Remarks by the Vice President at the Inaugural Ceremony of the Ninth Summit of the Americas in Los Angeles, California

THE VICE PRESIDENT: Good evening. Good evening. Good evening. (Applause.) Well, I know our future is bright when I look at these young leaders.

Governor Gavin Newsom, thank you for that introduction.

It is, of course, so good to be back in my home state of California. (Applause.)

And to everyone here, on behalf of our administration, it is my honor to officially welcome you to the ninth Summit of the Americas. (Applause.)

And, of course, we are here together with world leaders; local elected officials, including our host city Mayor Garcetti; business and civil society leaders; and, of course, the President of the United States, Joe Biden. (Applause.)

As many of you may know, I am a proud daughter of California. I represented this state as Attorney General and as a United States Senator. And I am proud to call Los Angeles my home.

As Vice President, I am pleased to acknowledge, as the Governor mentioned, California is a place where ambitions and dreams become reality.

And so, we all gather in Los Angeles this week for the Summit of the Americas with big ambitions -- ambitions that began 28 years ago in Miami at the first-ever Summit of the Americas, when our nations, together, set the Western Hemisphere on a new path -- a path to grow our economies and improve the lives of our people.

And together, we have made progress on this path -- a path that I believe is critically important for so many of us and, I will speak, important for the American people, because the Western Hemisphere directly affects the security and prosperity of the United States.

And so, this week, we gather once more to build a more prosperous and inclusive future.

I look out at this room, and I see representatives of so many different countries and communities.

We are joined, of course, by heads of state, and we are joined by youth leaders. We are joined by CEOs, and we are joined labor organizers, women entrepreneurs, activists, and advocates.

So here's how I see it: To realize a more prosperous future for our hemisphere, partnerships between those assembled here are essential.

It is in this spirit that I have focused on bringing companies and organizations together to collaborate and coordinate and share lessons learned, and to galvanize billions of dollars in new investments.

The challenges facing our hemisphere in the months and years ahead are significant: the climate crisis, food insecurity, economic inequality, corruption, and gender-based violence.

When I think about these challenges, I know and I am certain they will require new and innovative coalitions to solve, which is why President Joe Biden and I see this week as an opportunity for all of us -- an opportunity to launch new initiatives, to begin new conversations, and to build new partnerships.

So let us enjoy this evening and to also commit ourselves to taking advantage of this time that we spend together under the same roof. At this convening, let us build a more prosperous and inclusive future for the entire Western Hemisphere.

Thank you and welcome. (Applause.)