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Follow-up and Implementation: Mandates |
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DEMOCRACY: Good Governance |
MANDATES |
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MANDATES
Continue to promote the use and leverage of information and communication technologies, with the digitalization of public service delivery to strengthen transparency, improve efficiency and accountability, as well as improve the quality of life of citizens, and promote democracy and citizen participation as protagonists of public management, respecting the sovereignty and integrity of each State. (Regional Agenda for Digital Transformation, IX Summit of the Americas, Los Angeles, 2022).
Promote transparency and accountability in the management, publication, and use of open data and digital technologies, including the responsible and ethical development and use of artificial intelligence systems and other transformative technologies, while protecting individual privacy and personal data and promoting equity and respect for human rights and inclusive growth; and foster transparency and accountable use of algorithms that enable their auditing and technical evaluation, in a manner consistent with domestic legislation and international law. (Regional Agenda for Digital Transformation, IX Summit of the Americas, Los Angeles, 2022).
Promote digital transformation of government through inclusive policy-making processes, the professional development of civil servants, and other institutional capacities, which reinforce public institutional leadership and public trust. (Regional Agenda for Digital Transformation, IX Summit of the Americas, Los Angeles, 2022).
Support discussions at the United Nations and other global and regional fora, on existing and emerging threats, the development and implementation of the framework for responsible-state behavior in cyberspace, including respect for international law in activities in cyberspace, confidence-building measures, capacity building, and institutional dialogue to foster responsible use of ICTs by states, and international peace and stability. (Regional Agenda for Digital Transformation, IX Summit of the Americas, Los Angeles, 2022).
Advance sustainable, sustained, and responsible mining sector governance principles, particularly for those minerals and metals powering the energy transition and secure the integration of mineral supply chains within our Hemisphere.(Accelerating the Clean, Sustainable, Renewable, and Just Energy Transition, IX Summit of the Americas, Los Angeles, 2022).
Strengthen regional cooperation in support of the Inter-American Democratic Charter, including through the following measures, among others:
b. Develop, strengthen and/or consolidate, in accordance with national legislation, the role of the Office of Ombudsperson (Public Defender, Citizen’s Advocate or Human Rights Prosecutor or Commissioner) and/or other relevant national authorities with a view to strengthening democratic governance and respect for and promotion of human rights in the countries of the region; (Inter-American Action Plan on Democratic Governance, IX Summit of the Americas, Los Angeles, 2022).
Support free and fair elections with full respect for state sovereignty, through the following measures, in accordance with domestic law:
a. Facilitate conditions for all eligible voters in the Americas to vote in the elections organized in their respective countries, and also facilitate the participation of citizens residing abroad in general elections of their countries of origin, consistent with domestic law; (Inter-American Action Plan on Democratic Governance, IX Summit of the Americas, Los Angeles, 2022).
Protect press freedom and the full exercise of civil rights, including freedom of association, freedom of peaceful assembly, and freedom of expression, and promote the free exchange of ideas, information, and thought as fundamental principles of representative and participatory democracies, in keeping with international human rights treaties, promoting the establishment, in all areas of government, of mechanisms that promote transparency and access to public information. (Inter-American Action Plan on Democratic Governance, IX Summit of the Americas, Los Angeles, 2022).
Deepen the relationship between inclusive, democratic governance and sustainable development by:
a. Intensifying hemispheric cooperation to support implementation of the 2030 Agenda and achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals;
b. Pursuing implementation of expanded hemispheric cooperation and investment programs to promote sustainable development as a key pillar and objective of democratic governance;
c. Promoting the development of policies and programs to expand opportunities for economic and social empowerment and advancement for all peoples of the Hemisphere;
d. Promoting policies and programs that address the structural causes of poverty and inequality and foster strengthened cooperation and the exchange of experiences and best practices in that regard;
e. Promoting the creation of employment and decent work, as well as entrepreneurship, particularly among youth, and expanding opportunities for ongoing training and occupational retraining;
f. Promoting the strengthening of supply chains, the facilitation of investments in the Americas, and the increase of commercial integration. (Inter-American Action Plan on Democratic Governance, IX Summit of the Americas, Los Angeles, 2022).
