus of discussions at the Institute roundtable were on the “new model” vis-à-vis investment rules and the transition from a concession structure to production sharing agreements; the creation of a new federal entity, Petro-Sal, tasked with contractual and administrative duties in the Pre-Salt; the social fund that would capture the increased windfall controlled by the government to be spent on poverty reduction, education, science and technology, and culture; and, perhaps most importantly, the role ascribed to Petrobras. Reducing energy costs sparks dynamic debate at Institute of the Americas conference in Panama
The attention and interest in the proposals being developed by the new administration -– measures the government claims will reduce electricity prices by up to 30% and that include a reconfigured market model to avoid spot market price surges, as well as reviewing current Power Purchase Agreements (PPA’s) and promoting renewable energy development -- were at the center of the Institute of the Americas’ one-day Panama Energy Roundtable on September 25th in Panama City. Underscoring the government’s attention to the topic and desire to engage in serious dialogue, Secretary of Energy Juan Manuel Urriola delivered an opening keynote address and participated in a dynamic question-and-answer session with the more than 125 participants in attendance.
To read a report on the conference, click here
Greening the Border  Opportunities along the California-Baja California border related to clean energy and climate are plentiful. Effective ways of seizing those opportunities and truly using the themes as a driver for cross-border collaboration remains a bit more elusive. From California's renewable portfolio standards to environmental regulations to the tremendous renewable natural resource base along the border, speakers in the Institute's August 13 Cross Border Climate and Renewable Energy conference asserted that the pieces are in place for a major shift in how the border region develops and consumes energy. Indeed, the clear summary distilled from the wide range of public and private sector speakers at the event pointed to the upside for renewables along the border. They pointed out developments already taking place in the solar and wind fields and discussed opportunities for further investment and trade. In the numerous side meetings and discussions that occurred throughout the day on the Institute's Plaza, the nearly 150 attendees, many of whom had attended the previous evening's public address by Mexico's Environment Minister Juan Elvira, were eager to network and discuss ways of realizing the region's wind, solar, geothermal and emissions trading potential. Coming just days after the three leaders of North America met in Mexico and set forth an ambitious cooperation agenda on climate and clean energy, the event underscored the local enthusiasm for the Guadalajara declaration. Discussions pointed to important advances but also several challenges, if not hurdles that demand continued attention by policy makers in Mexico and the United States if the momentum of the event is to be translated into investment and new projects. HIV/AIDS workshop participant wins journalism award
ATLANTA — Erika Cebreros, associate editor of the San Francisco weekly newspaper El Mensajero, received an Ethnic Media Award for a series of stories based on interviews she conducted during an Institute of the Americas professional journalism workshop.
MEXICO CITY — Arturo Barba, a 2005 graduate of the IOA’s Jack F. Ealy Science Journalism program, in May 11 launched Mexico’s first science and technology news web site. Poverty workshop inspires Ecuador’s first organic store
The colors and the fragrances of Whole Foods in La Jolla washed over Maria Eugenia Lima as she walked with IOA Professional Workshop Director Lee Tablewski through the store. Geopolitics of Energy alum named to Pemex board MEXICO CITY — Davidow named to Southwest Border Task Force
