In the preparatory process for the Fourth Summit of the Americas, held in Mar del Plata, Argentina on November 4-5, 2005 with the theme “Creating Jobs to Fight Poverty and Strengthen Democratic Governance” a number of fora and meetings of consultation were held to solicit the views of civil society on how best to address the Fourth Summit theme.

On November 3, 2005, one day prior to the Summit, the Heads of Delegation of OAS Member States held five meetings with key social actors, including, civil society, the private sector, indigenous peoples, labor unions, and parliamentarians and non-executive officials. These social actors presented recommendations and exchanged points of view with the delegations on the theme of the Fourth Summit. During the dialogue, Heads of Delegation, civil society representatives, and other key social actors discussed the challenges and achievements regarding the adoption and implementation of actions to generate productive employment, reduce poverty, and strengthen democratic governance.

During the Fourth Summit, the Heads of State and Government agreed that the participation of citizens, communities, and civil society will contribute to ensuring that the benefits of democracy are shared by society as a whole. The leaders also recognized the pivotal role that the OAS plays in the implementation and follow-up of Summit mandates, and instructed the General Secretariat to continue to act as technical secretariat; provide support for meetings of the 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.

As a result of the fruitful consultation process and the constructive interchange that took place in preparation for and in the framework of the Fourth Summit of the Americas, the Member States approved at the XXXVI OAS General Assembly held in Panama City, Panama resolution AG/RES. 2172 (XXXVI-O/06) which urged Member States to participate in the dialogue of heads of delegation with representatives of civil society organizations in the context of General Assembly sessions and in the Summits of the Americas Process.