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North American Leaders Summit (NALS)

NALS Overview

The North American Leaders' Summit is an annual meeting of the Heads of Government for the United States, Canada, and Mexico. NALS provides the opportunity for the leaders of North America to discuss their visions for a prosperous and secure future for the citizens of all three countries and their shared commitment to work together to realize that vision. Canada will host the next NALS on June 29, 2016 in Ottawa. This summit will be an opportunity for the President of the United States, Barack Obama, the Prime Minister of Canada, Justin Trudeau, and the President of Mexico, Enrique Peña Nieto, to discuss key priorities aimed at creating a more integrated, sustainable, and competitive North American economy.

Latest NALS Meeting

On June 29, 2016 President Obama met in Ottawa, Canada with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau of Canada and President Enrique Peña Nieto of Mexico for the North American Leaders' Summit. They announced initiatives to enhance North America's economic competiveness; expand our efforts on climate change, clean energy, and the environment; solidify our regional and global cooperation; and strengthen our security and defense:

• Economic Competitiveness

The economies of the United States, Canada, and Mexico are deeply integrated. Canada and Mexico are our second and third largest trading partners. Our trade with them exceeds $1.2 trillion dollars annually. This trade will grow even more with the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), which will promote high-standards trade and open doors for U.S. companies in North America and dynamic economies in Latin America and Asia. Under the North American Competitiveness Work Plan, the United States, Canada, and Mexico aim to reduce costs for business and facilitate partnerships by improving supply chain efficiency, advancing innovation and economic development, and engaging the private sector.

Addressing Global Excess Capacity

Recognizing the negative impact that excess production of steel and aluminum has on companies, workers and trade in North America, we reached consensus on a broad range of trade policy instruments and actions to enforce our rights, consistent with World Trade Organization rules and disciplines. We reaffirmed our three governments' cooperation through the North American Steel Trade Committee (NASTC) to strengthen mechanisms at the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development and other fora to quickly address government policies that lead to distortions in the steel sector and contribute to excess capacity, including curtailing government subsidies and other supports that artificially maintain or increase steelmaking capacity, enhancing transparency and information sharing about capacity and production developments, and seeking robust policy commitments to address excess capacity and encourage adjustment.

Canada, Mexico, and the United States further recognize the need for our Customs agencies to work together to ensure robust trade enforcement at our borders, including increased information sharing on high-risk shipments. We will initiate a trilateral customs dialogue at the North American Steel Trade Committee to discuss these efforts and additional collaboration in order to strengthen the North American position in the global economy.

Education, Inclusive Growth

Our economic competiveness depends on our shared commitment to education, inclusive economic growth, and engagement with the private sector and civil society. The leaders announced the creation of the North American Center for Collaborative Development to pursue joint research and foster exchanges between academics and others on climate change, energy, manufacturing, economic integration, and indigenous peoples.

Leaders underscored the need to develop the next generation of indigenous leaders. The United States, through the State Department's International Visitor Leadership Program and the Fulbright Specialist Program, will bring together indigenous youth and promote linkages between North American higher education institutions on projects that provide indigenous youth with opportunities to travel, engage with each other, and hone their professional skills. Mexico joins the United States and Canada in the Let Girls Learn initiative to increase educational opportunities for adolescent girls by increasing enrollment in their Escuelas Mexico Program, which provides opportunities for girls to attend school throughout the hemisphere.

The United States, Canada, and Mexico signed a memorandum of understanding to advance joint efforts to promote women-owned small and medium enterprises by fostering partnerships. The Leaders resolved to develop partnerships among small business service centers to connect women-owned businesses; advance the Women's Entrepreneurship in the Americas initiative, which increases women's economic participation and reduces barriers faces when starting and growing a business in North America; and provide business growth opportunities by connecting women entrepreneurs during the upcoming Americas Competiveness Exchange on Innovation and Entrepreneurship, which Canada will host in September.

The United States will host the first annual Stakeholder Dialogue on North American Competiveness this fall in Washington. The dialogue will provide private sector, local government, labor, and civil society representatives an opportunity to contribute ideas on increasing North American competitiveness.

North American Cluster Map

The leaders announced their commitment to establish a North American Cluster Map. Mexico will publicly release its national map in July, and Canada has committed to develop a national map. The maps, which will show clusters of interconnected companies, suppliers, and institutions and be available for free on line, will allow individuals, businesses and local governments to identify investment and trade opportunities and plan economic development strategies to most strategically identify areas for investment and understand the strengths of their region.

