Council of the Americas

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Council of the Americas is an American business organization whose goal is promoting free trade, democracy and open markets throughout the Americas. This includes Canada, Mexico and the Caribbean, as well as South America. Its members share a common commitment to economic and social development, open markets, the rule of law, and democracy throughout the Western Hemisphere. The Council's membership consists of leading international companies representing a broad spectrum of sectors, including banking and finance, consulting services, consumer products, energy and mining, manufacturing, media, technology, and transportation.

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[edit] History

The group was founded in 1965 by David Rockefeller and a group of like-minded business people, based on the fundamental belief that free markets and private enterprise offer the most effective means to achieve regional economic growth and prosperity. Since that time, membership has grown to over 200 blue chip companies that represent the majority to the U.S. private investment in Latin America.

[edit] The Council Today

The Council regularly hosts presidents, cabinet ministers, central bankers, government officials, and leading experts from across the Americas in economics, politics, business, and finance. This practice affords it unique access to information and insights into the evolution of the entire region.

The Council of the Americas argues that free markets and private enterprise offer the most effective means to achieve regional economic growth and prosperity. It has been an ardent supporter of free trade agreements and has been instrumental in the conception of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) and the Central American Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA), both of which have been heavily promoted by David Rockefeller[citation needed].

The Council has also campaigned for Trade Promotion Authority[citation needed], usually referred to as "fast track", which gives the president of the US authority to negotiate trade agreements that cannot be amended by Congress, and are voted on as only 'yes' or 'no'. In effect from 1975 to 1994 – during which time it resulted in NAFTA – it was restored in 2002 by the US Trade Promotion Authority Act.

Mack McLarty, chief of staff for Bill Clinton, was a crucial liaison of the Council to the Clinton administration. He also served as Clinton's "special envoy to the Americas," in which capacity he was a key mover and shaker in the creation of NAFTA and the yet to be implemented Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA), which originated from David Rockefeller[citation needed]. McLarty was a top official at the 1994 Miami Summit of the Americas which laid the groundwork for this Trade bloc.

[edit] Current Elite Corporate Member

As of Nov 22, 2010

[edit] Other Members

As of Nov 22, 2010
  • ACE Group
  • Akerman, Senterfitt
  • Alcatel-Lucent
  • American Express Company
  • Amgen, Inc.
  • AméricaEconomía
  • Andes Energia plc
  • Avon Products, Inc.
  • Banco Bradesco S.A.
  • Banco de Chile
  • Banco de la Nación Argentina
  • Banco Latinoamericano de Exportaciones, S.A. (Bladex)
  • Banco Santander
  • Baxter
  • BBVA Bloomberg
  • BNP Paribas
  • Bulltick Capital Markets
  • Bureau Veritas Group
  • Burson-Marsteller
  • Business News Americas
  • Cargill, Incorporated
  • Caterpillar Inc.
  • Celulosa Arauco y Constitución (Arauco)
  • Chadbourne & Parke LLP
  • Chiquita Brands International, Inc.
  • Cisco Systems, Inc.
  • Cisneros Group of Companies
  • Cleary, Gottlieb, Steen & Hamilton LLP
  • Colgate-Palmolive Company
  • Colombian Coffee Federation, Inc.
  • Conduit Capital Partners, LLC
  • Continental Grain Company
  • Covington and Burling LLP
  • Curtis, Mallet-Prevost, Colt & Mosle LLP
  • Damco Latin America
  • Deloitte LLP
  • Deutsche Bank
  • Diageo plc
  • Digicel
  • Discovery Communications
  • DLA Piper LLP
  • Eastman Chemical Latin America, Inc.
  • Edenor S.A.
  • Eli Lilly and Company
  • Embraer
  • Empresas CMPC S.A.
  • ENI Americas
  • Ernst & Young LLP
  • European InterAmerican Finance, LLC
  • FedEx Express
  • Financial Times
  • Fintech Advisory, Inc.
  • Fitch Ratings
  • Fluor
  • FTI Consulting, Inc.
  • Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP
  • Grupo Televisa, S.A.B.
  • Hamburg Sud
  • Hewlett-Packard Company
  • Hughes, Hubbard & Reed LLP
  • Industrias Arfel S.A.
  • Intelsat
  • InterContinental Hotels Group
  • International Minerals Corporation
  • ISI Emerging Markets
  • Itaú Unibanco Holdings S.A.
  • Japan Bank for International Cooperation
  • Japan External Trade Organization
  • Kansas City Southern
  • Kraft Foods International, Inc.
  • Kroll, Inc.
  • LAN Argentina S.A.
  • Latin Trade Magazine
  • Libra Capital US, Inc.
  • Manatt, Phelps & Phillips, LLP
  • Mapfre
  • MasterCard Worldwide
  • Mattos Filho, Veiga Filho, Marrey Jr. e Quiroga Advogados
  • MBA Lazard
  • McLarty Associates
  • Merrill Lynch & Co., Inc.
  • Mitsubishi International Corporation
  • Mizuho Corporate Bank, Ltd.
  • Moksha8
  • Monsanto Company
  • Mosbacher Energy Company
  • Mylan Inc.
  • Nestlé S.A.
  • New York Life
  • Nokia
  • Novartis Corporation
  • Occidental Petroleum Corporation
  • Panedile Argentina, S.A.
  • Petróleo Brasileiro S.A.- Petrobras
  • Pluspetrol
  • PODER Magazine
  • PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP
  • Raytheon Company
  • Research In Motion - (RIM)
  • Ryder System, Inc.
  • Sempra Energy International
  • Sesame Workshop
  • SICPA Product Security LLC
  • Simpson Thatcher & Bartlett LLP
  • Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher, & Flom LLP
  • Sojitz Corporation of America
  • Standard & Poor's
  • Standard Bank
  • Standard Chartered Bank
  • Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc.
  • Swiss Re Financial Services Corporation
  • Taino Network Systems, Inc.
  • TATA Consultancy Services
  • TATA Sons Ltd.
  • Techint Inc.
  • Temasek Holdings
  • The Albright Stonebridge Group
  • The Bank of Nova Scotia
  • The Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi UFJ, Ltd.
  • The Boeing Company
  • The Procter & Gamble Company
  • The Rohatyn Group
  • The Western Union Company
  • Thompson & Knight LLP
  • Toyota Motor Corporation
  • Tyco Electronics
  • Tyco International Ltd.
  • UBS AG
  • UPS
  • Vale
  • Visa International
  • VT Systems, Inc.
  • Wendy's Arby's Group (WAG)
  • WYSE Technology Inc.
  • Xela Enterprises Ltd.
  • Zemi Communications, LLC

[edit] Board of directors

Notable directors include:

[edit] Further reading

  • Memoirs, David Rockefeller, New York: Random House, 2002.

[edit] See also

[edit] References

[edit] External links

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