The Summit of the Americas Process
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The
Summits of the Americas Process
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Introduction
to the Summits of the Americas Process |
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Welcome to the Summits of the Americas
Information Network. We hope that the information that we
had provided will facilitate your access to the numerous
issues and actions that define the Summits of the Americas
process. As an introduction to this multilateral process,
we are offering to you some words on how the Summits have
evolved within the Inter-American system since the beginning
of the 20th Century, giving light to what today
can be considered one of the most advanced regional agendas
in the world.
The Evolution of the Summits of the Americas Process
At the end of the 19th Century, during the First
American International Conference, the governments decided
to establish the Commercial Office of the American
Republics, ancestor to the “Pan-American Union”, which
would, in 1948, become the Organization of American States.
Since that First Conference until the beginning of the 21st
century, successive changes and ruptures in the
international system, ranging from two World Wars to a
bipolar world, and more recently the phenomenon of
globalization, have shaped the ideology and practice of
multilateralism in the region.
In their first stages, inter-American conferences gave rise
to the evolution of Inter-American Law, through conference
subscription and agreements on such diverse topics as trade,
international waters, law of asylum, arbitration, adoption
of treaties on the principles, practices and proceedings of
private and public International Law, a mail convention and
a consular convention. In addition, a Code of Private
International Law[1]
was put into practice. This first
phase of multilateralism, characterized by the development
of Inter-American International Law, lasted until the first
years following World War II.
In the second phase,
the regional agenda was profoundly influenced by the
ideological confrontation of the Cold War years, and the
Inter-American system subordinated political principles and
democratic values to regional security interests.
The final Summit of this period
met in Punta del Este in 1967. The declaration, subscribed
to by the presidents, included the creation of a Latin
American Common Market by 1980, in addition to multi-lateral
cooperation projects for the development of infrastructure,
agriculture, arms control and education, within the
framework of the “Alliance for Progress”.[2]
Many of these goals were never met,
diminishing the credibility of the effectiveness of the
Summits as an instrument of change and progress in the
region.
Between 1967 and 1994
the political, economic and social climate of the Americas
changed dramatically.
Emerging from a Cold War period characterized by
confrontation and a lack of confidence, in which the Summits
prior to 1994 were held, the region constructed a new agenda
based on three fundamental points of consensus: democracy,
free markets and the need to strengthen multilateralism in
the region as a response to the phenomenon of
globalization.
The existence of
these common political and economic points of reference
paved the way for a project of vast political cooperation
and economic integration in the Hemisphere, from Canada to
Argentina.
The Miami, Santiago and Quebec City Summits of the
Americas
This First Summit which took
place in Miami, originated as a proposal from the United
States government and its negotiations were completed
outside the framework of the OAS, since they considered, in
that moment, that the Organization would require profound
reform and the re-definition of its strategic objectives in
light of the new conditions of the international system.
One foundation of the
hemispheric Summit process initiated in 1994 was the
reorganization of inter-American relations, conforming its
new agenda, content and mechanisms to the new political,
economic and social conditions of the global and regional
stages. The design of a
new multi-lateral architecture to construct a regional
project based in multi-lateral actions and commitments to
reform public policy in their own countries was the
responsibility of the Heads of State and Government of the
Hemisphere.
It was, therefore, decided that they would meet periodically
and define the fundamental positions of an agenda for the
Americas, based on the Plans of Action of Miami, Santa Cruz,
Santiago and Quebec.
The decision to
institutionalize the Summits shaped the idea of a process
where experiences are accumulated, a common language is
forged and mandates and collective, multilateral and
national actions are programmed, systematizing the new
theoretical and practical references of hemispheric
relations and giving answers to the problems that affect the
people of the Americas.
The modernization and
the strengthening of inter-American institutions and,
particularly, the Organization of American States as the
main political forum, was driven as a consequence of this
process. As the Secretary General César Gaviria expressed,
"The Summit process is becoming the compass, which gives
direction to the inter-American system."
After Quebec City
In the Third Summit of the
Americas held in Quebec City, the OAS was officially
designated as the Secretariat of the Summit of the Americas
Process. In
this context, the OAS was given the responsibility of a much
vaster regional agenda that includes, in addition to the
Ministers of Foreign Affairs as the coordinators of this
effort, all sectors of the governments of the Americas.
