[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 119 (Thursday, June 20, 2024)]
[Notices]
[Pages 51935-51936]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2024-13470]


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OFFICE OF THE UNITED STATES TRADE REPRESENTATIVE

[Docket Number USTR-2024-0009]


Request for Comments on Americas Partnership for Economic 
Prosperity--Trade Track

AGENCY: Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR).

ACTION: Notice and request for comments.

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SUMMARY: The United States, Barbados, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Costa 
Rica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Mexico, Panama, Peru and Uruguay 
have launched the Americas Partnership for Economic Prosperity 
(Partnership) to deepen economic collaboration and integration in the 
Western Hemisphere. In November 2023, leaders of these countries issued 
the East Room Declaration, directing Ministers responsible for trade, 
foreign affairs and finance each to commence work in their respective 
areas to fulfill Partnership objectives. USTR is seeking public 
comments on matters described below, including U.S. interests and 
priorities, in order to develop trade-related lines of effort in the 
trade track of the Partnership.

DATES: Submit comments no later than July 22, 2024.

ADDRESSES: USTR strongly prefers electronic submissions made through 
the Federal eRulemaking Portal: http://www.regulations.gov. See the 
submission instructions below. The Docket Number is USTR-2024-0009. For 
alternatives to on-line submissions, please contact the individuals 
listed below before transmitting a comment and in advance of the 
deadline.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Courtney Smothers, Deputy Assistant 
Trade Representative for Latin America, at 
[email protected], or 202.395.7657, or Randall Oliver, 
Director for Canada, at [email protected], 202.395.9449.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Background

    President Biden first announced the Partnership at the 2022 Summit 
of the Americas. On November 3, 2023, the United States welcomed 
representatives of the founding Partnership countries to the White 
House for the first Leaders' Summit. Following the Summit, leaders of 
the United States, Barbados, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, 
Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Mexico, Panama, Peru and Uruguay released 
the East Room Declaration, which directs Ministers to begin work in 
three tracks--Foreign Affairs, Trade, and Finance--to support the 
Leaders' intention that the Partnership serve as a lasting regional 
platform to pursue an ambitious, flexible and goal-oriented regional 
economic and development agenda. Leaders further identified five 
initial cross-cutting priorities:
     Strengthening regional competitiveness and integration;
     Fostering shared prosperity and good governance;
     Building sustainable infrastructure;
     Protecting the climate and environment; and
     Promoting healthy communities.
    Leaders also called on Ministers responsible for trade to develop 
inclusive and sustainable approaches to trade and investment that will 
support regional sustainable development and resilient supply chains 
for goods and services, enhance a predictable and transparent 
regulatory environment that can boost trade flows, and remove barriers 
to greater economic integration among our countries.
    On March 18, 2024, the Partnership Trade Ministers met virtually. 
They took note of the work of the Partnership's Council on Trade and 
Competitiveness (CTC), which is comprised of senior officials for 
trade. The CTC has established committees on Trade Rules and 
Transparency, Sustainable Value and Supply Chains, and Inclusive Trade 
and SMEs.
    The Ministers emphasized how the Partnership can complement and 
build on existing trade ties, further deepen economic integration in 
the region, and develop sustainable and inclusive approaches to trade 
and investment. They also recalled Leaders' expectation that the trade 
agenda under the Partnership promote formal jobs that lead to decent 
work and promote internationally recognized labor rights, environmental 
sustainability, and economic inclusion.
    Trade Ministers plan to meet in person in Ecuador in August 2024 to 
review progress by the CTC and discuss priorities for next year. 
Ministers also will discuss preparation for the Leaders' Summit in 
Costa Rica in 2025.

II. Public Comment

    The Trade Policy Staff Committee (TPSC) invites interested parties 
to submit comments to assist USTR in the development of priorities and 
lines of effort consistent with the regional scope and collaborative 
nature of the Partnership, as elaborated below. Because the Partnership 
will build on, and coexist with, existing U.S trade agreements, its 
work should not detract from or unnecessarily duplicate work that is 
taking place in the committees of existing U.S trade agreements, 
including free trade agreements, trade and investment framework 
agreements, and other similar agreements.
    USTR is committed to broad and inclusive stakeholder engagement in 
developing projects for the trade work of the Partnership. In 
particular, the TPSC invites interested parties to comment on the 
following matters as they relate to trade and investment:
     Customs and trade facilitation;
     Value and supply chain resilience and sustainability, with 
particular focus

