In Bogota on Wednesday December 4, the Adrienne Arsht Latin America Center launched the report produced by its US-Colombia Task Force. The Task Force is a group of experts led by Senators Roy Blunt and Ben Cardin. Other members include former public officials, business executives and civil society leaders in Colombia and the US, as well as four members of the US House of Representatives: Ruben Gallego, Francis Rooney, Bradley Byrne, and Gregory Meeks. The group developed a road map for the Trump administration, the Duque administration, and the US Congress on how to strengthen and deepen the bilateral relationship. Task Force recommendations focus economic development and innovation; institutions, rule of law, and counter-narcotics; and the crisis in Venezuela. 

The report’s launch came amid the fourth day of widespread protests in Colombia, which reinforced the need for advancing the US-Colombia task force’s recommendations that promote socio-economic prosperity throughout the country. Colombia’s Minister of Commerce José Manuel Restrepo Abondano and Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Adriana Mejía as well as USAID Mission Director Lawrence Sacks participated as keynote speakers. A number of Task Force members also participated in the event, including Bruce Mac Master, Rosario Cordoba, Felipe Ardila, Andres Cadena, Maria Victoria Llorente, Stephen Donehoo, Arturo Valenzuela, Alejandro Mesa, and Roger Noriega.

Photos from the report’s launch in Bogota

Image: Jason Marczak, Bruce Mac Master, Adriana Mejía, Lawrence Sacks on stage introduce the Adrienne Arsht Latin America Center's report in Bogota, Colombia.