AMBASSADOR SEPULVEDA'S REMARKS ON THE GLOBAL INTERNET AND LATIN AMERICA

FROM:  U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT
06/18/2015 01:08 PM EDT
Latin America, Chile, and the Global Internet
Remarks
Ambassador Daniel A. Sepulveda
Deputy Assistant Secretary and U.S. Coordinator for International Communications and Information Policy, Bureau of Economic and Business Affairs
Agelini Center of Innovation
Santiago, Chile
June 18, 2015

Thank you. I am honored to come to Chile and speak to you as an American Ambassador. It is to some degree a homecoming. This is where my parents are from, our extended family is here, and this country and its people hold a very special place in my heart.

I am here to extend the hand of friendship and to ask for your partnership in the international dialogue on how to best ensure that the Internet remains an open platform for global social and economic development for the region, the world, our children and grandchildren.

While Mexico, Brazil, Colombia, and Argentina have played an active role in the international institutions and organizations that debate Internet related issues, Chile has been relatively quiet. Yet, according to an April 2015 report of the Boston Consulting Group titled, “Which Wheels to Grease? Reducing Friction in the Internet Economy”, Chile is outperforming almost all of the other nations in Latin America in its digital strategy. It clearly has been greasing the “right” wheels. This country can and should be playing a leadership role as a champion of democratic discourse and open markets in the international debate over Internet governance.

This year, at the United Nations General Assembly in December, we will meet to review the last ten years of progress in the global digital economy and how it is contributing to global development. Chile has the industry, civil society, and governmental talent and capacity to help lead this discussion. You have a great story to tell and the world needs to hear it.

As you know, more than three billion people and trillions of devices are connected to the Internet today. That connectivity is revolutionizing how we live, work, and govern ourselves. It has shrunk the world, made more information more accessible to more people, and disrupted incumbent power in politics and business alike.

As a matter of economic and social justice, the global Internet helps bridge the gap between talent and opportunity. In much of the world, men and women in rural communities are now able to receive microloans to start a small business using only their smartphones. There are applications for women to track their health and the health of their baby while they are pregnant and for men and women to be able to identify the location of clean water.

And today, the Internet’s economic benefits are actually increasingly shifting to the developing world. It is in developing markets of Latin America, Africa, and Southeast Asia that the Internet economy is growing fastest, at a rate of 15 to 25 percent per year; compared with around 6% in developing countries. The Latin American Internet audience grew 23% in the past year and now represents 8% of the global Internet audience. Chile stands out in the region with over 66.5% of its population connected to the internet, however average penetration in Latin America still hovers around 30% and falls as low as 8% in some countries. A 10 percent increase in broadband penetration is estimated to result in a 1 to 1.5 percent increase in annual per-capita growth, so the potential for the region is huge, however, the growth and promise that we know the Internet can deliver is not a foregone conclusion. The future we desire depends on how the technology is used and how it is governed. This is why the United States considers the promotion of an open, interoperable, secure, and reliable Internet a key component of our foreign policy.

The Internet developed organically, as an experiment by academics and technologists, discovering a new way to facilitate an exchange of ideas and make new connections between people. As the Internet has evolved into the critical resource it is today, governments in particular are grappling with what in some cases boils down to an identity crisis—what is the role of government? And, how much power or control should government be able to exercise vis-à-vis other stakeholders?

The way we see it, governments around the world must make a choice: to enable the Internet’s growth or detract from it. To date, how governments make this choice and exercise it has proven inextricably linked to how they feel about freedom of expression and human rights. And where governments choose to reduce friction in the digital economy, the Boston Consulting Group study showed that compared to other similar markets, open markets experienced a real difference of 1% in GDP growth. Closed countries, those who deny their people the freedom to engage in commerce and discourse are falling behind.

Setting economics aside, the United States and Chile are both active champions of the exercise of human rights. As Secretary Kerry explained when he was in Seoul a few weeks ago, the United States particularly believes strongly in freedom of expression. We understand that we may not always agree with the views that some may choose to express and we know that some may abuse this right in order to harm others, but we believe that the benefits outweigh these challenges. Some governments believe the opposite and look for any excuse to silence their critics and have used the Internet to control what people read, see, write, and say.

We have a shared responsibility to be good stewards of the Internet and must not be complacent in pursuing our vision of the future. I see three critical issues ahead on which Chile and the United States can and should work together.

The first issue is access. The Internet can only be an engine for growth if it is available. Roughly three out of every five people in the world remain without Internet access, and in the poorest countries that figure can top 95 percent. That’s why two years ago the United States helped to create the Alliance for Affordable Internet, a broad coalition of governments, industry, and civil society that works with policy makers to expand access while keeping prices low. It is also why Secretary Kerry announced that the State Department will soon launch a new initiative, in partnership with partner countries, development banks, engineers, and industry leaders to increase connectivity around the world. At the Summit of the Americas that took place in April in Panama, President Obama announced our intention to work with partners to increase the adoption of fixed and mobile broadband, and the deployment of broadband infrastructure as necessary.

