Institute Of The Americas

Energy & Sustainability Program: With the climate imperative and increased importance of energy security, the Energy & Sustainability Program continues to serve as a crucial platform for thought-leadership. At the core of our mission, we seek to foster a deeper understanding of the Western Hemispheres most critical energy and sustainability issues. In 2024, we convened our 5th annual Madrid Energy Conference; organized energy roundtable with industry leaders and government in Argentina and Brazil; and held the 33rd annual La Jolla Energy Conference in October 2024. IOA also continued to host myriad webinars and virtual discussions including periodic meetings and briefings with our Steering Committee and Non-Resident fellows. In 2024, IOA completed work on a decarbonization in Latin America that was published and continued to support energy literacy with civic leaders in Mexico through its Energy Ambassadors Program in the states of Baja California and Sonora.

Economic Competitiveness Program: In 2024, the Institute of the Americas (IOA) Economic Competitiveness program advanced key initiatives to strengthen North American economic integration, with a focus on the San Diego-Baja California regions potential in nearshoring. In April, IOA and the Burnham Center released Seizing CaliBajas Nearshoring Opportunity: A Binational Call for Action, presenting strategies to boost U.S.-Mexico trade and supply chain security. This report, which attracted nearly 200 cross-border stakeholders, underscored the potential for increased nearshoring related investment in Baja California that could boost exports to the U.S. but also highlighted the necessary pre-conditions that would be required for this investment to occur. With support from the Burnham Foundation and California GO-Biz, IOA and the Burnham Center also hosted a forum on the generic and biosimilar manufacturing potential for the CaliBaja region where Representative Scott Peters emphasized the region's role in stabilizing essential medicine supplies. IOA, in partnership with UC San Diegos School of Global Policy & Strategy, serves as the U.S. Co-Coordinator for the North American Forum (NAF). In 2024, the NAF convened thought leaders from the U.S., Mexico, and Canada in Ottawa in late November with discussions focused on the future of North American economic integration and the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) and the implications of recent elections in the U.S. and Mexico.