SRES 661

This resolution recognizes that increased tensions between the United States and China and the COVID-19 pandemic have exposed severe vulnerabilities attributable to overreliance by the United States and other countries on supply chains based solely or mainly in China. The resolution emphasizes that nearshoring in Latin America and the Caribbean, relative to relying on supply chains in other geographic regions, has the greatest potential to contribute to the economic prosperity and security of the United States while also advancing the post-pandemic economic recovery of countries in the Western Hemisphere. Nearshoring is the practice of transferring a business operation to a nearby country, especially in preference to a more distant one. The resolution encourages the U.S. Agency for International Development and the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation to strengthen programmatic support for initiatives likely to facilitate the relocation of global supply chains to the Western Hemisphere. The resolution also calls for governments in Latin America and the Caribbean to increase opportunities for nearshoring in the region. Finally, the resolution urges the Department of State to take a leading role in advancing nearshoring in Latin America and the Caribbean.