Chapter 26+
The entry into force of the United States–Mexico–Canada Agreement (USMCA) is a window of opportunity for science, technology, and innovation cooperation in North America. In this regard, the U.S.-Mexico Foundation (USMF) is partnering with the Amazon Web Services (AWS) Institute to soften the invisible frontiers of data, science, and technology and strengthen the entrepreneurial tech communities in Mexico and the North American region as a whole.
On May 19, 2021, the U.S.-Mexico Foundation (USMF) hosted the C26+ Workshop with the support of the Amazon Web Services (AWS) Institute. During three sessions, fifteen experts from Mexico, the United States and Canada reflected on how USMCA’s Chapter 26 on Competitiveness will help deepen economic cooperation and digital competitiveness in North America. The virtual event addressed three main topics: the digital economy; innovation, entrepreneurship and technology; and smart borders.
The C26+ Workshop hosted more than 200 stakeholders from local and national governments, the private sector, academia and civil society, and was featured in specialized media outlets. The C26+ Workshop paved the way for the creation of the C26+ Group, an invitation-only group of relevant civil society, non-profits and private sector stakeholders in North America whose purpose is to improve opportunities for the region during the next five years when the first review of the USMCA is due to occur.
The workshop stands on the shoulders of the Mexico-United States for Entrepreneurship and Innovation Council (MUSEIC) –a mechanism that created the foundations of a binational network of entrepreneurs between 2013 and 2018.
The USMF aims to recommence this effort in a more strategic way in the light of a new U.S.-Mexico relationship. In a time where the ongoing health crisis has shown the relevance of innovation and collaboration between the public, private and social sectors, the U.S.-Mexico Technology, Innovation and Policy program seeks to inform participants about diverse debates surrounding Mexico’s growing tech scene and will bring together all the relevant actors as a first step towards the establishment of a new, permanent Council named “Chapter 26”, that creates better opportunities for the North American Region.
Implementation Partner
