On Wednesday, November 19 at 10:00 a.m. ET, the Atlantic Council’s Adrienne Arsht Latin America Center hosted a conversation on how trade integration with Central America can help enhance US economic security. 

At this event, regional and trade experts discussed practical approaches for improving trade between Central America and the United States. They also discussed the CAFTA-DR agreement and the United States’ Section 301 investigation of Nicaragua, which the Trump administration suggested recently may have trade and tariff implications. 

The event—part of the work of the Adrienne Arsht Latin America Center’s Americas Economic Security Group and its Central America programming—launched new findings in a new report, “Why modernizing CAFTA-DR matters for the United States, and options for updating the trade pact.” 

Speakers

Jason Marczak
Vice President and Senior Director, Adrienne Arsht Latin America Center
Atlantic Council

Kristie Pellecchia Loiacono
Founder & Principal, Pellecchia International;
Member of the Atlantic Council America’s Economic Security Group, and the Atlantic Council US-Colombia Advisory Group

Antonio Ortiz-Mena
President & CEO, AOM Advisor; Nonresident Senior Fellow, Adrienne Arsht Latin America Center, Atlantic Council

Juan Sebastián Chamorro
Deputy Minister of Finance and Public Credit (2002 – 2006); Former Presidential Candidate (2021)
Republic of Nicaragua

Enrique Millán-Mejía
Senior Fellow, Economic Development, Adrienne Arsht Latin America Center
Atlantic Council

Agenda

10:00–10:10 a.m. | Report presentation 

Jason Marczak
Vice President and Senior Director, Adrienne Arsht Latin America Center
Atlantic Council

10:10–11:00 a.m. | Upgrading the CAFTA-DR agreement and the Section 301 Investigation on Nicaragua

Speakers

Kristie Pellecchia Loiacono
Principal
Pellecchia International

Antonio Ortiz-Mena
Nonresident Senior Fellow, Adrienne Arsht Latin America Center
Atlantic Council

Juan Sebastián Chamorro
Deputy Minister of Finance and Public Credit (2002 – 2006); Former Presidential Candidate (2021)
Republic of Nicaragua

Moderated by

Enrique Millán-Mejía
Senior Fellow, Economic Development, Adrienne Arsht Latin America Center
Atlantic Counci

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