The second issue is governance. The Internet has flourished because of the bottom-up, consensus-based process that allows all stakeholders, including the private sector, civil society, academics, engineers and governments, to participate in its governance. This multistakeholder approach has served us well and is visible in many institutions that keep the Internet operating in a safe, secure, and reliable manner. There are those who claim this system is broken and should be replaced by a more centralized, top-down approach, where governments and inter-governmental institutions have more control. We believe that such claims are misguided and untrue, and would actually stunt the growth of the Internet and slow its delivery to the rest of the world. We are working steadfastly with our international partners and global stakeholders to preserve the multistakeholder approach wherever it is challenged but we need your help.

And the third issue is stability. Cyberattacks are a real and persistent threat for all states. At the policy level, we believe that our best defense is to promote international cyber stability. What that means is, we are seeking broad consensus on what constitutes responsible and irresponsible behavior in cyberspace, with the goal of creating a climate in which all states are able to enjoy the benefits of cyberspace.

In the United Nations, we have affirmed that the basic rules of international law apply in cyberspace, but we are also working on some additional principles that are gaining traction. First, no country should conduct or knowingly support online activity that intentionally damages or impedes the use of another country’s critical infrastructure. Second, no country should seek either to prevent emergency teams from responding to a cybersecurity incident, or allow its own teams to cause harm. Third, no country should conduct or support cyber-enabled theft of intellectual property, trade secrets, or other confidential business information for commercial gain. Fourth, every country should mitigate malicious cyber activity emanating from its soil. And fifth, every country should do what it can to help states that are victimized by a cyber-attack.

The Internet has served us well as a platform to provide anyone connected to it with an opportunity to contribute to political, economic, and social discourse, and we believe that is a very good and important thing, worthy of preserving. It is the kind of freedom that this country fought for and won. And that is why it is so important that you engage this global debate.

The issues raised at the global gatherings of leaders related to the Internet transcend any one policy area and include questions of ethics, the role of government in society, commercial issues, and democracy. Chile’s voice is critical in this conversation and to ensuring that this revolutionary tool is available for the Chilean children and grandchildren of my uncles and aunts to break down barriers in any field they wish to engage.

Thank you. I appreciate your time and look forward to answering any questions you might have.

AMBASSADOR POWER'S REMARKS ON UNDERDEVELOPMENT AS IT RELATES TO PEACE AND SECURITY

FROM:  U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT 
Remarks by Ambassador Samantha Power, U.S. Permanent Representative to the United Nations, at a Security Council Debate on Inclusive Development for the Maintenance of International Peace and Security
Samantha Power
U.S. Permanent Representative to the United Nations 
New York, NY
January 19, 2015
AS DELIVERED

Thank you, President Bachelet, for chairing this critically important session, and for Chile’s leadership on these issues and many others in the Council and around the world. Thank you, as well, for your lifelong efforts – including during your tenure here as director of UN Women, and as Chilean President – to advance the causes of development and peace. Thanks also to Nobel Peace Prize laureate Leymah Gbowee, we can all see why you have made the difference that you have in Liberia and well beyond. You are truly formidable. And thank you Mr. Secretary-General and Ambassador Patriota for your very important contributions.

As threats to international peace and security have evolved, so has the Council’s conception of them. Consider two of the great crises we face today: the Ebola epidemic and violent extremism. While neither represents the kind of risk that may have been imagined by the architects of the United Nations, each threatens the stability and prosperity of multiple countries. And both highlight the way that underdevelopment can pose a risk to peace and security. One of the main reasons that Ebola spread as quickly as it did in West Africa – and has killed such a high proportion of the people that it has infected – is the acute underdevelopment of the public health systems in the affected countries. And as President Obama observed in his remarks before the General Assembly in September, violent extremist groups have found their most fertile recruiting grounds “in the Middle East and North Africa, where a quarter of young people have no job, where food and water could grow scarce, where corruption is rampant and sectarian conflicts have become increasingly hard to contain.”

The connection between development and peace and security extends beyond Ebola and violent extremism. The average civil war sets back a medium-sized developing country more than 30 years in terms of economic growth, trade levels after major violence take an average of 20 years to recover, and the global economic impact of stemming such violence is estimated at 9.5 trillion dollars, or approximately 11 percent of the Gross World Product. These figures show what should be clear to all: the economic and social health of countries is intrinsically linked to their ability to secure and maintain peace. More than 80 percent of extremely poor people – those who survive on less than a dollar a day – are expected to live in countries affected by conflict and chronic violence by 2025. We know that this is not a challenge we can ignore. We have to do something more.

One place to start is with women and girls. Leymah’s story is testament to the critical goal that women can play in advancing peace and security. In the middle of Liberia’s second brutal civil war, she rallied thousands of women to pray for peace, and founded a group that staged weeks-long non-violent protests calling for an end to the conflict. Women’s activism helped build grassroots pressure on Liberia’s president at the time, Charles Taylor, to engage in peace talks with rebels. When those talks faltered, she and 200 women formed a human chain to prevent the government and the rebels from leaving the negotiating table. Of course, the government and the rebels could have pushed their way through that chain. But the women’s symbolic demand for peace, together with international pressure, helped keep both sides at the negotiating table, and within weeks they reached a deal.

If we agree that international peace and security is bound up with inclusive development, it follows that one of the best ways for the international community to consolidate peace, and to help end conflict, is to bridge enduring development gaps.

