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Fourth Summit of the Americas:
A New Challenge for the
Hemisphere
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The Fourth
Summit of the Americas, which will be held in Mar del
Plata, Argentina in November 2005, is going to take place in a
critical moment for the Hemisphere. Conditions of inequality and extreme
poverty have encouraged our leaders to redefine priorities and to be
responsible for these challenges, with a shared vision that only
the Summit Process can offer.
The theme
proposed by Argentina for the Fourth Summit of the Americas
“Creating Jobs to Confront Poverty
and Strengthen Democratic Governance” responds to the
situation of the region where the three concepts expressed inside
the theme –employment, poverty and democratic governance- are
linked directly and represent one of the biggest challenges of
the whole Hemisphere. According to recent data from the
Economic Commission for Latin America
(ECLAC), as of today, 44% of the population in Latin
America and the Caribbean (220 million people) lives in poverty
and 20% in extreme poverty. The employment scene is not positive
either. As the
International Labor Organization (ILO)
has noted, 57 million people from Latin America and the Caribbean
are not employed, their jobs are insufficient, or they have low
quality jobs. All of these sums up to the fact that there are big
hemispheric expectations regarding the real benefits from
democracy, making this
Fourth Summit of the Americas a
real test for governments and its citizens.
With this reality, the
Summits of the Americas become a stage which reunites the Heads
of State and Government of the Western Hemisphere, elected
democratically, to discuss common concerns, search for solutions,
and develop a shared vision for the future of the region in
economic, social and political issues.
On the other hand, Summits
have recognized the need to include civil society, private
sector, labor unions, political parties, academics, and
indigenous peoples in their discussions to deepen and strengthen
democracy. Subsequently, the Summits of the Americas Secretariat
of the Organization of American States, in its role as
technical secretariat of the Summit Process, has been working on
the active participation of the different social actors by coordinating several activities to include their
contributions in this process.
The city of Mar del Plata
will witness this crucial event in November 2005 which will be
an important step to confront the difficult situation that the
region faces, with innovative and concrete proposals. The
Argentineans will have the opportunity to host the Fourth Summit
of the America and lead the Hemisphere in cooperative programs
for a more equitable and fair Americas.
Summits of the Americas
Secretariat
Organization of American States
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Preparations for the Fourth Summit of the Americas
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We are now in the
10-month-countdown to the Fourth Summit of the Americas which
will be held in Mar del Plata, Argentina and the preparations
are in course.
The Summit Implementation
Review Group (SIRG), composed by the National Summit
Coordinators, is the body in charge of the follow-up of the
implementation of Summit mandates and the preparation of future
Summits. The SIRG has already met twice with the purpose of
preparing the Fourth Summit of the Americas. The first meeting
took place in June 7, 2004 in Quito, Ecuador and the second one
was in Washington, DC in October 2004.
The next SIRG meeting will be
held in Buenos Aires, Argentina on March 9-10, 2005. On this
occasion, National Summit Coordinators will focus their
discussions on the commitments made by Member States in the
area of social development. Argentina will also present the first
draft of the Declaration and the Plan of Action for the next
Summit. Finally, there will be consultations with civil society
about the priorities for the Fourth Summit. In this space, civil
society will have the opportunity to present their
recommendations made in the past Roundtable with civil society
held in Washington, DC on January 24, 2005.
The SIRG will meet again in
the framework of the XXXV OAS General Assembly in Fort
Lauderdale, USA in June, 2005. The General Assembly will
concentrate the debate on the subject “Delivering the Benefits of
Democracy”, a subject closely related to the theme of the Fourth
Summit. Furthermore, in this General Assembly, there will be a
Dialogue between civil society and Heads of Delegation, which was
institutionalized in the General Assembly held in Chile in 2003.
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Workshop “Innovation and Decent Work”
March 7 -
8, 2005
Buenos Aires,
Argentina
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XXXVII SIRG
March 9 -
10, 2005
Buenos Aires,
Argentina
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Seminar: "Democracy and Summits of the Americas"
March 11,
2005
Buenos Aires,
Argentina
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Regional Civil Society Forum in Preparation for the OAS General Assembly
April 11 -
12, 2005
Washington, DC
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Gender Forum of the Americas
April 7 -
9, 2005
Buenos Aires,
Argentina
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XIV Inter-American Meeting, at the Ministerial Level, on
Health and Agriculture
April
21 - 22, 2005
Mexico DF, Mexico
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To access a complete version of the Calendar,
please click
here.
