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Association
of American
Chambers of Commerce in Latin America
1615 H Street, N.W., Washington D.C., 20062-2000
tel: (202) 463-5485 - fax: (202) 463-3126
inbox@aaccla.org - www.aaccla.org
About
AACCLA
AACCLA serves as:
- a reliable
source of information on regional trade and investment issues;
- a critical
point of communication between the AmChams, members of the U.S. Chamber
of Commerce, and the U.S. government;
- a vehicle
for companies based in the U.S. to reach one of the largest business
federations in the hemisphere;
- a coordinator
of face-to-face interaction between business and government leaders
of the Western Hemisphere; and
- a resource
for publications produced by the AmChams, including: membership directories,
business guides,
investment profiles, and magazines.
AACCLA's Mission
AACCLA's
mission is to promote trade and investment between the United States and
the countries of the region through free trade, free markets, and free
enterprise.
AACCLA's Objectives
- Advance
the Free Trade Area of the Americas
- Champion
U.S. programs to boost trade and investment
- Build
grassroots support in the U.S. for our trade and investment agenda
- Network
the AmChams through our communication tools
- Leverage our business network to ensure disaster preparedness
AACCLA's Members
AACCLA
http://www.aaccla.org
Chamber of Commerce of the United States in Argentina
http://www.amchamar.com.ar
American Chamber of Commerce of Bolivia http://www.bolivianet.com/amcham
American Chamber of Commerce for Brazil/Rio de Janeiro http://www.amchamrio.com.br
American Chamber of Commerce for Brazil/São Paulo http://www.amcham.com.br
Chilean-American Chamber of Commerce http://www.amchamchile.cl
Colombian-American Chamber of Commerce http://www.amchamcolombia.com.co
Costa Rican-American Chamber of Commerce http://www.amcham.co.cr
American Chamber of Commerce of the Dominican Republic
http://www.amcham.org.do
Ecuadorian-American Chamber of Commerce/Guayaquil http://www.caecam.org
Ecuadorian-American Chamber of Commerce/Quito http://www.ecamcham.com
American Chamber of Commerce of El Salvador
http://www.amchamsal.com
American Chamber of Commerce in Guatemala http://www.guatemalanamcham.com
Haitian-American Chamber of Commerce and Industry hamcham@globelsud.net
Honduran-American Chamber of Commerce http://www.amcham.hn2.com
American Chamber of Commerce of Jamaica http://www.amchamjamaica.org
American Chamber/Mexico http://www.amcham.com.mx
American Chamber of Commerce of Nicaragua http://amchamnic.com
American Chamber of Commerce & Industry of Panama http://www.panamcham.com
Paraguayan-American Chamber of Commerce
http://www.pamcham.com.py
American Chamber of Commerce of Peru http://www.amcham.org.pe
American Chamber of Commerce of Trinidad & Tobago http://www.amchamtt.com
Chamber of Commerce Uruguay-U.S.A. http://www.zfm.com/amchamuru
Venezuelan-American Chamber of Commerce and Industry http://www.venamcham.org
Program
Of Work Summary
AACCLA is committed to making this the "Century of the Americas."
Priorities in 2002 include:
- Generate
support among government officials and business leaders in all the countries
where we operate for the following trade liberalization initiatives:
- The
Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA);
- The
WTO's Doha Development Agenda;
- Bilateral
free trade agreements with Chile and Central America;
- Bilateral
investment and tax treaties; and
- Other initiatives as they arise.
- The
Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA);
- Provide input to trade negotiators to ensure that the final text of the FTAA reflects the private sector's priorities to the greatest degree possible, with the AACCLA Secretariat serving as liaison to the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative and the AmChams playing the same role with their host governments.
- Use the Association's events, briefings, and meetings with U.S. officials to (a) underscore the need to renew U.S. leadership on the hemispheric trade agenda and to jumpstart Latin America's incomplete economic reforms and to (b) enhance AACCLA's profile as a respected source of information on business in the Americas.
- Host heads of state and cabinet-level officials from throughout the hemisphere at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, thus offering a forum for serious discussion of commercial issues.
- Strengthen relationships with members of the U.S. Congress and key staff as a way to develop a reservoir of good will toward Latin America and the Caribbean.
- Backstop the AmChams as they lobby the U.S. Congress and the Administration and organize doorknocks upon request.
- Work with the U.S. Chamber's TradeRoots program to build a network of business executives, chamber professionals, and local leaders in the United States who will support free trade initiatives.