That is why, in addition to investing unprecedented resources in stopping the Ebola outbreak at its source, and in leaving the affected countries with stronger public health systems than they had before the outbreak – including the efforts of more than 3,000 American engineers, epidemiologists, doctors, and others on the ground, mainly in Liberia, President Obama has launched the Global Health Security Agenda. The GHSA is aimed at preparing countries to prevent, detect, and rapidly respond to outbreaks before they become epidemics. During a meeting with President Obama last September, 43 countries joined us in announcing more than 100 specific commitments to strengthen global health security, together with the WHO and other international institutions.

That is why we have invested so much time in the Post-2015 development agenda, which aims for inclusive and equitable development that leaves no one behind in any country – developing or developed – and not only in terms of gender equality and global health, but across other areas such as education, water and sanitation, sustainable energy, and inclusive and responsive governance. That is why the United States has strongly advocated for Goal 16, which focuses on promoting peaceful and inclusive societies, providing access to justice for all, and building accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels. If we can achieve this goal – through reducing corruption, promoting universal free and legal identity, and ensuring public access to information – we can ensure that the UN’s next development agenda will help empower those who need it most.

And this is why, in Afghanistan, we have invested robustly in ensuring that women and girls are more fully integrated into Afghan society. Since 2001, school enrollment there has increased tenfold, with nearly 10 million children now signed up, 40 percent of whom are girls. Maternal mortality has fallen from 16 percent to 3 percent. And today women hold 28 percent of the Afghan Parliament’s seats – a higher proportion than in my own country. All of these investments, all of this progress, not only make women more equal partners in Afghanistan’s future, but they give Afghanistan far brighter prospects for a more secure and prosperous future.

Today, as has been said, we commemorate the life of another Nobel Peace Prize laureate, and one of the world’s greatest human rights champions – Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. In one of his last speeches, Dr. King spoke of what he called, “the Other America” – a country he contrasted with the America of opportunity and equality. The Other America, he said, had a “daily ugliness about it that transforms the buoyancy of hope into the fatigue of despair.” Dr. King spoke of men without work; of families living in miserable conditions; of children denied access to a quality education. And he spoke of how such inequality posed an enduring obstacle to American prosperity, calling on all Americans to bridge these gaps.

It has been nearly fifty years since Dr. King spoke to the need to address these gaps in the United States, and yet so many of the gaps persist, here in the United States and around the world. His call to action is as resonant and urgent today as when he first made it. We must do everything in our power to do our part to fulfill it.

Thank you.

SEC CHARGES TWO BUSINESSMEN IN CHILE WITH INSIDER TRADING

FROM:  U.S. SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION 

The Securities and Exchange Commission charged two business associates in Chile with insider trading on nonpublic information that one of them learned while serving on the board of directors of a pharmaceutical company.  The agency obtained a court order to freeze assets in the U.S. brokerage accounts used to conduct the trading.

The SEC alleges that Juan Cruz Bilbao Hormaeche exploited highly confidential information from CFR Pharmaceuticals S.A. board meetings at which a tender offer by Abbott Laboratories was discussed.  In a U.S. brokerage account of which he is the beneficiary, Bilbao caused the purchase of millions of dollars’ worth of American Depositary Shares (ADS) of CFR Pharmaceuticals on the basis of nonpublic information about progressing negotiations between the two companies.  Bilbao used Tomás Andrés Hurtado Rourke to place the trades in the brokerage account, and Hurtado also purchased several hundred thousand dollars’ worth of ADS in his own U.S. brokerage account.  After Abbott Laboratories publicly announced a definitive agreement to acquire CFR Pharmaceuticals and commenced the tender offer, Bilbao and Hurtado tendered the ADS they purchased.  They reaped approximately $10.6 million in illicit profits.

“Bilbao abused his position on a company’s board as he stockpiled ADS on the basis of inside information that a major payday was coming soon on those shares,” said Karen L. Martinez, Director of the SEC’s Salt Lake Regional Office.

The SEC’s complaint filed in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York alleges that Bilbao violated Section Sections 10(b) and 14(e) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and Rules 10b-5 and 14e-3.  The complaint also alleges Hurtado violated Sections 14(e) and 20(e) of the Exchange Act and Rule 14e-3.  The complaint seeks disgorgement of ill-gotten gains plus prejudgment interest and financial penalties in addition to permanent injunctions against further violations of these provisions of the securities laws.  Bilbao allegedly used an offshore entity to engage in the insider trading, and the SEC seeks to repatriate all illegal profits.

The SEC’s investigation was conducted by William B. McKean and the litigation will be led by Daniel J. Wadley of the Salt Lake Regional Office.

SECRETARY HAGEL DISCUSSES PARTNERSHIP WITH CHILEAN LEADERS

FROM:  U.S. DEFENSE DEPARTMENT 

Hagel, Chilean Leaders Discuss Deepening Partnership

By John D. Banusiewicz

DoD News, Defense Media Activity

WASHINGTON, Oct. 12, 2014 – Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel met with government leaders in the Chilean capital of Santiago yesterday to discuss deepening the U.S. military partnership with Chile.

Hagel -- who arrived in Chile from Colombia – is on a six-day, three-nation trip to South America that will include participating in the Conference of the Defense Ministers of the Americas, which begins tomorrow in Arequipa, Peru.
In Santiago, the secretary met with President Michelle Bachelet, Foreign Minister Heraldo Munoz and Defense Minister Jorge Burgos. At news conference with Burgos after the meeting, Hagel noted he had met with his Chilean counterpart in Washington earlier this year.