Trusted Traveler

Improving our economic competiveness requires reducing the time and cost for individuals to cross our borders. Nearly 5 million people already participate in our individual countries' trusted traveler programs, facilitating entry into each country for low-risk, pre-screened travelers by allowing them to bypass lines and use automated kiosks to pass through customs and immigration checks more quickly. To considerably increase participation in the program, the United States, Canada, and Mexico will inaugurate a trilateral trusted traveler program by the end of 2016 and launch a single portal application for all three countries' programs by the end of 2017.

Innovation and Technology in Border Processing

We are committed to ensuring we have in North America the most innovative and efficient borders in the world through the use of advanced technology, innovative processing, and automated systems. We will continue to leverage advanced tools to make processing at the border faster and more efficient, including in the areas of intelligent transportation systems, electronic kiosks for traveler purposes, and mobile phone applications. We will continue to develop innovative approaches to border management, such as remote traveler processing pilots using kiosks that incorporate live video feeds, a single web portal to apply for trusted traveler membership, and more aligned cargo information requirements to simplify reporting for traders. We will also bolster our use of data analytics to support economic impact and flow projections and to inform resource allocation requirements for cross border infrastructure.

Regulatory Cooperation

The United States, Canada, and Mexico commit to pursue greater alignment of our respective energy sectors to promote greater trade and economic competiveness. Building upon existing bilateral cooperation, regulators from all three countries will meet this fall to determine how to reduce or eliminate existing differences in regulatory requirements and prevent future discrepancies.

• Climate, Energy, and the Environment

The United States, Canada, and Mexico share a strong track record of actions to tackle climate change, from supporting the Paris Agreement to ambitious domestic actions that support a clean and resilient economy at home. The three leaders declared their common vision in a historic North American Climate, Clean Energy, and Environment Partnership, described in a Leaders' Statement and Action Plan that details the actions our leaders will pursue. These actions include:

• Setting a target to increase clean power to 50% of the electricity generated across North America by 2025.

• Reducing methane emissions from the oil and gas sector by 40-45% by 2025.

• Strengthening standards for energy efficiency and vehicle emissions, including aligning energy efficiency standards that will amount to over $4 billion per year in annual savings for US businesses and consumers by 2025.

• Strengthening vehicle efficiency, improving fuel quality, and reducing tailpipe pollutants.

• Affirming their support for joining and implementing the Paris Agreement this year and committing to work together to address climate issues through the Montreal Protocol, International Civil Aviation Organization, G-20, and other forums.

• Celebrating our strong environmental cooperation, including expanding cooperation on early warning systems for natural disasters, supporting habitat for migratory species including Monarchs and birds, and developing action plans to combat wildlife trafficking.

These policies not only make sense for the environment, they support jobs in a clean growth economy. Renewable energy generation, power transmission, and energy efficiency projects and policies to achieve our clean power goal will support more than one million jobs on average by 2025 in the United States. Consistent with this goal, the U.S. General Services Administration, which manages 9,600 federally owned and leased buildings, is committing to 100% clean power procurement for the facilities it manages by 2025.

• Regional and Global Cooperation

Our countries share a common set of values and vision for global cooperation. The Leaders agreed to establish a "North American Caucus" to more effectively work in concert on regional and global issues by holding semi-annual coordination meetings among our foreign ministries.

Refugees

Canada and Mexico, along with Ethiopia, Germany, Jordan, and Sweden, will co-host the President's Summit on Refugees in September. The goal of this Summit is to increase overall humanitarian funding by 30 percent, double the number of resettled refugees or refugees provided other legal forms of admission, enroll 1 million more refugee children in school, and allow an additional 1 million refugees access to employment. Consistent with ongoing efforts to advance the objectives of the Summit, Leaders announced a $10 million North American commitment to the UNHCR appeal for Central American refugees and asylum seekers. Leaders reaffirmed their commitment to encourage other UN Member States to make new and significant commitments to refugee protection and assistance.

Hemispheric Cooperation

Leaders reaffirmed North America's commitment to address the economic, governance, and security challenges that contribute to irregular migration from Central America. The United States has committed in Fiscal Year 2016 $750 million to help Central America reverse endemic violence and poverty, crack down on criminal networks, corruption, and impunity, strengthen good governance and the rule of law, and promote economic prosperity. The Leaders reaffirmed North America's commitment to support efforts in the fight against corruption and impunity in Central America. Next year, the United States anticipates providing $5.2 million to the OAS' Mission to Support the Fight against Corruption and Impunity in Honduras and $7.5 million for the International Commission Against Impunity in Guatemala. The United States is contributing $4.5 million to support climate-smart agriculture in Central America and seeks to provide additional support. Canada will contribute C$13 million and Mexico is also seeking to provide funding to support climate smart agriculture projects, particularly in the Central American Dry Corridor, in 2017. In May, the United States hosted the U.S.-Caribbean-Central American Energy Summit – in which Canada and Mexico participated – to advance energy security, enhance regional energy cooperation, support clean energy integration, and promote donor coordination.