- Support efforts to modernize U.S. customs and immigration procedures to enhance security while facilitating trade, particularly through the U.S. Chamber-led "Americans for Better Borders" coalition.
- Engage
the Hispanic business community in the activities and programs of AACCLA
by leveraging Access Americas, a U.S. Chamber of Commerce initiative
established to expand business opportunities for women and minority
business owners.
Letter from the President
The Association of American Chambers of Commerce in Latin America (AACCLA) has truly come of age with the new century. Representing 23 American Chambers of Commerce in 21 Latin American and Caribbean nations, the Association's 20,000 member companies manage over 80 percent of all U.S. investment in the region today.
Since its inception in the late 1960s, AACCLA has worked tirelessly to promote trade and investment between the United States and Latin America and the Caribbean. The Association's Governing Board, the Washington-based Secretariat, and the AmChams themselves have rallied again and again to make the case for free trade, free markets, and free enterprise.
Success has a thousand fathers, but AACCLA and the AmChams should indeed be proud of the strong advocacy role we have played in winning approval of legislation to expand trade and investment opportunities throughout the hemisphere. The Andean Trade Preference Act, the North American Free Trade Agreement, and the recently approved United States-Caribbean Basin Trade Partnership Act have each in turn served as a rallying point for our far-flung members. We have suffered our defeats in the U.S. Congress and in other legislatures and international gatherings, but we have won more battles than we have lost.
There is no doubt that the next few years will be critical to our Association and to the prospects for our businesses in the emerging hemispheric market. Thirty-four nations throughout the Americas have pledged to complete the Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA) by 2005. More than just another trade agreement, the FTAA will affect how we do business at every level. The opportunities it will offer the hemisphere are without precedent. In short, business must provide a vigorous show of support to win approval of the FTAA, and in this task AACCLA is committed to leading the way.
While our best years surely lie ahead, I believe it is important to bear in mind AACCLA's impressive history. AmCham leaders first recognized the need to band together at a 1966 meeting in New Jersey, and the leaders of the American Chambers in Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Mexico, and Venezuela laid the foundations of the Association the following year in Caracas. The formal incorporation of the Association took place in September 1969.
In the following three decades, trade in the Americas has risen 50-fold, and total U.S. investment in Latin America and the Caribbean has reached hundreds of billions of dollars. Transportation services have changed beyond recognition, with hub-and-spoke jet travel and overnight courier services replacing the slow and uncertain aircraft and ships of yesterday. Communications between and within businesses have advanced from telegraph and telex to fax and e-mail. Our predecessors would be amazed.
What does the future hold? This report represents our effort to measure our recent progress, to make plain our objectives, and to map out our activities in the near future. AACCLA has grown and matured in parallel with the explosion in trade and investment in the Americas, but our Association will be challenged to keep pace with the expansion of business in the hemisphere in the next five to ten years.
Nonetheless, this is a challenge for which we are well prepared. Working together as a federation of diverse and influential AmChams, with the strong support of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, AACCLA will forge into the new century with the conviction that the cause that brought us together - hemispheric free trade - is an idea whose time has come.
Sincerely,
Maston N.
Cunningham
President
AACCLA Information Services
An important part of AACCLA's role as a hemispheric business network is our ability to serve as an information resource for our members. AACCLA offers the following services:
E-NEWS: AACCLA's primary information service is "e-news," the Association's electronic newsletter. Prepared by the AACCLA Secretariat exclusively for the members of the 23 American Chambers of Commerce in Latin America, e-news provides regular updates on policy, events, and activities. Through this medium, the AACCLA Secretariat strives to keep the AmChams informed about how issues of concern to business are unfolding in Washington and throughout the hemisphere - and how AACCLA is weighing in with policymakers. This service is available only via e-mail and is issued once every two weeks.
WWW.AACCLA.ORG: Another key information service is the AACCLA website. The site offers daily news updates, issue briefs, event information, and links to AmCham websites. AACCLA members can also access AACCLA archives, administrative memoranda, and directories.
NEWS FLASHES: This service provides news articles discussing the most important developments in U.S.-Latin-American commerce. Authoritative sources such as the New York Times, Washington Post, Journal of Commerce, Financial Times, Chicago Tribune, Los Angeles Times, Boston Globe and Washington Times, are scanned each morning for articles of interest to business. Available by e-mail only.
If you would like to receive AACCLA's regular information services, please provide the following information to the AACCLA Secretariat. Send this information to the attention of Omar Sánchez at the fax number or e-mail address listed above.
Name:
Title:
AmCham and/or Company:
Address:
City and Country:
Telephone:
Fax:
E-mail:
Thank you.
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