“That was an important time for me,” he added, “because it gave me an opportunity to get a good sense and assessment of where Chile was on many issues -- where we could further deepen our partnership, our relationship, as we face many of the same challenges that the world faces.”

As a U.S. senator, Hagel said, he supported and voted for the U.S.-Chile free trade agreement, which marks its 10th anniversary this year. “I recall, vividly, some of the debates during the Senate Foreign Relations Committee [hearings] on the issue,” he said. “It was the right thing to do for Chile and the United States, and I think the results have been very clear on that point.”
Intensifying cooperation to address big issues

His meeting with the Chilean leaders touched on a wide scope of issues, the secretary said. “We started with a particular focus on how we can intensify our defense cooperation to address these big issues,” he added. “The world is not getting any less complicated. The world is interconnected in ways that we've never seen before. That presents tremendous opportunities and advantages for strong relationships and partnerships, and good governance and law and order. But it also presents new challenges as well.”

During his meeting with the Chilean leaders, Hagel said, he noted that as Chile develops its global relationships – particularly, its partnerships in in the Asia-Pacific region – the respect it enjoys as a security exporter and for its capacity and techniques will continue to be important in helping to build defense capacities for other nations.

“As we partner together with other nations, … they will need more capacity to deal these threats, so [Chile’s] role in that has been particularly important, will continue, and we appreciate it,” he said.

As a member of the United Nations Security Council, Chile has played an important role in helping to unify the international community against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant terrorists in Iraq and Syria, the secretary said, and he expressed appreciation for Chile's leadership in that effort.
Chile also is supporting the global response to the Ebola outbreak in West Africa, he noted. “Through trilateral programs such as the Global Peace Operations initiative,” he added, “we will continue to partner with Chile and Central American nations to deepen our security cooperation.”

He and Burgos also discussed Chile's peacekeeping leadership in Haiti, Cyprus, the Middle East and South Asia, Hagel said, adding that these efforts show that Chile's interests extend far beyond the Americas.

Shared interest in Asia-Pacific peace and prosperity

As Pacific nations with large and growing economies and economic interests in Asia, the secretary said, both Chile and the United States have a shared interest in the continued peace and prosperity and stability of the Asia-Pacific region.
“This year, Chile's navy helped lead a major part of the Rim of the Pacific exercise -- it's the world’s largest maritime exercise,” he said. “This was a first for any South American nation. And as the minister and I discussed, Chile could also share some of its other model defense capabilities to help promote stability further in Asia-Pacific.”

But even as the United States and Chile expand their cooperation in other regions, both nations remain committed to continued cooperation within their own hemisphere, “because transnational security challenges -- from climate change to ungoverned spaces, as well as effective responses to natural disasters -- requires the collaboration of all nations of the Americas,” Hagel said.
Enduring value of dialogue

“In this context,” he added, “the minister and I discussed the enduring value of the Conference of Defense Ministers of the Americas … and the importance of those conferences and the importance of the dialogue -- the exchange of ideas and thinking.”

The secretary emphasized the continuing U.S. support for Chile's leadership among conference nations in areas such as search and rescue cooperation, noting that Chile’s expertise in that area has become a model for other countries to follow.

“We share the views that all nations of this hemisphere must approach our common security challenges in a spirit of partnership,” Hagel said. “As President Obama said here in Santiago a few years ago, ‘In the Americas today, there are no senior partners and there are no junior partners. There are only equal partners.’

“That is the spirit of the U.S.-Chilean partnership,” Hagel continued, “and I look forward to working with Minister Burgos as we continue to strengthen that partnership between our militaries, between our economies, between our governments and between our people.”

WHITE HOUSE FACT SHEET: U.S. AND CHILE

FROM:  THE WHITE HOUSE 
FACT SHEET: The United States and Chile

Today, Vice President Joe Biden is in Chile to attend the inauguration of President-Elect Michelle Bachelet. The Vice President’s visit will underscore the long-standing close ties between the United States and Chile, and highlight our cooperation in the following areas:

Free Trade Agreement: The U.S.-Chile Free Trade Agreement continues to benefit both nations.  Bilateral trade in goods grew to $28 billion in 2013, which makes Chile our 29th largest goods trading partner overall and our fourth largest export partner in the Americas.  U.S. goods exports to Chile totaled $17.6 billion last year, representing an increase of 548 percent since the Agreement was signed in 2004.

Trans-Pacific Partnership: The United States and Chile are two of the twelve participants negotiating the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), which will be a comprehensive, high-standard, next-generation trade agreement.  Once concluded, the TPP will cover roughly 40 percent of global gross domestic product (GDP).  All of the participants stand to benefit from a successful and speedy conclusion of TPP negotiations.

Multilateral Issues: The United States looks forward to consulting closely with Chile as a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council and member of the UN Human Rights Council.  President Obama and President-Elect Bachelet launched our Trilateral Development Cooperation initiative in 2009, and we’ve worked together in countries as diverse as El Salvador, Guatemala and the Dominican Republic on matters as diverse as agriculture, assisting at-risk youth, and security cooperation.

