[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 42, Number 13 (Monday, April 3, 2006)]
[Pages 619-621]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]
<R04>
Joint Statement by President George W. Bush, Prime Minister Stephen
Harper of Canada, and President Vicente Fox of Mexico--The Security and
Prosperity Partnership of North America: Progress
March 31, 2006
Canada, Mexico and the United States share a continued commitment to
enhance the security, prosperity and quality of life of our citizens
within North America. We recognize that the success of our countries is
enhanced by working cooperatively. The Security and Prosperity
Partnership of North America, which celebrates its first anniversary
this month, provides a framework for us to advance collaboration in
areas as diverse as security, transportation, the environment and public
health.
This Partnership has increased our institutional contacts to respond
to our vision of a stronger, more secure, and more prosperous region. In
June 2005, our three governments released detailed work-plans
identifying key initiatives that form an ambitious agenda of
collaboration. Since June, we have worked to implement these
initiatives. Many will take months or years to be completed, but we
already note significant results. We ask our Ministers to build on this
momentum.
We have discussed how we can ensure North America is the most
economically dynamic region in the world and a secure home for our
citizens. Today, we exchanged views with private sector leaders on how
to enhance the competitiveness of North America.
Building on existing commitments, we agree that priority initiatives
warrant special attention in the coming year:
Strengthening Competitiveness in North America. We are pleased to
announce the creation of a North American Competitiveness Council
(NACC). The Council will comprise members of the private sector from
[[Page 620]]
each country and will provide us recommendations on North American
competitiveness, including, among others, areas such as automotive and
transportation, steel, manufacturing, and services. The Council will
meet annually with security and prosperity Ministers and will engage
with senior government officials on an ongoing basis.
We are convinced that regulatory cooperation advances the
productivity and competitiveness of our nations and helps to protect our
health, safety and environment. For instance, cooperation on food safety
will help protect the public while at the same time facilitate the flow
of goods. We affirm our commitment to strengthen regulatory cooperation
in this and other key sectors and to have our central regulatory
agencies complete a trilateral regulatory cooperation framework by 2007.
North American Emergency Management. A disaster--whether natural or
man-made--in one of our countries can have consequences across national
borders. Our vision for a North American response, relief and recovery
strategy would ensure that critical equipment, supplies and personnel
can be deployed expeditiously throughout North America. We commit to
develop a common approach to critical infrastructure protection,
coordinated responses to cross border incidents, and coordinated
training and exercises, with the participation of all levels of
government in our countries.
Avian and Human Pandemic Influenza. Given the highly integrated
nature of our economies, an outbreak of pathogenic avian flu or human
pandemic influenza in any one of our countries would affect us all.
Today, we have agreed to develop a comprehensive, science-based and
coordinated approach within North America to avian influenza and human
pandemic influenza management. We have endorsed a set of shared
principles to underpin cooperative activities by our Governments in all
stages of avian influenza and human pandemic influenza management:
prevention; preparedness; response; and recovery. Pursuant to these
principles, officials will develop, as an immediate priority, incident
management protocols to ensure that we are well prepared in advance of
an outbreak in North America. For instance, we have agreed to work
together to accelerate research, development, production, and
availability of human pandemic influenza vaccines, and develop a
strategy to best facilitate the sharing of information to enhance the
availability of vaccines to the region. We will also establish a small
Coordinating Body of senior officials to ensure follow-up on these
commitments.
North American Energy Security. A sustainable, secure and affordable
supply of energy is key to fueling the North American economy.
Collaboration in the areas of innovation, energy efficiency, and
technology development, including moving these technologies to market,
promotes energy security. Our governments renew their commitment to
trilateral cooperation on clean energy technologies, conservation, and
market facilitation as a means to meeting our shared goals of energy
security and sustainable development. Officials will also examine how
this cooperation can be expanded to further our climate efforts.
North American Smart, Secure Borders. Our vision is to have a border
strategy that results in the fast, efficient and secure movement of low-
risk trade and travelers to and within North America, while protecting
us from threats including terrorism. In implementing this strategy, we
will encourage innovative risk-based approaches to improving security
and facilitating trade and travel. These include close coordination on
infrastructure investments and vulnerability assessments, screening and
processing of travelers, baggage and cargo, a single integrated North
American trusted traveler program, and swift law enforcement responses
to threats posed by criminals or terrorists, including advancing a
trilateral network for the protection of judges and officers.
The Security and Prosperity Partnership of North America represents
a broad and ambitious agenda. We instruct our Ministers to develop
options to strengthen the SPP and present them next June as part of the
second report on progress of the SPP.
President Fox and President Bush were pleased to accept, on behalf
of their countries, Prime Minister Harper's invitation to host the next
trilateral leaders meeting in Canada in 2007.
[[Page 621]]
Note: An original was not available for verification of the content of
this joint statement.