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The Role of the Joint Summit Working Group (JSWG) |
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The Summit
Process has given new energy to hemispheric relations, has
revitalized the Inter-American agenda and has recognized the
importance of the Inter-American and international organizations,
such as the members of the
Joint Summit Working Group (JSWG),
as crucial actors for the promotion of solidarity and collective
action committed to a better future for the Americas.
As a result of
the Third Summit of the Americas, the role of the partner
institutions of the Summit process –
Organization of American States (OAS),
Economic
Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC),
Inter-American Development Bank (IDB),
Pan-American
Health Organization (PAHO)
and the
World
Bank-
has become more relevant. The Quebec City Plan of Action
underscored the need for coordination in the Inter-American
system and welcomed the engagement of international organizations
in all stages of the Summit of the Americas process.
In follow up
to this mandate, the aforementioned institutions signed, in June
of 2001, a Letter of Understanding, which created the Joint
Summit Working Group (JSWG), chaired by the OAS. The Group’s objective is to increase
coordination in the implementation and the follow up to Summit
mandates. Shortly, thereafter, the Group invited the
Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on
Agriculture (IICA),
the
Andean
Corporation for Development (CAF),
the
Caribbean Development Bank (CDB)
and the
Central
American Bank for Economic Integration (BCIE)
to participate in their activities.
In 2004, the
International
Organization for Migrations (IOM) and the
International
Labor Organization (ILO) requested their participation
in the Joint Summit Working Group activities and were added to
the group. The coordination of
efforts in support of the follow up and implementation of Summits
of the Americas mandates represents a great challenge for the
Joint Summit Working Group. The members of the JSWG have
committed themselves to achieve greater presence of Summit
mandates in their own agendas and in their technical and
financial cooperation initiatives.
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Civil Society Roundtable
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The Summits of
the Americas Secretariat of the Organization of American States
(OAS), with the support of the United States Agency for
International Development (USAID) and the complementary resources
of the Open Society Institute (OSI), organized and executed the
Roundtable with Civil Society and Special Session of the
Committee on Inter-American Summits Management and Civil Society
Participation in OAS Activities (CISC):
“Creating Jobs to Confront Poverty and Strengthen
Democratic Governance,” held on January 24-25, 2005 at OAS
Headquarters in Washington, DC.
This
Roundtable with Civil Society and Special Session of the CISC
were part of an initiative developed by the Summits of the
Americas Secretariat and the OAS Member States to increase the
involvement of civil society in monitoring and implementing
summit mandates, improve the channels of communication and
information among the Summit stakeholders and deepen the debate
on the Summits of the Americas. The conference was attended by
131 participants from civil society, governmental agencies and
international organizations.
The Roundtable
was organized in four sessions on the issues: Creating Employment in
the Americas, Creating Employment to Confront Poverty, Creating
Employment to Strengthen Democratic Governance, and Conclusions
and Recommendations from Civil Society.
The
Summary of Recommendations from Civil
Society Representatives of this Roundtable will be
presented to the National Summit Coordinators in the next Summit
Implementation review Group (SIRG) meeting on March 10, 2005 in
Buenos Aires, Argentina. |
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Dialogue with Civil Society at the OAS General Assembly
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A Dialogue
between the Ministers of Foreign Affairs, the Heads of Member
State delegations and civil society representatives will be held in
the framework of the XXXV Regular Session of the OAS General
Assembly, in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, United States on June 5-7,
2005.
This Dialogue,
that has been institutionalized and has taken place in the
previous General Assemblies, will focus on the topic, “Delivering
the Benefits of Democracy”. The dialogue will last two (2) hours
and will take place at the General Assembly headquarters on
Sunday, June 5, 2005. The purpose of this dialogue is to
exchange experiences and generate recommendations for the
consideration of the Heads of the Delegations and the General
Secretariat during their discussions at the XXXV General
Assembly. In addition, civil society will share their ideas
about the Fourth Summit of the Americas to be held in Mar del
Plata, Argentina in November of this year.
