FIFTH REPORT OF THE SPECIAL COMMITTEE ON INTER-AMERICAN SUMMITS MANAGEMENT TO THE MINISTERS OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS

PURSUANT TO RESOLUTIONS AG/RES. 1349 (XXV-O/95), AG/RES. 1377 (XXVI-O/96),
AG/RES. 1448 (XXVII-O/97), AND AG/RES. 1534 (XXVIII-O/98)

Item 4 on the agenda

(Considered by the Permanent Council at its meeting of May 26, 1999)

CONTENTS

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

I. EDUCATION: THE KEY TO PROGRESS

II. PRESERVING AND STRENGTHENING DEMOCRACY, JUSTICE, AND HUMAN RIGHTS

• Democracy and Human Rights
• Education for Democracy
• Civil Society
• Migrant Workers
• Strengthening Municipal and Regional Administrations
• Corruption
• Prevention and Control of Illicit Consumption of and Traffic in Drugs and Psychotropic Substances and Other Related Crimes
• Terrorism
• Confidence- and Security-Building among States
• Strengthening of Justice Systems and Judiciaries
• Modernization of the State in Labor Matters

• Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA)
• Science and Technology
• Hemispheric Infrastructure
  • Telecommunications

• Health Technologies
• Women
• Basic Rights of Workers
• Indigenous Populations
• Sustainable Development
• Cooperation

V. SUMMIT OF THE AMERICAS FOLLOW-UP

The OAS has incorporated the Santiago mandates into its working agenda through decisions adopted by the ministers of foreign affairs at the General Assembly in Caracas. Consequently, the Organization's agenda is directly associated with the one approved by the heads of state and government.

Likewise, the OAS has taken the necessary steps to organize its handling of the mandates assigned to it at the summits, through the establishment in July 1998 of the Office of Summit Follow-up.

All of this has also given a new character to the Committee on Inter-American Summits Management, whose role in following up on the Summits embraces almost all the items of the Santiago Plan of Action.

In light of this experience, the OAS is increasingly focused on carrying out its two-pronged mission of serving as a forum for dialogue and the exchange of experiences and providing technical support to specialized meetings of ministers and experts.

I. EDUCATION

During the first meeting of the ministers of education, held in Brasilia in July 1998 within the framework of CIDI, the ministers decided on a plan to execute the education initiative and on a follow-up mechanism by means of a working group elected on the basis of geographic representation. They also approved the Inter-American Education Program designed to implement, within the OAS, the decisions of the Santiago Summit. To carry out the program adopted by the ministers of education, officials in the education sector drew up multinational projects which CIDI funded for execution in 1999 so as to implement the lines of action identified in the follow-up plan adopted by the ministers at the Brasilia meeting. CIDI recommended to the OAS General Assembly that it give priority to those multilateral projects in programming for the year 2000.

II. PRESERVATION AND STRENGTHENING OF DEMOCRACY, JUSTICE, AND HUMAN RIGHTS

Democracy and Human Rights

UPD activities with respect to the summit process have centered on the areas of: support for legislative processes and institutions; promotion of democratic practices and values; support for decentralization, local government, and civic participation; the democratic forum; and such special programs as: Assistance for Demining; Support for the Peace Process in Guatemala; OAS/UN International Civilian Mission in Haiti; Technical Collaboration for Peace and Reintegration in Nicaragua; Special Mission to Suriname, and Electoral Observation Missions.

OAS action in human rights has focused on the holding of seminars and training workshops and the launching of the Office of the Special Rapporteur for Freedom of Expression.

Education for Democracy

An inter-university program was held on studies on democracy (1997-1998), as was a seminar/workshop in Nicaragua, September 23-25, titled "Central American Education for Democracy Regional Cooperation Program."

Civil Society

Civil society participated in the formulation of the Inter-American Strategy for the Promotion of Public Participation in Decision-Making for Sustainable Development, a mandate from the Santa Cruz Summit.

The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights sent the states a questionnaire on the situation of migrant workers and their family members in the Hemisphere, with a view to drafting a report on the subject.

Strengthening Municipal and Regional Administrations

The UPD, through its Program for Cooperation in Decentralization, Local Government, and Citizen Participation, organized high-level subregional meetings (CARICOM; Central America and the Dominican Republic; the Andean Community and MERCOSUR) to exchange experiences.

Corruption

The principal OAS activity was the Symposium on Enhancing Probity in the Hemisphere, held in Santiago, Chile, November 4-6, 1998.

The Mechanism for Multilateral Evaluation (MEM), for which CICAD had established an Intergovernmental Working Group (IWG-MEM) in May 1998, is currently being organized. This Group has held five meetings and has agreed on the principles, characteristics, and objectives that are to govern the MEM's operations. It has also adopted all indicators to be used in the evaluation process.

It was decided that negotiations to design the Mechanism would be concluded at the meeting in Ottawa, Canada, August 30-September 3, 1999. The IWG-MEM agreed to conduct the first round of evaluations during the year 2000.

Terrorism

The most important action taken by the OAS was the organization of the Second Inter-American Specialized Conference on Terrorism, held in November 1998 in Mar del Plata, Argentina, which approved the Commitment of Mar del Plata.

Confidence- and Security-Building among States

In October 1998, Brazil and the United States submitted a proposal for drawing up an Inter-American Convention on Transparency in Conventional Weapons Acquisitions. To that end, a Working Group of the Committee on Hemispheric Security was set up.

On April 20 and 21, the Committee on Hemispheric Security held a meeting of government experts in Washington to examine the new concepts of hemispheric security and the strengthening of the inter-American system in this regard. The meeting was preceded by a seminar, to which academics from the Hemisphere had been invited.

Strengthening of Justice Systems and Judiciaries

The Second Meeting of Ministers of Justice, within the framework of the OAS, was held in Lima, Peru, March 1-3, 1999. Its purpose was to take concrete measures in the areas of judicial access and the training of judges, prosecutors, and judicial officials. The topic of new offenses was also discussed, for example, cyber crime.

A decision was also made to proceed toward the establishment of the Justice Studies Center, envisaged in the Santiago Plan of Action. To that end, a working group of government experts was set up and, with OAS cooperation, is already working on preparing a draft structure and draft statutes for the Center.

The ministers of labor met within the framework of CIDI in Viña del Mar, Chile, October 20-21. On that occasion, they established two working groups: one on "economic globalization and its social and labor dimensions" and the other on "modernization of the state and labor administration: requirements and challenges." One of the groups met in April and the other will meet in June.

The main activities of the Trade Unit were:

• The Ministerial Meeting on Trade held in San José in March 1998 and the meetings in Buenos Aires and Suriname of the Trade Negotiations Committee (TNC), made up of the region's vice ministers of trade
• Meetings of the FTAA negotiating groups and consultative groups
• Support from the OAS Trade Unit to the negotiating groups. Investment; Services, Intellectual Property Rights; Subsidies, the Consultative Group on Smaller Economies, and the committees on participation by civil society and electronic commerce.
• OAS/WTO and Georgetown University training course for trade officials

First Meeting of the Inter-American Committee on Science and Technology (COMCYT) of CIDI, Bariloche, Argentina, August 10-12, 1998. COMCYT approved the lines of action for the Inter-American Science and Technology Program, which will implement the Plan of Action approved at the Meeting of Ministers of Science and Technology agreed to at the Miami Summit, as well as the initiatives of the Santiago Plan of Action. CIDI approved said Program and forwarded it to the OAS General Assembly for adoption.

The Inter-American Telecommunication Commission (CITEL) carried out the activities related to the Summit mandates in the following areas: Global Information Infrastructure; universal service; mutual recognition agreements for telecommunications equipment; standards coordination; value added services; spectrum use; and training.

PAHO is the responsible coordinator of this initiative, which is comprised of three main elements: access to quality drugs and vaccines, strengthening health information and surveillance systems, and improvement in access to and quality of water and sanitation infrastructure.

Women

The XXIX Assembly of Delegates of the CIM was held from November 16 to 18, 1998, in Washington D.C. During the Assembly, the Biennial Work Program was approved.

Basic Rights of Workers

In the Viña del Mar Action Plan, it was established that the Working Group on Modernization of the State in Labor Matters would discuss the topic of the basic rights of workers in the subgroups "Modernization of Labor Ministries," "Modernization of the State's Oversight Functions in the Area of Fundamental Worker Rights," and "Modernization of Labor Law."

Indigenous Populations

The meeting of Government Experts, convened by the Committee on Juridical and Political Affairs of the Permanent Council, was held at OAS headquarters, February 10-12, 1999. It was called to examine the American Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, which the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights had submitted to the General Assembly in 1997.

Sustainable Development

The Unit for Sustainable Development and Environment is pursuing its activities regarding the implemention, coordination, and follow-up of the Plan of Action of the Santa Cruz Summit.