The United States, Canada, and Mexico support an inclusive and timely national dialogue between the Venezuelan government and opposition; encourage respect for the separation of powers, rule of law, democratic institutions and a fair and timely implementation of constitutional mechanisms; and call on the responsible authorities to guarantee due process, including the right of peaceful assembly and free expressions of ideas.

Leaders reaffirmed North America's strong support for President Santos's efforts to finalize a peace accord with the FARC guerrillas. The United States, Canada and Mexico strongly support the United Nations Special Political Mission in Colombia to monitor and verify a definitive bilateral ceasefire, the cessation of hostilities, and the disarmament of the FARC. Leaders renewed North America's commitment to the Global Demining Initiative for Colombia to provide resources and technical assistance to help the country rid itself of landmines within five years. The United States is providing $33 million to this initiative.

The United States remains committed to helping Haiti build strong and accountable democratic institutions, attract foreign investment, and create economic opportunities for its citizens. The United States, Canada, and Mexico are disappointed with the Haitian Provisional Electoral Council's decision to re-run presidential elections. Recognizing the economic and humanitarian challenges that the Haitian people face, the Leaders call for a peaceful, transparent, and credible election to seat a democratically-elected president as soon as possible.

Democracy and Human Rights

Recognizing the 15th anniversary of the Inter-American Democratic Charter, the leaders reaffirmed North America's commitment to strengthen, promote, and defend democracy and human rights throughout the hemisphere and committed to raise awareness of the valuable contributions that civil society makes to democracy and development. North America provides about three-quarters of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights' budget to protect and defend human rights throughout the hemisphere, including in our own countries. We pledge our continued political and financial support for the Commission, and call on OAS member and observer states to increase their support for it.

The United States, Canada, and Mexico call on all members of the international community to ensure full respect for the human rights of all persons, including lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and intersex persons. Leaders reaffirmed their solidarity with LGBTI communities, and confirm their unequivocal support for the establishment of an independent expert at the United Nations Human Rights Council on preventing violence and discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity.

2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development

North America is committed to joint and coordinated actions to implement the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, including the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the Addis Ababa Action Agenda. Together, we are forging innovative partnerships to mobilize human, technological, and financial resources to facilitate the availability and use of data to achieve and monitor progress towards the SDGs and promote evidence-based decision making and drive innovation to address sustainable development challenges. As part of this, we are collaborating to harness the data revolution to enhance climate resilience by providing local communities access to the best available information for climate risk management.

Open Government Partnership (OGP)

Leaders committed to continue our work, as members of the OGP to promote the principles of openness, transparency, and accountability worldwide. Leaders call on all governments in the Americas to participate in the OGP to ensure accountability, especially in the justice sector.

Health Cooperation

Leaders recommitted to continued implementation of the North American Plan for Animal and Pandemic Influenza (NAPAPI), announced at the 2012 NALS, and will build upon this collaboration by working together to address the emerging public health threat posed by vector-borne diseases, such as Zika, dengue, and chikungunya. Our collaboration will strengthen domestic and regional preparedness and response to Zika by advancing information sharing, risk communications, research and development, and vector-control.

The United States, Canada and Mexico are partnering to advance the Global Health Security Agenda and will support implementation of the International Health Regulations (IHR) in the Americas by providing expert and technical assistance to strengthen and maintain IHR core capacities and advance countries' ability to support, undergo, share, and achieve the targets of the Joint External Evaluation. Canada and the United States have also committed to support the Alliance for Country Assessments for Global Health Security and Implementation of the International Health Regulations. The United States recently completed an evaluation, and we intend to make the results public on GHSAgenda.org. Canada plans to undertake a JEE in 2018.

The United States, Canada, and Mexico share the goal of ending AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria epidemics by 2030, as reflected in the Sustainable Development Goals. Recognizing the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria's role in achieving this goal, the United States and Mexico commend Canada for hosting the 5th Replenishment Conference in Montreal in September. The United States looks forward to actively participating in the Conference.

