On September 29, Global Ties hosted the High-Level Working Group on Inter-American Relations and Bipartisanship at its offices in Washington, DC with Global Americans, a New York-based think tank funded by the Ford Foundation.
Left to right (facing front): Arturo Sarukhan, Marc Grossman, Chris Sabatini, Jennifer Clinton.
The group, comprised of 50 academics, former policymakers, and members of the business community from across the Americas, gathered to discuss a series of topics relevant to both regions, including drug policy, economic integration and trade, corruption, and educational exchanges. Over a period of eight months, the group will work together to produce a series of consensus papers that offer policy recommendations on these topics for the U.S. Congress to strengthen ties with the region.
One of the first topics up for discussion was educational exchange, representing an important opportunity for Global Ties U.S. to offer its expertise. Jennifer Clinton, Ph.D., opened the meeting by highlighting three tenets of the Global Ties mission: engaging networks of civil society leaders, connecting people across borders, and advocating for cross-cultural dialogue and engagement. Clinton underscored the interconnectivity of these issues by sharing details about the Police Professionalization Exchange Program administered by Global Ties U.S., as well as other programs run by the Global Ties Network.
Ambassador David N. Greenlee, Former U.S. Ambassador to Bolivia (foreground).
In the following months, the working group will continue to develop its policy recommendations, and will be meeting in Colombia, Mexico, and the U.S. With an emphasis on bipartisanship, it seeks to offer suggestions that are politically feasible and address long-term concerns. In terms of exchanges, the group would like to see increased collaboration and programs between Latin American countries as well as continued exchanges between the U.S. and Latin America.
Overall, the first meeting of the High-Level Working Group on Inter-American Relations and Bipartisanship was a success. It will continue to exchange ideas in preparation for the next meeting in November. Global Ties is honored to work with Global Americans to advocate for international exchange across the Americas.
Juan Gonzalez, Associate Vice President at The Cohen Group (center).
By Aimee Seligstein, Programming and Public Diplomacy Intern, Global Ties U.S.