Role of the North American Development Bank Topic of March 27 Symposium

Juan Antonio Flores, associate director of public affairs for the North American Development Bank, will stop by The University of Tampa on Thursday, March 27, to give a talk on “U.S.-Mexico Bilateral Cooperation for Development: The Case of the North American Development Bank.”

Flores’ talk, part of the University’s Honors Symposia series, begins at 4 p.m. in Reeves Theater on the 2nd floor of the Vaughn Center and is free and open to the public.

While most often framed in the context of immigration and border security, the U.S. and Mexico maintain a vibrant trade relationship that reached close to $500 billion in 2012. This relationship presents challenges and opportunities for the border region between the two counties — the crossroads for this trade relationship is the North American Development Bank (NADB).

NADB and its sister institution, the Border Environment Cooperation Commission (BECC), were created by the governments of the United States and Mexico in a joint effort to preserve and enhance environmental conditions and the quality of life of people living along the U.S.-Mexico border. Created as interdependent institutions, NADB and BECC function as a team, working with communities and project sponsors to develop, finance and build affordable and self-sustaining projects with broad community support.

This discussion will focus on the various dynamics that will determine the future of NADB, as well as that of the U.S.-Mexico border region. These include federal fiscal challenges, climate change and policy initiatives such as the recently initiated U.S.-Mexico High-Level Economic Dialogue (HLED).

For more information, contact the Honors Program at (813) 257-3545.