At the First Summit of the Americas, held in Miami in 1994, the Heads of State and Government expressed an interest in the consolidation and diversification of democracies in the Hemisphere in such a way as to ensure their sustainability. It was primarily for that reason that they underscored the importance of participation by individuals, labor unions, political parties, academics, the private sector, and CSOs in public affairs and recognized that public participation was pivotal to the success of any democracy in a context of accountability and transparency.