[[Page 51936]]

on clean energy, medical supplies and semiconductors;
     Inclusive Trade, including for women, Indigenous Peoples, 
and other underrepresented groups;
     Issues of particular relevance to small and medium-sized 
enterprises;
     Labor standards and worker rights;
     Environment, climate, and conservation;
     Transparency and good regulatory practices;
     Anti-corruption;
     Trade capacity building needs and priorities; and
     Other matters related to trade and investment in the 
Americas that are consistent with the mission and scope of the 
Partnership.
    USTR requests small businesses (generally defined by the Small 
Business Administration as firms with fewer than 500 employees) or 
organizations representing small business members that submit comments 
to self-identify as such, so that we may be aware of issues of 
particular interest to small businesses.

III. Requirements for Submissions

    To be assured of consideration, submit your written comments by the 
July 22, 2024 11:59 EDT deadline. All submissions must be in English. 
USTR strongly encourages submissions via regulations.gov, using Docket 
Number USTR-2024-0009. USTR will not accept hand-delivered submissions. 
To make a submission via regulations.gov, enter docket number USTR-
2024-0009 on the home page and click `search.' The site will provide a 
search-results page listing all documents associated with this docket. 
Find a reference to this notice by selecting `notice' under `document 
type' and click in the `refine document results' section on the left 
side of the screen and click on the link entitled `comment.' 
Regulations.gov allows users to submit comments by filling in a `type 
comment' field, or by attaching a document using an `upload file' 
field. USTR prefers that you provide submissions in an in an attached 
document and note `see attached' in the `comment' field on the online 
submission form.
    USTR prefers submissions in Microsoft Word (.doc) or Adobe Acrobat 
(.pdf). If you use an application other than those two, please indicate 
the name of the application in the `type comment' field.
    On the first page of the submission, identify the subject matter of 
the comment as ``Request for Comments on the Americas Partnership for 
Economic Prosperity--Trade Track''. File names should reflect the name 
of the person or entity submitting the comments. Please do not attach 
separate cover letters, exhibits, annexes or other attachments to 
electronic submissions. Instead, to the extent possible, please include 
these in the same file as the submission itself. Submissions should not 
exceed 30 single-spaced, standard letter-size pages in 12-point type, 
including attachments.
    You will receive a tracking number upon completion of the 
submission procedure at Regulations.gov. The tracking number is 
confirmation that Regulations.gov received your submission. Keep the 
confirmation for your records.
    USTR is not able to provide technical assistance for 
Regulations.gov. For further information on using Regulations.gov, 
please consult the resources provided on the website by clicking on 
`How to Use Regulations.gov' on the bottom of the home page. USTR may 
not consider submissions that are not made in accordance with these 
instructions.
    If you are unable to submit comments as requested, please contact 
Courtney Smothers, Deputy Assistant Trade Representative for Latin 
America, at [email protected], or 202.395.7657, or Randall 
Oliver, Director for Canada, at [email protected], 
202.395.9449, before transmitting a comment and in advance of the 
deadline to arrange for an alternative method of transmission.
    General information concerning USTR is available at https://www.ustr.gov.

IV. Business Confidential Information (BCI) Submissions

    If you ask USTR to treat information you submit as BCI, you must 
certify that the information is business confidential and you would not 
customarily release it to the public. For any comments submitted 
electronically containing BCI, the file name of the business 
confidential version should begin with the characters `BCI.' You must 
clearly mark any page containing BCI with `BUSINESS CONFIDENTIAL' at 
the top of that page. Additionally, you must include `Business 
Confidential' in the `type comment' field. Filers of submissions 
containing BCI also must submit a public version of their submission 
that will be placed in the docket for public inspection. The file name 
of the public version should begin with the character `P.' USTR will 
post the non-confidential version in the docket and it will be open to 
public inspection.

V. Public Viewing of Review Submissions

    USTR will post written submissions in the docket for public 
inspection, except properly designated BCI. You can view submissions at 
regulations.gov by entering Docket Number USTR-2024-0009 in the search 
field on the home page.

Laura Buffo,
Chair of the Trade Policy Staff Committee, Office of the United States 
Trade Representative.
[FR Doc. 2024-13470 Filed 6-18-24; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3390-F4-P