Washington, DC - The United States and Chile held the second meeting of the High Level Bilateral Political Consultative Mechanism at the U.S. Department of State. Ambassador Thomas Shannon hosted the discussions on behalf of the United States; Chilean Under Secretary for Foreign Affairs Edgardo Riveros led the Chilean delegation.

The annual bilateral Policy Planning dialogue between the two governments took place December 3, led by Director of Policy Planning David McKean and his Chilean counterpart Ambassador Maria del Carmen Dominguez.

The delegations discussed regional priorities including Haiti, Colombia, and the Pacific Alliance. The delegations also reviewed global priorities including the Trans-Pacific Partnership, the Community of Democracies, the Open Government Partnership, peacekeeping, Syria and ISIL, and LGBTI issues, including the Global Equality Fund. The delegations also reconfirmed their commitment in support of global rule of law efforts, and to work together ahead of the 2016 Our Ocean conference.

An additional outcome of the discussions focused on peace and security. The United States welcomes Chile’s leadership in advancing several shared goals on women in peace and security efforts, including convening regional workshops and promoting implementation of UN Resolution 1325 to further the participation of women in security and peace processes.

The meetings provided an opportunity to review progress on priorities in the region and around the world, and to identify new ways to expand our already vibrant and wide-ranging bilateral cooperation between the United States and Chile as we partner together to address global challenges.