The Office of Summit Follow-up has provided technical support and participated in the SIRG meetings held in October 1998 and March 1999. It also provided technical support to the meetings of the Committee on Summits Management. The Office of Summit Follow-up has installed the Summit of the Americas Information System (SICA) on the Internet.

CONCLUSIONS

The OAS is making a significant and increasingly important contribution to the Summit follow-up process. In that regard, efforts to modernize the Organization, which were mandated by the heads of state and government, must be completed in order to shore up the Organization's technical capacity in follow-up activities and thus make it possible to strengthen ties between the Summit process and the Organization's agenda and continue to attach the highest possible priority to the Summit follow-up process.

In addition, public opinion in the countries must be made aware of progress made in fulfilling mandates so as to increase the credibility of the Summit process. Through the Office of Summit Follow-up, the OAS will continue to make available to the public at large, through the Internet, documentation and official information on implementation of the Summit mandates.

The Summit process requires greater coordination among all international organizations working on these topics. This coordination is essential to keep the Summit mandates alive on the agenda of each of the international organizations and to take further advantage of programs with similar goals without duplicating efforts. The joint work of the OAS governments, in coordination with international organizations, is the best approach to fulfilling the Summit mandates while making good use of existing financial and technical resources.

FIFTH REPORT OF THE SPECIAL COMMITTEE ON INTER-AMERICAN SUMMITS MANAGEMENT TO THE MINISTERS OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS

PURSUANT TO RESOLUTIONS AG/RES. 1349 (XXV-O/95), AG/RES. 1377 (XXVI-O/96),
AG/RES. 1448 (XXVII-O/97), AND AG/RES. 1534 (XXVIII-O/98

Background

By means of resolution AG/RES. 1349 (XXV-O/95), the General Assembly created the Special Committee on Inter-American Summits Management in order to provide effective, timely, and appropriate follow-up to the activities entrusted to the Organization by the heads of state and government in the Plan of Action of the Summit of the Americas held in Miami.

The General Assembly also charged the Special Committee on Inter-American Summits Management with requesting and receiving regular reports from any OAS organ, agency, or entity; with commenting on them; and, in accordance with its mandates, with orienting, providing specific indications, and entrusting tasks to those organs, agencies, and entities [AG/RES. 1534 (XXVIII-O/98)].

In accordance with the above, the Committee spent four meetings exchanging views on each of the initiatives contained in the Plan of Action of the Second Summit of the Americas in which the Organization had played an important part. To this end, the Chair asked the organs, agencies, and entities to prepare reports on the follow-up activities they carried out in connection with initiatives between June 1998 and February 28, 1999. However, in some cases, events that took place after that date were included. These reports were submitted and commented on by the delegations. They now make up this report to the Permanent Council, to be considered by the ministers of foreign affairs in compliance with resolutions AG/RES. 1349 (XXV-O/95), AG/RES. 1377 (XXVI-O/96), AG/RES. 1448 (XXVII-O/97), and AG/RES. 1534 (XXVIII-O/98).

Note: Under each heading, the section describing the mandates entrusted to the OAS by the heads of state and government is included in italics.

The outline of the report is based on the Plan of Action of the Second Summit of the Americas.

I. EDUCATION: THE KEY TO PROGRESS

Summit Mandates:

• Entrust the Meeting of Ministers of Education, to be convened by the OAS within the framework of CIDI's Strategic Plan for Partnership for Development, to be held in Brazil in July 1998, with the development of an implementation plan for this education initiative.

• Instruct the OAS and request the IDB, World Bank, ECLAC, and other multilateral institutions to report on the execution of this Plan to the Government representatives responsible for review and follow-up of the commitments of the Summit of the Americas.

In compliance with these mandates, on July 20-21, 1998 the First Meeting of Ministers of Education of the Americas was held in Brasilia, Brazil, under the aegis of the Inter-American Council for Integral Development (CIDI). The Unit for Social Development and Education (USDE) helped organize the meeting and provided the necessary technical secretarial services. At the Meeting, the ministers studied three main issues: (i) implementation of the education chapter of the Plan of Action of the Second Summit of the Americas, (ii) the follow-up mechanism for the education chapter of the Plan of Action of the Second Summit of the Americas, and (iii) the OAS Inter-American Program of Education for 1999-2001.

The OAS Inter-American Program of Education, as adopted by the ministers of education, is designed to implement the Education Action Plan of the Second Summit of the Americas. CIDI approved the following six priority multilateral projects for 1999, which will be financed by FEMCIDI.

Education for Social Sectors Requiring Priority Attention. This project will focus on promoting compensatory policies and programs aimed at basic education, with particular attention being paid to the education of women and the disabled and to initial education among vulnerable segments of the population.

Professionalization of Teachers and Educational Administrators. This project will continue with a series of national and regional efforts aimed at upgrading the teaching profession through new training strategies involving both the physical presence of instructors as well as modern information and communications technologies.

Strengthening Educational Management and Institutional Development. With this project, the education ministers aim to identify and systematize experiences arising from educational management reform processes.

Education for Work and Youth Development. This project is intended to assist education reform through the systematization of experiences and by establishing links between local job markets and the educational curriculum. Its activities will support the design of teacher training programs and the consideration of consistent competency standards.

Education for Citizenship and Sustainability in Multicultural Societies. This project will comprise four modules: basic education for migrant children, bilingual intercultural education, education for citizenship, and environmental education for sustainability at the regional level.

This project represents a joint response by the OAS and UNESCO to the mandates of the Santa Cruz de la Sierra Summit on Sustainable Development and the Second Summit of the Americas as regards environmental and education issues. To date, the project has produced a document titled Education for a Sustainable Future in the Americas, which was discussed at a meeting of experts called by the education ministry of Colombia.

Exchange of Teachers and Students for Study of the OAS Official Languages. Through the Regional Adult Education Center for Latin America and the Caribbean, this project will supply Spanish-language training for the OAS’s English-speaking member states.

Each of the six multilateral projects is the result of a joint planning effort by the technical representatives of the Hemisphere’s education ministries, who met on August 18-19, 1998, at OAS headquarters in Washington, D.C.

In order to coordinate this mandate’s follow-up with other international organizations, the OAS General Secretariat has been regularly attending the meetings of the Inter-Agency Education Follow-up Group of the Santiago Summit, which comprises representatives coordinating the Education initiative and representatives of the IDB, OAS, World Bank, ECLAC, and UNESCO. At its most recent meeting in Mexico, March 22-23, 1999, the Group revised the lines of action and the multinational projects.

The report of the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA) on the activities carried out under this initiative follows:

IICA's technical cooperation focuses on fostering and supporting measures to promote evaluation, curriculum updating, teacher training, and accreditation as factors in changing rural education.

In the area of education, IICA coordinates and provides institutional technical cooperation designed to support and carry out initiatives to: (a) promote and facilitate regional and inter-American dialogue to integrate education, and (b) improve the efficiency, quality, and suitability of training for agriculture and rural development. The principal activities and achievements in the second half of the year have to do with consultancies, workshops, conferences, and negotiations, as set forth below:

• Consultancy to prepare a Pilot Plan to Improve Rural Education, Dominican Republic, July/August
• Consultancy to Ministers of Education and Agriculture for the Plan to Improve Rural Education, Dominican Republic, December
• Workshops and courses (26) on the planning of training, strategic planning, curriculum development, training methods, continuing education, development of teaching skills, university teaching, and organizational strengthening for change, among other subjects taught in various countries of the Hemisphere
• Organization of the regional conference "Integration of Higher Education in the Andean Region," directed by CreA/ACT-Peru/CECAP/ACTs of Venezuela, Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, and the "La Molina" National Agrarian University, Peru, December
• Organization of the national conference "Training of Human Resources for Costa Rican Agriculture in the 21st Century" (IICA/SEPSA), Costa Rica, November
• Meetings to coordinate and negotiate support for improvements in rural education and training services
• Documents (12) prepared on various topics concerning rural education and training in the Americas and on the threshold of the 21st century
• Preparation and distribution of various educational materials

Democracy and Human Rights

Summit Mandates:

• Training of police and correctional officers.
• Necessary steps to remedy inhumane conditions in prisons and reduce drastically the number of pre-trial detainees.
• Enhancing human rights education for judges, magistrates and other court officials.

The Unit for the Promotion of Democracy carries out numerous initiatives in support of the priorities set at the Summits of the Americas, particularly as regards supporting dialogues and exchanges between electoral and legislative institutions, assisting their modernization, and strengthening decentralization processes and the participation of civil society.

These activities have been divided into four sections:

A.  Strengthening Democratic Institutions
B.  Technical Electoral Assistance
C.  The Democratic Forum
D.  Special Programs

A. STRENGTHENING DEMOCRATIC INSTITUTIONS

The aim of this area is to assist member states in their efforts to strengthen the democratic institutions of the government and civil society.