Visa Waiver Program: On February 28th, Chile was designated the 38th country to participate in the U.S. Visa Waiver Program. Chile’s designation is a testament to our strong relations and its participation will have a tremendous impact in creating even stronger people-to-people ties between our countries.  It should also facilitate other potential initiatives to expedite trade and travel.  During his visit, the Vice President announced the implementation would be moved up from May 1st to March 31st.

100,000 Strong in the Americas: During his March 2011 visit to Chile, President Obama launched the “100,000 Strong in the Americas” initiative to increase educational exchange across the Americas.  Chile has already created three partnerships between U.S. and Chilean universities to increase student exchange. There are currently more than 3,000 U.S. students studying in Chile and more than 2,000 Chileans at American universities.  In January, the Vice President launched the initiative’s #InvestintheFuture campaign to start an online conversation between students, governments, and business about international education.

SECRETARY KERRY TOUTS LOWERING U.S. TRADE BARRIERS

FROM:  U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT 
Remarks at the Launch of the 100,000 Strong in the Americas Partnership
Remarks
John Kerry
Secretary of State
Loy Henderson Auditorium
Washington, DC
January 17, 2014

SECRETARY KERRY: Well, Ben, thank you very, very much. Thanks for your incredible collaboration and leadership on all of this. Mr. Vice President, thank you for being here with us today. And Kathleen Kennedy Townsend, old pal, thank you for being here and being part of this. And Roberta Jacobson, I just – her ears should be burning because I just swore in a new class of civil servants here, and I just called her “the best of the best” and a whole bunch of things, and so – look at her, she’s – (laughter). But she is doing a spectacular job. And Evan Ryan, who’s not up here, shares efforts on this, and we have a great team. And it’s really exciting to be able to be engaged in this kind of an initiative.

I know Roberta from her time as an OAS fellow in Argentina. Really found her worldview shaped through that experience. And so she comes to this with a very personal kind of early commitment that really helps us to translate this into the program that it’s becoming and going to become. And Kathleen Kennedy Townsend, likewise. I’ve watched her for years and years and years as she and I –

MS. TOWNSEND: A hundred years. (Laughter.)

SECRETARY KERRY: Well, you know. You and I – I actually knew Kathleen when she was – that puts me in a different category, and I think Senator Biden, too. So whatever happens, I’m – (laughter) – I’m way the hell ahead of you, so relax. (Laughter.)

I’m really pleased to see that Steve Vetter is here. He leads the Partners of the Americas, and that’s created opportunities across the hemisphere for more than five decades, no small accomplishment. And I’m also happy that Steve Ferst is here from NAFSA, another organization which has done so much to promote these kinds of global exchanges.

And most of all, I want to thank the fellow to my left, the Vice President of the United States, for being with us because his presence here really underscores the Administration’s priority of creating shared prosperity across the hemisphere. On official visits to Panama, Colombia, Mexico, Chile, Brazil, Trinidad and Tobago, and throughout his five years in the White House and well before that in the 30 years or so that he was on the Foreign Relations Committee, the Vice President has helped to make this priority a reality. And because of his pragmatic and personal commitment to this kind of diplomacy, connecting young people to the future, to opportunity – which is really getting people in touch with our values and their interests, and that marriage is critical. And the Vice President is a key asset for the President of the United States in helping us to engage and reach out in this kind of a program.

He and I both believe – as does President Obama. I think if there’s any topic that the President has put sort of first among equals, if you will, it’s education. And I – we share the belief, all of us here on this podium, education is the great equalizer of the 21st century, because of the dramatic changes that have taken place in the workplace and the challenges of globalization. And the success of many of the leaders in this room is, frankly, a testament to that reality. The Costa Rican ambassador, Muni Figueres, received her BA at City College in New York. Nester Mendez, the ambassador from Belize, did graduate work right down the street at George Washington. And Jose Antonio Meade, who I met with this morning in a trilateral with our friends from Canada, he is Mexico’s foreign secretary and he received his PhD at my alma mater, Yale University.

You have no idea how many people you meet – when I go around the world representing the country and meet a foreign minister, environment minister, finance minister, prime minister, president – who with pride talk about their time in the United States at one college or another or graduate school and what it has meant to shaping their views.

All of the people I just mentioned are distinguished diplomats who come from three different nations, and they pursued very different programs of study. But for each one of them, studying abroad in the United States helped them succeed in a much more internationalized world. As President Obama said last year in Mexico, “When we study together, we learn together, we work together, and we prosper together.” And that’s why the President launched this initiative of 100,000 Strong. It’s an ambitious goal: double the two-way traffic of young people studying in our respective universities.

So I’m proud to announce today that the State Department, with our partners in the private sector, have already raised – and we’ve just begun – have already raised a total of 3.65 million to promote study abroad and cross-cultural learning across the Americas. And as I said, that’s the beginning. We’re going to continue this effort.

These investments are going to help universities develop greater capacity to support study abroad, and they will challenge and reward institutions to find innovative ways to spur greater exchanges and to encourage schools and students who haven’t traditionally participated in this to come to see its value.

I am genuinely proud that the State Department is doing this, and I want to thank Santander Bank and ExxonMobil for their contribution as members of the 100,000 Strong in the Americas Founding Circle. I want to applaud Coca-Cola, Freeport McMoRan, and the Ford Foundation for being the initiative’s first contributing partners.

