Civil Society Participation

www.civil-society.oas.org
Affirming that openness and transparency are vital to building public awareness and legitimacy for our undertakings, the Summit Plans of Action call upon all citizens of the region to contribute to the Summits of the Americas process.
 
OAS ANNOUNCES THE FIFTH SUMMIT CIVIL SOCIETY FORUM
THIRD INDIGENOUS LEADERS' SUMMIT OF THE AMERICAS (3RD ILSA)
 
 
 





Mar del Plata, Argentina, 2005
IV Summit of the Americas

 


At the Fourth Summit of the Americas held in Mar del Plata, Argentina, from November 4-5, 2005 Heads of State and Government of the Americas reiterated the importance of the participation of civil society in the Summit process. Under the theme “Creating Jobs to Fight Poverty and Strengthen Democratic Governance”, at this Summit, Heads of State and Government recognized the importance of strengthening broad, transparent, and inclusive social dialogue with all concerned sectors of society, in order to promote and consolidate democracy and to build societies with inclusion and social justice. In this way, presidents committed to promote and encourage increased participation by citizens, communities, and civil society in the Summit process, in order to contribute to ensuring that the benefits of democracy are shared by society as a whole. Regarding the creation of decent jobs as a tool to fight poverty and strengthen democratic governance, presidents committed to promote tripartite and inclusive social dialogue and cooperation among social partners and governments, and if necessary, to ask for support from the International Labor Organization (ILO).

Presidents, furthermore, recognized the pivotal role that the OAS plays in the implementation and follow-up of Summit mandates, and they instructed the General Secretariat to continue to act as technical secretariat; provide support for meetings of the Summit Implementation Review Group (SIRG), ministerial meetings, and specialized conferences; coordinate the participation of civil society; and ensure the dissemination of information on the Summits Process and the commitments adopted by the countries.

Finally, in order to strengthen mechanisms in our countries for the participation and collaboration in governance by civil society organizations, the private sector, and citizenry at large, specifically in the development of public policy for the generation of employment and the fight against poverty, governments, in the Plan of Action of Mar del Plata, committed to request the General Secretariat of the OAS to present for the consideration of the political bodies of the Organization, before 2007, an inter-American program including the exchange of experiences and best practices.
 

 

 



Monterrey, Mexico, 2004
Special Summit of the Americas



In the Declaration of Nuevo León of the Special Summit of the Americas held in Monterrey, Mexico on January 12 to 13, 2004, the Heads of State and Government agreed that civil society participation is essential to the design, implementation and evaluation of public policies adopted by different orders or levels of government. Likewise, the Leaders recognized the role of civil society, their contribution to sound public administration, and reaffirmed the importance of continuing to forge new partnerships that will enable constructive ties to be built among governments, non-governmental organizations, international organizations, and the diverse sectors of civil society working to promote development and democracy.

Leaders encouraged the active participation of civil society in the Summits of the Americas Process, in which they proposed to institutionalize meetings with representatives of civil society including the academic and private sectors. Leaders also agreed to promote affordable access to information and communication technology for all and encouraged the full and active participation of civil society.

 

 

 



Quebec City, Canada, 2001
Third Summit of the Americas


At the Third Summit of the Americas, held in Quebec City in April of 2001, the Heads of State and Government recognized the contributions of civil society to the Quebec City Plan of Action and they called upon all citizens of the Americas to contribute to the Summit process. They recognized the powerful role civil society has in the consolidation of democracy, and recognized that its participation in government programs is one of the most important tools for success of governments’ development policies.

The Heads of State and Government instructed the OAS, other multilateral organizations, and development banks to develop strategies for increasing participation in the Inter-American system. At the same time, such measures have increased the institutional capacity of Member States’ Governments to receive, absorb and act on the input and advocacy of civil society organizations.

The Heads of State and Government committed to develop educational programs in cooperation with civil society with the goal of strengthening democracy and promoting respect for human rights, as well as for ethnic, cultural, and religious diversity in the hemisphere.
The Quebec City Plan of Action calls for a series of seminars and meetings among experts, CSOs and government officials for increasing acceptance, understanding, appreciation and respect of the linguistic and cultural diversity of the peoples of the region. The Quebec Summit also recognized the expectation that businesses that work within the Hemisphere must carry out their operations in a manner consistent with their social and environmental responsibilities. The Quebec City Plan of Action reiterates the importance of consulting civil society organizations and the private sector for the continued analysis of compliance with Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) business practices.

The Heads of State and Government, through the Quebec City Plan of Action, have been promoting the role of CSOs – along with technical professionals and regional and educational institutions – in the development and implementation of disaster management policies at both national and community levels. Furthermore, the Heads of State and Government acknowledge the contributions of CSOs in promoting national strategies for sustainable development of agriculture and increasing standards of living in rural areas.

With the acceptance of the Inter-American Democratic Charter, the Heads of State and Government specifically request the contributions of CSOs in carrying out programs and activities designed to promote principles and practices that strengthen the democratic culture of the Hemisphere. The Quebec City Plan of Action recognizes democracy as a way of life based on liberty and the enhancement of economic, social, and cultural conditions for the peoples of the Americas under good governance, sound administration, democratic values, and the strengthening of political institutions and CSOs.
 

 

 



Santiago, Chile, 1998
Second Summit of the Americas



During the Second Summit of the Americas, which took place in Santiago, Chile, in 1998, the Heads of State and Government reiterated the importance of strengthening a more active public participation of civil society.
The Santiago Plan of Action calls on Member States’ governments and respective CSOs to promote the development of principles and recommendations for institutional frameworks to stimulate the formation of responsible and transparent democratic organizations. It also encourages greater dialogue and partnerships with governments in which the OAS can serve as a forum for the exchange of information and experiences.

The Santiago Plan of Action established the "
Summit Implementation Review Group " (SIRG) which bears responsibility for ensuring the implementation, by Member States’ governments, of the mandates of this and future Summits of the Americas. The SIRG group will hold bi- or tri-annual meetings to assess the degree to which the Summit mandates have been fulfilled and will annually report on the progress achieved in the fulfillment of this and future Plans of Action.

 

 

 



Santa Cruz de la Sierra, Bolivia, 1996
Summit of the Americas on Sustainable Development



At the Summit on Sustainable Development, held in Santa Cruz de la Sierra, Bolivia, in 1996, the Heads of State and Government decided to promote more opportunities for the expression of ideas and the exchange of information on sustainable development between groups, organizations, businesses, and individuals. By doing this, they decided that the recommendations of the 1996 Montevideo Inter-American Seminar on Public Participation should be followed. This seminar promoted a strategy for the exchange of experiences and information among government and civil society organizations regarding the formulation, implementation and improvement of sustainable development policies and programs and in high level meetings convened by the OAS. The recommendations also include the establishment of regional level consultation processes and the integration and strengthening of national sustainable development councils.

