On October 19, 2012, the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) issued a press release including a statement by the East African Community (EAC), which outlines the progress by the U.S.-EAC Trade and Investment Partnership, an initiative intended to support economic integration between the two regions.

The press release explains that "This new Partnership is built on the recognition of the important role that trade and investment play in economic and social development including job creation, both in East Africa and the United States."

Some of the items listed by the release which have been agreed upon in the initiative include:

• An investment treaty
• A trade facilitation agreement
• Continued trade capacity building assistance
• A commercial dialogue

According to the press release, the U.S. and the EAC have agreed on a framework to create the Commercial Dialogue, which will be officially launched on November, 2012.

The full text of the press release is available online here.