Davidow previews Summit of the Americas

Amb. Jeffrey Davidow, President Barack Obama‘s special advisor on the upcoming Summit of the Americas, briefed the State Department press today on plans for the summit, which is scheduled to take place April 17 to 19 in Trinidad and Tobago. Leading the U.S. delegation will be Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, he said.

On the U.S. agenda for the 34-nation summit, Davidow said, are the economy, the issues of inequity and social development, the environment, clean energy, and public safety.

Obama "is going to Trinidad with the intention of listening, discussing, and dealing with his colleagues as partners," Davidow said. "One of his concerns, and indeed the concerns of everyone at the summit, but particularly of the President and the Secretary of State, is the question of equity." From his remarks:

The President is going, as he has said on his other trips, in the spirit of dealing with these other nations as partners. He is not going to Trinidad with a plan for the hemisphere. He is going to Trinidad with the intention of listening, discussing, and dealing with his colleagues as partners. One of his concerns, and indeed the concerns of everyone at the summit, but particularly of the President and the Secretary of State, is the question of equity. We know that there has been progress, as I’ve mentioned, in this hemisphere on gross domestic product increase and reduction of poverty, particularly abject poverty. But the fact remains that Latin America, according to the United Nations, is the least equal of all the areas of the world. The level of inequity, inequality is very high, higher than anywhere else. …

And there’s a real concern to see what we can do working together to speak to the question of this inequity and the need to bring social development and social inclusion to many more people. And here, I think we’ll see an effort on the part of the U.S. Government and on other topics that I will mention to reach out and be seen as a partner. Again, no great plan, none of “you must do this,” but rather a desire to exchange technical knowledge, best practices knowledge, the best in academic and government thought. […]

Additionally, I think there will be a lot of discussion as per this [Summit Implementation Review Group] document that I mentioned that has been negotiated about the environment. The United States will want to talk about a green agenda, an agenda that will focus on clean energy. And in this, once again, it will be largely exchange of ideas, exchange of scientists, exchange of cooperative mechanisms. … We already are working with Brazil, for instance, which, as you know, is a leader on biofuels. […]

Another major topic that will be discussed at the summit is the issue of public safety. Those of you who know this continent and travel in this continent know that through the Caribbean, Mexico, Central America, and other places in the hemisphere, perhaps the single most gripping issue for average citizens is the security of themselves and their families. Latin America, the Caribbean are witnessing an increase in criminality and are having difficulty confronting this because of judicial and police systems that need assistance, need more training, need more equipment, what have you. Here again, I think we will see the summit as a good place to discuss this and what we can do generally. …

Obama will spend one night in Mexico en route to the summit, Davidow said.