The UPD’s activities in this area are focused on the following issues: (a) supporting legislative processes and institutions, (b) promoting democratic practices and values, and (c) supporting decentralization processes, local governments, and civic participation.

a. Supporting Legislative Processes and Institutions

In compliance with the resolutions of the General Assembly and with the plans of action decided on at the Summits of the Americas, the UPD continued to support the strengthening of democratic institutions through the development of technical assistance programs for modernizing legislatures and by encouraging cooperation and interagency dialogue. During the period covered by this report, studies of parliamentary management were conducted, seminars and workshops on legislative techniques were held, and meetings to analyze the modernization of parliaments and democratic governance were organized. These activities can be broken down geographically as follows:

North America

Network of Legislative Leaders of the Americas. The UPD and the Inter-American Dialogue worked together on the development of an informal hemispheric network of legislative leaders from the USA, Canada, Latin America, and the Caribbean. The network brings together distinguished legislative leaders in order to study how to enhance legislatures’ contributions to foreign affairs-related issues and in order to exchange experiences and opinions.

The first meeting of the Network of Legislative Leaders of the Americas, which was held on November 21-22, 1998, in Boca Chica, Dominican Republic, was attended by national legislators from 30 of the Hemisphere’s nations. The issues discussed included the situation of legislatures in the Americas, the role of legislatures in foreign affairs, the problems of international trade, and the international financial crisis and its impact on the region.

Caribbean

A workshop on legislative drafting techniques was held from July 27 to August 24, 1998 in Barbados. The workshop was organized by the UPD in cooperation with Law Department of the University of the West Indies. Its objectives were to strengthen the operational capacities of the legislative drafting offices in the Caribbean member states of the OAS by improving the knowledge and professional skills of technical staff in these offices. Legislative officials from Saint Kitts and Nevis, Trinidad and Tobago, Saint. Lucia, Jamaica, Grenada, the Dominican Republic, and The Bahamas participated in the workshop.

Southern Cone

Legislative Affairs Program at the Latin American Human Economics Center (PAL/CLAEH), Uruguay. Ongoing support was given to this program, the aim of which is to promote interparliamentary cooperation and the modernization of the Mercosur countries’ legislatures.

Regional Seminar: Parliamentary Management, Civil Society, Chile, 1998. This seminar was held on October 30, 1998, with assistance from the President of the Chilean Chamber of Deputies. The meeting, to which a report by the same name was submitted, was attended by 90 participants, including legislators from the chambers of deputies of Brazil, Bolivia, and Paraguay, Chilean deputies, local authorities, academics, representatives of interested NGOs, UPD delegates, and students.

Central America and the Dominican Republic

Seminar to Present the Computer Program for a Legislative Information Network for Central America and the Dominican Republic (RILCA). This seminar was held in San Salvador, El Salvador, on December 3-4, 1998 under the aegis of the joint support program for legislative processes and institutions in the Central American region.

Management Plan for the Salvadorian Legislative Assembly Modernization Program. The President of Salvadorian Legislative Assembly requested the UPD’s assistance in strengthening the data-processing component of the Management Plan for the Legislative Assembly Modernization Program and appointed the head of the assembly’s data processing unit to serve as the counterpart. In order to analyze the potential for such cooperation, the UPD is to send a technical mission to El Salvador to assess the data-processing requirements of the Legislative Assembly and propose an appropriate working plan.

Seminar-Workshop on Legislation for Central American Reconstruction. The Congress of Honduras, through its Vice President, asked the UPD/OAS for "the technical and financial assistance that can be secured for carrying out a seminar-workshop on legislation for reconstructing Central America," to be held in Tegucigalpa in February 1999. Considering the importance of the issue and the timeliness of the request, the UPD began the analyses and formalities needed to collaborate with the Honduran Congress in organizing this meeting. The aim of the event is to facilitate the regionwide development of legislation providing public policies that respond to emergency situations and national reconstruction efforts, such as those the region is currently facing as a result of the natural disasters caused by Hurricane Mitch.

Support for Legislative Modernization in the Central American Region. The Forum of Central American Legislature Presidents (FOPREL) asked the UPD to organize a joint program for 1999 in order to strengthen activities in support of legislative modernization in the Central American region. The UPD is currently analyzing the possibility of collaborating with the Forum in promoting interparliamentary cooperation and legislative modernization in Central America.

Andean Region

Andean Legislative Information Network (RAIL). The UPD continues to support the launch of this network based at the General Secretariat of the Andean Parliament.

Comprehensive Modernization of the Ecuadorian National Congress. In response to the request made by the President of Ecuador’s National Congress for the UPD to support the comprehensive modernization process in which that legislative body is currently engaged, a UPD consultant was appointed to analyze the development of its data-processing component. The consultant carried out a technical visit to the Congress, as a result of which recommendations and technical and administrative suggestions regarding the modernization process were made.

b. Promoting Democratic Practices and Values

The UPD has been collaborating, at the national and regional levels, with institutes of education, government agencies, and civil society in supporting and promoting the development of knowledge and skills related to the values and practices of democratic political culture; in this undertaking, particular attention has been paid to young people. Activities took place in three specific fields: (1) regional training workshops on democratic institutions, values, and practices for young leaders in the Americas, (2) the Education for Democracy Project, and (3) the Inter-University Network of Democracy Studies.

The UPD has developed a hemispheric program on democratic institutions, values, and practices for young leaders, involving four training workshops: in Central America (September 1998 in Costa Rica), the Mercosur nations (August 1998 in Argentina), the Andean region (Cuenca, Ecuador, November 1998), and the Caribbean (planned for 1999).

This project is described in the section on Education for Democracy.

At the request of the governments of Chile, Colombia, and Guatemala, the UPD, the OAS Department of Fellowships, and the Inter-American Council for Integral Development (CIDI) continued to support the Inter-University Network of Democracy Studies. The network comprises the Latin American Institute of Doctrine and Social Studies (ILADES) at Hurtado University in Santiago, Chile, the Javeriana University of Bogotá, Colombia, and Rafael Landívar University in Guatemala City, Guatemala. Over this period, the network promoted advanced studies on democracy, organized exchanges of teaching staff, and conducted joint research projects.

These activities are dealt with under the mandate on strengthening municipal and regional administrations.

B. TECHNICAL ELECTORAL ASSISTANCE

At the request of the member states, this area provides timely assistance to the Hemisphere’s electoral institutions, particularly in identifying new technologies, enabling institutional and juridical improvements to be made to the region’s electoral systems, and organizing regional events for exchanges of experiences and knowledge.

The UPD’s activities in this regard focused on the following areas: (a) organizational and technological development of electoral institutions, (b) electoral training, and civic and electoral education, (c) modernizing and strengthening civil registries–maintaining and updating electoral rolls, and (d) electoral system reforms.

C. THE DEMOCRATIC FORUM

On October 20, 1998, a democratic forum was held on "OAS Peace-Building Experiences: Progress Achieved, Lessons Learned, and Future Possibilities." It was attended by leading figures from academia, diplomatic circles, and international organizations. Both the speeches given by the panelists and the exchanges of opinions during the question-and-answer sessions are being prepared for publication.

D. SPECIAL PROGRAMS

The UPD is currently conducting the following special programs and missions in the nations of the Hemisphere: the Assistance Program for Demining in Central America; the Special Support Program for the Peace Process in Guatemala; the OAS/UN International Civilian Mission in Haiti; the Technical Cooperation Program for the Consolidation of Peace and Reintegration in Nicaragua; the Special Mission to Suriname; and the Program for the PRONAGOB Specialized Agency (Bolivia). This area is also responsible for the Organization’s electoral observation missions (MOEs).

The Special Program of Support for the Peace Process in Guatemala is focused on five projects: (1) technical assistance for elections; (2) the culture of dialogue: resource development for building peace; (3) democratic values and political management; (4) legal support for the Guatemalan Congress in its efforts to implement the commitments arising from the peace accords; and (5) assistance for mine-clearing in Guatemala.

The OAS/UN International Civilian Mission in Haiti has its efforts concentrated on the observance of human rights. The mission organized several seminars, courses, and discussions on human rights, civic education, and methods for resolving police conflicts, along with a symposium on judicial reform and a program of human rights training for teachers.

The Technical Collaboration Program for the Consolidation of Peace and Reintegration in Nicaragua supports state agencies involved with defending human rights, supporting the peace commissions, strengthening local governments, and supporting missions and activities involving universities.

The Special Mission to Suriname provided ongoing support for the government’s activities to promote peace and democracy. The activities undertaken in conjunction with the National Assembly to establish a tracking system for legislative bills continued, and, in conjunction with the University of Suriname, a seminar was held to discuss the role of the Mission during its 10-year presence in the country.