It’s also fitting that we host this event on that same day that Foreign Secretary Meade and I celebrated the 20th anniversary of NAFTA. And through two decades, the vast majority of North Americans have seen incredible benefits as we’ve lowered the barriers to trade, brought talent together and investments across the lines. We now trade about $1.2 trillion a year, compared to $77 billion with Brazil a year, and about $59 billion with India. So we massively, as North America, dwarf, and we haven’t paid enough attention, frankly, to building the longer-term future by creating this kind of relationship.

So I can tell you this: No matter where we’re from, every one of us shares the same basic aspiration – opportunity, security. And we all know that that better future is within reach if you have the chance to reach for the brass ring which comes from education. We are living in a world where countless countries, including this hemisphere, have vast populations under the age of 30 – 65 percent in some, 60 percent; 50 percent under the age of 21, 40 percent under the age of 18. And if those young people who are able to be wired and see what the rest of the world is getting and doing don’t have an opportunity to reach out and touch that, we’re all going to inherit the consequences of our lack of focus and inattention.

So it’s my honor now to introduce someone who has done so much in promoting these partnerships and this prosperity across our two continents, the Vice President of the United States, Joe Biden. (Applause.)

USS UNDERWOOD CREW COMMEMORATE CHILEAN NAVAL HERO ARTURO PRAT

FROM:  U.S. NAVY

VALPARAISO, Chile (June 6, 2012) Cmdr. Peter T. Mirisola, commanding officer of the Oliver Hazard Perry-class guided-missile frigate USS Underwood (FFG 36), and officers from the Chilean navy and U.S Military Group in Chile salute during a wreath-laying ceremony at the Arturo Prat Monument in Valparaiso, Chile. Underwood is deployed to Central and South America and the Caribbean in support of Southern Seas 2012. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Frank J. Pikul/Released) 

Underwood Crew Commemorates Chilean Naval Hero
By Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Frank J. Pikul, Southern Seas
2012 Public Affairs
VALPARAISO, Chile (NNS) -- Crew members from the Oliver Hazard Perry-class guided-missile frigate USS Underwood (FFG 36) participated in a wreath-laying ceremony at the Arturo Prat Monument in Valparaiso, Chile, June 6.

The ceremony was held to honor Capt. Arturo Prat, a Chilean naval hero, and other fallen Chilean sailors who fought during the War of the Pacific.

"The Chileans honor Capt. Arturo Prat and the other sailors who fought beside him because they respect the bravery of the men who followed him into battle," said Cmdr. David Brown, a U.S. Navy representative in Chile. "Those sailors sacrificed their lives in the defense of Chile."

The War of the Pacific was fought between Chile and Peru in the late 19th century. During the Battle of Iquique, Prat attempted to board a Peruvian vessel and was killed during the attack. His bravery is honored every year by the Chilean president's visit to the monument. May 21, the anniversary of the battle, is also annually celebrated in Chile as "Navy Day."

"The Chileans are very proud of their naval heritage and traditions and they honor bravery," said Brown.

Approximately 10 Sailors from Underwood were selected to attend the ceremony and were invited to tour the crypt beneath the monument, a special honor as the crypt is only opened three times a year.

"I think it is good to let the Sailors from Underwood experience this because it is a part of naval history and gives a unique perspective on how other navies honor their dead," said Brown.

Underwood is in Chile to promote cooperation and friendship between the U.S. and Chilean navies and is deployed to Central and South America and the Caribbean in support of Southern Seas 2012.

U.S. Naval Forces Southern Command and U.S. 4th Fleet (COMUSNAVSO/C4F) supports USSOUTHCOM joint and combined full-spectrum military operations by providing principally sea-based, forward presence to ensure freedom of maneuver in the maritime domain, to foster and sustain cooperative relationships with international partners and to fully exploit the sea as maneuver space in order to enhance regional security and promote peace, stability, and prosperity in the Caribbean, Central and South American regions.

U.S. DEFENSE SECRETARY PANETTA MEETS WITH SOUTH AMERICAN DEFENSE LEADERS

FROM:  AMERICAN FORCES PRESS SERVICE
U.S. Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta observes a Brazilian Marine Corps demonstration with Adm. Ferando Antonio at Governor's Island Marine Base, Rio de Janeiro, April 25, 2012. Panetta is on a five-day trip to the region to meet with counterparts and military officials in Colombia, Brazil and Chile to discuss an expansion of defense and security cooperation. DOD photo by U.S. Navy Petty Officer 1st Class Chad J. McNeeley  


Panetta: U.S., Brazil Partnership 'Is the Future'
By Cheryl Pellerin
RIO DE JANEIRO, April 26, 2012 - On the second day of his first official visit to Brazil, Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta addressed a war college audience, watched an amphibious assault demonstration by Brazilian Marines, and paid tribute to Brazil's fallen heroes of World War II.


Panetta has met so far this week with military officials in Colombia and Brazil on a South American trip that aims to expand defense and security cooperation with countries that are important in the region and, increasingly, the world.


"The United States and Brazil begin with a very important strength," Panetta told military officers at the Escola Superior de Guerra -- Portuguese for Superior War College. The secretary said the two nations share the same values and respect for human rights and democracy.


"And if, using that, we can begin to develop the kind of cooperative relationship that we have in the security area, I think our countries can not only help promote security in this hemisphere but can work together to try to promote peace in the world," he said.
"This is the kind of partnership that is the future," noted Panetta, who fielded questions after his lecture.