The Dialogue
between governments and civil society is being organized by the
government of the United States and the Summits of the Americas
Secretariat. To prepare for this Dialogue a Regional Forum with
Civil Society will be held on April 11-12, 2005 in Washington, DC. The
recommendations generated in this Forum will be presented to the
Permanent Council of the OAS and their General Commission
preparing the agenda for the General Assembly.
To participate
in the Dialogue, civil society organizations must indicate their
interest to participate to the Secretary General, 60 days before
the General Assembly, therefore no later than April 5, 2005.
Those organizations not registered to the OAS must send a letter
by this date directed to the General Secretary of the OAS with a
copy to the Summit of the Americas Secretariat. The letter
requesting to participate must be accompanied by the following
documents: charter or constitution, statutes, most recent annual
report, and institutional mission statement. For more
information on the participation requirements, please visit the
civil society webpage of the Summits of the Americas Secretariat
www.civil-society.oas.org. For
additional information, please contact Jorge Sanín, Civil Society
Coordinator via e-mail at:
summitcso@oas.org.
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Planning Meeting of the Inter-American Conference
of
Ministers of Labor (IACML)
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At the Third
Summit of the Americas held in Quebec, Canada in 2001, the Heads
of State and Government of the Americas agreed to continue
working on issues related to globalization which affects
employment and labor, with the goal of creating better employment
opportunities and improving worker’s qualifications and labor
conditions throughout the Hemisphere.
The
Inter-American Conference of Ministers of Labor will be held in
Mexico City, on September 26 - 27, 2005. This hemispheric forum
has continued approaching these topics and confronting current
challenges such as the high levels of unemployment in the region,
the need to modernize labor conditions, increase labor stability
and improve workers' quality of life.
On January 31 and February
1st, 2005 a Planning Meeting for the XIV IAMCL was held at the
OAS headquarters in
Washington D.C. Participants included: Conference’s Working
Groups authorities, representatives from the Trade Union Advisory Counsil (COSATE); from the Business Technical Advisory Committee
on Labor Matters (CEATAL), and from the international
organizations committed to the process including: the
Organization of American States (OAS), the International Labor
Organization (ILO), and the Pan-American Health Organization (PAHO). |
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V Meeting of Negotiations and IV Special Session of the
Working Group to Elaborate the Draft American Declaration on
the Rights of Indigenous Peoples
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The
V Meeting of Negotiations in the Quest for
Points of Consensus and
IV Special Session of the
Working Group to Elaborate the Draft American Declaration on the
Rights of Indigenous Peoples took place from February 7-11, 2005
at the OAS Headquarters in Washington, D.C.
In this meeting, Member
States and the indigenous representatives negotiated Article
XVIII: Right to Environmental Protection and continued with
Section Five: Social, Economic, and Property Rights; and Article
XXIV: traditional forms of property and cultural survival, right
to land, territory, and resources. This negotiation finished with
a reception hosted by the Permanent Mission of the United States
to the OAS and the Smithsonian Institution at the National Museum
of the American Indian.
The IV Special Session of the
Working Group to elaborate the Draft American Declaration on the
Rights of Indigenous Peoples took place on February 10 and 11,
2005. This Special Session reviewed the status of the process and
assessment of the level of consensus reached and debated the
consideration of a possible date for the conclusion of the final
phase of negotiations for adoption of the Draft Declaration. The
session of February 10, 2005 included a
presentation on the preparations for the
Second Indigenous Peoples Summit of the Americas to be
held in October in Buenos Aires, Argentina. The presentation was
made by Mr. Darrel Mcleod of the Assembly of First Nations (AFN)
of Canada and Mr. Víctor Capitán of the Organización de Naciones
y Pueblos Indígenas en Argentina (ONPIA). |
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Fifth Regular Session of the Inter-American Committee Against
Terrorism (CICTE)
Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago (February
16-18, 2005)
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The Fifth Regular Session of
the Inter-American Committee against Terrorism (CICTE),
of the Organization of American States (OAS), was held on
February 16-18, 2005 in Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago. The
purpose of this meeting was to analyze the progress in the fight
of terrorism and to examine hemispheric strategies to strengthen
cooperation in this subject. Also, Member States renewed their
commitment to prevent, combat, and eliminate terrorism in all
its forms and manifestations, whatever its origin or motivation.
