CLDP, in collaboration with USTR, will host 20 Salvadoran textiles experts on a Professional Development Opportunity led by 11 U.S. industry experts in St. Louis, MO; Columbia, MO; New York City, NY; and Washington, DC. The 20 Salvadoran participants will travel to one of the U.S. cities where the U.S. experts will engage them in consultations, job-shadowing, and capacity visits to textiles businesses and factories. Six Salvadoran experts will visit St. Louis and Columbia to consult with experts in innovation and supply chain management while four Salvadoran experts in New York City and four in Washington, DC, receive training on effective marketing strategies and the textiles and apparel provisions of the CAFTA-DR, respectively. Throughout the program, CLDP and USTR have focused programmatic efforts on the four identified areas of focus to increase the competitiveness of the Salvadoran textiles industry by increasing human capacity. To conclude the professional development opportunity, harmonize the material presented in the four areas of focus, and encourage the Salvadoran group to work together upon their return, all 20 Salvadoran participants will meet in St. Louis on for a Business Development course and final review and reflection with experts in all four areas. After the trainings, the 20 Salvadoran participants will return to El Salvador as a source of reference for their private sector and government colleagues of the textile industry.

CLDP, in collaboration with ITA, CBP, and USDA, will conduct a regional trade facilitation workshop on public consultation for Guatemalan government and private sector representatives. Government officials from Costa Rica, El Salvador, and Honduras will also participate in the workshop to encourage regional integration. The Guatemalan government can improve the transparency and effectiveness of the regulatory process through  transparent and consistent public consultation processes. Uniform public consultation mechanisms across Guatemalan trade ministries will attract investment, stimulate economic growth, and improve prosperity through increased trade across Central America.