The complete list of Southwest Border Task Force members is as follows: William "Bill" Webster (Chair), retired partner at Milbank, Tweed, Hadley, and McCloy. Webster previously served as director of the CIA and FBI. Webster is a member and chair of DHS' Homeland Security Advisory Council. James "Jim" Jones (Vice Chair), chairman and CEO of Mannatt Jones Global Strategies. Jones is a former U.S. Ambassador to Mexico, U.S. Congressman from Oklahoma, and White House Chief of Staff. Guadalupe "Lupe" Trevino (Vice Chair), sheriff of Hidalgo County, Texas. Trevino serves on the State of Texas Homeland Security Office Mass Migration Committee and on the Executive Committee of the Texas Radio Interoperability Coalition. Ruben Barrales, president and CEO of the San Diego Regional Chamber of Commerce. Barrales served in the White House for five years as deputy assistant to President George W. Bush, where he was the President's liaison to state and local elected officials.Andrea Bazan, president of Triangle Community Foundation. Bazan serves as Chair of the Board of Directors of the National Council of La Raza, and is a member of the Leadership Council of Hispanics in Philanthropy. Robert "Rob" Bonner, a senior principal of the Sentinel HS Group, a homeland security consulting firm. Bonner is also a partner of Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher, LLP. Bonner served as the first Commissioner of U.S. Customs and Border Protection. Ray Borane, former mayor of Douglas, Ariz. Borane was an FBI Special Agent and served as a Policy Advisor to the Governor of Arizona on border and immigration issues. Raymond Cobos, sheriff of Luna County, N.M. Cobos served as detention administrator and undersheriff in Luna County prior to being elected sheriff in 2006. Cobos is also a volunteer with the GED Tutor Literacy Program. John Cook, mayor of El Paso, Texas. Cook formerly served as president of the El Paso Health Care Facilities Financing Corporation and El Paso Housing Finance Corp. Jeffrey Davidow, president of the Institute of the Americas. Davidow, who served as U.S. Ambassador to Mexico, Zambia, and Venezuela and as assistant secretary of state, was appointed in 2009 as White House Adviser to the Summit of the Americas. Richard Dayoub, president and CEO of Greater El Paso Chamber of Commerce. Dayoub previously was owner, president and CEO of a large regional travel company. Victor Flores, director of executive projects at Arizona Public Service. Flores is a member of the State of Arizona Transportation Board, serves as president of the Arizona-Mexico Commission Board of Directors, and sits on boards at the Valley of the Sun United Way, the Children's Action Alliance and Vision Quest 20/20. Francis "Pancho" Kinney, vice president of HNTB Federal. Kinney was previously DHS Deputy Director of International Affairs. Kinney is a Border Trade Alliance Board Member and Infrastructure Committee Chair. Melvyn "Mel" Montano, a retired Major General in the U.S. Air National Guard and former Adjutant General of New Mexico. Kenny Montoya, a Major General and Adjutant General for the New Mexico National Guard. Montoya is also president of the State Armory Board and provides oversight for the New Mexico Civil Air Patrol. Ned Norris, Jr., chairman of the Tohono O'odham Nation. Prior to his election, Norris worked with the Tohono O'odham Gaming Enterprise as director of marketing and public relations, casino manager and director of community relations. Maria Luisa O'Connell, president and CEO of Border Trade Alliance (BTA). Prior to joining BTA in 1998, she was a financial analyst at Bank One International Corporation, and also worked for the National Federation of Merchants of Colombia. Ralph Ogden, sheriff of Yuma County, Arizona. Ogden is a member of numerous local organizations and serves as chairman of the State of Arizona Homeland Security Coordinating Council. Evelyn M. Rodriguez, a physician and president and CEO of Rodriguez Health Consulting Services, LLC. Rodriguez is a former captain of the U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps and worked on pharmaceutical drug safety at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Robert "Bob" Ross, president and CEO of the California Endowment, a health foundation established in 1996 to address the health needs of Californians. He previously served as director for the San Diego County Health and Human Services Agency. Jerry Sanders, mayor of San Diego. Sanders served as San Diego Chief of Police from 1993-1999. After leaving the police department, Sanders became the CEO of United Way. In 2002, Sanders was appointed to the American Red Cross Board of Directors.
