The August Review

United States - Mexico Binational Commission Secretary of State Colin L. Powell led the U.S. delegation to the 21st meeting of the United States-Mexico Binational Commission on November 9, 2004 in Mexico City. The Binational Commission was established in 1981, and meets annually, alternating between Washington D.C. and Mexico City. The Binational Commission reflects the mutual desire of President George W. Bush and President Vicente Fox to address shared challenges pragmatically and to improve the economic competitiveness of our two countries for the benefit of all of our citizens. Cabinet officials and agency chiefs from both countries met in working groups on specific topics. These groups are in contact throughout the year, but this event enables them to review activities, announce new agreements and plan future initiatives. Ten groups met during this year’s Binational Commission, including: Foreign Policy, Migration and Consular Affairs, Border Security and Cooperation, Law Enforcement and Counter-narcotics, Trade and Agriculture, Labor, Education, Environment, Housing, and Transportation. In addition, the Energy Working Group met this summer. The Binational Commission reviewed activities and announced a number of new initiatives, including: Secretary Powell and Secretary of Homeland Security Tom Ridge stressed that immigration reform will be a high priority during President Bush's second term. The President spoke on January 7, 2004 about his proposal to match willing workers with potential employers, and the Administration will work closely on immigration reform with the new Congress. Secretaries Powell and Ridge and their Mexican counterparts, Foreign Secretary Luis Ernesto Derbez and Government Secretary Santiago Creel, reaffirmed the excellent state of our border security cooperation by announcing a new Cyber-Security Working Group and by further developing their infrastructure protection strategy. Secretary of Education Rod Paige and Mexican Secretary of Education Reyes Tamez Guerra renewed their 2004-2006 bilateral education agreement, covering topics crucial to competitiveness, such as higher education, migrant education, special education, adult education, vocational education, and educational technology. Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Alphonso Jackson and Mexican Commissioner of Housing Carlos Gutierrez announced a renewed commitment to bilateral work on critical issues in mortgage market development, including a joint conference in Mexico on housing finance and economic growth in spring 2005. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the Mexican Foreign Ministry will launch a collaborative effort to reach out to Hispanic communities in the United States about USDA rural development programs, modeled on their July 2004 partnership agreement to help educate eligible Mexican nationals living in the United States about available nutrition assistance. U.S. Secretary of Transportation Norman Mineta and Mexican Secretary of Communication and Transportation Pedro Cerisola discussed the broad bi-national relationship in air, maritime, rail and highway transportation and agreed to explore opportunities for expanding cooperation in each of these areas. Assistant Administrator Adolfo A. Franco, Assistant Administrator for the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), and Mexican Natural Resources Secretary Alberto Cárdenas signed a Memorandum of Understanding amounting to $25 million, focusing on environmental conservation in Mexico. The U.S. Department of Agriculture, the U.S. Agency for International Development, and the Mexican Secretariat of Agriculture agreed to expand bilateral cooperation on rural development. As part of this effort, USAID announced the award of five new joint Mexico-U.S. university partnerships directed at creating greater economic opportunities in Mexico’s rural areas. The Partnership for Prosperity (P4P) presented its report to the Binational Commission. Presidents Bush and Fox established this unique public-private alliance in 2001 to spur economic growth in Mexico’s less developed regions. Since its inception, the P4P has helped lower the fees charged to Mexican workers in the United States seeking to send money home; brought together more than 1400 business and government leaders to deepen integration and expand economic development; and developed innovative methods to finance infrastructure projects. The establishment of the first ever Peace Corps program in Mexico is one example of the success of the P4P program. Peace Corps volunteers are providing information technology training, and small business development and environmental technology skills to Mexicans. The Overseas Private Investment Corporation (OPIC) has committed more than $40 million in financing to eight U.S. small businesses since opening its programs in Mexico last year and anticipates providing approximately $600 million more in the upcoming months. Secretary Powell also met with Mexican President Vicente Fox, and visited the U.S. Embassy. Six United States government cabinet-level officers attended the Binational Commission: Secretary of State Colin Powell, Secretary of Homeland Security Tom Ridge, Secretary of Transportation Norman Mineta, Secretary of Education Rod Paige, Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Alphonso Jackson, and Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Michael Leavitt. 2004/1212 Released on November 9, 2004 [See more at .... http://www.state.gov/r/pa/prs/ps/2004/37991.htm]