The OAS General Secretariat’s MOEs are one of the most important instruments available to the Organization for promoting, defending, and consolidating democratic practices and values. During 1998, electoral observation missions were sent to the following countries:

Nicaragua, Atlantic Coast, regional elections, March 1, 1998

Paraguay, general election, October 5, 1998

Ecuador, general elections, May 31, 1998, first round, and July 16, 1998, second round.

Dominican Republic, legislative and municipal elections, May 16, 1998

Panama, referendum, August 30, 1998

Peru, municipal elections, October 11, 1998

Venezuela, legislative elections, November 8, 1998; presidential election, December 6, 1998

Strengthening and Improving the Inter-American Human Rights System

The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights is working on modifying its Regulations in order to modernize its formalities and procedures. In order to receive input regarding this reform process from the states and petitioners who make use of the inter-American human rights system, it invited them to put forward their suggestions and ideas.

Between May 1998 and February 1999, the Commission organized a series of promotional events in several member states, including seminars, training workshops, conferences, etc. In December 1998, the IACHR and George Washington University jointly organized a seminar on human rights for Argentine judges and public prosecutors. This seminar took place in Washington D.C.

On June 3 and November 18, 1998, the Commission entered into institutional cooperation agreements with the Venezuelan Supreme Court of Justice and with the Colombian Constitutional Court. The aim of these two agreements is to establish a framework for relations that will allow institutional cooperation between the IACHR and both the Venezuelan Supreme Court of Justice and the Colombian Constitutional Court for designing and carrying out specific actions to improve the quality and efficiency of the administration of justice, to promote reciprocal assistance in legal and professional training, and to encourage exchanges of basic human rights promotion and defense instruments, the jurisprudence of the competent bodies, and pertinent information on judicial activities in the nations of the Americas.

Strengthening Freedom of Expression and the Office of the Special Rapporteur for Freedom of Expression

The decision to create the position of Special Rapporteur for Freedom of Expression is an attempt to strengthen the IACHR’s ability to promote and protect the full force of this important right across the Americas and, by so doing, to contribute to its further development. To promote and protect the right of free expression, the IACHR decided to appoint a special rapporteur who, within the IACHR Executive Secretariat, will be responsible for preparing the reports and designing the promotional activities specified by his mandate, prior to submitting them for the IACHR’s approval.

During its 100th regular session, the IACHR unanimously chose the Special Rapporteur for Freedom of Expression. His mandate began in November 1998, and he is responsible for a series of duties including the drafting of an annual report on the situation of freedom of expression in the Americas for submission to the Commission for its consideration and approval.

The Special Rapporteur for Freedom of Expression accompanied the IACHR on its on-site visit to Peru, where he met with different international agencies, civil society groups, and journalists.

Governments will:

• Include in educational programs, within the legal framework of each country, objectives and contents that develop democratic culture at all levels, in order to teach individuals ethical values, a spirit of cooperation, and integrity. To that end, the participation of teachers, families, students and outreach workers will be stepped up in their work related to conceptualizing and implementing the plans for shaping citizens imbued with democratic values.

The UPD collaborates with educational and governmental institutions and with civil society in promoting awareness about the values and practices of democratic political culture and in supporting methods, techniques, and skills for teaching and learning about this issue; in this, it pays particular attention to young people. Training for democracy has been introduced into the education systems of Central America, Mexico, and the Caribbean, and regional workshops for training young people and leaders have been organized.

During 1998, studies were conducted for Chile’s inter-university network on democracy; the main aim of these was to train experts in democracy.

The UPD and the Department of Fellowships set themselves the goal of creating an inter-university democracy studies program (1997-1998). This program involves granting scholarships for postgraduate studies, research projects, and teacher exchanges, together with donations for democracy-related publications, in conjunction with the Latin American Development Institute (ILADES) in Chile, the Javeriana University in Colombia, and Rafael Landívar University in Guatemala.

In addition, during 1998 the UPD and the Department of Fellowships organized specialized courses for promoting democracy.

The UPD, with assistance from the Ministry of Education and the Center for Education for Democracy in Nicaragua, organized a second seminar/workshop in Nicaragua, September 23-25–the Central American Education for Democracy Regional Cooperation Project–dealing with the development and strengthening of new training methods in the field of education for democracy. The seminar was attended by representatives from Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, and Panama.

Civil Society

• Entrust the OAS to encourage support among Governments and civil society organizations, and to promote appropriate programs to carry out this initiative, and request the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) to develop and implement, along with interested States and other inter-American institutions, hemispheric financial mechanisms specially devoted to the implementation of programs oriented toward strengthening civil society and public participation mechanisms.

OAS Actions

Democracy and Civil Society

The UPD/OAS sponsored and participated in the workshop on Effective Youth Participation in Civil Society held by the CARICOM Secretariat in The Bahamas on September 28-29, 1998. Opportunities for collaboration in shared program areas were identified, including the promotion of democratic practices and values (training for youth leadership) and youth participation within local government and the community.

On February 11-12, 1999, the third meeting of the ISP Project Advisory Committee was held in Lima, Peru. Coordinated by the OAS, this project brings together government officials, representatives of different sectors of civil society, and international organizations. The aim of the meeting was to decide on recommendations for a technical strategy proposal which, within the framework of the mandate of the Santiago Action Plan and the Santa Cruz Summit for Sustainable Development, could be used as a model for public participation in sustainable development projects. These recommendations were based on successful projects that are currently being carried out in the Caribbean, Central America, and Peru.

Based on its renewed commitment and on the progress made with the mandate handed down by the 1996 Bolivia Summit, the Unit for Sustainable Development and Environment (USDE) continues to successfully coordinate the Inter-American Strategy for the Promotion of Public Participation in Decision-making for Sustainable Development (ISP). The USDE has presented a progress report on the formulation of that project.

It should also be mentioned that CIDI adopted a resolution entrusting member states, through their national focal points, and civil society with collaborating in the formulation of the ISP and presenting a draft to the Inter-American Committee on Sustainable Development (CIDS) for consideration and subsequent approval by CIDI.

As part of the process of developing the ISP, USDE has held three subregional seminars to encourage and study models of public participation in specific key technical areas. These seminars have brought officials from governments and from civil society organizations together to discuss methods and practices used in their countries to enhance the effectiveness of public participation in decision-making.

• A Regional Technical Seminar on Participatory Methods for Managing Biodiversity and Coastal Resources in the Caribbean was held in Barbados in September.

• A Regional Technical Seminar on Managing Water Resources in Transboundary River Basins was held in October in Montevideo, Uruguay; and,

• In December, a Regional Technical Seminar on Managing Biodiversity and Coastal Resources was held in San Salvador, El Salvador.

In an effort to support local public participation efforts and to strengthen the strategy of alliances between the government and the public sector, USDE is supporting, with assistance from member states and donor agencies, three public participation demonstration projects: in Jamaica, the Gulf of Honduras, and Peru. The Unit for Sustainable Development and Environment also conducted research into the existing legal and regulatory mechanisms that allow public participation in sustainable development decision-making. The USDE has drawn up a document on information and communications guidelines in which it describes the steps that member states can take to relay important information to stakeholders and to all interested parties when making decisions that could affect sustainable development. It has also organized a series of seminars to test the participation methods it has identified and to analyze others that allow joint decision-making, such as National Sustainable Development Councils.

Work also progressed on the consultation forums component. The consultant working on the legal inventory agreed to supplement the current report of the National Councils for Sustainable Development with an evaluation of laws and regulations, as well as a series of strategic recommendations to strengthen or support the creation of these organizations. In addition, research began in December with regard to another consultation forum for public participation in Honduras, the National Convergence Forum (FONAC).

Through these activities, the ISP has identified effective practices currently being implemented across the Hemisphere and it has noted the lessons learned, with a view to formulating a draft Strategy for the Promotion of Public Participation in Decision-Making for Sustainable Development. This strategy is to be submitted to the governments for their approval, and it could also be used as a point of reference for promoting public participation in other areas of the Santiago Plan of Action.

Small Business Development

At the same time, the OAS General Secretariat has sponsored three seminars on policies and instruments for developing small businesses, held in Costa Rica, Panama, and the Dominican Republic. The aim of these events was to make government authorities, company managers, and business owners aware of the Hemisphere’s most successful policies and programs for promoting the creation of new small businesses and strengthening and modernizing those that already exist. In this, assistance was provided by Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Mexico, Peru, and the Latin American Confederation of Small and Medium Industries (CLAMPI).

Summit Mandates

• Support the activities of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights with regard to the protection of the rights of migrant workers and their families, particularly through the Special Rapporteur for Migrant Workers.

OAS Actions

The OAS General Secretariat, acting in conjunction with the International Organization for Migration (IOM), helped organize the subregional seminar on international migrations in the Caribbean held in Kingston, Jamaica, in October 1998. The main issues addressed were migration policies, the migratory situation in the Caribbean, the governance of migrations, international migrations and human rights, migration law in the Caribbean subregion, and information on migrations.