BP's Hayward receives IOA Energy Innovator Award
Dr. Tony Hayward, group chief executive officer of BP p.l.c., was honored May 13 with the Institute of the America's first Energy Innovator Award. "Today, Tony is recognized for his leadership in calling for technology investment to create greater energy efficiency and for working to bring new energy sources to the market," IOA Chairman David Weaver said during an award ceremony at the Institute's annual La Jolla Conference. "The Institute believes it is important to recognize the achievements of the private sector. BP, as it is embodied by Tony, is a visionary company and an innovative leader in the energy world." BP is the largest investor in U.S. energy development. Over the past five years, BP has invested more than $30 billion in the United States to find new sources of oil and gas, extend production from existing fields, improve the reliability of its U.S. refineries, expand its wind and solar business, create better biofuels and develop new low-carbon technologies. "In all respects, Tony Hayward is a leader in his field. He's a visionary and he most assuredly deserves the Institute of the Americas' first Energy Innovator Award," Weaver told the group of more than 100 energy executives from throughout the Western Hemisphere. Hayward said Latin America will play a critical role in future energy production. Latin America currently produces 12 percent of the world's oil and 7 percent of the world's natural gas. Gas production has almost doubled over the past 10 years, Hayward said, "an outstanding example of what can be achieved when technology innovation is combined with public-private partnership. "The last few years have seen some very successful subsoil oil exploration in Brazil, enabled by changes in seismic imaging and drilling technology," Hayward noted. "Venezuela also boasts significant conventional oil resources that can now be developed, thanks to today's technology." Latin America is one of the biggest producers of hydroelectric power, he said, and biofuel production in the region is expected to show significant growth over the next few years. "There are few limits to technology and innovation to access available resources," Hayward said, "so when it comes to producing more energy to meet demand the problems are not below ground, they're above it -- they're human, they're not geological." Some 80 percent of the world's resources are off limits to the world's best technology and know-how, he said, "but these are hurdles that can be overcome." "Here, I believe, lies the opportunity for Latin America," said Hayward. "The region can differentiate itself and gain competitive advantage by focusing on solving the challenges above ground." "We're living through a fundamental shift between the balance of supply and demand. This powerful trend will not be stopped by the downturn we're currently experiencing," he said. "We know the aims: A stable energy supply and a sustainable planet. We neet to create a framework that will allow us to get on and deliver. Latin America is well placed to do just that." To read Hayward's views on U.S. energy policy, click here Davidow returns to IOA after serving as White House Adviser
IOA President Jeffrey Davidow returned to the Institute of the Americas on May 4, concluding his two-month leave of absence to serve as White House Adviser for the Summit of the Americas. While "questions of Cuba, questions of handshakes and smiles got the most press," Davidow said the Summit "was a very substantive meeting. It was not a photo opportunity." During a May 1 roundtable hosted by the Organization of American States in Washington, D.C., Davidow noted that presidents and prime ministers from 33 countries spent more than 15 hours during the Summit in meetings that touched on the most pressing issues facing the hemisphere. Those meetings in Trinidad and Tobago produced a document that "is a snapshot of where the hemisphere is today," he said. Topping the list of concerns, Davidow said, is "public safety -- and public safety that goes beyond narcotics and terrorism. "For the mass of people living in this hemisphere, the real issue of public safety is the safety of their families, the ability to carry on their normal lives, the ability to come home from work without getting mugged," he said. Public security also focuses on the question of "strong and efficient and honest police and judicial systems." Energy and climate change are "of immense importance" to the countries in the hemisphere, Davidow said. "What came out of this Summit is a very clear indication that climate change is the most important issue confronting our future and that the discussion of energy really must be undertaken within the context of climate change." On the issue of the economic crisis, Davidow said President Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton stressed that "we, as a group of nations and as individual governments, have a particular responsibility to ensure that the weight of the current economic crisis does not, as it has in the past, fall disproportionately on those elements of our societies that are least able to defend themselves -- the poorest and the voiceless." To view a video of Davidow's remarks at the OAS Policy Roundtable entitled, "Post-Summit Briefing: A New Beginning in Inter-American Relations," click here To hear Davidow talk about the Summit of the Americas on Southern California Public Radio (KPCC 89.3), click here
IOA and SEMARNAT announce climate change workshop  The Institute of the Americas and Mexico's Ministry of the Environment (SEMARNAT) on June 4 announced a new partnership to offer a professional workshop on climate change for Mexican journalists.