 

 

 



Miami, Florida, USA, 1994 
First Summit of the Americas



In the First Summit of the Americas held in Miami in 1994, the Government and Heads of State showed their interest in strengthening and diversifying the democracies of the Hemisphere in order to guarantee its durability. This was the main motivation by which they indicated the importance of including individuals, labor and political parties, academic, private sector and civil society organizations (CSOs) in public affairs, and recognized that public participation is crucial for the success of any democracy under a responsible and transparent framework.

The Governments decided to revise the regulatory framework for non-governmental actors so that it would emphasize the management and supervision of resources, as well as their transparency and responsibility. Measures were also taken to improve participation in the social activities and initiatives by traditionally marginalized groups.

 
Third Summit of the Americas, Quebec City, Canada 2001


Civil Society


Recognizing the important role of participation by civil society in the consolidation of democracy and that this participation constitutes one of the vital elements for the success of development policies, noting that men and women have the right to participate, with equality and equity, in the decision-making processes affecting their lives and well-being, and considering that the diversity of opinion, experience and technical expertise of civil society constitute a significant and valuable resource for initiatives and responses of government and democratic institutions:

Strengthening Participation in Hemispheric and National Processes

Seek to establish public and private funding instruments aimed at building the capacity of civil society organizations in order to highlight the work and contribution of these organizations and to promote accountability;

Develop strategies at the national level and through the OAS, other multilateral organizations and MDBs to increase the capacity of civil society to participate more fully in the inter-American system, as well as in the political, economic and social development of their communities and countries, fostering representativeness and facilitating the participation of all sectors of society; and increase the institutional capacity of governments to receive, absorb and act on civil society input and advocacy, particularly through the use of information and communications technologies;

Promote participation of all minority groups in forging a stronger civil society;

Develop educational programs, in conjunction with relevant civil society organizations, academic experts and others, as appropriate, to provide democracy and human rights education and to promote the introduction of books and educational materials that reflect the ethnic, cultural and religious diversity of the Americas as part of primary and secondary school curricula;

       

Quebec Plan of Action (complete version):  English | Spanish | French | Portuguese

OAS Documents on Civil Society

         
                                                      Select the OAS Documents on Civil Society

 
 

Permanent Council Resolutions:

  • CP/RES. 864, (1413/04), "Specific Fund to Support the Participation of Civil Society Organizations in OAS Activities and in the Summits of the American Process"

  • CP/RES. 840, (1361/03) "Strategies for Increasing and Strengthening Participation by Civil Society Organizations in OAS Activities"

  • CP/RES. 759 (1217/99), "Guidelines for the Participation of Civil Society Organizations in OAS activities"

  • CP/RES. 704 (1129/97), "Status of Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) in the OAS"

General Assembly Resolutions regarding Civil Society Participation:

  • AG/RES. 1992/04 Follow-Up to the Special Summit of the Americas

  • AG/RES. 1991/04 Increasing and strengthening civil society participation in OAS activities

  • AG/RES. 1965/03, "Support for and Follow-Up to the Summits of the Americas Process", XXXIII General Assembly of the OAS, Santiago Chile, June 8-10, 2003.

  • AG/RES. 1915/03, "Increasing and Strengthening Civil Society Participation in OAS Activities", XXXIII General Assembly of the OAS, Santiago, Chile, June 8-10, 2003.

  • AG/RES. 1852/02 "Increasing and Strengthening Civil Society Participation in OAS Activities", XXXII General Assembly of the OAS, Bridgetown, Barbados, June 2-4, 2002.

  • AG/RES. 1834/01 "The Organization of American States and Civil Society", XXXI General Assembly of the OAS, San José, Costa Rica, June 3-5, 2001. 

  • AG/RES. 1707/00 , "The Organization of American States and Civil Society", XXX General Assembly of the OAS, Windsor, Canada, June 5, 2000.

  • AG/RES. 1668/99, "Strengthening Cooperation Between Governments and Civil Society", XXIX General Assembly of the OAS, Guatemala, Guatemala, June 7, 1999.

  • AG/RES. 1661/99, "The Organization of American States and Civil Society", XXIX General Assembly of the OAS, Guatemala, Guatemala, June 7, 1999.

  • AG/RES. 1539/98, "The OAS and Civil Society" , XXVIII General Assembly of the OAS, Caracas, Venezuela, June 2, 1998.

  • AG/RES. 57 (I-0/71), "Standards on Cooperative Relations Between the Organization of American States and the United Nations, It's Specialized Agencies, and Other National and International Organizations"

Civil Society-related Resolutions - XXXVI General Assembly, Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, June 4-6, 2006:

    • AG/RES. 2162/06, Mechanism to Follow up on Implementation of the Inter-American Convention on the Prevention, Punishment, and Eradication of Violence Against Women, "Convention of Belém do Pará"

    • AG/RES. 2164/06, Inter-American Program on Education for Democratic Values and Practices

    • AG/RES. 2166/06, Public Presentation of Candidates for Membership on the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights and the Inter-American Court of Human Rights

    • AG/RES. 2167/06, Establishment of the Committee provided for in the Inter-American Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Persons with Disabilities

    • AG/RES. 2168/06, Combating Racism and all forms of Discrimination and Intolerance and Consideration of the Draft Inter-American Convention Against Racism and All Forms and Intolerance

    • AG/RES. 2173/06, The Declaration of Recife

    • AG/RES. 2176/06, Promotion of the International Criminal Court

    • AG/RES. 2177/06, Human Rights Defenders: Support for the Individual Groups, and Organizations of Civil Society Working to Promote and Protect Human Rights in the Americas

    • AG/RES. 2184/06, Natural Disaster Reduction, Risk Management, and Assistance and other Disaster Situations

    • AG/RES. 2185/06, Follow-Up to the Special Conference on Security

    • AG/RES. 2188/06, Limitation on Military Spending and the Promotion of Greater Transparency in the Acquisition of Arms in the Americas

    • AG/RES. 2190/06, Supports and Follow-Up to the Summit of the Americas Process

    • AG/RES. 2193/06, Creation of the Fund for Children of the Americas

    • AG/RES. 2194/06, Promotion of Corporate Social Responsibility in the Hemisphere

