Today, U.S. Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker concluded her trip to Bogotá, Colombia, where she met with business leaders, stakeholders, and public officials. During her visit, Secretary Pritzker reaffirmed U.S. interest in strengthening the commercial relationship with Colombia in order to create a supportive economic environment for sustained peace.

Secretary Pritzker met with President Juan Manuel Santos to reiterate U.S. support of his efforts to help Colombia reach a just and lasting peace accord with the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC). She emphasized that a successful peace agreement will help create the certainty needed to allow for continued economic growth and investment in Colombia. Secretary Pritzker also met with Vice Minister of Commerce, Industry, and Tourism Javier Gamboa to discuss interest in strengthening the U.S.-Colombia commercial relationship and enhancing U.S.-Colombia Trade Promotion Agreement’s (CTPA), role in spurring economic growth among all Colombians.

In addition, Secretary Pritzker delivered remarks at the U.S. Trade and Development Agency’s (USTDA) Global Procurement Initiative event. Run by the U.S. Trade and Development Agency, the Global Procurement Initiative helps public procurement officials all over the world establish practices and policies that integrate life-cycle cost analysis and best-value determination in a fair, transparent manner. She underscored the value of integrating transparency and fairness into government procurement systems to support an efficient public sector to attract much-needed investment to Colombia. 

Following the event, Secretary Pritzker attended an event with members of the Council of American Enterprises and the Colombian-American Chamber of Commerce to learn from business leaders on how the U.S. and Colombia can work together to more effectively promote economic development in Colombia.