There are today many more demands and a wide network of
activities and ministerial and sectoral meetings that cover
the most diverse areas of our governments. This is the most
important added value that the Summit of the Americas
Process has brought to the OAS and to our countries.
Presently, diverse topics and
multiple actors form a fundamental part of the agenda of the
inter-American system, which includes topics such as:
democracy and human rights; education; justice; labor; local
governments and decentralization; telecommunications;
agriculture; gender equality; science and technology;
culture; sustainable development; health; tourism; trade;
the fight against terrorism, corruption and drugs; defense;
energy; finance; and transport. A large part of the follow
up of these Summit initiatives is done through the
responsible ministries of each issue in the country.
Such meetings
originate in or have conformed to the Summit of the Americas
process in the last few years.
In addition, civil
society, inter-American institutions and the World Bank,
sub-regional banks and cooperation agencies have been
incorporated into this process.
The Summit process has given
impulse to a process of coordination amongst these
institutions around the same agenda and is looking to
involve other sectors of society more, such as the private
sector, the academic sector and the media as part of the
governmental, multilateral and civil society efforts in the
Americas.
In conclusion, today
we find a change in perception that translates into the
recognition that the principal purpose of this process
should be the individual. The protection of civil rights,
freedom of expression, immigrants, natural disasters,
children affected by war, anti-personnel mines, the threats
of terrorism and drugs and epidemics are now all integral
aspects of the dialogue.
Today, the Summit
process offers concrete results in the areas of drugs, where
a Common Agenda has been established as well as a
Multilateral Evaluation Mechanism (MEM); in the fight
against corruption, where an Inter-American Convention has
been subscribed to and an implementation mechanism has been
established; and in democracy, with the adoption of the
Inter-American Democratic Charter. These are some examples
in the execution of a common agenda that continues to move
forward in the middle of the profound crisis affecting the
region. It has been successful during democratic crises: we
have certain democratic standards and the means for its
collective defense. Although we do not have perfect
mechanisms, we can say that there has been considerable
progress in comparison to the past. The Free Trade of the
Americas (FTAA) negotiations are underway and will culminate
in 2005, while countries continue in their efforts to define
the goal to establish a common and free trade regulations
for the Americas.
The Summit process after September 11, 2001
However, as soon as
the foreign policy and regional security discussion was
opened to a crucial factor in the transformation of the
world – globalization – and when the debate on the effects
of globalization began to take shape, particularly in
relation to the regions’ capacity to interact effectively
when faced with this phenomenon, the terrorist acts in New
York and Washington DC once again modified the regional and
global stages. In this changed environment, two new
variables have taken hold in the region: the need to
coordinate and instrument a collective fight against
terrorism and transnational crime and, on the other hand,
the need to confront the social issues that are at the root
of the largest problems for the Hemisphere.
On the first aspect, all steps have been taken to assure
this cooperation and there continues to be work in the
subscription to or ratification of international and
inter-American judicial instruments that guarantee its
effectiveness.[3]
Regarding social
issues, the largest problem in this agenda that we still
face is that of financial resources needed to fulfill many
of the mandates of the agenda that the Quebec City Plan of
Action established.
Because of this, it is favorable that, in the UN
International Conference on Financing for Development, held
in Monterrey in March 2002, the leaders of the developed
countries have shown their will to give new resources for
developmental aid, supporting those countries that are
progressing in the construction of institutions,
transparency and responsible governance.
The good news is that
the region is prepared to assure that these new resources
guarantee democratic governance and the efforts to construct
institutions that ensure to citizens effective and
transparent public services; the combat against corruption,
terrorism, drugs and transnational crime; continued efforts
in establishing the Free Trade Area of the Americas; a
justice system that guarantees the rule of law, independence
and access to justice; and better protection of scholarship,
public health and safe water.
So that this
cooperation is effective, today the equation that many
governments propose is to link new developmental aid
resources to the fulfillment of quantifiable and verifiable
goals from the mandates of the Quebec City Plan Action, and
to the positive improvement of the standard of living of the
people.
The Special Summit of the
Americas
The Special Summit of the Americas was held in Monterrey,
Mexico on January 12 and 13, 2004. The leaders of the region
met to discuss matters of shared interest and to make
progress in a common agenda for the Hemisphere. Since Quebec
Summit, one third of the presidents had changed and the
region was discouraged due to high levels of poverty, low
economic growth and there was a high demand to strengthen
the democratic governance of the region. The Heads of State
and Government concentrated their discussion in three
objectives: economic growth with equity to reduce poverty,
social development, and democratic governance.
