Security and Prosperity Partnership of North America
The Security and Prosperity Partnership of North America, signed on March 23, 2005 by the leaders of Canada, Mexico and the United States, was born in response to the evident necessity for the North American continent to take new steps to address the threat of terrorism and to enhance the security, competitiveness and quality of life of their countries' citizens.
President Bush of the USA, President Fox of Mexico, and Prime Minister Martin of Canada announced the Security and Prosperity Partnership of North America (SPP) at Baylor University in Waco, Texas, United States.
Through the SPP, the United States, Canada, and Mexico seek to:
- Establish a cooperative approach to advance in common security and prosperity.
- Promote economic growth, competitiveness, and quality of life.
- Develop a common security strategy to further secure North America, focusing on:
- Securing North America from external threats.
- Preventing and responding to threats within North America.
- Streamlining the secure and efficient movement of legitimate and low-risk traffic across shared borders.
Through cooperation and information sharing, the SPP will work toward:
- Improving productivity.
- Reducing the costs of trade.
- Enhancing the joint stewardship of the environment, facilitating agricultural trade while creating a safer and more reliable food supply, and protecting people from disease.
The SPP is based on the principle that prosperity is dependent on security, and recognizes that the three nations are bound by a shared belief in freedom, economic opportunity, and strong democratic institutions.
The SPP will complement, rather than replace, existing bilateral and trilateral institutions like NAFTA and is a step forward making a blueprint for a further North American Community.