    • AG/RES. 2200/06, Multilateral Evaluation Mechanism of the Inter-American Drug Abuse control Commission

    • AG/RES. 2201/06, Strategic Plan for Partnership for Integral Development 2006-2009

    • AG/RES. 2204/06, Eradicating and Fighting Diseases that Affect Integral Development

    • AG/RES. 2206/06, Report of the Fourth Meeting of Ministers of Education within the Framework of CIDI

    • AG/RES. 2224/06, The Human Rights of All Migrant Workers and Their Families

    • AG/RES. 2230/06, Program of Action for the Decade of the Americas for the Rights and Dignity of Persons with Disabilities

    • AG/RES. 2231/06, Persons who have Disappeared and Assistance to Members of Their Families

    • AG/RES. 2232/06, Protection of Asylum Seekers, Refugees and Returnees in the Americas

    • AG/RES. 2243/06, Support for the Implementation of the Declaration of Santo Domingo

    • AG/RES. 2251/06, Promotion of Regional Cooperation for the Implementation of the Inter-American Democratic Charter on the Occasion of its Fifth Anniversary

    • AG/RES. 2252/06, Access to Public Information: Strengthening Democracy

    • AG/RES. 2255/06, The Use of Information Technologies in Government Procurement in order to Promote Transparency and the Participation of Micro, Small, and Medium Sized Enterprises, and other Productive Organizations

    • AG/RES. 2256/06, Hemispheric Efforts to Combat Trafficking in Persons: Conclusions and Recommendations of the First Meeting of National Authorities on Trafficking in Persons


Civil Society-related Resolutions - XXXV General Assembly, Fort Lauderdale, United States, June 5-7, 2005:

  • AG/DEC. 41/05, Declaration of Florida Delivering the Benefits of Democracy

  • AG/RES. 2067/05, Human Rights Defenders: Support for the Individuals, Groups, and Organizations of Civil Society Working to Promote and Protect Human Rights in the Americas

  • AG/RES. 2071/05, 2006: Inter-American Year of the Fight Against Corruption

  • AG/RES. 2074/05, Standards for the Preparation of Periodic Reports Pursuant to the Protocol of San Salvador

  • AG/RES. 2076/05, Follow-up on the Inter-American Convention Against Corruption and its Program for Cooperation

  • AG/RES. 2087/05, Report of the First Meeting of Ministers and High Authorities on Science and Technology

  • AG/RES. 2091/05, Support for and Follow-up to the Summits of the Americas Process

  • AG/RES. 2092/05, Increasing and Strengthening Civil Society Participation in OAS Activities and in the Summits of the Americas Process

  • AG/RES. 2093/05, Meeting of Ministers and High-Level Authorities Responsible for Policies on Decentralization, Local Government, and Citizen Participation

  • AG/RES. 2097/05, Multilateral Evaluation Mechanism (MEM) of the Inter-American Drug Abuse Control Commission: Report on its Third Evaluation Round

  • AG/RES. 2101/05, XIX Pan American Child Congress

  • AG/RES. 2103/05, Public Presentation of Candidates Proposed for the Positions of Secretary General and Assistant Secretary General of the Organization of American States

  • AG/RES. 2109/05, Disarmament and Nonproliferation Education

  • AG/RES. 2115/05, Addressing Extreme Poverty, Inequality, and Social Exclusion as a Means of Strengthening Hemispheric Security

  • AG/RES. 2117/05, Follow-up to the Special Conference on Security

  • AG/RES. 2119/05, Promotion and Strengthening of Democracy

  • AG/RES. 2120/05, Presentation of Candidates for Membership of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights and the Inter-American Court of Human Rights

  • AG/RES. 2121/05, Access to Public Information: Strengthening Democracy

  • AG/RES. 2123/05, Promotion of Corporate Social Responsibility in the Hemisphere

  • AG/RES. 2126/05, Prevention of Racism and All Forms of Discrimination and Intolerance and Consideration of the Preparation of a Draft Inter-American Convention

  • AG/RES. 2130/05, The Human Rights of All Migrant Workers and Their Families

  • AG/RES. 2133/05, Inter-American Program of Cooperation to Prevent and Remedy Cases of International Abduction of Children by one of Their Parents

  • AG/RES. 2134/05, Persons who have Disappeared and Assistance to Members of Their Families

  • AG/RES. 2135/05, Support for and Monitoring of Activities Related to the World Summit on the Information Society

  • AG/RES. 2138/05, Fourth Biennial Report on Fulfillment of Resolution Ag/Res.1456 (Xxvii-O/97), “Promotion of the Inter-American Convention on the Prevention, Punishment, and Eradication of Violence Against Women, ‘Convention of Belém do Pará’”

  • AG/RES. 2140/05, Internally Displaced Persons

  • AG/RES. 2141/05, Inter-American Program for the Promotion and Protection of the Human Rights of Migrants, Including Migrant Workers and Their Families

  • AG/RES. 2151/05, Delivering the Benefits of Democracy: Partnership for Integral Development

  • AG/RES. 2154/05, Promotion of Regional Cooperation for Implementation of the Inter-American Democratic Charter

Civil Society-related Resolutions - XXXIV General Assembly, Quito, Ecuador, June 6-8, 2004:

  • AG/RES. 2057/04 Access to Public Information: Strengthening Democracy

  • AG/RES. 2055/04 Internally Displaced Persons

  • AG/RES. 2045/04 Program for democratic governance in the Americas

  • AG/RES. 2044/04 Promotion and strengthening of democracy

  • AG/RES. 2043/04 Observations and recommendations on the annual report of the Inter-American Court of Human Rights

  • AG/RES. 2036/04 Human rights defenders: Support for the individuals, groups, and organizations of civil society working to promote and protect human rights in the Americas

  • AG/RES. 2034/04 Follow-Up on the Inter-American Convention against Corruption and its Program for Cooperation

  • AG/RES. 2019/04 Fighting the crime of trafficking in persons, especially women, adolescents, and children

  • AG/RES. 2012/04 Violence against women Inter-American Convention to prevent, punish, and eradicate violence against women, "Convention of Belém do Pará"

  • AG/RES. 2010/04 Amendments to the statute of the Inter-American Committee against Terrorism

  • AG/RES. 1994/04 Support for and Follow-Up to the Summits of the Americas Process