Generate initiatives that arise from the priorities of indigenous peoples, persons of African descent, women and girls and other historically marginalized groups, as well as groups in vulnerable situations, to promote development for all persons, within the framework of intercultural dialogue. (Inter-American Action Plan on Democratic Governance, IX Summit of the Americas, Los Angeles, 2022).
Continue meeting the commitments undertaken at the Eighth Summit of the Americas, in particular the Lima Commitment on Democratic Governance Against Corruption, while reaffirming our commitment to treaties such as the UN Convention against Corruption, the UN Convention against Transnational Organized Crime, and the InterAmerican Convention Against Corruption, and taking the following actions:
d. Implement key government policies, platforms, and tools for open, transparent, and accessible public procurement processes, in line with globally recognized practices, such as the OECD Recommendations on Public Procurement, and explicitly address anti-corruption in relevant public contracts, as appropriate;
e. Establish and implement measures that enable the identification of conflicts of interest, ensuring their application in all stages of the process in question;
f. Establish procedures and programs aimed at guiding, educating, and raising the awareness of public officials on challenging ethical situations, and public procedures in situations of potential conflict of interest;
h. Strengthen and guarantee spaces for citizen participation, such as citizen observatories or other social control and participation mechanisms, where appropriate, for the implementation of measures for prevention of and fight against corruption and impunity;
j. Strengthen transparency and accountability mechanisms or processes regarding access to information related to the environment, in accordance with national legislation;
k. Strengthen, as appropriate and according to domestic legislation, the entities responsible for preventing and combating corruption, as well as the normative frameworks and mechanisms that relate to access to public information, facilitating access and implementing policies on open data;
l. Strengthen and promote the use of digital systems to ensure and improve transparency, dissemination, public accountability, and the fight against corruption; (Inter-American Action Plan on Democratic Governance, IX Summit of the Americas, Los Angeles, 2022).
Continue implementing recommendations received through the Follow-Up Mechanism for the Implementation of the Inter-American Convention against Corruption (MESICIC); reporting annually to MESICIC on progress made addressing these recommendations; and fostering the participation of civil society, the private sector, and social actors in the prevention of and fight against corruption, including initiatives that encourage public consultations, education and awareness, promote citizen participation in decision-making processes, and enable civil society to engage in monitoring and oversight, as appropriate and according to domestic legislation. (Inter-American Action Plan on Democratic Governance, IX Summit of the Americas, Los Angeles, 2022).
Seek into integrate in National Action Plans of the Open Government Partnership commitments by the legislative and judicial branches, constitutional bodies, and subnational governments, where appropriate, and in accordance with domestic legislation. (Inter-American Action Plan on Democratic Governance, IX Summit of the Americas, Los Angeles, 2022).
Support young people’s inclusion, as appropriate, in decision making, oversight, control, and supervision in all levels of public administration processes in order to improve good management practices with a view to preventing and combating corruption. (Inter-American Action Plan on Democratic Governance, IX Summit of the Americas, Los Angeles, 2022).
Strengthen the public procurement and acquisition policies at the national, regional, and international levels, to include:
a. Promoting strategic actions to ensure implementation of the recommendations made by the Inter-American Network on Government Procurement (INGP) via the declaration of “Public Procurement as a strategic area for the generation of greater public value and better access to citizens’ rights,” issued by its member states in 2021;
b. Implementing, using open data, methodologies and technological resources to identify and mitigate risks of corruption;
c. Establishing regulatory frameworks, measures, and indicators that are effective for countering conflicts of interest, favoritism, and corruption;
d. Developing and implementing effective measures that address informality and job insecurity, and prevent and combat corruption and abuses, including forced labor and child labor in global supply chains, by developing transparent public procurement standards and compliance requirements or codes of conduct, related to the sustainable procurement of goods and services, as applicable and in keeping with domestic legislation and international obligations of States.
e. Developing and implementing, as appropriate and in accordance with domestic legislation, mechanisms to prevent, investigate, or, where necessary, punish corruption, including bribery, trading in influence, child labor and forced labor in the procurement of goods and services of the public and private sectors in collaboration with the authorities responsible for law enforcement and other actors. (Inter-American Action Plan on Democratic Governance, IX Summit of the Americas, Los Angeles, 2022).
