Twenty years after the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) took effect, its signatories — the United States, Mexico and Canada — form the largest trading bloc in the world. What is the future of NAFTA and how have its strengths or shortcomings impacted investment and trade in the region? These issues and more were examined on April 7 at the inaugural conference of the Baker Institute’s Mexico Center. Three of the principal negotiators of the agreement led the discussion: Carla A. Hills (United States), Jaime Serra Puche (Mexico) and Michael Wilson (Canada). The Honorable James A. Baker, III, who served as U.S. secretary of state during the landmark negotiations, also delivered remarks.
Additional support for this event was generously provided by the Consulate General of Canada in Dallas and the Consulate General of Mexico in Houston.
Scroll to the bottom of the page for links to videos of the event; click on "slides" in the agenda to view the speakers' PowerPoint presentations.
Agenda
7:30 am |
Registration and Breakfast |
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8:30 am |
WelcomeThe Honorable Edward P. Djerejian |
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8:35 am |
Panel I — NAFTA After 20 YearsModerator: Luis Rubio, Ph.D. Jaime Serra Puche, Ph.D. (slides) Carla A. Hills Michael Wilson |
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10:00 am |
Keynote AddressThe Honorable James A. Baker, III |
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10:20 am |
Break |
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10:30 am |
Panel II — Assessing NAFTA and Charting Its FutureModerator: Tony Payán, Ph.D. Daniel Lederman, Ph.D. (slides) Patricia Hansen Timothy Kehoe, Ph.D. (slides) |
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11:45 am |
RemarksJuan Carlos Baker Pineda |
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12:30 pm |
Networking Lunch |
View the webcast from the conference:
Part 1: Panel I — "NAFTA After 20 Years" and Keynote Address by James A. Baker, III
Part 2: Panel II — "Assessing NAFTA and Charting Its Future" and Remarks by Juan Carlos Baker Pineda