  • AG/RES. 1987/04 XVIII Inter-American Travel Congress

  • AG/RES. 1983/04 Poverty, equity, and social inclusion

  • AG/RES. 1982/04 Strengthening technical cooperation for integral development

Civil Society-related Resolutions - XXXIII General Assembly, Santiago, Chile, June 8-10, 2003:

  • AG/RES. 1911/03, "Follow-Up on the International Conference on Financing for Development"

  • AG/RES. 1915/03, "Increasing and Strengthening Civil Society Participation in OAS Activities"

  • AG/RES. 1919/03, "American Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples

  • AG/RES. 1920/03, "Human Rights Defenders: Support for the Individuals, Groups, and Organizations of Civil Society Working to Promote and Protect Human Rights in the Americas"

  • AG/RES. 1932/03, "Access to Public Information: Strengthening Democracy"

  • AG/RES. 1941/03, "Promotion of Women's Human Rights and Gender Equity and Equality"

  • AG/RES. 1953/03, "Promotion of Corporate Social Responsibility in the Hemisphere"

  • AG/RES. 1957/03, "Promotion and Strengthening of Democracy.  Follow-Up to the Inter-American Democratic Charter.

  • AG/RES. 1965/03, "Support for and Follow-Up to the Summits of the Americas Process"

Civil Society-related Resolutions - XXXII General Assembly, Bridgetown, Barbados, June 2-4, 2002:

  • AG/RES. 1842/02 "Human Rights in the Americas: Support for the Individuals, Groups, and Organizations of Civil Society Working to Promote and Protect Human Rights in the Americas", XXXII General Assembly of the OAS.

  • AG/RES. 1851/02, "American Declaration on the Rights of the Indigenous Peoples"

  • AG/RES. 1855/02 "Adoption of the Strategic Plan for Partnership for Development 2002-2005", XXXII General Assembly of the OAS.

  • AG/RES. 1870/02 "Follow-up to the Inter-American Convention Against Corruption and its Program for Cooperation", XXXII General Assembly of the OAS.

  • AG/RES. 1871/02 "Promotion of Corporate Social Responsibility in the Hemisphere", XXXII General Assembly of the OAS.

  • AG/RES. 1890/02 "Evaluation of the Workings of the Inter-American System for the Protection and Promotion of Human Rights with a View to its Improvement and Strengthening", XXXII General Assembly of the OAS.

  • AG/RES. 1891/02, "Inter-American Program of Cooperation to Prevent and Remedy Cases of International Abduction of Minors by One of Their Parents"

  • AG/RES. 1895/02, "Study on the Access of Persons to the Inter-American Court of Human Rights"

  • AG/RES. 1896/02, "Human Rights and the Environment in the Americas"

  • AG/RES. 1901/02, "Declaration of La Paz on Decentralization and on Strengthening Regional and Municipal Administrations and Participation of Civil Society

  • AG/RES. 1905/02, "Prevention of Racism and All Forms of Discrimination and Intolerance and Consideration of the Preparation of an Inter-American Draft Convention"

Documents:

  • CP/CISC-106/04, "Review of the Rules of Procedure for Civil Society Participation With the Organization of American States (march 2004)."

  • CP/CISC-58/03, "Report on the activities of the Committee on Inter-American Summits Management and Civil Society Participation in OAS Activities (2002-2003)"

  • CP/CISC-52/03, "Report on implementation of resolution AG/RES. 1901 (XXXII-O/02) 'Declaration of La Paz on Decentralization and on Strengthening Regional and Municipal Administrations and Participation of Civil Society'"

  • CP/CISC-44/03 corr. 1, "Report on the Special Meeting of the Committee on Inter-American Summits Management and Civil Society Participation in OAS Activities"

  • CP/CISC-35/03, "First Inter-American Meeting of Ministers and High Authorities of Culture (Document presented by the Unit for Social Development and Education and the Summits of the Americas Secretariat of the OAS)"

  • CP/CISC-30/03 rev. 1, "Report of the Chair of the Committee on Inter-American Summits Management and Civil Society Participation in OAS Activities containing the draft resolution 'Strategies for increasing and strengthening participation by civil society organizations in OAS activities'"

  • CP/CISC- 17/03, "Report on the Participation of Civil Society Organizations in the Activities of the OAS"

  • CP/CISC-14/02, "Report on the implementation of the mandates arising from the Third Summit of the Americas"

  • Report of the Committee on Civil Society Participation in OAS Activities in Compliance with Mandates Contained in Resolution 1834.

  • Report of the Chair for the Special Session of the Committee on Civil Society Participation in OAS Activities.

  • REDMU/doc.3/01 rev. 3, "Declaration of La Paz on Decentralization and on Strengthening Regional and Municipal Administrations and Participation of Civil Society".

  • CP/doc.3365/00, "Request from Civil Society Organizations to Participate in OAS Activities" 

  • CP/CSC-18/99, "Report of the Chair to the Permanent Council on the Guidelines for the Participation of Civil Society Organizations in OAS activities"

  • CP/CSC-3/99, "Background Information on Civil Society Participation in OAS Activities".

  • GETC/FORMOEA-101/99 rev. 5, "Discussion Paper, The OAS and Civil Society".

  • CP/Doc.3210/99 rev.1, "Report of the General Secretariat on NGOs and the General Secretariat of the OAS in Compliance with Resolution CP/RES.704 (1129/97)".

  • CP/Doc.2946/97, "Report by the Committee on Juridical and Political Affairs on the Status of Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) in the OAS".

  • CP/CAJP-1005/95, "Comparative Chart on Non-Governmental Organizations' Rights at the United Nations Conferences", 23 March 1995

  • CP/CAJP. 962/94, "Non-Governmental Organizations with which the Organization of American States has Established Cooperative Relations"

  • CP/doc. 2486/94, "Note from the Permanent Mission of Canada on the "Study of the Possible Granting of Status to Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) at the OAS"

  • AG/RES. 57 (I-0/71), "Standards on Cooperative Relations Between the Organization of American States and the United Nations, It's Specialized Agencies, and Other National and International Organizations".