Davidow joins OAS policy roundtable  IOA President Jeffrey Davidow will participate in a policy roundtable on May 1 at the Organization of American States (OAS) in Washington, DC. The roundtable, entitled “Post-Summit Briefing: A New Beginning In Inter-American Relations?” is being offered as a briefing session to assess the results of the Fifth Summit of the Americas, which took place April 17-19 in Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago, and the future of Inter-American Relations. The event, organized as part of the OAS Policy Roundtables series, will take place from 10am to 12pm, and will include presentations from José Miguel Insulza, Secretary General of the Organization of American States; Marcelo Varela-Erasheva, Associate Director for the Americas Program, at the Carter Center; and Davidow, who served as the White House Adviser for the Summit of the Americas. A second panel will feature Ambassador Francisco Villagrán de León, Ambassador of Guatemala to the United States; Representative Eliot L. Engel, Chairman of the Subcommittee on the Western Hemisphere of the U.S. House of Representatives; and Enrique Arturo de Obarrio, Vice President of the organization ‘Private Sector of the Americas’. Each panel will be followed by a debate among panelists and by a question and answer session. The Policy Roundtable will be webcast live at www.oas.org. White House names Davidow Adviser to Summit of the Americas
Davidow, who served as U.S. ambassador to Mexico and Venezuela and as assistant secretary of state before retiring from the State Department in 2002, will work with the Secretary of State and the National Security Advisor to plan for President Obama's participation in the summit. The Summit of the Americas will bring together all of the 34 democratically elected heads of state in the Western Hemisphere. Davidow noted that this will be the first opportunity for most of the hemisphere's leaders to meet President Obama and for him to hear their aspirations for hemispheric cooperation. The multilateral meeting will be an “opportunity for President Obama to present his ideas, to listen and to see what we can do together to confront challenges,” said Davidow. President Obama will attend the summit “with three things in mind: The spirit of equality, equity and a sense of responsibility,” Davidow said. Since Davidow joined the Institute of the Americas in 2003 after a 34-year career in the U.S. State Department, the Institute has become recognized as a leader in promoting regional integration, economic development and efficient government in the western hemisphere. To read the White House announcement on Davidow's appointment, click here BP's Hayward to receive Energy Innovator Award Hayward is the first recipient of the prestigious Institute of the Americas award, which recognizes his leadership in calling for technology investment to achieve greater energy efficiency and for working to bring new energy sources to market. His efforts to respond to the world's growing need for energy despite the volatility caused by the global crisis will be highlighted at the La Jolla Conference, which is Latin America's largest energy forum. Read more BP's Martin talks about energy boom-bust at Caracas forum Border czar faces dual challenges on immigration and drug trafficking
Summit of the Americas and Energy Security  IOA Energy Program Director Jeremy Martin writes that the Summit of the Americas should focus the Hemisphere's energy policy agenda on four goals: a free-market approach to ethanol; improved energy standards for buildings, autos and appliances; addressing the debate over nuclear energy; and streamlining regulatory, legal and fiscal regimes. To read his commentary published in the April 15 edition of World Politics Review, click here Drug violence is subject of border media project
Tijuana drug violence has claimed nearly 100 lives this year, as the battle intensifies for control of the lucrative smuggling corridor on the U.S.-Mexico border. Amy Isackson, border reporter for KPBS, and Vicente Calderon, editor of tijuanapress.com, spent six weeks investigating the unprecedented violence in the drug war along the Tijuana-San Diego border. They presented the results of their investigation -- a multimedia project entitled “Border Battle: Bringing Home the Drug War” – on Feb. 19 at the Institute of the Americas. Isackson and Calderon focused their project on the causes of the violence. IOA plans economic conference in China
IOA Vice President Lynne Walker traveled to China in December for two weeks of meetings with government officials, high-level researchers studying the Sino-Latin America relationship, professors of Latin America studies and a university president. During her travels, Walker also met with U.S. business people and ambassadors from several Latin American countries. As she traveled from Beijing to Tianjin, Shanghai and the southeastern province of Fujian, Walker found among all she met a deep interest in promoting better economic ties, two way investment and trade between China and Latin America. Three board members join Institute The Institute of the Americas board of directors recently elected three new board members, bringing the total number to 30.
