In July, the CWAG Alliance Partnership celebrated the 2016 Binational Attorney General Exchange in Sun Valley, Idaho. The event brought together U.S. and Mexico State Attorneys General along with their colleagues from the federal government and private sector to discuss cross-border issues related to the administration of justice in both systems.

Mutual respect, collaboration and partnership proved the theme, with host Idaho Attorney General Lawrence Wasden, CWAG Chair and Oregon Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum, and Mexico Federal Attorney General Arely Gomez Gonzales inaugurating the event. "It's been so lovely to spend a day here visiting this beautiful place, exchanging and sharing ideas," said General Gomez Gonzales, noting that the event was building on the joint efforts and results of the prior Binational AG Exchange held in Mexico City last fall. Each speaker emphasized the unique nature of the relationship between CWAG and Mexican Attorneys General, and the benefits of these Exchanges.

The Exchange provided an effective forum for representation at multiple levels, fostering communication on many relevant and diverse topics in the criminal justice system. Among the topics presented were, "The Future of Mexico's Judicial Reforms," addressing evaluation and monitoring strategies for Mexico's constitutional criminal justice reforms; "Technology Platforms Assisting Law Enforcement in the 21st Century," including discussions of options for communications encryption and crime scene preservation among others, and "Human Trafficking-State, National and International Initiatives," which examined opportunities and challenges for combatting human trafficking in both our countries.

Assistant Secretary of State William Brownfield offered the closing address to the conference, expressing his personal enthusiasm for the CWAG Alliance Partnership Binational Attorney General Exchanges, and encouraging a strong future alliance and cooperation among the agencies represented at the meeting.

Participants included Attorneys General from the Mexican states of Baja California, Baja California Sur, Guanajuato, Morelos, Nuevo Leon, Puebla, San Luis Potosi and Military Justice, joining their colleagues from the US states of Idaho, Utah, Oregon, Arizona, Colorado, Wyoming, Nevada, New Mexico and California, Washington DC, Kansas, Rhode Island, Indiana, Georgia, Florida, and Vermont. Several PGR officials, the Consul of Mexico in Boise, and a representative from the Consejo Nacional Bancaria y de Valores (Mexican Stock Exchange) also attended.