At its 92nd special session, the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights decided to begin studying the issue of migrant workers and their families in the Hemisphere, with a view toward drawing up a report on the question. The General Assembly of the Organization of American States, at its twenty-eighth regular session in Caracas, Venezuela, encouraged the IACHR to continue working on its report on the conditions faced by migrant workers.

The Commission drew up and sent to the OAS member states an exhaustive questionnaire on the situation of migrant workers and their family members in the Hemisphere. The aim of this questionnaire was to obtain the broadest overview of the legal background and practical realities of migration in each of the Hemisphere’s nations.

The Commission also designed another questionnaire and sent copies of it to a number of intergovernmental and nongovernmental organizations that work with the problems encountered by migrant workers and their families.

To facilitate the work of the working group formed by the Office of the Special Rapporteur on Migrant Workers, the IACHR created a voluntary fund on migrant workers and their families. This fund is open to contributions from OAS member states as well as from the Organization’s permanent observers. It is also open to international and multilateral organizations, cooperation agencies, foundations, and private bodies.

In order to continue with the preparation of the report on migrant workers and their families, the Commission decided:

a. To continue analyzing the situation of migrant workers during its future on-site visits.

b. To continue carrying out on-site visits to member states with the specific goal of observing the situation of migrant workers and their families, in order to be able to directly assess the situation.

c. To continue organizing working visits to study centers that pay priority attention to migrant workers’ issues, in order to ensure that more information on the subject is available.

d. To begin assessing the results of the questionnaires that have been returned, with a view toward writing up the final report.

e. To further its ties with intergovernmental agencies that study the phenomenon of migrant workers, particularly the International Organization for Migration and the International Labour Organisation.

f. To improve its ties with the Puebla Group in order to attend its meetings as an observer and so keep informed on how the question of migrant workers evolves within this important group.

During its on-site visits to Peru and Guatemala, the Commission’s working agenda included issues affecting migrant workers and their families. In Peru, Commissioner Alvaro Tirado, Special Rapporteur for Migrant Workers, met with Peru-based representatives of the International Organization for Migration. Similarly, in Guatemala, the IACHR met with representatives of the office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).

Finally, at the invitation of the government of the United States of America, the IACHR conducted an on-site visit to the state of California on July 6-9 in order to observe immigration and asylum processes in that region. It also collected information on migrant workers and their families for the report it is preparing. To this end, the IACHR held meetings with immigration authorities, officials from the state governor’s office, airport and sea-port officials, customs officers, members of the Border Patrol, authorities responsible for detentions and deportations, etc. During its visit, the Commission delegation also met with lawyers, promoters and representatives from nongovernmental organizations, and representatives from civil society.

Strengthening Municipal and Regional Administrations

Summit Mandates

• Share their experiences and information from existing and future programs supported by multilateral and bilateral cooperation institutions such as the Organization of American States (OAS), the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) and the World Bank, to facilitate the implementation of this initiative.

Under its Program for Cooperation in Decentralization, Local Government, and Citizen Participation, in 1998 the UPD held a number of high-level subregional meetings. Within the subregional groupings (the CARICOM states, along with the Dominican Republic and the nations of Central America; the Andean Community and Mercosur states), the member states’ institutions were able to exchange information and experiences, address priority issues of common interest to them, establish an effective dialogue, and identify opportunities for technical assistance through horizontal cooperation activities. In 1998, the areas analyzed included the legal and regulatory frameworks for decentralization and civic participation; relations between central and local governments; social and economic development issues of relevance to local administrations; and the promotion of institutions and productive capacity. The program enabled subregional networks of technical personnel and specialists to be created, and it produced five research documents. The program’s activities also received input from universities and technical institutes in the region and from international institutions.

On June 8-9, 1998, a regional workshop called "Local Government, Community Approaches, and the Citizenship: Opportunities and Challenges" was held in Kingston, Jamaica. Assistance in its organization was provided by the Social and Economic Research Institute at the University of the West Indies’ Mona Campus in Kingston, Jamaica. This meeting brought together for the first time, at the subregional level, ranking government officials, academics, and representatives of international organizations, to analyze issues related to decentralization, local government, and civic participation in the CARICOM states. The participants stressed the need to strengthen the institutional capacity of local governments, promote economic development at the local level, encourage the dissemination of information on decentralization, local government, and civic participation, and support the Caribbean Ombudsman Association.

Corruption

Summit Mandates

• Foster within the OAS framework, and in accordance with the mandate set forth in the Inter-American Program to Combat Corruption, appropriate follow-up on the progress achieved under the Inter-American Convention against Corruption.

OAS Actions

The main activity carried out by the Organization of American States during the past year in connection with the struggle against corruption was the Symposium on Enhancing Probity in the Hemisphere, which took place in Santiago, Chile, on November 4-6, 1998.

This symposium addressed issues related to the member states’ national rules and institutions connected with probity and civic ethics; legal and administrative models and the experience of intergovernmental agencies in this area; cooperation for institutional strengthening; mechanisms to allow cooperation between national institutions and other sectors of society; a study of the different issues contained in the Inter-American Convention against Corruption; the role of intergovernmental agencies in anticorruption activities; and the declarations and instructions contained in the Plan of Action of the Second Summit of the Americas.

The conference’s activities were structured in two phases. The first involved an exchange of opinions regarding the institutional framework and national rules for probity and civic ethics in force in the member states; during this phase, the national delegations described their countries’ activities vis-à-vis the challenges posed by the fight against corruption, and the OAS Secretariat for Legal Affairs made a presentation that was chiefly intended to showcase the progress made in enforcing the Inter-American Convention against Corruption and developments to date with the Plan of Action of the Inter-American Program to Fight Corruption.

The second part of the event examined the experiences of international agencies in fighting corruption and strengthening probity. Speeches were given by representatives of the Inter-American Juridical Committee, the World Bank, and the Inter-American Development Bank; the national authorities then held an exchange of experiences and practices in which they described their individual situations and discussed the ideas put forward by civil organizations and institutions regarding the contributions they could make toward fighting corruption and strengthening probity and public ethics.

The Symposium produced several recommendations, including the following: the public institutions, international organizations, and civil society bodies charged with enhancing probity and fighting corruption in the Hemisphere should continue to exchange information and experiences; the Permanent Council’s Working Group on Probity and Public Ethics should recommence its work and follow-up on the activities contained in the Inter-American Program to Fight Corruption; the ways and means for promoting the enhancement of probity and public ethics should be identified, with emphasis on education-related issues, on exchanges of experiences with the practices used by public institutions, and on the training of different sectors of society; and efforts to collect information on the structures and functions of the national institutions charged with enhancing probity and on legislation dealing with types of corruption covered by the Inter-American Convention against Corruption should continue.

Notable among the other recommendations were the following: information should continue to be gathered on preparing codes of conduct for public employees and advice should be furnished to those government institutions that request it; the areas requiring strengthening in the different national institutions should be identified, along with the measures needed to overcome the limitations that currently exist; actions aimed at implementing the preventive measures contained in the Inter-American Convention against Corruption should continue, including public employees filing sworn statements of their net worths; transparency and integrity in public procurement and auctions should be promoted; and progress should be made toward harmonizing the different initiatives that exist for developing a network interconnecting the institutions involved in enhancing probity and fighting corruption.

Other OAS actions in the field of probity and public ethics involved the work of the Inter-American Juridical Committee, most notably its reports containing the Model Legislation on Illicit Enrichment and Transnational Bribery (CP/doc.3146/99).

The General Secretariat, through its Secretariat for Legal Affairs, has also prepared a compilation of the legislation on illegal enrichment and transnational bribery in force and, additionally, it has drafted a preliminary proposal for legal texts on bribery and illicit enrichment to be used by the Juridical Committee in its work on this issue.

• Give full support to the upcoming Special Session of the United Nations General Assembly which will be held in June 1998 for the purpose of promoting international cooperation with respect to illicit drugs and related crimes and encourage all States to participate actively, at the highest level, in that international meeting. They will make every effort to ensure effective implementation of international narcotics agreements to which they have subscribed, at regional and subregional levels, and for these to operate in consonance with the hemispheric effort and reaffirm their support for CICAD and its fundamental role in the implementation of these agreements.

The Plan of Action’s first two mandates are being pursued through the ongoing negotiations toward designing and implementing the Multilateral Evaluation Mechanism (MEM). In May 1998, CICAD created an Intergovernmental Working Group (IWG-MEM), chaired by Canada and with Chile serving as vice chair. On that occasion the Commission agreed that IWG-MEM would be open to participation by all the CICAD member states; that it would receive assistance from the Commission’s Group of Experts; that it would meet every three months; that, through the Permanent Council, it would submit regular reports to the General Assembly; and that the mechanism designed would be compatible with the Hemispheric Antidrug Strategy and the mandates of the Summit.