 
Archive of Meetings on Civil Society

 

       
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Seminar with Andean Community “Democratic Governance and the Problem of Employment in the Andean Sub region”
April 14 - 15, 2005 (Lima, Peru)
 

 
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Civil Society Hemispheric Forum: “Delivering The Benefits of Democracy”
April 11 - 12, 2005 (Washington, DC)
 

 
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Seminar “Democracy and the IV Summit of the Americas”
March 11, 2005 (Buenos Aires, Argentina)
 

 


The Ministry of Foreign Affairs, International Trade and Worship of the Republic of Argentina and the OAS Summits of the Americas Secretariat, in collaboration with the Office for the Promotion of Democracy, organized the seminar "Democracy and the IV Summit of the Americas" as part of the preparatory activities leading to the IV Summit of the Americas that will be held in Mar del Plata, Argentina, on November 4 – 5, 2005. This seminar was held on March 11, 2005, in Buenos Aires, Argentina, and addressed the theme of the IV Summit of the Americas: "Creating Employment to Confront Poverty and Strengthen Democratic Governance"  This seminar contributed substantially to the preparatory debates for the next Summit of the Americas by giving Governments and representatives from different sectors of society the opportunity to present their opinions and recommendations on the theme "Creating Employment to Confront Poverty and Strengthen Democratic Governance" proposed by the Government of Argentina.

The objective of this seminar was to analyze the pending challenges for the strengthening and defense of democracy and to promote an open debate with civil society regarding the implementation of democracy mandates from the Quebec Summit and the Special Summit of the Americas that took place in Monterrey, Mexico. The event was organized in three panels: the first panel addressed the contents and relevance of the Inter-American Democratic Charter as an instrument for the defense and strengthening of democracy; the second panel will analyze the participation of civil society in the strengthening of democracy; and the third panel will address the theme of the IV Summit of the Americas. This session sought to reflect on and analyze this subject from the economic, social, and political points of view in order to make substantive recommendations to the National Summit Coordinators. (for more information, see the seminar’s program)

This seminar was attended by national summit coordinators, ambassadors, representatives from the institutions of the Joint Summit Working Group, authorities from the Government of Argentina, members of the Foreign Affairs Ministry, political parties, as well as the academic and civil society sectors. In this occasion, the OAS Interim Secretary General suggested to create a multilateral evaluation mechanism for democracy following on the example of the multilateral evaluation mechanism for the fight against drugs.

Please, click here to open a complete version of the Summary, Background Info & Agenda


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XXXVII SIRG Meeting (Summit Implementation Review Group)
March 9 - 10, 2005 (Buenos Aires, Argentina)
 

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Roundtable with Civil Society / Special Session of the CISC
January 24 - 25, 2005 (Washington D.C.)
 

 
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XXXVI SIRG Meeting (Summit Implementation Review Group)
October 19 - 20, 2004 (Washington D.C.)
 

 
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The Civil Society acquires greater importance in the region
June 6, 2004 (Quito, Ecuador)
 

 


QUITO, Ecuador -- Civil society plays an increasingly important role in the consolidation of democracy and decision making in the region, affirmed the Minister of Foreign Relations of Ecuador, Patricio Zuquilanda, today, hours before the formal inauguration of the General Assembly of the Organization of the American States (OAS).

During a dialogue between representatives of civil society and Ministers of the region, Zuquilanda stated that "it is necessary to emphasize the common task which, in a globalized world, corresponds to the States and civil society in the promotion of human rights, the strengthening of democracy, sustainable development, hemispheric security and, in general, the noble intention to reach a more participatory vision of citizens in the monitoring of individual and collective rights".

He emphasized the importance of the Hemispheric Forum of Civil Society that was held in Quito on April 26-27, which produced a series of recommendations that were presented to the delegations of the 34 Member States gathered within the framework of the OAS. The recommendations will enrich the meeting of the Ministers of Foreign Affairs over the course of the next two days, said Zuquilanda.

In addition, the Secretary General of the OAS, Caesar Gaviria, emphasized that the participation of non-governmental organizations (NGO) in the activities of the OAS have increased progressively in the last five years. Today, civil society participates widely in the activities of the OAS and also provides technical support to the workings of the Organization in the countries, said Gaviria.

About 150 civil society representatives attended the dialogue that was led by Irene Klinger, Executive Secretary of the Summit Secretariat of the Americas of the OAS. During the almost three hour dialogue, participants exchanged points of view with the delegations on the central subject of the General Assembly, the fight against corruption, as well as other subjects of importance in the region, such as the strengthening of the human rights and the promotion of the rights of indigenous peoples.

Valeria Merino of the Corporación Latinoamericana para el Desarrollo, explained that the session represented for the civil society, "an opportunity to listen and to be listened to".

This dialogue, which was institutionalized and has become a part of the regular agenda of the General Assembly, reflects the commitment of the OAS and its Members States in terms of citizen participation.


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Working Session with Civil Society: An Up-date on the Summit Process
September 24, 2003 (Washington, DC)
 


On Wednesday September 24, 2003 the ESQUEL Foundation organized a working session, through its traditional Civil Society Task Force, called “An Up-date on the Summit Process.”  The event, which included participation of more than 25 civil society representatives, international organizations and invited special guests, was held at the International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES) headquarters in Washington, DC. The objective of this Task Force was an exchange of ideas on the Heads of State and Government’s Summit of the Americas process and to announce the Special Summit of the Americas that will be held in Mexico on January 12th and 13th, 2004.

The session began with remarks by Jane Thery on behalf of the Organization of American State’s (OAS) Summits of the Americas Secretariat. Ms. Thery offered an analysis of the challenges that the 34 Member States that participate in the Summit are confronting.  She also referred to the activities that the Summits of the Americas Secretariat are developing in coordination with multilateral agencies that participate in the Summit process, the work of the Summit Implementation Review Group (SIRG) and, of course, the important participation of civil society in the Summit preparations and in the OAS.

The Task Force also included the remarks by Gwyneth Kutz, Representative of the Permanent Mission of Canada to the OAS, who highlighted advances in the inter-American agenda since 1994 when the Heads of State and Government met in Miami at the First Summit of the Americas.  She emphasized that the participation of civil society has been strengthened in the last few years.  She also pointed out that the Special Summit works to compliment the Quebec City Plan of Action, noting its appropriateness at the moment because a third of the newly-elected Heads of States and Government in the Americas have not participated in the Summit process. 

The Task Force participants included representatives of the International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES), Esquel Group Foundation, Trust for the Americas, Partners of the Americas, American University, USAID, the Inter-American Foundation and Casasals, Inc, who discussed with interest in the topics of citizen participation, democracy, social inclusion and, in general, the central topics of the Summit.


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Meeting of the Civil Society Task Force: "Diasporas and Development in the Americas: Beyond Remittances in the Transnational Communities"
April 25, 2003 (Washington, DC)
 


On April 25, 2003, the OAS Secretariat for the Summit Process and the Esquel Group Foundation jointly hosted the April session of the Civil Society Task Force on the theme "Diasporas and Development in the Americas: Beyond Remittances in the Transnational Communities.” Representatives from the government, the private sectors, and civil society participated in the special consultative conference, which was held at the OAS headquarters in Washington, DC. Experts discussed how relationships between nations and diasporas create "transnational communities," and the impact this has on a wide range of issues including migration and democracy, as well as remittances as instruments for approaching the goals of social development and poverty alleviation.

