Follow-up on the Fifth Summit and Colombia as Host of the Sixth Summit

On June 3, 2009, the Summit Implementation Review Group (SIRG) convened for its first meeting at the Ministerial Level of 2009 in San Pedro Sula, Honduras, in the framework of the 39th OAS General Assembly, after the conclusion of the 5th Summit of the Americas held in Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago on April 17-19 of this year.

Ministers of Foreign Affairs and other high-level government officials from respective OAS Member States expressed their gratitude towards Trinidad and Tobago for hosting a successful 5th Summit, and insisted unanimously on the importance of multilateral cooperation to implement and follow through with the agreed upon commitments issued during the Summit.

Keynote speakers included OAS Secretary General José Miguel Insulza; Senator the Honorable Dr. Lenny Saith, SIRG Chairman and Minister in the Office of the Prime Minister of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago; and Jaime Bermúdez, Colombian Minister of Foreign Affairs. OAS Secretary General Insulza’s opening remarks directed attention to the responsibilities of national governments to ensure their commitments to regional poverty reduction, environmental awareness, trade collaboration, and joint economic efforts to mitigate the effects of the global economic downturn.

Additionally, the OAS Secretary General stressed that it was essential that “the 12 institutions making up the Joint Summits Working Group (JSWG) are working closely to provide technical and financial assistance to the Member States as they implement the various mandates.” SIRG Chairman, Dr. Lenny Saith, emphasized the importance of coordination among all Summits stakeholders, stating that “effective implementation will require continued consultation, collaboration and cooperation among Member States, institutions, and social actors.”

To read the complete text of the Secretary General’s presentation, please click here.
For the complete text of Minister Saith’s presentation please click here.

Soon thereafter, the OAS Summit of the Americas Secretariat presented to the contingent a new Summit commitment follow-up tool that will allow Member States to report their implementation status through an online interactive tool named SISCA (Sistema de Seguimiento de Cumbres de las Américas – Summits of the Americas Follow-up System). He anticipated that this tool will create an active environment for Member States to compare and contrast the policies, strategies, and limitations of other Members States also striving to implement the commitments.
The complete text of the presentation can be found here.
To access the Summit of the Americas Follow-Up System (SISCA) please click here.

In a bid to be the host of the Sixth Summit of the Americas, the Colombian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Jaime Bermúdez, presented Colombia’s offer to hold the 2012 Summit. Member States thanked Colombia for the offer to host the next Summit while they acknowledged Colombia’s capacity in executing successful meetings at the highest political level. There were no objections to Colombia’s proposal, and the Member States agreed by consensus to accept Colombia as the Host of the Sixth Summit of the Americas to be held in Cartagena, 2012.

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