AACCLA is a strong advocate of policies that facilitate free trade and economic development in the United States, Latin America, and the Caribbean. The AACCLA Secretariat in Washington, DC serves as a liaison between the private sector and the U.S. Government and lobbies to improve trade relations within the hemisphere by:
- meeting with U.S. Congress members and congressional staff, Administration officials, and foreign government representatives;
- testifying before key U.S. congressional committees;
- hosting business conferences featuring key players on international trade;
- generating support from the U.S. business community; and
- providing research and analysis for educational purposes.
AACCLA forms its policy objectives through constant dialogue with its network of 23 AmChams in almost every country in Latin America. These consultations enable AACCLA to identify the most important issues to U.S. investors and their trading partners and to lobby effectively for policies that will address these concerns. In this section you will find information on policy issues affecting trade and investment in the hemisphere.
This section provides the policy action items that make up AACCLA’s 2019 Strategic Plan and Program of Work around three core priorities and 9 strategic initiatives:
PROMOTE OUR COMMON VALUES
Negotiating a Better World – Communicating AmCham Values
- Ensure effective communication of AACCLA and AmCham values and emphasizing our value proposition.
- Underscore that we are apolitical and trusted partners.
- Continue to plan social media communication campaigns to promote our values.
Task Force on the Rule of Law
- Provide business leadership on the Rule of Law.
- Describe and highlight private sector commitments in this field.
- Draw from the private sector’s expertise and experience to provide recommendations to governments.
ADVOCATE TO A RELEVANT POLICY AGENDA
Frictionless Hemisphere – Reduce Transaction Costs and Red Tape
- Seek to lower transaction costs throughout the hemisphere by promoting digitalization, reducing bureaucratic procedures and slashing red tape.
- Continue to identify and share regional best practices of AmCham/Company engagement with governments on these specific issues.
Bottom-Up Policy Agenda – Update Common Policy Priorities
- Develop the ‘Bottom-Up’ Survey in order to identify AmCham/Company feedback on their “on-the-ground” public policy priorities while allowing the Secretariat to find common threads on issues not yet contemplated in the existing seven policy priorities.
- Leverage AACCLA’s position as a clearinghouse for best practices and relevant information in order to advance these common policy priorities.
Share In-Depth Policy Expertise
- The results of the ‘Bottom-Up’ Survey will allow AACCLA to review the current and future policy priorities and will serve as the basis for a policy toolkit.
- Develop a consolidated toolkit, a living document, which incorporates AmCham and Company best practices, position papers, talking points, subject matter experts, and other relevant information.
TRANSFORM AMCHAM SERVICES
Center for Excellence – AmCham Best Practices
- The Center for Excellence will develop, compile and share the highest standards of AmCham Best Practices.
AACCLA on the Web
- Create a members-only online-shared platform within AACCLA’s webpage.
- The forum will be a space where the network can share content and documents, share social media campaigns, upload magazines, etc.
AACCLA in Action – Policy and Member Updates
- Connect the AACCLA network through a monthly newsletter.
- Establish a new and constant channel of communication highlighting AACCLA’s upcoming events, new policy issues, relevant political and economic updates from Washington, D.C. and the region, and general AACCLA information.
Spark – Strategic Partners
- Strengthen AACCLA’s network in the United States.
- Develop a directory of strategic partners that can serve as resources for AmChams.