A Brazilian Navy fleet captain asked if a decade of war in Iraq and Afghanistan had reduced the power of the U.S. military and if recent and significant budget tightening represented a transformation or was just a way to save money.


"In many ways," the secretary replied to the Brazilian captain's question, "it represents taking into consideration all the factors you just talked about."
Panetta explained how in a time of fiscal constraints Congress directed the Defense Department to reduce its budget by $487 billion over 10 years.


"My problem is that, even though after 10 years of war we are seeing some successes in Iraq and Afghanistan and on the war on terrorism, we still [have] major threats to confront in the world," he said, noting the dangers posed by terrorist groups like al-Qaida, instability in North Korea and Iran, unrest in the Middle East, and cybersecurity threats.
In view of these threats, Panetta said he rejected across-the-board defense cuts in favor of four guidelines. The secretary vowed that the Defense Department would:
-- Maintain the world's finest military.


-- Avoid hollowing out the force. A smaller, ready and well-equipped military is better than a larger, ill-prepared force that has been arbitrarily cut across-the-board.
-- Achieve savings in a balanced manner, with everything on the table.
-- Preserve the quality of the all-volunteer force and not break faith with the men and women in uniform or their families.


Based on these guidelines and with input from all the services, the department developed "a defense strategy that would meet those goals and provide the force we need not just now but in 2020 and beyond," Panetta said.
"At the same time we can't avoid our responsibilities in the rest of the world," the secretary added, "and that's where this hemisphere comes into play."
The United States must work with other countries, including Brazil, to develop innovative partnerships, he said. The United States military, he added, must invest in the technologies of the future -- cyberspace, unmanned systems, and space -- and appreciate the unique capabilities provided by special operations forces.


"We feel very good about the strategy [because] ... it was developed not only because of the budget but because of what we felt we needed to put in place to keep our country strong for the future," Panetta said. "And I recommend to all of you as students, there are elements of the strategy that Brazil and other countries ought to consider as you move forward."


After the lecture, Panetta visited Brazil's World War II Memorial here in Flamengo Park, established in 1965 to honor Brazilian troops killed while serving alongside U.S. troops in Italy.


Panetta and other U.S. and Brazilian officials toured a small museum there, and then placed a wreath in honor of the fallen heroes as rose petals released from the memorial structure drifted down onto the solemn crowd.


Later, at the Governor's Island Marine Base, Panetta and his delegation watched from an observation post as Brazilian special operations troops staged an amphibious beach assault.


During the exercise, two special operations teams used inflatable boats to infiltrate the site of a radar station, "killing" an enemy lookout and reducing the station to splinters with a fiery explosion.


Automatic weapons fire, incoming helicopters, troops, amphibious craft, a tank-carrying landing craft and many colored-smoke-belching grenades completed the demonstration.
Toward the end of the day, Panetta visited the 130-foot statue of Christ the Redeemer, its arms outstretched at the top of the 2,300-foot Corcovado Mountain in Tijuca Forest National Park, overlooking the city and the sea.
"In the world of today," Panetta had said at the war college, "we believe it is important for other countries to develop their military capabilities and provide for security for their people and security for this hemisphere."
The best way to deal with common challenges in today's world, the secretary said, "is to work together, not apart."


"That's why I'm here in Brazil," he added. "Because this is an important place to start that kind of relationship."

SECRETARY OF DEFENSE PANETTA WORKS TO EXPAND SOUTH AMERICAN DEFENSE TIES

FROM:  AMERICAN FORCES PRESS SERVICE

Panetta Visit to Expand South American Defense Ties

By Cheryl Pellerin

WASHINGTON, April 22, 2012 - During his first visit to South America as defense secretary, which starts today, Leon E. Panetta will meet over the next week with military officials in Brazil, Colombia and Chile, Pentagon Press Secretary George Little said.

The secretary "is looking to expand defense and security cooperation with three important countries in the region and, increasingly, in the world," Little added.

Panetta will travel to Brasilia and Rio de Janiero in Brazil, Bogota in Colombia, and Santiago in Chile.

This trip follows a late-March visit by Army Gen. Martin E. Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, to the U.S. Southern Command in Miami, Fla., and then to Brazil and Colombia.

In Brazil Dempsey met with Defense Minister Antonio Celoso Amorim and top-ranking military official Gen. Jose Carlos de Nardi in Brasilia, and in Bogota with Colombian Defense Minister Juan Carlos Pinzon Bueno and Gen. Alejandro Navas, commander of the Colombian Armed Forces.

For Panetta, one set of discussions in South America will focus on partnering with Brazil, Chile and Colombia to help build capacity for the military to assist civil authorities in such Central American nations as Guatemala, El Salvador and Belize, a senior defense official told reporters in a background briefing on Friday.

"The challenges these countries face are towering compared to their own capacity to deal with them," he said, adding that Brazil, Chile and Colombia already are significant contributors to building partner capacity.

Colombia, for example, offers capacity-building assistance in 16 countries inside and outside the region, including Africa.

Colombian service members have trained more than two dozen Mexican helicopter pilots and now train police in Honduras and Guatemala. The nation also provides assistance in nondefense areas like justice reform, the official said.