At its second meeting in August 1998, the IWG-MEM agreed by consensus on the principles, characteristics, and objectives that are to govern the MEM’s operations. These are the following:

• Principles: Respect for sovereignty, territorial jurisdiction, and the domestic laws of states; reciprocity, shared responsibility, and an integrated and balanced approach to the question; compliance with the Hemispheric Antidrug Strategy and the international agreements and instruments in force.

• Characteristics: Governmental, single, and objective; transparent, impartial, and equal toward all member states; ensuring full and timely participation by the states, based upon rules that apply to all alike, mutually agreed on and established in advance; eschewing sanctions of any kind and ensuring that its deliberations are kept confidential.

• Objectives: To achieve full enforcement of the Hemispheric Antidrug Strategy; to strengthen mutual confidence, dialogue, and hemispheric cooperation on the issue; to follow-up on individual and collective progress with antidrug efforts; to support states in the execution of their national strategies; to contribute to the strengthening of countries’ capacity to confront this problem; to stimulate the development of technical assistance programs; to produce periodic reports on the drugs problem in the countries of the Hemisphere; and to promote, through CICAD, the strengthening of cooperation and coordination with other regions, the United Nations, and other international bodies.

In accordance with these agreements, the IWG-MEM held its third meeting in Tegucigalpa, Honduras, on October 26-28, 1998. This meeting agreed on indicators to be used in the evaluation process, based on the following goals taken from the Hemispheric Antidrug Strategy:

• Goal 1: Optimizing national antidrug strategies.

• Goal 2: Preventing drug use and treating drug addicts.

• Goal 3: Reducing the production of illegal drugs and illicit crops and controlling chemicals.

The fourth meeting of IWG-MEM was held in Washington, D.C., on January 26-28, 1999. On this occasion, the participating countries concluded their analysis of the indicators to be used by the MEM and approved those related to Goal 4–Measures for controlling money-laundering and arms smuggling–together with those related to judicial cooperation. The meeting also approved, in principle, the process for operating the MEM. The IWG-MEM also agreed to conclude negotiations on the mechanism’s design at the meeting to be held in Ottawa, Canada, August 30-September 3, 1999, and to submit the result of its work for approval by the twenty-sixth regular session of CICAD, to be held in Uruguay in late October 1999. The IWG-MEM agreed to conduct the first round of evaluations during the year 2000.

The last IWG-MEM meeting was held in Washington, D.C., May 3-5, 1999. It approved operating costs, indicators for arms trafficking control, and new indicators for demand reduction.

With regard to the Hemispheric Antidrug Strategy, CICAD has been carrying out a major demand reduction program, involving preventive measures, treatment, and rehabilitation efforts. In this context, with financial assistance from the governments of the USA, Japan, Canada, Spain, and Israel, the Executive Secretariat has been carrying out education and community participation activities for preventing drug addiction and reducing the demand for drugs; it has been training therapists in the treatment and rehabilitation of drug addictions and preventing drug abuse among street children, women, and young people; it has been conducting epidemiological research into drug consumption trends; and it has been designing communications strategies to prevent drug use.

In connection with the increased cooperation in areas such as data gathering and analysis, the standardization of systems to measure abuse, technical and scientific training, and exchanges of experiences, the CICAD Executive Secretariat has been carrying out the SIDUC (Inter-American Drug Use Data System) project with financial assistance from Spain, the USA, and the European Commission. The aim of this project is to draw up prediction models using a simplified information system that allows data to be collected systematically and enables time series on the use and abuse of drugs to be analyzed. It involves a major specialized training module for the members of the staff of the national institutions in charge of the project in each of the member nations. As a result of this effort, in October 1998 CICAD published the second SIDUC Bulletin, containing information on drug consumption in 13 nations of the Hemisphere.

Regarding increased cooperation in areas such as data gathering and analysis, the standardization of systems to measure abuse, technical and scientific training, and exchanges of experiences, CICAD provides the member states with technical assistance by promoting the establishment of harmonized legal provisions and institutional strengthening in order to improve criminal justice systems as they refer to illicit trafficking and related crimes. These efforts are being made in conjunction with the United Nations International Drug Control Program. The Spanish government provides financial support for actions of this kind by CICAD.

Supporting the actions taken by CICAD over the last four years, the Executive Secretariat is, thanks to financial contributions from the Inter-American Development Bank, carrying out a project in order to train bank clerks and officials of banking and insurance oversight agencies and to improve information exchange mechanisms. CICAD, with support from the IDB, has also launched another project to support the creation of what are known as Financial Intelligence Units in the member states. Financial contributions from the governments of Canada and Spain have enabled several training courses to be held for judges, public prosecutors, and bank clerks responsible for laundering control operations. The Group of Experts on Money Laundering Control reviewed the Model Regulations and proposed amendments that were later approved by the Commission at its plenary session held in Honduras in late October 1998.

During 1998 CICAD has concentrated much of its efforts on actions such as training courses for police officers, customs officials, and administrative personnel; beginning installation of the radio component of the Inter-American Drug Control Telecommunications Network–Precursor Chemicals Module (RETCOD/Precursors); expanding the network to incorporate Ecuador alongside Brazil, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Peru, and Venezuela; launching a comprehensive project aimed at establishing chemical control mechanisms in the Caribbean; and the modification of the Model Regulations by the Group of Experts. All these undertakings were made possible by contributions from the governments of Canada, France, Korea, Mexico, the United States, and the European Commission.

The CICAD Executive Secretariat held a seminar in Fort-de-France, Martinique, with assistance from the French government. Attended by the nations of Central America, this event was aimed at encouraging enforcement of the Regulations. These activities took place thanks to contributions from the United States, Argentina, and Chile.

Similarly, the Executive Secretariat is carrying out a series of activities aimed at establishing market links for alternative development products in Colombia and Peru, at making agricultural extension and pest control tasks easier in alternative development areas, and at conducting pilot programs for applying the generalized land use evaluation and management tool (GLEAM) in the Aguaytía areas of Peru and in the Hermozillas and Río Blanco canyons, Huila department, in Colombia.

In November 1998, CICAD and the Inter-American Development Bank organized a meeting of a consultative group to support Peru’s war on drugs. The aim of this event, the first of its kind, was to obtain USD$198 million to support alternative development and drug use prevention programs. At the end of the meeting, which was held at the European Commission’s headquarters in Brussels, the donors committed USD$247 million to support those Peruvian government programs. The Executive Secretariat, in conjunction with the Colombian authorities, is currently coordinating a similar exercise to support alternative development and prevention programs in that country.

CICAD played an active role in the preparations for the United Nations General Assembly special session held in June 1998 to promote international cooperation on illegal drugs and associated crimes.

In addition, every effort will be made to ensure effective implementation of international narcotics agreements to which they have subscribed, at regional and subregional levels, and for these to operate in consonance with the hemispheric effort, and to reaffirm their support for CICAD and its fundamental role in the implementation of these agreements.

Summit Mandates

• Convene, under the auspices of the Organization of American States (OAS), the Second Specialized Inter-American Conference to evaluate the progress attained and to define future courses of action for the prevention, combat and elimination of terrorism.

The most important action taken by the OAS in recent months in connection with eliminating the threat of terrorism was the organization of the Second Inter-American Specialized Conference on Terrorism, which took place on November 23-24, 1998 in Mar del Plata, Argentina.

The OAS General Assembly adopted the corresponding resolution [AG/RES. 1553 (XXVIII-O/98)] at its twenty-eighth regular session (Caracas, June 1998) and instructed the Permanent Council to carry out preparatory work for the conference with a view to its convocation. In compliance with this mandate, the Council accepted the Argentine offer to host the meeting and charged its Committee on Juridical and Political Affairs with the preparations, including consideration of a draft version of the Commitment of Mar del Plata, which was later examined by the Meeting of Experts to Prepare for the Conference, held on October 15-16, 1998. This draft was the basic document that was considered by the Second Conference.

The Mar del Plata meeting began its work on November 23, 1998. The agenda adopted by the Conference covered the following: (1) national actions for preventing, combating, and eliminating terrorist acts; bilateral cooperation for preventing, combating, and eliminating terrorism; multilateral cooperation toward those same goals; (2) the examination and consideration of the Conference documents, including the recommendations of the Meeting of Experts to Prepare for the Second Conference on Terrorism and the Commitment of Mar del Plata.

The Conference spread its work over four plenary sessions. At these, the heads of delegation offered general overviews in which their countries reported on the different policies they had adopted to combat the terrorist phenomenon, the actions and steps taken at the national level, and the bilateral and multilateral measures regarding cooperation for preventing, combating, and eliminating the phenomenon. Once the general presentations had concluded, the Conference studied, amended, and adopted the Commitment of Mar del Plata and its three appendices, which dealt with, respectively, the Inter-American Committee on Terrorism (CICTE), guidelines for inter-American cooperation regarding terrorist acts and activities, and measures to eliminate terrorist fundraising.

