State, DHS event focuses on Central American security

Leaders from several Central American countries, Canada, and the European Union gathered in Miami, Florida for the Conference on Prosperity and Security in Central America from June 15 to June 16. The conference focused on the Northern Triangle (El Salvador, Guatamala, and Honduras), and was co-hosted by Vice President Mike Pence and the Secretaries of the Departments of State, Homeland Security, and Treasury in partnership with the Government of Mexico.

During the conference, participants discussed policies to facilitate economic growth in the region as well as ways to combat organized crime and promote regional security cooperation. Northern Triangle governments committed to improve their business climates and incorporate changes that will help companies, including U.S. firms, expand their businesses in the region. U.S., Mexican, and Northern Triangle governments also considered improvements to trade, customs, and infrastructure.

U.S. and Northern Triangle countries committed themselves to several efforts to combat transnational organized crime, including improved information sharing, local capacity building, comprehensive violence reduction, and creating opportunities for youth. The U.S. also committed to recognizing that transnational criminal organizations and their illicit activities pose a common threat to the region; implementing policies and domestic legislation aimed at combating organized crime; and improving coordination and information sharing to more effectively dismantle transnational criminal organizations and their financial networks.

For more information about the conference, please follow the links below.
Conference on Prosperity and Security in Central America, Department of Homeland Security
Statement on the Conference on Prosperity and Security in Central America…, The White House
United States Key Deliverables for the June 15-16, 2017 Conference on Prosperity and Security in Central America, Department of Homeland Security