The 30th Meeting of the Summit Implementation Review Group (SIRG) was held in Washington, DC on July 21-22, 2003.   The purpose of the meeting was to prepare for the upcoming Special Summit of the Americas to be hosted by the government of Mexico.

César Gaviria, Secretary General of the Organization of American States, inaugurated the meeting.  The SIRG heard remarks as well from the new President of the Summit Process, Ambassador Eduardo Sguiglia, Under Secretary of Latin American Policy, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Argentina, and from Dr. Miguel Hakim, Under Secretary for Latin America and the Caribbean, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Mexico, as President of the Special Summit.

The goal of the Special Summit is to facilitate hemispheric cooperation at the highest level of government to address the current economic, social and political challenges in the region.   Approximately one third of heads of state and government in the hemisphere have assumed office since the most recent Summit of the Americas in Quebec City in April 2001.  The agenda of the Special Summit will center on three issues -- Economic Growth with Equity, Social Development, and Democratic Governance. 

Discussions at this SIRG meeting included consideration of the draft agenda, format, content and logistics of the planned Special Summit.  Countries were very keen on ensuring that this Special Summit remain focused on specific issues and support multilateral and national actions to solve critical problems affecting people in the Hemisphere. The 31^st Meeting of the SIRG will be held in Washington, DC on September 22, 2003.

For more information see www.summitsoftheamericas.org

For documents and proceedings of past SIRG meetings,
please click here.