North American Commercial Platform
U.S.-Mexico Bilateral Collaboration
U.S.-Canada Bilateral Collaboration
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North American Competitiveness
Work plan (NACW)
NACW Overview
The United States, Canada, Mexico are collaborating on a North American Competitiveness Work Plan (NACW) to promote prosperity across North America and to strengthen our position as the most economically-competitive region in the world. The NACW provides a roadmap for trilateral cooperation that promotes prosperity across North America and enhances the competitiveness of the region.
NACW Background
In October 2013, Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker met trilaterally in San Diego with Canadian Minister of International Trade Ed Fast and Mexican Secretary of Economy Ildefonso Guajardo Villarreal to discuss initiatives that the three commercial ministries could work on to enhance the business platform in North America. In 2014, Secretary Pritzker, Minister Fast, and Secretary Guajardo formally endorsed a North American Competitiveness Work Plan to enhance trade and deepen the economic relationship of the continent. Secretary Pritzker, Secretary Guajardo, and Canadian Minister Freeland last met in May 2016 to agree to a 2016-2017 Work Plan focused on three pillars: 1) Supply Chain Efficiency; 2) Innovation and Economic Development; and 3) Stakeholder Consultation and Outreach. The U.S., Canada, and Mexico are currently carrying out this scope of work.
Trilateral Initiatives
Supply Chain Efficiency
- Trilateral Trusted Traveler Arrangement
This arrangement facilitates expedited travel procedures for low-risk U.S., Canadian, and Mexican citizens, for cross-border travel, through the mutual recognition of and eligibility for the respective domestic trusted traveler programs: Global Entry (United States), NEXUS (Canada), and Viajero Confiable (Mexico).
In July 2015, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Public Safety Canada, and the Secretariat of Governance of Mexico signed an agreement that will allow Mexican nationals who are members of Mexico’s Viajero Confiable to apply for the U.S.-Canada NEXUS trusted traveler program and Canadian citizens who are members of NEXUS to apply for Viajero Confiable. This agreement will make travelers eligible for expedited screening benefits upon arrival at international airports in the respective countries, and furthers the three nations’ efforts to promote secure and expedited travel within North America. To learn more about the Trusted Traveler Programs, please visit http://www.cbp.gov/travel/trusted-traveler-programs/
In March 2016, U.S. Customs and Border Protection and the Canadian Border Services Agency conducted a pilot mobile enrollment event for the NEXUS Trusted Traveler program in Washington, DC. This event allowed individuals to register for NEXUS without traveling to the U.S.-Canada border. Due to the success of the pilot, additional mobile enrollment opportunities throughout North America are being considered.
Press Release: North American Trusted Traveler Arrangement
NEXUS Mobile Enrollment - Sept. 26-29, 2016, Washington, DC
- Single Window
The implementation of a single window system enables international traders to submit regulatory documents (customs declarations, applications for import/export permits, and other supporting documents such as certificates of origin and trading invoices) at a single location and/or single entity. This increases the efficiency and cost-savings of businesses conducting exports and imports. Currently, each country is working towards the completion of their individual Single Windows.
- North American Measure of Trade in Value Added
A large and growing share of international commercial activity is taking place within global value chains. This initiative focuses on developing shared data on trade in value-added within North America that can be used for policy analysis and to better communicate how our economies are linked and contribute to each other's competitiveness.
- Cooperation on Standards
Voluntary standards, and ultimately conformity assessment, play a key role in supporting economic growth and in facilitating trade. When warranted by the marketplace, cross-border compatibility of standards can facilitate the flow of trade, increase the efficiency of supply chains in the region, and help address challenges related to the deployment of emerging technologies.
- North American Clean Energy Partnership Initiative
Through the North American Clean Energy Partnership Initiative (NACEPI), the U.S., Mexico, and Canada will work together to make North America the dominant player in the use and export of clean energy and environmental technology. This will entail supporting the development of business linkages among North American clean energy technology companies, with a focus on small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). The initiative will connect North American SMEs to multi-national supply chain opportunities and facilitate access to government and multilateral development bank procurement tenders.
October 25, 2016 Inter-American Development Bank Training & Networking Event
- Innovation and Economic Development
- North American Patent Prosecution Highway
The Patent Prosecution Highway (PPH) is a patent office – patent office cooperation framework through which a patent applicant who files applications pertaining to the same invention in several countries can obtain patentability results faster and at a lower cost. The participating offices are able to leverage each other's work on those related applications through "work sharing" to improve efficiency and quality in their respective patent examination processes. On July 1, 2015, the patent offices from the United States, Mexico, and Canada began a one-year pilot to implement Global PPH requirements in each office and streamline the process for applicants to obtain patent rights. In 2016 the three offices will extend by two years the PPH collaborative initiative in a manner conforming to Global PPH principles, to streamline the patent examination process and allow applicants to obtain patent rights more expeditiously in North America.
To learn more about improving global patent prosecution, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office hosts a monthly webinar.
