WASHINGTON, DC – DECEMBER 15, 2023 – On the heels of growing interest in relocating supply chains to the Americas, the Atlantic Council’s Adrienne Arsht Latin America Center (AALAC) convened the inaugural meeting of its Nearshoring Working Group—a nonpartisan, multisectoral group of policy professionals representing the United States and seven additional countries who will help translate nearshoring from rhetoric into reality, with a focus on Central America and Mexico.
“While Mexico and many Central American countries are primed to be the biggest beneficiaries of the US government and private sector demands for more secure supply chains, the right mix of US and local policy tools need to be identified and implemented to incentivize companies to relocate supply chains closer to home. That has yet to happen,” said Jason Marczak, vice president and senior director of AALAC.
Over the next three years, the group will offer policy recommendations to deepen commercial integration and unlock new US investments in the region. The group’s recommendations will be captured in an annual report, the first of which will be launched in mid-2024 and disseminated in Washington, DC, Guatemala City, Mexico City, and beyond.
In 2023-2024, the group will be led by Luz María de la Mora, former undersecretary of foreign trade in Mexico’s Secretariat of Economy and AALAC non-resident senior fellow, and will include former government officials, private sector leaders, and subject matter experts from Central America, Mexico, and the United States. The Atlantic Council launched the project on June 12 at an event with US Senators and Central American ministers.
Marczak continued, “The Nearshoring Working Group’s cumulative technical expertise and practical knowledge will provide informed policy recommendations that, together with strategic government engagement, will ultimately move the needle in both US economic policy toward Latin America and domestic policies in Central America and Mexico.”
This group is supported by Founding Corporate Partner Millicom alongside FedEx as a Nearshoring Corporate Partner.
For a detailed list of Working Group members, please visit the Nearshoring Working Group website. For questions, please contact Martin Cassinelli, project assistant at AALAC, at mcassinelli@atlanticcouncil.org.
ABOUT THE ADRIENNE ARSHT LATIN AMERICA CENTER
The Atlantic Council’s nonpartisan Adrienne Arsht Latin America Center (AALAC) broadens understanding of regional transformations while demonstrating why Latin America and the Caribbean matter for the world. The center focuses on pressing political, economic, and social issues that will define the region’s trajectory, proposing constructive, results-oriented solutions to inform public sector, business, and multilateral action based on a shared vision for a more prosperous, inclusive, and sustainable future.