Consider the establishment or strengthening of solid regulations on lobbying. (Inter-American Action Plan on Democratic Governance, IX Summit of the Americas, Los Angeles, 2022).
Ensure, as appropriate, that the framework for upholding public integrity is based on, among other criteria, the risks of corruption, and is applied to all public servants and employees, in keeping with domestic legislation, independent of their contractual situation, and take measures so that the results of risk management are used to make strategic decisions and to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of oversight activities. (Inter-American Action Plan on Democratic Governance, IX Summit of the Americas, Los Angeles, 2022).
Foster multi-stakeholder forums for dialogue among the public sector, the private sector, and civil society, including women’s and youth organizations and social actors, to strengthen democratic practices, respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms, anticorruption, and open government efforts, including:
a. Participatory processes to promote government accountability and public trust in government, such as the development of informative communiques, social public commitments or citizen charters, as appropriate, which set forth what inhabitants can expect from public services and how to access them;
b. Community development planning processes, taking into account, in particular, the existence of inclusive processes, with a gender perspective, particularly with regard to post-COVID recovery and resilience to climate change that are inclusive of groups in vulnerable situations and/or historically discriminated against, and provide community members agency and oversight in the use of development resources;
c. Open, free, informed, and prior consultations with indigenous communities, leaders, and authorities, as appropriate and in accordance with domestic legislation, especially in the development, planning, follow-up, and assessment of policies that affect their way of life;
d. Establishing or effectively implementing laws or regulations to make consultation with stakeholders a systematic and essential part of the process of drafting laws and regulations, consistent with the domestic laws of each State;
e. Improving access to information to respond to the needs and capacities of stakeholders in order to improve understanding of the problem in question and garner well-grounded observations; (Inter-American Action Plan on Democratic Governance, IX Summit of the Americas, Los Angeles, 2022).
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Strengthening democratic institutions for the prevention of and fight against corruption in the Hemisphere, ensuring that the competent authorities have the necessary guarantees for the proper performance of their functions. (Lima Commitment. Peru, 2018).
Strengthening judicial autonomy and independence, following applicable inter-American and universal standards on this matter, to promote respect for the rule of law and access to justice as well as to promote and encourage policies of integrity and transparency in the judicial system. (Lima Commitment. Peru, 2018).
Recognizing the positive contributions of indigenous peoples and their traditional values and principles, and the contributions of Afrodescendent communities to improving the efficiency, effectiveness, and transparency of public administration and raising awareness in favor of the fight against corruption. (Lima Commitment. Peru, 2018).
Promoting gender equity and equality and women’s empowerment as a cross-cutting goal of our anti-corruption policies, through a task force on women’s leadership and empowerment that will actively promote cooperation among inter-American institutions and synergies with other international agencies. (Lima Commitment. Peru, 2018).
Furthering codes of conduct for public officials that contain high standards of ethics, honesty, integrity, and transparency, using as a point of reference the “Guidelines for the Management of Policies for Probity in the Public Administrations of the Americas” and urging the private sector to develop similar codes of conduct. (Lima Commitment. Peru, 2018).
Continuing to strengthen national anti-corruption measures or systems and enhancing conditions for the effective participation of civil society, social organizations, academia, the private sector, citizens, and other social actors in monitoring government performance, including the development of prevention mechanisms, channels for reporting possible acts of corruption and facilitating the work of watchdogs including other citizen oversight mechanisms, and incentivizing the adoption of digital means of participation. (Lima Commitment. Peru, 2018).
Promoting and or strengthening the implementation of national policies and plans, and as appropriate subnational plans in the areas of open government, digital government, open data, fiscal transparency, open budgeting, digital procurement systems, public contracting and a public registry of state suppliers, considering towards that end the participation of civil society and other social actors. (Lima Commitment. Peru, 2018).
Consolidating the autonomy and independence of high-level oversight bodies. (Lima Commitment. Peru, 2018).
Implementing and/or strengthening of bodies responsible for transparency and access to public information, based on applicable international best practices. (Lima Commitment. Peru, 2018).