Fourth Summit of the Americas
Since the Special Summit of the Americas, Argentina began
with the preparations for the Fourth Summit of the
Americas. The Summit took place in Mar del Plata the 4 and
5 of November of 2005. Argentina suggested as a
theme “Creating Employment to Confront Poverty and
Strengthen Democratic Governance”, which was well received
by countries as well as by the other actors such as civil
society, the private sector, the institutional partners of
the Summit Joint Working Group, the academia, and the
media.
The ministerial meetings worked on this theme so that the
implementation of the mandates of the next Summit could be
adapted into the plan of action in each specific issue.
We are certain that the Summit process will continue to
advance the agenda of the Americas. Because of this, the
Office for the Summit Process is responding to the
mandates entrusted to it, is committed to this effort and
will continue supporting the countries and different
bodies in completing this agenda.
We hope that the information that you find in these pages
will be useful in understanding and appreciating the large
amount of work and success that the leaders of the
Hemisphere have had in dealing with very difficult
problems by means of a large cooperative efforts. These
common values and compromises reflect the spirit of the
Summits of the Americas.
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A
review of the Summit Process
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Introduction
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The Summit of the Americas brings together the Heads of
State and Government of the Western Hemisphere to discuss common
concerns, seek solutions and develop a shared vision for their
future development of the region, be it economic, social or
political in nature.
The process is guided by shared political principles and
established institutional mechanisms. The political principles of
the process dictate that the process shall include the 34
democratic nations of the Americas, who operate with free market
economies, conduct multilateral international negotiations and who
reach decisions by consensus. The institutional mechanisms are the
bodies in charge of leading the process, decision-making,
implementation and follow-up.
This section takes us through a brief history of Summitry and
outlines the events of the Summit process from 1994 to 2005, from
the preparations for the First Summit of the Americas, held in
Miami, USA to the Third Summit of the Americas, held in Mar del
Plata, Argentina. It also provides an overview of the various
institutional bodies and briefly describes the role of the OAS in
the Summit process.
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Brief History of the Modern Summit Process |
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Early Summits |
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Two Presidential Summits were held in the years prior to
Miami. The first, in July of 1956, brought the leaders of
19 countries together under the auspices of the
Organization of American States at Panama City, Panama. It
was hoped the Summit would invigorate the OAS as a driving
force for economic and social development in the Americas.
The representatives meeting in Panama undertook the
following action:
Committees were established to
study critical problems in the Hemisphere.
The
Declaration of Panama was
adopted, calling for a cooperative effort to promote
human liberty and raise standards of living.
The
meeting helped lay the groundwork for the creation of
the Inter-American Development Bank, (link
to IDB;
Agreement Establishing the IDB)
and elements for the Alliance for Progress.
Left: U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower signs
documents in Panama City in 1956.
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The second Summit, held in Punta del Este, Uruguay, in
April of 1967, also brought together 19 Hemispheric
leaders, plus a representative from Haiti.
Their aim was to strengthen the
Alliance for Progress, President Kennedy's initiative
to promote development and peaceful relations in the
Americas. The leaders were motivated by the desperate
social and economic conditions which threatened to
create instability in many parts of the Hemisphere.
Although the United States held meetings to develop
the agenda of the Summit, the OAS guided the
consultative process and co-hosted the event with
Uruguay.
The Conference produced the
Declaration of the Presidents of America,
which was signed by 19 of the 20 countries attending.
The Declaration set numerous goals, including: the
creation of a Latin American Common Market, not to
involve the United States, by 1980, and multilateral
cooperation in infrastructure development,
agriculture, arms control, and education.
Right:
Heads of delegations, including US President Lyndon B.
Johnson, during deliberations at Punta del Este in
1967
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Unfortunately, the 1967 vision for hemispheric free trade
south of the United States was not achieved, and the
development plan was never fully implemented.
Twenty seven years later, in Miami, auspicious historic
conditions existed for the Governments of the Americas to
once again meet. The end of the Cold War brought forth a
new era of consensus and understanding at a time when
important problems, now less ideological and more
concrete, continued to confront the peoples of the
continent.
