For Immediate Release
January 14, 2004

Global Message

ACCOMPLISHMENTS AT THE SPECIAL SUMMIT OF THE AMERICAS

President Bush attended the Special Summit of the Americas in Monterrey, Mexico, to urge leaders to strengthen the foundations for democracy and economic growth in the hemisphere.

To intensify the fight against corruption, leaders agreed to:

• Strengthen a "culture of transparency" in the Americas;
• Deny safe haven to corrupt officials;
• Promote transparency in public financial management; and
• Hold consultations if adherence to their transparency and anti-corruption objectives is seriously compromised in any Summit country.

To spur growth and reduce poverty, leaders agreed to:

• Significantly reduce the time and cost of starting a business by the 2005 Summit;
• Endorse the Inter-American Development Bank's goal of tripling the credit it provides for small and medium-sized businesses by 2007;
• Reduce by at least half the cost of sending remittances by 2008;
• Strengthen property rights by the next Summit in 2005; and
• Reaffirm support for completing the Free Trade Area of the Americas on schedule, by January 2005.

To improve health and education, leaders agreed to:

• Provide HIV/AIDS antiretroviral therapy to all who need it, focusing on the treatment of at least 600,000 individuals by 2005; and
• Improve the quality of education by publishing school system performance reports by the 2005 Summit.