Prior to joining the Woodrow Wilson Center in 2006, Mr. Sotero was the Washington correspondent for Estado de S. Paulo, a leading Brazilian daily newspaper. From 2003 to 2006 he taught as an adjunct lecturer at Georgetown University, both in the Dpeartment of Spanish and Portuguese and in the Center for Latin American Studies of the Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service. In addition to his responsibilities at the Wilson Center, Mr. Sotero is a frequent lecturer on Brazilian and Latin American affairs at U.S. universities, think tanks and civic and business associations.
IOA plans September 2009 economic conference in China From its strategic location on the Pacific Coast and the U.S.-Mexico border, the Institute of the Americas is building bridges between China and Latin American countries. “Geographically, we’re ideally located,” said Richard Hojel, the chairman of Corporacion Frigus Therme who serves as vice chairman of the Institute of the Americas board of directors. “We can turn that into a positive, into a competitive advantage, by bringing the Americas to Asia and by bringing Asia to the Americas. “So few people in Latin America know about Asia. They’re starved for information,” said Hojel. “The idea of bringing together Asia and the Americas is very appealing. We can be a facilitator, a player in that process of linking the two regions together.” Responding to emerging regional economic trends has been a hallmark of the Institute’s 25-year history. The Institute of the Americas has built relationships with the government of each Latin American country as well as with major corporations in each sector. “I see the Institute as an organization that can recognize an opportunity, organize and act on it,” said David Weaver, managing partner and chairman of Intercap Institutional Investors, who serves as chairman of the Institute’s board of directors. “We are capable of being proactive, of moving quickly into the vacuums created by a quickly changing world.” Walker welcomes suggestions for programming and participants from IOA friends at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it Building a New Partnership Between U.S. and Mexico  IOA President Jeffrey Davidow spoke about the importance of a strategic partnership between the United States and Mexico during a February 6 panel discussion at the Woodrow Wilson International Center's Mexico Institute in Washington, D.C. While U.S.-Mexico relations have sometimes seemed mired in accusations and finger-pointing, Davidow said the possibility exists for a new era of understanding if leaders on both sides of the border reject timeworn cliches and long-held views on the thorny issues of immigration, drug trafficking and violence. Davidow was joined on the panel by Lazaro Cardenas Batel, former governor of Michoacan, Mexico; Denise Dresser, professor at the Instituto Tecnologico Autonomo de Mexico ; Andres Martinez, a fellow at the Bernard L. Schwartz Fellows Program , New America Foundation , and former editorial page editor for The Los Angeles Times . The panel was moderated by Ginger Thompson, national correspondent and former Mexico City bureau chief for The New York Times. The Mexico Institute released a 65-page report on Friday entitled, "The United States and Mexico: Towards a Strategic Partnership." To read the full report, click here Latin America Needs a Friend in Washington, D.C.
