Office of the Spokesperson
Today, at the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) in Washington D.C., Under Secretary of State for Economic Growth, Energy, and the Environment Jose W. Fernandez joined Ministers of Trade and Senior Officials of the Alliance for Development in Democracy (ADD) — Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, and Panama— together with the ADD Business Council and the IDB, for the first meeting of the U.S.-ADD Consultative Dialogue on Supply Chain Partnerships.
This meeting is the result of a memorandum of understanding between the United States and ADD countries signed in 2022 and it represents joint efforts between the United States, ADD countries, and the private sector to strengthen the resilience of supply chains and the competitiveness of all countries involved.
The meeting focused on improving health sector supply chains within and between ADD countries and the United States and featured presentations from IDB experts on medical supply chains and medical regulatory issues. Private sector stakeholders from the ADD Business Council and the Americas Business Dialogue Health Working Group also provided perspectives and recommendations. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce previewed recommendations from their pending supply chain study.
Partners agreed to establish public-private working groups in the areas of medical devices, pharmaceuticals, medical tourism, and regulatory convergence with the goal of establishing a roadmap with concrete objectives to implement recommendations and strengthen medical supply chains. The countries also agreed to meet in the first quarter of 2024 to review progress on these objectives.
Partners agreed to continue working under this collaborative dynamic between democratic countries seeking to improve the investment climate and, consequently, the quality of life for their citizens.