The panel featured Mr. René Leon, El Salvador's Ambassador to the White House, and Carlo Dade of the Inter-American Foundation, and Ramon Daubon of the Esquel Group Foundation moderated the discussion. Jane Thery, of the Summits of the Americas Secretariat of the OAS, offered introductory remarks to the conference, which was attended by an audience of more than 20 individuals representing a wide range of public and private sector organizations as well as national governments.

The discussants agreed on the importance of recognizing that remittances are an indicator of a much greater phenomenon that is changing the way governments and individuals behave. Carlo Dade of the Inter-American Foundation explained that remittances must be understood as more than a phenomenon to be utilized for development. Remittances show the complex relationship that exists between diasporas and their home communities. Advances in telecommunications and airline travel have facilitated communication between colonies and their communities of origin. The influence of migrants, economically, politically and socially in their nation of origin has fundamentally reshaped this community and made it transnational. They must be understood in their totality, extending beyond the idea of migrants accounting for a large percentage of countries' gross domestic product, to effectively govern and develop this community resource.

Ambassador Rene Leon emphasized that the character of diasporas must be understood as being in a state of constant flux. They are not a "stock" but embody a social, political, and economic reality. The influence and character of "diaspora-communities" must be continually reevaluated not only in terms of purchasing power, but also in political and cultural terms.

El Salvador has been heavily impacted by the mass migration that began during the civil war and continues today. The political, social, and cultural differences between those who remain in El Salvador and those who leave is stark. Individuals that decide to emigrate are typically from the social classes that do not play major a role in politics and society. However, many of these emigrants that return to El Salvador, or send remittances, come to present a strong economic interest in society and influence the political preferences of their families. Other individuals that return have been deported, and some are second-generation that do not speak Spanish well. This creates a dynamic of antagonism and paradoxical exclusion of "foreigners" in their "homeland."

Governments must create policies in response to the impacts of migration. For example, Ecuador has begun a program to improve the quality of life on communities to prevent emigration. In El Salvador there is a social security program for emigrants so they might choose to retire in the country. The export (and import) of labor remains an important issue facing governments in the region. Over the last few years, more middle class individuals and families are choosing to emigrate and today, the number one export of every country in South America and the Caribbean is human capital.

The primary link between the communities of origin and migrants remains economic. However, the interconnection of the transnational community extends beyond these links. Issues affecting democracy such as allowing emigrants to vote in "home-elections" are increasingly prominent and must be addressed. In the Quebec City Plan of Action of the Summit of the Americas, the Heads of State included specific aspects and benefits of orderly migration on national and regional development, and supported several initiatives designed to strengthen linkages among transnational communities. Building upon these initiatives will help to address the challenges and capitalize on the opportunities migration presents.


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Special Session of the Committee on Inter-American Summits Management and Civil Society Participation in OAS Activities
March 28, 2003 (Washington, DC)
 


The Special Session of the Committee on Inter-American Summits Management and Civil Society Participation in OAS Activities took place on March 28, 2003 at the OAS headquarters. In attendance were more than 30 civil society representatives, who expressed their views on the participation of their respective organizations in OAS activities. Ambassador Paul Durand, Chairman of the Committee, pointed out in his opening remarks that the accreditation of 63 civil society organizations (CSO) to the OAS is a sign of progress and interest in the work of the Organization. Various organizations made reference to resolution CP/Res 840 approved by the Permanent Council of the OAS, entitled "Strategies to Increase and Strengthen Civil Society Participation in OAS Activities", which was viewed as a step forward in the participation and collaboration process with non-government organizations. The Center for Human Rights and the Environment presented a series of recommendations developed by over 70 representatives of civil society to increase participation of CSOs in the OAS. Recommendations included increasing the number of accredited organizations to the OAS to encourage further exchanges of information and debate on a development agenda between the various actors in the inter-American system, among others.

The afternoon session of the CISC served as an opportunity for CSOs to express their points of view with respect to specific Summit themes. These views were transmitted to the XXVIII Meeting of the Summit Implementation Review Group, which took place on April 2, 2003 at OAS headquarters. This was the first time that CSOs were invited to participate in an open session of the SIRG. These themes were chosen for discussion in anticipation of the Special Conference on Security which will take place in Mexico, the XXXII OAS General Assembly to be held in Santiago de Chile on June 8-10, 2003, the theme of which will be "Governance in the Americas", and the Meeting of Ministers of Education, which will take place on August 11-13, 2003 in Mexico. Furthermore, the Corporación PARTICIPA presented an oral report on the progress of the civil society strategy to follow up on the implementation of the Quebec City Plan of Action.

For more information on this event, please click on the Report of the Special Session of the Committee on Inter-American Summits Management and Civil Society Participation in OAS Activities.


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Strategy for Civil Society Follow-Up of in the Implementation of the Quebec City Plan of Action
2002 - 2003
 


In continuation of their analysis and evaluation of civil society participation in the Summits of the Americas Process, Cooperación PARTICIPA presented the Profile of the Civil Society Follow Up Strategy to the Implementation of the Quebec City Plan of Action (Spanish only) in June 2002. The Profile was elaborated in conjunction with the Regional Coordinator of Economic and Social Research (CRIES), the Department of Political Science at the University of the Andes in Colombia (UNIANDES), FLACSO-Chile, FOCAL of Canada, and ESQUEL Foundation of the United States. This strategy paper seeks to design and implement mechanisms that will allow for follow up on issues related to the strengthening of democracy in the Quebec City Plan of Action. It contains the contributions of representatives of civil society organizations from 16 countries, who participated in a workshop, entitled “Evaluation of the Summit Process and Design of a Follow Up Strategy to the Implementation of the Quebec City Plan of Action,” held in Buenos Aires, Argentina, on May 23-24, 2002. For more information, please see the Cooperación PARTICIPA web site, found here.

The recommendations that resulted from this workshop were presented at the Summit Implementation Review Group (SIRG) meeting on November 7th, 2002, at PAHO, Washington, DC.

