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Western Hemisphere: The First SICA - North America Security Dialogue

Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs Wendy Sherman will deliver opening remarks at the first Central American Integration System (SICA) – North America Security Dialogue on April 30, 2013, in Washington, DC. Assistant Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs Roberta Jacobson will lead the U.S. delegation in discussions.

The SICA - North America Security Dialogue will bring together representatives from the SICA member states, the United States, Mexico, and Canada to strengthen regional cooperation on citizen security and promote effective and measurable results in combating transnational crime and violence. Recognizing a strong link among economic growth, social development, and security, the dialogue builds upon our joint efforts to foster economic growth and improve citizen security for the entire region. By merging the separate security dialogues that Mexico, Canada, and the United States maintained with SICA into one regional mechanism, this forum will ensure synchronicity of effort and enhance regional coordination on citizen security programming.

Topics for discussion for the inaugural dialogue include: best practices on crime and violence prevention and narco-trafficking, including issues related to chemical precursors for synthetic drugs in Central America. This dialogue will also provide SICA and its international partners with a forum to collaborate on regional security initiatives associated with the SICA regional security strategy.