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The Modern Summit Process
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Reorganizing Inter-American relations,
by adapting debates and procedures to the new political,
economic and social conditions of the world and the region,
was one of the fundamental objectives of the modern
hemispheric Summit process initiated in Miami in 1994.
The existence of new players and a common understanding on
political and economic principles based on the tenets of
democracy and market economy made possible unprecedented
political cooperation and economic integration in the
Hemisphere, from Canada to Argentina and Chile.
The Heads of State and Government of the Americas, the
architects of this new system, decided to meet on a regular
basis in order to define the fundamental precepts of the new
Hemispheric agenda. This decision to institutionalize the
meetings led to the notion of a "Summit process", where
experiences are accumulated, a common language is forged and
mandates for collective action are programmed, systematizing
the new theoretical and practical references in hemispheric
relations. This institutionalization had been lacking during
the Cold War Summits which were organized on an ad hoc
basis.
The new era in hemispheric relations is characterized by the
revitalization of multilateralism which acts as a catalyst
for the modernization of the various institutions of the
Inter-American system, including the principal political
forum, the Organization of American States.
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Preparatory Stage of the Summit
of the Americas (1994)
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In January of 1994, President Clinton proposed to
organize a Presidential Summit in the United States, in
order to discuss the following matters:
- Democratic principles and values; strengthening of
institutions.
- Common strategies in the consolidation of democracy,
expansion of commerce and increased integration.
- Mechanisms that enssure the benefits of democracy and
economic reform.
- New relationships to overcome obstacles to
development.
- Integration and reinforcement of existing
hemispheric institutions.
In March of the same year, US
Vice-President Al Gore, on a visit to Mexico, announced
President Clinton’s desire to host a Summit in Miami in
December of 1994. The following issues were placed on the
table for discussion at Miami:
- Consolidation of democracy, efficient procedures and
related matters such as the fight against drug
trafficking.
- Growth and prosperity - growth of trade, mutual
benefits, better labor conditions and protection of the
environment.
- Social matters: poverty, health, education, and the
creation of jobs.
During the first semester of 1994, the
United States undertook bilateral consultations in order to
develop a Declaration and a Plan of Action for the Summit.
During the following months, inter-governmental meetings
were held and many international organizations contributed
documents and suggestions that were considered by the
organizers and participants of the Summit. In the case of
the OAS, the Permanent Council, jointly with the Secretary
General, prepared a paper outlining possible contributions
of the OAS to the Summit of the Americas.
While inter-governmental
consultations in preparation for the Summit continued, the
Rio Group met in October of 1994. The Group's members
agreed to present a multilateral proposal, achieved
by consensus, for the Miami Plan of Action. This led the
coordinators of the 34 OAS member States to meet, in late
November at Airlie House, Virginia, in order to agree upon
the final documents. It is important to highlight the
significance of this meeting as it was the first time in the
Summit preparations that representatives of the 34 countries
sat at the same table in order to discuss and negotiate,
under equal conditions, the commitments of the Plan of
Action that would be approved by all the participant Summit
countries.
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Miami, Florida: First Summit of the Americas
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The
First Summit of the Americas took place
in Miami, December 9 to 11, 1994. The meeting produced a
Declaration of Principles and a Plan of Action signed by all 34
Heads of State and Government in attendance. It is important to
note that it was the first Summit were all of the leaders were
democratically elected, and the first Summit to include Canada,
and the island States of the Caribbean.
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The
Declaration of Principles
established a pact for development and prosperity based
on the preservation and strengthening of the community
of democracies of the Americas. The document sought to
expand prosperity through economic integration and free
trade; to eradicate poverty and discrimination in the
Hemisphere; and to guarantee sustainable development
while protecting the environment.