On December 19-20, 2002 a second workshop on the Evaluation of the Summit Process and Design of a Follow Up Strategy to the Implementation of the Quebec City Plan of Action was held to define certain aspects of the civil society follow-up process to the Quebec Summit. The workshop, which was held in Santiago de Chile, included members of the hemispheric coordination for the project, such as Focal, Uniandes, Flacso and Corporación Participa.

The main purpose of the meeting was to define the methodology to be used by the civil society organizations in the follow up to the commitments made by governments at the Quebec Summit. A methodology advisor participated in the meeting in order to guide efforts aimed at defining indicators, a task that will be completed mid-month in January 2003.

The December workshop concluded with the elaboration of an indicator manual, addressed to the National Coordinators in which indicators, questionnaires and sources of information for the five issues being followed (information access, liberty of expression, local government and decentralization, access to justice and civil society participation) are defined. The manual also includes a profile of individuals who should be in charge of applying this instrument in the countries, as well as a methodological guide to use it.

A workshop will take place in order to transfer the methodology and thus train the remaining organizations in the use of follow up applications. This workshop is scheduled for April 9-11, 2003 and will also deliberate strategies for the dissemination of the project by participating organizations.

The Quebec Summit Follow up Project includes 16 participating organizations and seeks to elaborate recommendations to the Summit of the Americas Secretariat regarding the participation of civil society in the implementation of mandates from the Quebec City Summit.


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The Civil Society Forward Together Conference
July 2-3, 2002 (Guyana)

 


The Civil Society Forward Together Conference, was a historic consultation between the representatives of Civil Society in the 15 Member States of the Caribbean Community and the Heads of Government held at the Ocean View Hotel, Guyana on July 2-3,2002.


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Conference on Decentralization, Local Economic Development, and Citizen Participation
June 17 - 20, 2002 (Arequipa, Peru)

 


An international conference on "Decentralization, Local Economic Development, and Citizen Participation" was held on June 17 - 20, 2002 in Arequipa, Peru. Participating were local and national public entities, the private business sector, civil society and community groups. The conference sought to encourage discussion on public policy actions that would improve the quality of life of individuals in diverse countries of the region, particularly on the local level. Academicians and government leaders presented workshops on development issues, examining models, development experiences, and proposals for economic development and local participation in a decentralized context. The conference was sponsored by the Inter-American Foundation (IAF), the municipality of Arequipa, Marco Región Sur and the Centro de Estudios para el Desarrollo Regional (CEDER).


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Meeting of the Committee on Civil Society Participation in OAS Activities
January 24, 2002 (Washington, DC)

 


On January 24, 2002 the Committee on Civil Society Participation in OAS Activities took place in Washington, DC.  To see the official agenda of this meeting, please click here.


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Consultations by Civil Society on Education
Washington, DC

 


The Unit for Social Development and Education has initiated an electronic consultation where civil society organizations can share their perspectives on the role of civil society in educational development. The Unit has invited these civil society organizations to participate in the process, directing them to sign on to the web page www.oas.org/consulta. Once signed on they can register and send in their participation, which will be posted on the same page. The topic of this consultation is Civil Society’s Participation in Education: Myths, Realities and New Challenges. In parting, a discussion on Rosa Maria Torres’ article titled "Citizens’ Participation and Education; A panoramic view and twenty experiences in Latin America" was proposed. This article can be found on the same web page.


       
 
Participation of Civil Society Organizations in the OAS
 


    The Summit Process has given an important stimulus to the involvement of civil society in the Organization of American States.  The Special Committee on Inter-American Summits Management and the Committee on Civil Society Participation in OAS Activities was created in order to establish clear, transparent and modern procedures for interactions between CSOs and the political organs of the OAS.  As a result, the Permanent Council approved CP/RES. 759 (1217/99) “Guidelines for the Participation of Civil Society Organizations in OAS Activities,” which defines the scope of participation of CSOs in the activities of the OAS and its political bodies, including attending meetings of these bodies.  This resolution defines the principles governing the participation of CSOs, the responsibilities of the organs, agencies, and entities of the inter-American system in relation to CSOs, and the requirements that CSOs must meet in the event that they express their desire to be registered.

    In 2002, after the XXXII General Assembly in Bridgetown, Barbados, the Permanent Council decided to unify the Special Committee on Inter-American Summits Management and the Committee on Civil Society Participation in OAS Activities.  These organs were merged into the Committee on Inter-American Summits Management and Civil Society Participation in OAS Activities (CISC). 

    In March 2003, building on this momentum, the Permanent Council approved CP/RES. 840 (1361/03) "Strategies for Increasing and Strengthening Participation by Civil Society Organizations in OAS Activities," which called for a more active promotion of the registration process and participation of civil society organizations.  The OAS must hold virtual consultations with CSOs and promote broad use of the OAS website as a primary tool of information and participation.  Registered CSOs now have the opportunity to comment on draft General Assembly resolutions.

    These strategies establish that the nature of the dialogue should be official and that the host country of the General Assembly can organize the event in cooperation with a registered civil society organization, or with a number of them, that preferably have an interest in the subject to be discussed in the dialogue of the Heads of Delegation of the plenary of the General Assembly.

    The XXXIIII General Assembly of the OAS that took place in Santiago, Chile approved Resolution AG/RES. 1915 (XXXIII-O/03) “Increasing and Strengthening Civil Society Participation in OAS Activities.”  In this Resolution the General Assembly ratified the mentioned Strategies and included the Informal Dialogue as a regular activity within the framework of the General Assembly.

    Furthermore, the host country, in coordination with the General Secretariat, through the Office for the Summit Process, offers their support to the registered civil society organizations in order to hold the Informal Dialogue.

    The Office for the Summit Process elaborated in fulfillment of resolution AG/RES. 1915/03 (XXXIII-0/03), “Increasing and Strengthening Civil Society Participation in OAS Activities" the document CP/CISC-106/04, "Review of the Rules of Procedure for Civil Society Participation With the Organization of American States" which consolidates the existing norms contained in all current provisions of the rules of procedure of the General Assembly, the Permanent Council, the Inter-American Council for Integral Development, the specialized conferences, and other organs and agencies that permit participation by civil society organizations in OAS activities.

    Finally in the XXXIV General Assembly of the OAS that was held in Quito, Ecuador, resolution AG/RES. 1991/04 "Increasing and Strengthening Civil Society Participation in OAS Activities” was approved. This resolution invited Member States to contribute to the Specific Fund to Support the Participation of Civil Society Organizations in OAS Activities and in the Summits of the American Process, including the dialogue between Heads of delegations with civil society representatives.