"The values of the Obama administration are the values that Latin Americans care most about, such as a multilateral approach to foreign policy," said Cunningham, managing partner of McLarty Associates and a former Clinton administration official who is close to the Obama team. "Obama himself grew up overseas and understands the perspective of the developing world." To read Oppenheimer's column, Chávez Reopens Oil Bids to West as Prices Plunge
In recent weeks, Venezuelan officials have solicited bids from some of the largest Western oil companies, including Chevron, Royal Dutch/Shell and Total of France and promised them access to some of the world's largest petroleum reserves. "If re-engaging with foreign oil companies is necessary to his political survival, then Chávez will do it," said Roger Tissot, an authority on Venezuela's oil industry who is a visiting energy fellow at the Institute of the Americas. To read the complete story by New York Times correspondent Simon Romero, click here
Commission calls on U.S., Latin America to build 'genuine partnership' The Brookings Institution urged the U.S. and Latin America to build a “genuine and sustained partnership” in a comprehensive report released Nov. 24 by its Partnership for the Americas Commission. Weaver elected IOA Chairman "Ï see the Institute as an organization that can recognize an opportunity, organize and act on it," Weaver said. "I see us coming up with solutions that governments and businesses can build into a road map for the future." Zedillo says Latin America faces
As Latin America confronts the global economic crisis, its leaders face the critical decision of adopting bold measures to carry the region forward or retreating to failed policies of the past, former Mexican President Ernesto Zedillo said during a keynote address at the Institute of the America’s 25th anniversary gala. “This is the moment of truth. We have to recognize how difficult the situation is. We have to accept that we are going to have to adjust,” said Zedillo. “But we should not forget that relative to where we were 20 years ago, we have made a lot of progress. Instead of back pedaling this is a moment for moving forward with reforms. ” Zedillo, who now serves as director of the Yale Center for the Study of Globalization, delivered his remarks to an audience of almost 500 business leaders and government officials who traveled from throughout the Western Hemisphere to join the Institute on November 15 for its 25th anniversary celebration. A Yale-educated economist, Zedillo faced a crushing economic crisis shortly after assuming the Mexican presidency in 1994. During the early years of his administration, Mexico was plagued with soaring inflation, labor unrest, a decline in investor confidence and a prolonged recession. By the time Zedillo left office in 2000, however, inflation was low and the peso was strong. In the final year of his administration, the economy surged 7 percent, making it the fastest-growing economy in Latin America. In past economic crises, Latin America’s response has devastated the region and delayed efforts to deliver social programs to improve the lives of the region’s impoverished people, Zedillo said. As Latin America faces the worst economic downturn in 50 years, the question once again facing Latin American countries is, “Are we going to worsen our circumstances and impair our future, or improve our prospects for growth and prosperity? “At precisely those moments of truth most of our countries retreated, adopted the wrong policies and reacted the wrong way,” Zedillo said. “We ended up being poorer countries than we were before. We fell behind and we fell behind while others were moving forward. This has had lasting consequences in our countries. It has taken too long to recover." He noted the region has achieved impressive growth during the past two decades, giving Latin American countries the ability to withstand the crisis. “If we overcome this new moment of truth we will emerge with a new strength and a new vitality,” Zedillo said. “Then it will be possible to say that Latin America, or most of Latin America, has taken the decision to be the region of the future and has become a model of the 21st century.” See Gala reception photos The Brookings Institution urged the U.S. and Latin America to build a “genuine and sustained partnership” in a comprehensive report released Nov. 24 by its Partnership for the Americas Commission. The commission, which was first convened by the Brookings Institution in May 2008, is co-chaired by former Mexican President Ernesto Zedillo and Thomas R. Pickering, a long-time diplomat and former under secretary of state. The commission’s members are prominent U.S. and Latin American policy makers, including Jeffrey Davidow, former U.S. ambassador to Mexico and Venezuela who now heads the Institute of the Americas. “The key challenges faced by the United States and the hemisphere’s other countries – such as securing sustainable energy supplies, combating and adapting to climate change and combating organized crime and drug trafficking – have become so complex and deeply transnational that they cannot be managed or overcome by any single country,” the report said. “If a hemispheric partnership remains elusive, the costs to the United States and its neighbors will be high, in terms of both growing risks and missed opportunities.” To read the complete report by the Partnership for the Americas Commission, Bush and Schwarzenegger laud IOA for strengthening international relationships  “International trade and cooperation strengthen our relationships with other countries, help advance peace around the world and contribute to economic growth,” President Bush wrote in a letter to IOA President Jeffrey Davidow. “By building mutual understanding between countries and expanding opportunities, you are helping write a hopeful new chapter in the history of our times.”  