Member States reported on the progress made in antiterrorism
legislations, identification of potential threats, financial
assistance and strengthening border controls. Additionally,
countries informed about the cooperation with other nations in
security issues and made reference to terrorism as a method to
destabilize democracy and affect economic development in the
countries. The special condition of the Caribbean countries as
transit nations was also addressed at this meeting.
On this occasion, the
“Declaration of Port-of-Spain on Strengthening Cooperation on
Strategies to Sustain and Advance the Hemispheric Fight against
Terrorism” was approved. Some of the topics discussed
included strengthening border controls and money movements;
discussions on transportation threats (ports and airports) and
the cyber-security issue. Furthermore, States committed to keep
under surveillance their borders and to control their financial
systems to avoid transfer of funds to terrorist groups.
In addition, Member States
indicated that the threat of terrorism is very serious because of
the connections that exist between terrorism and money
laundering, illicit drugs trafficking and weapons, as well as
other forms of transnational organized crime.
The Sixth Regular Session of
the Inter-American Committee Against Terrorism –CICTE-
will be held in Bogotá, Colombia in February, 2006.
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Workshop “Innovation and Decent Work”
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In the framework of the
XXXVII meeting of the Summit Implementation Review Group that
will be held on March 9 and 10, 2005 in Buenos Aires, Argentina, the
OAS Office of Education Science and Technology is organizing the
workshop “Innovation and Decent Work” on March 7 and 8. This
workshop is directed to the representatives of the Trade Union
Technical Advisory Council (COSATE), and Business Technical
Advisory Committee on Labor Matters (CEATAL), which gather the
main unions and employer organizations of the Hemisphere.
The meeting’s main goal is to
consider and evaluate recommendations on the issue of “Innovation
and Decent Work” so that they can be presented to SIRG
authorities on March 10 as an input to the preparatory
discussions for the IV Summit of the Americas.
Workshop participants
include: Ambassador Jorge Taiana, Secretary of Foreign Relations
of Argentina, Dr. Carlos Alfonso Tomada, Minister of Labor,
Employment and Social Security of Argentina; and representatives
of the Secretariat of Technical Programming and Labor Studies of
the Ministry of Labor of Argentina, the Organization of American
States (OAS), the International Labor
Organization (ILO), and the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro,
Brazil.
The workshop’s
agenda includes issues such as:
the gender dimension at the work site, competitiveness, productivity
and social dialogue; social responsibility of companies and
organizations of employers; among others. |
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Did You know that ….
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By 2002, 20 out of 34 countries in the Hemisphere matched or
exceeded the United Nation’s fourth Millennium Development Goal
(MDG) which set the goal to reduce child mortality rates by two
thirds between 1990 and 2015. (A)
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Almost 80% of the indigenous women in Latin America die as a
result of preventable diseases. (B)
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In 2002, Latin America and the Caribbean was the only
developing region that had higher literacy rates for women ages
15-24 than male literacy rates. (C)
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In 2002, Latin America and the Caribbean had 221 million people
living in poverty, 44% of the population, and 97 million or
19.4% living in extreme poverty. (D)
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In Latin America, 2.9 out of every 100 thousand adolescents and
16.9 out of every thousand adults die as a result of HIV-AIDS.
(D)
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Between 1999 and 2002, the number of Internet users has
increased from 10.2 million users to 41.8 million users. (E)
(A) Source: UNICEF, Progress for Children, A Child
Survival Report Card. Vol. 1, 2004.
(B) Source: Pan American Health Organization (PAHO),
Newsletter for Indigenous People, May 2004.
(C) Source: World Bank, Millennium Development Goals,
Promote Gender Equality and Empower Women, 2004.
(D) Source: Economic Commission for Latin America and
the Caribbean (ECLAC), Social Panorama of Latin America
2004.
(E) Source: World Bank: World Development Indicators,
2004
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Summits of
the Americas Secretariat
1889 F Street NW,
Washington DC 20006
Tel : 202-458-3127
Fax : 202-458-3665
E-mail:
summit-info@oas.org
www.summitsoftheamericas.org
Copyright @
2004
Summits of the
Americas Secretariat
Organization of American States
All rights
reserved
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Unless otherwise indicated, the materials published on this website,
including opinions expressed therein, are the responsibility of the
individual authors/compilers and not those of the Organization of
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