     

 
Civil Society Participation throughout the Hemisphere
 



     

    In order to incorporate a greater number of CSOs in the preparatory process for the Quebec City Summit of the Americas, Corporación PARTICIPA (Chile), in partnership with the ESQUEL Group Foundation (United States) and FOCAL (Canada), coordinated a six-month consultation process with almost 900 CSOs throughout the Hemisphere.  This process, which included 17 national consultations, generated 243 proposals on issues from the Quebec City Plan of Action, which were discussed and prioritized at a hemispheric meeting that took place in Miami, on January 18-20, 2001.  The Recommendations by Civil Society Organizations for the 2001 Quebec City Summit was then presented January 12, 2001, at the XXI meeting of the Summit Implementation Review Group (SIRG).

    This collaborative effort continued after the Quebec City Summit of the Americas.  Corporación PARTICIPA, with the help of the Regional Coordinator for Economic and Social Research (CRIES), the Universidad de Los Andes, FLACSO-Chile, FOCAL, and ESQUEL Group Foundation held a Workshop on "Evaluation of the Summit Process and Design of a Strategy to Monitor Implementation of the Quebec Plan of Action" in Buenos Aires on May 23-24, 2002.  Based on the results of this workshop, these civil society organizations have recently designed a "Strategy for the Civil Society Follow-Up of the Quebec Plan of Action."

    These same civil society organizations presented their proposals on October 31, 2002, at a meeting hosted by the Committee on Inter-American Summits Management and Civil Society Participation (CISC).  These recommendations were then conveyed by the Office for the Summit Process to the Summit Implementation Review Group in November 2002. 

    The CISC held another Special Session on March 28, 2003. In attendance were more than 30 civil society representatives, who expressed their views on specific Summit themes. These views were transmitted to the XXVIII Meeting of the Summit Implementation Review Group, which took place on April 2, 2003 at OAS headquarters. This was the first time that CSOs were invited to participate in an open session of the SIRG.

    Directly preceding the XXXIII General Assembly in Santiago, Chile on June 8, there was an Informal Dialogue among representatives of CSOs, Foreign Ministers of Member States, and the Secretary General of the OAS.  At this meeting, the Government of Canada issued a grant to Corporación Participa for its work on implementation of the Quebec Plan of Action.  Due, in part, to the significant contributions from civil society organizations in implementation and monitoring of Summit initiatives, Heads of Delegation agreed that this Informal Dialogue become an institutionalized meeting of the General Assembly. The XXXIIII General Assembly of the OAS approved Resolution AG/RES. 1915 (XXXIII-O/03) “Increasing and Strengthening Civil Society Participation in OAS Activities.”  In this Resolution the General Assembly ratified the mentioned Strategies and included the Informal Dialogue as a regular activity within the framework of the General Assembly.

    Furthermore, the host country, in coordination with the General Secretariat, through the Office for the Summit Process, offers their support to the registered civil society organizations in order to hold the Informal Dialogue.

    In preparation for the Special Summit of the Americas in Monterrey, Mexico, a Regional Forum “Civil Society in the Hemispheric Integration Process within the Framework of the Special Summit of the Americas,” was held on November 24-25, 2003 in Mexico City, Mexico. 

    The forum was organized by the Office for the Summit Process along with the Government of Mexico, Corporación Participa, Coordinadora Regional de Investigaciones Económicas y Sociales (CRIES), Red Interamericana para la Democracia (RID), Partners of the Americas and the U.S. Agency for International Development, Alianza Cívica, the Canadian Foundation for the Americas (FOCAL), and Asociación Latinoamericana de Organizaciones de Promoción (ALOP).

    The objective of the forum was to offer a space for dialogue among civil society organizations, opinion leaders and academics in the region to discuss and formulate recommendations regarding the three themes of the Special Summit of the Americas (SSA) to be held on January 12-13, 2004.  

    The three central themes of the SSA and those discussed at the Forum were:

    • Economic Growth with Equity to Reduce Poverty
    • Social Development
    • Democratic Governance


      The forum was attended by 85 participants representing 71 civil society organizations from 21 countries of the Americas. The forum also was attended by six governmental representatives from Mexico, the United States, and Canada, seven representatives from international organizations such as the OAS, the Inter-American Development Bank, and the World Bank, and one representative of the indigenous peoples.  

      The recommendations formulated and prioritized by the participants of the Forum were intended for the governments of the region with the purpose of supporting the governments in their efforts to facilitate concrete action towards economic growth with equity, social development, and democratic governance among our countries.  

      Recently, the XXXIV Regular Session of the OAS General Assembly was held in Quito, Ecuador from June 6th to 8th, 2004.  The dialogue between the Ministers of Foreign Affairs, the Heads of Member State delegations and civil society representatives, which took place one day prior to the General Assembly, focused on the topic of corruption as an obstacle to social development and democratic governance.  The dialogue lasted two hours and took place at the General Assembly headquarters at the Swiss Hotel in Quito Ecuador on Sunday, June 6, 2004.

      The purpose of this Informal Dialogue was to exchange experiences and produce recommendations for the consideration of the Ministers of Foreign Affairs, Heads of the Delegations and the Secretary General, during their discussions at the XXXIV General Assembly.  Additionally, civil society shared their ideas about the challenges in regards to implementation to the Quebec City Plan of Action and the Special Summit of the Americas

      The Dialogue between governments and civil society was organized by the government of Ecuador through the Committee for the Management of Civil Society and the Office for the Summit Process of the OAS.  The Ecuadorian government created the Committee to support the participation of civil society in the General Assembly.  This Committee was composed of the Andean Democratic Audit, the Latin American Corporation for Development, ESQUEL, and FLACSO-Ecuador.

      Likewise, the Committee, together with the support from the Office for the Summit Process, put together a regional Forum with civil society before the XXXIV General Assembly of the OAS on May 3-5, 2004 in Quito.  The recommendations generated from the Forum were presented to the Permanent Council of the OAS and the General Commission in preparation of the General Assembly.

      This Office and the civil society organizations throughout the Americas have a long standing relationship and actively cooperate to provide opportunities for continued participation in the activities of the OAS and the inter-American agenda.

      Nowadays, we are in the preparatory process for the Fourth Summit of the Americas that will take place in Argentina in November 2005. The theme proposed for this Summit “Creating Employment to Confront Poverty and Strengthen Democratic Governance” was already presented to the Member States and to civil society at the XXXVI SIRG meeting on October 19-20, 2004. Civil society will play a fundamental role in this next Summit.

      A list of the accredited CSOs to the OAS is also available here.

 
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