Also in the region, in the aftermath of the January 2010 earthquake and tsunami in Haiti, thousands of U.S. and Brazilian military personnel worked together to provide life-saving relief to the Haitian people. It was the largest combined operation of U.S. and Brazilian military forces since they fought together as allies in World War II.

"We could have done better in Haiti if we had glued together the system in advance to provide for more effective defense support to civil authorities," the official said.

"By collaborating with [all three countries]," he added, "the United States can get down to specifics about which country will be conducting specific initiatives and what kinds of initiatives, so together we can ensure the investment we're making ... is as efficient and effective as possible."

During an April 9 meeting in Washington, President Barack Obama and Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff established the U.S.-Brazil Defense Cooperation Dialogue and announced that Panetta and Amorim would hold the first meeting this week in Brazil.

The DCD will help bolster cooperation between DOD and Brazil's Ministry of National Defense, and between the nations' militaries, the White House said in a statement.

Beyond the Western Hemisphere, the Defense Department is looking to Colombia and Brazil, both of which already have deep ties to Africa and now provide assistance there, to help U.S. Africa Command with peacekeeping and other efforts there.

"Africa typifies the situation we're in, where the United States has limited capacity to help build partner capabilities," the defense official said.

"Brazil and Colombia ... are stepping up to the plate. Let's collaborate with them, establish a dialogue between their militaries and Africom so we're working in mutual support in an informed, cooperative way," he added.

Panetta will also seek to expand the range of defense collaborations, including traditional military efforts such as training, exchanges and joint exercises.

"Clearly we still have plenty to talk about in continuing to support the Colombians in their efforts against [the narcoterrorist group FARC, for Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarios de Colombia or Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia]to talk about counternarcotics," the official said.

Panetta also will discuss new challenges like cyber security and defense support to civil authorities that offer opportunities for collaboration.

In 2014 Brazil will host the Fédération Internationale de Football Association, or FIFA, World Cup tournament in Rio de Janeiro, and two years later that city will host the 2016 Olympic Games.

"We know in the United States how to provide defense support to civil authorities, to law enforcement or to help prepare for the kinds of challenges these world-class sporting events can attract," he said, "so we're going to share expertise [and] talk about the kind of dialogue that will help nations get prepared."

He added, "In the context of limited resources of the United States for defense ... we have an opportunity to partner together with other nations so they become security exporters."

Panetta, Little said, sees Brazil, Chile and Colombia "as increasingly important players on the regional stage and also in terms of their leadership roles internationally."

All have made progress in terms of their economies, their militaries and their political situations over the last several years, he added.

FUNDING OF INTERNATIONAL PROGRAMS ON INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY TRAINING

FROM:  U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT
Intellectual Property Training Programs Funded
Media Note Office of the Spokesperson Washington, DC
April 19, 2012
As part of U.S. efforts to combat transnational crime and promote the protection of intellectual property rights (IPR) worldwide, the U.S. Department of State has approved twelve projects totaling $2.6 million in Fiscal Year 2011 anticrime funds. These projects will enable U.S. law enforcement agencies and diplomatic missions to collaborate on the delivery of IPR protection criminal enforcement training and technical assistance programs for foreign law enforcement partners.

Training and technical assistance in the investigation and prosecution of IPR crime will be provided to foreign law enforcement partners in nations across the Pacific Rim, Latin America, and sub-Saharan Africa. The Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs and the Bureau of Economic and Business Affairs selected the projects after considering input from the U.S. Intellectual Property Enforcement Coordinator, other federal agencies, our overseas missions, Congress, and industry representatives.

The twelve projects are:
1) Africa - Western Regional Workshops $182,000
Training for West African customs authorities on methods to identify and seize infringing goods.
2) Africa - Sub-Saharan Regional Workshops $525,920
Workshops for Sub-Saharan African law enforcement partners focusing on border enforcement, following the money trail, organized crime involvement in trafficking of counterfeit medicines, and gathering electronic evidence.
3) Africa - East Central Regional Workshops $255,936
Regional training for East African law enforcement authorities in combating counterfeit medicines which threaten human health and safety.
4) ASEAN $242,329
A series of workshops for Association of Southeast Asian Nation (ASEAN) member state judges and prosecutors focused on judicial and prosecutorial management of IPR cases, especially those that involve transnational organized crime.
5) Brazil $150,644
Training seminars through the U.S. Embassy partnership with the Brazilian Government focusing on “notorious markets” identified in the United States Trade Representative (USTR) Special 301 Out-Of-Cycle reviews.
6) Chile $100,000
Training for Chilean judges on handling IPR crimes cases, including development of a judicial bench book and follow up monitoring by the U.S. Mission.
7) Colombia $70,000
Training for the Colombia National Police on combating IPR crime.
8) South Asia Regional $210,185
Joint workshops with Indian, People’s Republic of China, and ASEAN IPR enforcement officials to strengthen and build stronger cross-border partnerships.
9) Mexico $438,814
Training for Mexican enforcement partners on following the money trail, digital evidence in online piracy cases, and border and customs enforcement.
(10) Philippines $175,171
Seminars for Philippine judges and prosecutors on courtroom and case management procedures in IPR cases.
(11) Thailand $184,000
Training for Thai judges, customs officials, and prosecutors to strengthen skills needed to carry out Thai IPR reforms.
(12) Turkey $106,375
Training for Turkish judges and law enforcement officials involved in new special IPR courts.