The decisions of the Commitment of Mar del Plata included the recommendation that the General Assembly create an institutional framework within the Organization, to be known as the Inter-American Committee on Terrorism (CICTE), intended to encourage cooperation aimed at preventing, combating, and eliminating terrorist acts and activities and, to that end, proposing that in determining CICTE’s powers and functions, the guidelines contained in Appendix I of the Commitment be taken into consideration; the agreement to request that the OAS General Assembly appoint, within its sphere of authority, a technical and administrative support unit for the Committee’s activities; the recommendation of adopting concrete measures to provide a concerted, effective response to the terrorist threat and, to that end, agreeing on guidelines for coordinated action by the member states; the recommendation of studying the possibility of appointing, in accordance with each state’s laws, National Liaison Offices to facilitate cooperation among the state agencies charged with preventing, combating, and eliminating terrorism; the recommendation that member states should continue to develop bilateral, subregional, or multilateral cooperation mechanisms, while not precluding the competent organs of the OAS from considering the proposals contained in the Commitment; the agreement to urge the member states that have not yet done so to promptly sign, ratify, or accede to the international conventions on terrorism adopted within the United Nations and other international organizations; recommending that the OAS General Assembly ask the Permanent Council to continue to study the need and advisability of a new inter-American convention on terrorism, in light of existing international instruments, and ask the Inter-American Juridical Committee to conduct studies into strengthening juridical and judicial cooperation, including extradition, in order to counter terrorism and to collaborate with CICTE in drawing up the applicable rules.

In connection with the organization of the Specialized Conference on Terrorism, it must be noted that the General Secretariat, through the Secretariat for Legal Affairs, participated in those efforts by providing technical support and advice for all the preparatory work and the activities carried out during the Conference. It prepared documents and background briefs and it participated at the Conference as the technical advice area. It also drew up a series of documents, including the meeting’s Final Report, and it is currently preparing the proceedings and conference documents for publication.

The Assistant Secretariat has prepared the draft statute of the Inter-American Committee on Terrorism (CICTE), the creation of which was recommended by the Specialized Conference, and submitted it to the Permanent Council for consideration. In this way, the General Assembly will be able to consider the draft at its next regular session.

It is also necessary to note that in connection with this question, the Santiago Plan of Action states that the nations of the Americas will be encouraged to sign, ratify, or accede to the international agreements addressing terrorism. To this end, the Secretariat for Legal Affairs has prepared a document that analyzes the content and the signature and ratification status of the different applicable international agreements. In addition, the General Secretariat’s juridical area has given the Inter-American Juridical Committee technical advice on preparing the reports that this OAS agency has been writing on the need or advisability of drawing up new Inter-American treaties for combating terrorism.

• The progress achieved in these matters will be reported to States, thereby ensuring appropriate follow-up through the OAS, so that these topics may be discussed at the next Summit of the Americas.

OAS Actions

In compliance with the mandates of the Santiago Summit, the OAS, acting through the Committee on Hemispheric Security (CSH), carried out the following activities:

Progress was made within the confidence- and security-building process last October when the delegations of Brazil and the United States submitted a proposal for drawing up an Inter-American Convention on Transparency in Conventional Weapons Acquisitions in the Hemisphere. To this end a Working Group was set up. It has met five times since October and has made considerable progress so far in drafting the text of that international instrument, the aim of which is to further regional openness and transparency through exchanges of information on the weapons systems covered by the United Nations Register of Conventional Arms. This register includes armored cars and vehicles, combat aircraft, large caliber artillery systems, attack helicopters, warships, missiles, and missile launchers.

With regard to the special security concerns of the small island states, the Committee on Hemispheric Security held a follow-up meeting on November 3 to discuss ways to generate greater awareness and understanding of the special security concerns of small island states, address those concerns, and identify and promote the application of cooperative measures. The meeting examined the report of the different organs, agencies, and entities of the Organization that address those concerns. An updated report on those activities is to be presented by the General Secretariat in the near future.

It should also be mentioned that the Third Conference of Defense Ministers of the Americas was held in Cartagena, Colombia, in November 1998. This meeting reaffirmed the ongoing process regarding hemispheric security that has been taking place within the Organization of American States. At the December 8 meeting of the CSH, its Chair presented a verbal report on his participation at that Conference of Defense Ministers.

At that same meeting, the Chairman of the Inter-American Defense Board (IADB) presented a verbal report on the confidence-building measures of a military nature submitted by the member states and he distributed the compilation of them that the Board had prepared. The Committee agreed to hold another meeting in early 1999 to examine in greater detail the results of the IADB’s work in this area.

On December 15, within the framework of its closer relations with other multilateral bodies on security issues, the Committee invited the United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Disarmament Affairs and a representative from the United Nations Center for Disarmament Affairs to give a presentation on United Nations activities in the fields of disarmament and security, on the United Nations Register of Conventional Arms, and on the United Nations Instrument for Standardized International Reporting of Military Expenditures.

On February 4, 1999, the Committee on Hemispheric Security held a meeting to analyze the demining program in Central America and to consider the progress made regarding antipersonnel land mines.

In connection with the demining program in Central America, the UPD and the IADB reported on the effects of Hurricane Mitch, which destroyed equipment and infrastructure and thus paralyzed the humanitarian demining operations that were being conducted in the region. The hurricane’s effects also drastically altered the nature of the mine problem existing in the area (particularly in Nicaragua and Honduras) by moving and relocating an unknown number of mines still waiting to be destroyed and thus further complicating the difficult scenario of detection and destruction. Moreover, within the problems faced by the demining effort, they noted that a new threat to public security in the region had emerged, which could create additional accidents arising from the combination of mines and the storm.

In spite of losing part of their equipment, the OAS and program counterparts made the necessary ambulances, vehicles, emergency communications systems, and military operating capacity available to the local authorities. These elements then helped in evacuating and relocating the affected population, reopening a number of roads and bridges that were blocked, and destroying land mines that rose to the surface during the storm and were reported by members of the community.

The UPD/IADB, in conjunction with national and international support authorities, and in light of the displacement of the land mines, has begun a reassessment of the situation and of the efforts needed to meet this new challenge arising from the devastation caused by Hurricane Mitch.

The Committee also heard reports from the United States, Mexico, and Canada on the subject of antipersonnel mines. The delegate of the United States reported on his government’s demining efforts across the world, while the representatives of Mexico and Canada described the Regional Seminar on Antipersonnel Mines which was organized by the two countries and which took place in Mexico City, January 11-12, 1999.

Finally, the representative of Canada reported on recent developments with the ratification of the Convention on the Prohibition of the Use, Stockpiling, Production, and Transfer of Anti-Personnel Mines and on Their Destruction (the Ottawa Convention), noting that the Convention was to come into force on March 1.

On February 25, 1999 the Committee on Hemispheric Security held a follow-up meeting on compliance with the confidence- and security-building measures contained in the Santiago and San Salvador declarations. The meeting, which was attended by the chairs of those two conferences, showcased the progress being made by the member states in this area and, in accordance with the Summit mandate, presented updated information on national defense policies.

With regard to the Program of Education for Peace in the Hemisphere, the Committee noted the proposal drawn up by the UPD at the end of last year; subsequently, on March 4 of this year, the draft resolution on the Program of Education for Peace was approved, along with the draft resolution for the Meeting of Experts to design a project for that program. The Meeting of Experts will be held in October in the city of Cartagena, Colombia.

Finally, on April 20-21, the Committee on Hemispheric Security held a meeting in Washington with government experts to analyze the new concepts of hemispheric security and the strengthening of the inter-American system in this regard. The meeting was preceded by a seminar organized by the delegations of Chile and the United States, with support from the OAS General Secretariat, and was attended by academics from across the Hemisphere. The two events served as preparatory rounds for the work of the Committee on Hemispheric Security over the coming years, which is to conclude with the Special Conference on Security with which the Summit charged the OAS, to be held no later than the start of the coming decade.

Governments will:

• Support the convening of periodic meetings of Ministers of Justice and Attorneys General of the Hemisphere within the framework of the Organization of American States (OAS).

At the Santiago Summit, the heads of state and government decided to support the organization of regular meetings of the ministers of justice within the OAS framework. The first of these was held in Buenos Aires, Argentina, in December 1997. The Second Meeting of Ministers of Justice took place in Lima, Peru, on March 1-3, 1999.

