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U.S. Role in the Summit of the Americas Fact Sheet released by the Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs, Office of Economic Policy and Summit Coordination December 1, 2000

The third Summit of the Americas is a strategic priority for United States policy in the hemisphere. The U.S. will play a key role in ensuring that the Summit remains the principal mechanism by which the Western Hemisphere's democratically elected heads of state discuss common political, economic, and social issues.

Since 1994, the United States has played an important leadership role in the advancement of the Summit of the Americas process. The United States:

• Hosted the first Summit of the Americas in 1994 in Miami -- the first meeting of its kind in 27 years and the largest inter-American summit in history in which all the participants were democratically elected. This effort has paved the way for greater hemispheric cooperation as evidenced by the increased number of ministerial meetings and official exchanges and the convergence of policy goals among member countries.
• Served as responsible coordinator for initiatives identified in the 1998 Santiago Summit regarding drugs and money laundering, capital markets liberalization, energy cooperation, and sustainable energy use. In addition, the United States has played a critical role in funding and providing leadership and assistance on summit action items.
• Helped manage the overall summit process, along with Canada and Chile, as member of the Summit "troika."
• Worked closely with other governments to ensure that commitments are honored.

As the U.S. prepares for the April 2001 Summit and beyond, it will continue providing assistance in advancing Summit objectives, including:

• Working together with Canada and Chile to ensure that the Quebec City Summit is a success and that it builds upon the achievements of previous summits;
• Raising the profile of the Summit by increasing publicity and outreach efforts to better educate the public on Summit goals and objectives; and
• Engaging civil society to ensure its input is considered in the Summit agenda and plan of action.

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