Cyber Cooperation

Leaders affirmed the importance of an open, interoperable, reliable, and secure Internet, underpinned by the multi-stakeholder model of Internet governance, to our collective prosperity and security and agreed to continue our foreign ministry-led Trilateral Cyber Experts Group to strengthen ongoing cooperation.

Leaders committed to promote stability in cyberspace by affirming the applicability of international law to state conduct in cyberspace, promoting voluntary norms of responsible state behavior during peacetime, and supporting confidence building measures between states. Leaders affirm that no country should conduct or knowingly support online activity that intentionally damages critical infrastructure or otherwise impairs the use of critical infrastructure to provide services to the public; that no country should conduct or knowingly support activity intended to prevent national computer security incident response teams (CSIRTs) from responding to cyber incidents, or use CSIRTs to enable online activity that is intended to do harm; that every country should cooperate, consistent with its domestic law and international obligations, with requests for assistance from other states in mitigating malicious cyber activity emanating from its territory; and that no country should conduct or knowingly support cyber-enabled theft of intellectual property, including trade secrets or other confidential business information, with the intent of providing competitive advantages to its companies or commercial sectors. The United States, Canada, and Mexico will work together in the 2016/2017 UN Group of Governmental Experts, the Group of 20, and the Organization of American States in support of these objectives.

The United States will host an Industry Summit on North American cyber security priorities in Washington in late September to facilitate public-private dialogue, and welcomes Mexico's commitment to host the 2016 Internet Governance Forum and the Meridian Process Conference. Together we are working to enhance the cybersecurity of critical infrastructure.

The United States, Canada, and Mexico will promote regional training for the Group of Seven 24/7 Network, which provides investigators dedicated points of contact for investigations involving electronic evidence. Leaders highlighted a North American commitment to promote greater public cybersecurity awareness through the "Stop.Think.Connect." campaign, which increases awareness of cyber threats and empowers safe, secure online practices.

• Security and Defense

The United States shares many mutual security and defense interests with Canada and Mexico. Threats to the continent and the hemisphere are increasingly complex and require coordinated responses. The United States, Canada, and Mexico remain committed to enhancing our common understanding of those threats and developing effective, coordinated and efficient approaches to address them.

North America Dialogue on Drug Policy

All three countries are grappling with a drug epidemic fueled by illicit opioids, including heroin and fentanyl, and citizens in each are dying as a result. The United States will hold the first annual "North American Dialogue on Drug Policy" in October to exchange information on drug trends, including illicit opioid use, in the hemisphere. The dialogue will be an opportunity to discuss each country's approach to addressing the heroin and fentanyl crisis plaguing our communities, including our respective approaches to public health interventions.

Peacekeeping

The United States applauds Canada's and Mexico's renewed commitments to support international peacekeeping operations. Together, we support the UN Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH). Recognizing our shared commitments to fostering global security, we intend to bolster and improve UN Peacekeeping by using the North American Caucus to advance trilateral peacekeeping collaboration. Later this year at the North American Defense Ministers Meeting, we will hold the first North American Peacekeeping Working Group to share information regarding each country's peacekeeping capabilities to identify complementarities and synergies and collaborate on training and capacity building initiatives.

The United States and Canada applaud Mexico for establishing a peacekeeping training center and commit to support curriculum development and provide English language training as well as guest instructors in support of the center.

Combatting Violence against Indigenous Women and Girls

Across Canada, the United States, and Mexico, indigenous women and girls endure dangerously high levels of violence. In response, representatives from our three countries will meet in October in Washington to strengthen the capacity of justice, social service and health systems, increase access to justice and health services, reduce human trafficking of indigenous women and girls across our borders, and develop culturally-sensitive victim services.

Trafficking in Persons

Leaders committed to develop a North American approach to combat human trafficking, a form of modern-day slavery. By the end of the year, our three countries will implement public awareness campaigns with the private sector to educate the public to recognize human trafficking and report suspected instances. In addition, the United States commits to review our procurement laws to determine potential vulnerabilities to abuse by human traffickers.

Foreign Fugitives

Leaders committed to launch a 90-day pilot program by the end of 2016 to identify and locate foreign fugitives within our countries. The United States, Canada, and Mexico will develop a joint fugitives list that reflects our goal of ensuring the most egregious fugitives in North America face justice.

 

Continued Engagement

Leaders announced the creation of a regular trilateral coordination process to ensure implementation of NALS commitments. The first meeting will be held in the fall of 2016.