California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger added his own congratulations in a letter that praised the IOA for its “innovative programs and research..”“I commend your outstanding efforts to create partnerships across borders,” the governor wrote. “By promoting effective government policies and strengthening international relationships, you help ensure the success of our state and the Americas.” Weaver elected IOA Chairman  David R. Weaver, the managing partner and chairman of Intercap Institutional Investors LLC , has been elected Chairman of the Institute of the Americas’ board of directors. Weaver succeeds Gastón Luken, who served as chairman from 2002-2008. "Ï see the Institute as an organization that can recognize an opportunity, organize and act on it," Weaver said. "I see us coming up with solutions that governments and businesses can build into a road map for the future." Richard C. Hojel has been elected Vice Chairman of the Institute’s board of directors. Hojel is the chairman of the board of Mexico City-based Corporación Frigus Therme. IOA RECEIVES DISTINGUISHED SERVICE AWARD  IOA Chairman Gaston Luken, right, is presented a Distinguished Service Award by John B. McNeece III during the Mexico Business Center's International Tribute Awards gala dinner. The Institute of the Americas was honored by the Mexico Business Center with a Distinguished Service Award during a Sept. 10 ceremony in San Diego. EXPERTS SEE OPPORTUNITIES FOR LATIN AMERICA IN FOOD CRISIS
But the situation also demands medium and short term policies to increase local food production to take advantage of the opportunities of higher producer prices. Many LAC countries have the resources -- abundant land, biodiversity and tradition -- to do so, but current policies do not encourage increased productivity. The experts also identified the use of foodstocks -- particularly corn in the United States -- as one of most significant causes for the rise in food prices and suggested policy changes in this regard. China sneezes, Latin America catches a cold  IOA energy expert Jeremy Martin and energy analyst Roger Tissot explain the impact of an economic slowdown in China on Latin America's exports and energy sector. To read their article in Latin Business Chronicle,
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Pandemic influenza is a threat that has the potential to affect anyone. It cannot be prevented, but it can be managed. While the novel H1N1 pandemic presents a tremendous challenge, it also offers a valuable opportunity to improve the global public health system -- to raise awareness about basic steps people can take to stop the spread of germs and disease, to underscore the value of seasonal flu the vaccine and to identify the strengths and weaknesses in our prevention and preparedness systems. 
Department of Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano on June 4 named IOA President Jeffrey Davidow to the Southwest Border Task Force, a newly formed commission charged with examining the Department's efforts along the U.S.-Mexico border.
Institute of the Americas President Jeffrey Davidow has joined President Obama's administration on a temporary basis to serve as the White House Adviser on the Summit of the Americas. In that position, Davidow will coordinate the participation of the United States government at the summit, which will be held April 17-19 in Trinidad and Tobago.
The Institute of the Americas is proud to annouce that Dr. Tony Hayward, Chief Executive Officer of
IOA Energy Program Director Jeremy Martin described the energy industry's boom-bust cycle during an April 20-23 forum in Caracas, Venezuela. The forum, which was organized by the Office of Public Affairs at the U.S. Embassy in Venezuela, focused on the geopolitics of energy and energy security in the United States and Latin America. To read a full report on Martin's presentation, 
Paulo Sotero, director of the Brazil Institute of the 
Kelvin Dushnisky, executive vice president of corporate affairs at Toronto-based 
Andres Gluski, executive vice president and chief operating officer of 
President-elect Barack Obama brings to the White House 
As falling oil prices threaten the social welfare programs that have bolstered President Hugo Chávez's popular support, senior officials in his government are quietly courting Western companies to boost purchases of Venezuelan petroleum, The New York Times reported.
Nearly two dozen academic, business, financial and government experts met 