Organization
of American States
www.oas.org
Press Release
(E-084/01)
April 17, 2001
MULTILATERAL AGENCIES REPORT SUMMIT OF THE
AMERICAS PROGRESS FROM SANTIAGO TO QUEBEC CITY
The international agencies involved with
the Summit of the Americas process today unveiled a joint
report during a meeting at the Organization of American States
(OAS), detailing the progress in implementing the mandates
from the Summit of the Americas held in Santiago, Chile, in
1998. The 34 democratically-elected heads of state and
government who had gathered in Santiago undertook a number of
commitments in the social, political and economic arenas.
Entitled "From Santiago to Quebec
City," the document was prepared by the OAS' Office of
Summit Follow-up, in collaboration with the Inter-American
Development Bank (IDB), the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO),
the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC)
and the World Bank.
"The Summits have become the most
important source of political mandates in this Hemisphere.
Some of these mandates have been assigned to multilateral
agencies with the institutional structure and expertise to
promote and implement initiatives to benefit the region,"
the study says. Among other activities highlighted:
conventions and regional strategies were crafted; negotiations
continued on the proposed Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA);
an increasing number of ministerial meetings were held; and
financial support was provided in the form of loans and
technical cooperation.
The report highlights activities undertaken
in such areas as democracy, human rights promotion, social
policies and combating corruption and drug trafficking. It
also details new treaties to fight terrorism and initiatives
to develop confidence-building and enhance political
institutions, judicial systems and the administration of
justice.
A brief overview is also offered on the
support provided for FTAA negotiations led by a Tri-Partite
Committee comprised of the OAS, IDB and ECLAC. The document
outlines as well the outcome of new social and economic
initiatives, notably to fight poverty and support health care,
sustainable development, gender equity and indigenous peoples.
According to the report, the IDB and the
World Bank together approved loans totaling more than $20
billion, based on mandates received from the Santiago Summit.
Most of those loans went towards poverty-eradication programs
and to the health and education sectors, shoring up financial
markets and supporting small and medium size enterprises.
OAS Secretary General César Gaviria lauded
"the clear show" of coordination among the
multilateral agencies involved, noting that "the Summit
process has re-shaped the agenda of the inter-American
agencies, has boosted cooperation between and among our
countries, and has helped to establish closer ties throughout
the inter-American community."
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