The main issue addressed at the Second Meeting was the modernization and strengthening of justice systems in the Americas. The primary goals were to take concrete measures with regard to access to justice and the training of judges, prosecutors, and judicial officials, and to strengthen inter-American cooperation. The topic of new offenses was also discussed, for example, cyber crime. A decision was also made to proceed toward the establishment of the Justice Studies Center, envisaged in the Santiago Plan of Action. To that end, a working group of government experts was set up, and, with OAS cooperation, it is already working to prepare a draft structure and draft statutes for the Center. The conclusions and recommendations adopted by the ministers, as contained in the meeting’s Final Report (REMJA-II/doc.21/99), are reproduced below:

I. Access to Justice

A. To continue with the exchange of experiences regarding measures and initiatives adopted at the domestic level, as well as progress achieved and obstacles encountered by the OAS member states in relation to the problem of access to justice in their respective countries; improvement of legal aid and defense services; legal protection of minors; and incorporation of alternative dispute resolution methods in national justice systems.

B. To further those ends, clear identification will be made of the applicable cooperation mechanisms in these areas, and actions including the following will be undertaken: compilation of the legislation in force regarding these matters, with a view to creating a database; comparative studies; and preparation of a list of countries and institutions that are in a position to provide international cooperation in these areas.

II. Training of Judges, Prosecutors, and Judicial Officials

A. Justice Studies Center for the Americas

With a view to the establishment of the Justice Studies Center envisioned in the Plan of Action of the Second Summit of the Americas; and taking into account the different legal systems in force in the Hemisphere, it is decided:

1. That the objectives of the center will be to facilitate:

1. The training of justice sector personnel;
2. The exchange of information and other forms of technical cooperation;
3. Support for the reform and modernization of justice systems in the region.

2. That a group of government experts, open to participation by all delegations, will be formed to:

1. Prepare draft by-laws;
2. Prepare a work plan;
3. Identify public and/or private institutions working in this area;
4. Establish appropriate links with international organizations in order to secure the necessary technical support for the Center’s operations.

3. That the Center’s work plan, in the initial phase, will focus on criminal justice matters.

4. That the group of experts will conclude its work by September 21, 1999.

5. That the OAS will be requested to provide the necessary support for the work of the group of experts.

B. Regional Courses, Workshops, and Seminars

To continue to cooperate with the OAS General Secretariat by organizing regional or subregional courses, workshops, and seminars to train and develop the legal skills of officials in charge of the justice system in the OAS member states in collaboration with international or national, governmental or nongovernmental institutions.

III. Strengthening and Developing Inter-American Cooperation

A. To strengthen and promote international cooperation in areas of special concern, such as the struggle against terrorism, combating corruption, money laundering, forgery, drug trafficking, illicit trafficking in firearms, organized crime, and transnational criminal activity.

B. Cyber Crime: Because of the importance and difficulty of the issues presented by cyber crime, and the spread and potential magnitude of the problems it poses for our countries, it is recommended to establish a governmental expert group, within the framework of the OAS, with a mandate to:

1. Complete a diagnosis of criminal activity which targets computers and information, or which uses computers as the means of committing an offense;

2. Complete a diagnosis of national legislation, policies and practices regarding such activity;

3. Identify national and international entities with relevant expertise; and

4. Identify mechanisms of cooperation within the inter-American system to combat cyber crime.

The government expert group should present a report to the Third Meeting of Ministers of Justice or Ministers or Attorneys General of the Americas.

C. To continue working in an effective and flexible manner to strengthen mutual legal and judicial assistance among the OAS member states, particularly with respect to extradition, requests for delivery of documents and other forms of evidence, and channels of communications between central authorities.

D. To evaluate the application of inter-American conventions in force in the area of legal and judicial cooperation, in order to identify measures for their effective implementation or, if appropriate, to determine whether the existing legal framework in the Hemisphere should be changed.

E. To urge OAS member states that are parties to treaties for legal and judicial cooperation to appoint Central Authorities where they have not yet done so, to ensure implementation of these treaties.

F. To recommend that the OAS convene a meeting of central authorities in due course to strengthen cooperation among those authorities in relation to the various conventions on the subject of legal and judicial cooperation.

G. Extradition, forfeiture of assets, and mutual legal assistance: recognizing the need to strengthen and facilitate legal and judicial cooperation in the Americas with regard to extradition, forfeiture of assets and mutual legal assistance, and to enhance individual and international efforts against organized crime and transnational criminal activity through improved intergovernmental communication and understanding, we commit ourselves to exchange information, through the OAS, on the following matters in order to deal with them at the Third Meeting:

• Extradition "checklists," glossaries of commonly used legal terms, and similar instruments of simplified guidance and explanation on extradition and related processes.

• Sample forms for intergovernmental requests for mutual legal assistance.

• Instructional materials on the best methods for securing bilateral and international assistance in the area of forfeiture of assets.

In order to facilitate this work, we will immediately begin to compile a list of contact points for information on extradition, mutual legal assistance, and forfeiture of assets.

IV. Prison and Penitentiary Policy

• To reiterate the need to promote the exchange of national experience and technical cooperation in prison and penitentiary policy matters within the framework of the OAS.

V. Venue of the Third and Fourth Meetings of Ministers of Justice or of Ministers or Attorneys General of the Americas

A. To accept with gratitude the offer of the Government of Costa Rica to host the Third Meeting of Ministers of Justice or of Ministers or Attorneys General of the Americas and agree that the agenda for that meeting should be prepared within the OAS.

B. To accept with gratitude the offer of the Government of Trinidad and Tobago to host the Fourth Meeting of Ministers of Justice or of Ministers or Attorneys General of the Americas and agree that the agenda for that meeting should be prepared within the OAS.

The Permanent Council established a working group to implement the recommendations of the meetings of ministers of justice or of ministers or attorneys general of the Americas. On May 10 and 11, a meeting of experts was held on the establishment of the Justice Studies Center of the Americas. It reached agreement on points relating to the nature of the Center and its Work Plan.

Governments will:

• Request the participation of the International Labour Organisation (ILO), the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) and the Organization of American States (OAS) to assist Labor Ministries to support international activities and exchange information on modernization methods and strategies.

At the 11th Inter-American Conference of Ministers of Labor of the Organization of American States, held in Viña del Mar, Chile, October 20-21, 1998, the labor ministers met to discuss two issues: "economic globalization and its social and labor dimensions," and "modernization of the state and labor administration: requirements and challenges." At the Conference, the ministers adopted the following decisions:

• They approved a Plan of Action, the implementation of which will be the responsibility of the Ministry of Labor of each country, as will be the coordination among ministries as they may agree upon for these purposes, in the context of the inter-American system of the OAS. This Plan set forth criteria for action by the ministries of labor, which are in accordance with the guidance and commitments on labor issues agreed upon in the Declaration of Santiago, adopted at the Second Summit of the Americas in 1998, and in its Plan of Action.

• They agreed to use the system of working groups established at the Tenth Conference in Buenos Aires, reducing the number of groups to two. To this end, working groups have been formed to develop activities pertaining to the themes of this Conference: "Globalization of the Economy and Its Social and Labor Dimensions," and "Modernization of the State and Labor Administration: Requirements and Challenges." These groups will address, through subgroups, the issues considered in point 8 of the Declaration of Viña del Mar.

• They requested, in order to implement the Plan of Action, that the Organization of American States (OAS), as Technical Secretariat of the Inter-American Conference of Ministers of Labor (CIMT), consider providing the institutional resources needed to facilitate the activity of the working groups, with the contribution of the national counterpart, considering also the participation of COSATE and CEATAL, and that the International Labour Organisation (ILO), the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC), and other regional and sub-regional organizations support these working groups with the technical assistance needed in their respective areas of competence.

In connection with the globalization of the economy and its social and labor dimensions, in the area of employment and the job market, the labor ministers resolved to do the following:

• Make a special effort to identify new and innovative policies and procedures that will allow them to respond to the challenges stemming from the new structures and functions of labor markets.

• Study the systems for determining remuneration levels, paying special attention to identifying current practices in the region that have proven successful in guaranteeing an adequate and just relationship between workers' incomes and their level of productivity, quality, and professional training.

• Undertake to identify conceptual, institutional, and operational designs for professional education and training systems, programs and activities in their countries.

• Encourage public and private systems of education and information on labor issues, with a view to facilitating the connection between the supply of and demand for jobs, and assist workers in selecting the training options best suited to their finding employment.

• Examine, in accordance with the situation of each country, the possibility of establishing systems to provide economic assistance to unemployed workers, evaluating current experiences and paying special attention to their positive results as well as to the problems that have arisen, in light of international experience.

In the area of labor relations, the ministers adopted the following decisions:

• To seek to extend the coverage of collective bargaining to the greatest possible number of sectors of the economy, in order to reach stable agreements between employers and workers that favor cooperation in the various areas of labor relations.

• To seek out the most appropriate modalities for the various situations that are emerging. In the area of collective bargaining, they shall also identify the most effective procedures–in the context of the legal, institutional, social, and economic characteristics of each country–that make it possible to give most workers and employers access to adequate forms of collectively determining working conditions and employment.

• To s