- North American Cluster/ Asset Mapping
The development of a North American industrial cluster and asset map will serve as a business decision-making tool for global companies and North American businesses. These maps will 1) help global firms determine locations best suited for investment or market development, 2) enable communities to identify potential organizations to partner with to advance regional cluster initiatives, 3) assist public sector policy makers, particularly those in cross-border regions, develop successful regional economic development strategies and support regionally vital businesses, and 4) link entrepreneurs, researchers, and other innovators throughout North America who are working in similar industries.
The U.S. national map is complete and can be viewed on the U.S. cluster mapping website. Mexico will publicly release its national cluster map in July 2016, which aligns with the U.S. map to present comparable information on clusters of industry and regional business environments. In March 2016, Canada committed funding to develop its national cluster map that will be compatible with the U.S. and Mexican maps. For more information on U.S.-Mexico cluster mapping collaboration, please view this video. Canada has also officially announced its intention to join the North American effort and develop a National Cluster Mapping Portal.
- Women Entrepreneurship
Under this initiative, Canada, the United States and Mexico will collaborate to build capacities and cooperation among business women in North America. Increasing public awareness of the role that business women play in the North American economy can lead to greater opportunities for procurement, partnership, and trade for business women across North America. Specific trilateral actions include signing a Memorandum of Understanding to support the growth and increased global competitiveness of women-owned enterprises in North America.
- Americas Competitiveness Exchange on Innovation and Entrepreneurship
Innovation and entrepreneurship are catalysts for sustainable economic development. In an effort to strengthen our regional competitiveness, the U.S. Department of Commerce's International Trade Administration and Economic Development Administration, in partnership with the U.S. Department of State and the Organization of American States, developed and implemented the Americas Competitiveness Exchange (ACE) on Innovation and Entrepreneurship. ACE brings together key officials to tour economic development sites and learn about innovative approaches to economic development and establish dialog and partnerships with counterparts throughout and beyond North America.
The United States hosted an ACE tour in Arizona and Southern California, April 10-16, 2016. This tour had a 50 member delegation representing twenty countries in Latin America and the Caribbean, with the two largest delegations being from Canada and Mexico. Canada will host the next ACE tour in Toronto in September 2016.
Fact Sheet: Americas Competitiveness Exchange.
- Connecting Local Governments
Cities and communities across North America are critical to advancing North America's global competitiveness. Local governments play an important role in the growth and direction of North American metropolitan areas. They develop globally-oriented economic strategies, and invest in the human capital, innovation and infrastructure needed to drive growth and to compete on the global stage. Through this initiative, Canada, the U.S., and Mexico will help connect local governments and establish collaborative relationships to enhance North America's global competitiveness.
- Internationalizing Small and Medium-Sized Businesses
This initiative seeks to prepare small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to participate in international trade and connect innovative North American SMEs to global market opportunities. It brings the benefits of trilateral collaboration to our business clients by connecting and networking business counselors, particularly those working with SMEs. Actions will focus on: identifying key national and regional counseling entities in the U.S., Mexico, and Canada; providing opportunities for networking and training of counselors (primarily virtually); and sharing best practices among counselors and resource providers.
- Stakeholder Outreach and Consultation
- Communications Collaboration
The overarching objective of communications collaboration is to highlight and strengthen the $550 billion economic relationship among the United States, Mexico, and Canada. The North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) created the world's largest free trade area, which now links 470 million people producing nearly $20 trillion worth of goods and services. We have integrated our economies in ways we could not have foreseen when NAFTA went into force 20 years ago; this integration has created good jobs and new opportunities for citizens of the three countries and increased our competitiveness.
Outreach will promote awareness of our efforts to increase North American competitiveness and enhance the interdependent and beneficial economic relationships among Canada, Mexico, and the United States. This initiative involves collaboration on education and outreach on North American commercial and economic integration with stakeholders from business and industry, local governments, non-profits, educational institutions, as well as the general public.
- Public-Private Dialogue on North America
Through a Public-Private Dialogue on North America, Canada, Mexico and the United States will cooperate to consult and conduct outreach with stakeholders from business and industry, local governments, non-profit organizations, educational institutions, as well as the general public on North American commercial and economic integration. These consultations will provide a platform for feedback on the existing areas of trilateral collaboration and allow NACW leadership to solicit input on new areas of collaboration. This will entail coordinating and/or participating in dialogue with key stakeholders on North American commercial and economic integration on the margins of existing conferences and forums.
- Cybersecurity Collaboration with the Commercial Sector
Focusing on enhanced engagement with the commercial sector, Canada, the United States, and Mexico share an objective to promote cybersecurity best practices across North America and increase global competitiveness. In meeting this objective, the three countries have agreed to collaborate on policies and programs to support international engagement in cybersecurity, identify and explore opportunities to exchange information to ensure sectors are compatible with existing and developing standards, and use convening power to facilitate cooperation amongst stakeholders.
In September of 2016 the Department of Commerce's International Trade Administration (ITA) and National Institute of Standards & Technology (NIST), Public Safety and Industry, Science, and Economic Development (ISED) Canada, and Mexico's Federal Police and Ministry of the Economy collaborated in the coordination of an Industry Summit on Cybersecurity for North America to feed into NALS dialogue.
More resources on cybersecurity can be found at:
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