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U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE
Office of the Spokesman
December 11, 2008

MEDIA NOTE

Pathways to Prosperity Education Initiative

Recognizing the importance of education in taking advantage of opportunities in a globalized world, and the opportunity provided by the successful Pathways to Prosperity ministerial hosted by the Government of Panama on December 10, we are pleased to announce the establishment of three new education and training projects to help spread the benefits of free trade throughout the Western Hemisphere. They are:

• A higher education and training scholarship program for young leaders from disadvantaged and marginalized communities to receive training at U.S. community colleges. Open to candidates from Mexico, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, and the Dominican Republic, the program aims to strengthen capacity by extending opportunities to individuals who would not otherwise have access to higher education.

• A program to offer distance education business classes to entrepreneurs and youth through the network of U.S. Binational Centers in the region. Under the guidance of U.S.-based entrepreneurship instructors, participants in five countries will design business projects using skills acquired during web seminars.

• Additional opportunities for youth from the Pathways countries to attend science summer camps in the U.S. and participate in entrepreneurship exchanges.

The U.S. has a long record of investing in the peoples of the Western Hemisphere, offering scholarships to graduate students, providing support for basic education and literacy, and training for labor leaders and small business owners. Our current programs include university education, English language instruction, and other educational exchanges (http://exchanges.state.gov/); basic and vocational education (http://www.usaid.gov/); small business and agriculture training (http://www.sba.gov); and labor programs (http://www.dol.gov/ilab/map/countries/americas.htm).

Pathways to Prosperity in the Americas was launched on September 24, 2008 in New York to deepen existing partnerships and cooperation to ensure that the benefits of trade more broadly reach all of our citizens. In addition to the United States, participating countries are Canada, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, and Peru. More information can be found at http://www.pathways-caminos.gov.

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