The
Miami Plan of Action
contained the following initiatives, grouped into the
following 22 themes: |
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Strengthening Democracy
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Human Rights
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Strengthening Society
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Cultural Values
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Corruption
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Drug Trafficking
Terrorism
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Mutual Confidence
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Free Trade
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Capital Markets
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Free Trade
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Capital Markets
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Hemispheric Infrastructure
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Energy Cooperation
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Telecommunications
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Science and Technology
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Tourism
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Education
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Health
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Women
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Micro Enterprises
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White Helmets
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Sustainable Energy Use
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Biodiversity
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Pollution Prevention
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Santa Cruz, Bolivia: Summit of the Americas
on Sustainable Development
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Another important initiative from the
Miami Summit was the inclusion of a proposal from the
President of Bolivia, Gonzálo Sánchez de Lozada, to call a
specialized
Summit on Sustainable Development
to be held in Santa Cruz de la Sierra, Bolivia in 1996. The
objectives of the specialized Summit were to establish a
common vision for the future according to the concepts of
sustainable development and to ratify the principles
subscribed to at the 1992 Earth Summit held in Rio de
Janeiro, Brazil.
The long and complex multilateral negotiations included
input from an important contingent of civil society
organizations. These, under the leadership of a Technical
Committee, produced a proposal for sustainable development
which was presented to the OAS member States for
consideration and discussion. The proposal was the fruit of
a series of broad national and subregional consultations.
It is important to highlight both the participation of the
OAS and Civil Society in the preparatory work for the
Bolivian Summit. The OAS Working Group in charge of
preparing the documents for the Summit, held, for the first
time in the Organization, a working session where civil
society organizations were invited to participate in the
Summit's preparatory process.
The negotiations over the eventual
Declaration and
Plan of Action of Santa Cruz were
complex due to the very different positions held concerning
the concept of Sustainable Development. On one hand, some
countries insisted on the importance of the environment as
an independent issue. Other countries suggested
incorporating the environmental dimension within a vision
for integral development. Reconciliation of these two
points of view through consensus produced the Declaration
and the Plan of Action of Santa Cruz on December 7 and 8,
1996. The Plan of Action included initiatives in the
following areas:
Health and Education;
Sustainable Agriculture and Forestry;
Sustainable Cities and Communities;
Water Resources and Coastal Areas;
and
Energy and Minerals.
The general consensus on the concept of including economic,
social and environmental elements within an understanding of
sustainable development was perhaps the most important
achievement of the Bolivian Summit. Consensus was also
reached on other issues such as a financial resources,
technology transfers, division of responsibilities,
cooperation and Biodiversity among others.
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Santiago, Chile: Second Summit of the
Americas
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Unlike the First (Miami) Summit of the
Americas, which was convoked by President Clinton to engage
with the countries of Latin America on the many issues of
the Hemisphere, the decision to hold a Second Summit was
jointly made by all the Heads of State and Government of the
Americas. The
Santiago Summit of the Americas
was jointly prepared, discussed and approved by all the
countries. It is important to emphasize the active
participation of sub-regional organizations such as that of
the
Caribbean Community (CARICOM) and the
Rio Group.
The
negotiations for a Declaration and a Plan of Action were
carried out in the
Summit Implementation Review Group (SIRG)
meetings with the support of the OAS,
the IDB, the PAHO and ECLAC. Emphasis was given to social
policies and essential matters of the Inter-American agenda,
such as how to consolidate and improve the quality of
democracy, respect for human rights and the path to a Free
Trade Area of the Americas, were also discussed. The result
of these deliberations produced a
Declaration and
Plan of Action of Santiago which
contained
27 initiatives, each reflecting
the common concerns of the different countries. The
initiatives were grouped into the following subjects:
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Education, the principal issue of the Summit;
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Preserving and Strengthening Democracy, Justice and Human
Rights;
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Economic Integration and Free Trade;
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Eradication of Poverty and discrimination.
One of the initiatives in the Summit of the Americas
Follow-Up section of the Plan of Action assigned the OAS
responsibility to keep the "institutional memory of the
[Summit] process" and for providing technical support to the
SIRG.
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Quebec City, Canada: Third Summit of the
Americas
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In 2000, with the implementation
process still underway, the countries of the hemisphere
began the preparations for the
Third Summit of the Americas, held
in Quebec City, Canada, April 20-22, 2001.
The eighteen themes for the
Summit were:
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Making
Democracy Work Better
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Human Rights
and Fundamental Freedoms
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Justice, Rule
of Law and Security of the Individual
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Hemispheric
Security
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Civil Society
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Trade,
Investment and Financial Stability
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Infrastructure and Regulatory Environment
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Disaster
Management
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Environmental
Foundation for Sustainable Development
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Agriculture
Management and Rural Development
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Labor and
Employment
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Growth with
Equity
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Education
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Health
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