Developing statistics and indicators in our States for assessing the impact of transparency and anti-corruption policies and advancing government capacity in this field. (Lima Commitment. Peru, 2018).
Fostering coordinated, transparent practices in the issuance of government permits inter alia by the use of one-stop shops, including in the area of construction, as a measure to prevent corruption, promote competitiveness, and expedite the corresponding permits. (Lima Commitment. Peru, 2018).
Taking note of the recommendations of the Civil Society and Social Actors Forum, the Youth Forum of the Americas, the Forum of Indigenous Peoples, the ParlAmericas Open Parliament Network, and the Americas Business Dialogue. (Lima Commitment. Peru, 2018).
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Our aspirations and goals for the Americas depend on strong democracies, good governance, the rule of law and respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms. We believe that democracy is essential for the social, political and economic development of the peoples of the Americas. We therefore renew our commitment to fight poverty, inequality, hunger and social exclusion in order to raise the standard of living of our peoples and strengthen democratic governance in the Americas, and we will uphold the principles of and fully implement the Inter-American Democratic Charter. We reaffirm our commitment to fostering credibility and public trust in democratic institutions, in particular the legitimacy of electoral processes and full respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms. (Declaration of Port of Spain, 2009).
We recognise the role of governance at the local level as a tool for strengthening democracy and sustainable development. We affirm the importance of enhancing decentralisation, local government and citizen participation and we reiterate our commitment to supporting the work of the high level Inter-American Network on Decentralisation, Local Government and Citizen Participation (RIAD) and its continued engagement in initiatives that promote good governance principles and practices at the local level. (Declaration of Port of Spain, 2009).
We are convinced that representative democracy is an indispensable condition for the stability, peace, and development of the region. We recognize that for democracy to prosper, governments must be responsive to the legitimate aspirations of their people and work to provide their people with the tools and opportunities to improve their lives (Declaration of Mar del Plata, 2005).
We express our support for the Declaration of Santiago, 1998 on Democracy and Public Trust to define an agenda for good governance in the Hemisphere that enables us to address political, economic, and social challenges in order to foster credibility and public trust in democratic institutions (Declaration of Nuevo León, 2004).
The strengthening of and respect for the rule of law, the defense of human rights and fundamental freedoms, economic progress, well-being and social justice, transparency and accountability in public affairs, the promotion of diverse forms of participation by our citizens, and the development of opportunities for all are fundamental to promote and consolidate representative democracy (Declaration of Nuevo León, 2004).
We, the democratically elected Heads of State and Government of the Americas, have met in Quebec City at our Third Summit, to renew our commitment to hemispheric integration and national and collective responsibility for improving the economic well-being and security of our people. We have adopted a Plan of Action to strengthen representative democracy, promote good governance and protect human rights and fundamental freedoms.* We seek to create greater prosperity and expand economic opportunities while fostering social justice and the realization of human potential (Declaration of Québec, 2001).
Recognizing that good governance requires effective, representative, transparent and accountable government institutions at all levels, public participation, effective checks and balances, and the separation of powers, as well as noting the role of information and communications technologies in achieving these aims: (Plan of Action Québec, 2001).
Recognizing that corruption gravely affects democratic political institutions and the private sector, weakens economic growth and jeopardizes the basic needs and interests of a country’s most underprivileged groups, and that the prevention and control of these problems are the responsibility of government as well as legislative and judicial institutions: (Plan of Action Québec, 2001)
Consider signing and ratifying, ratifying, or acceding to, as soon as possible and as the case may be, the Inter-American Convention Against Corruption, in accordance with their respective legal frameworks, and promote effective implementation of the Convention by means of, inter alia, the Inter-American Program for Cooperation in the Fight Against Corruption and associated technical cooperation programs and activities, including those of relevant multilateral organizations and MDBs, in the area of good governance and in the fight against corruption, as well as programs which each country designs and implements in accordance with national laws, by its own appropriate bodies that may require assistance; (Plan of Action Québec, 2001)
Promote mechanisms to facilitate citizen participation in politics, especially in local or municipal government; (Plan of Action Québec, 2001).
Support States that so request in the processes of promoting and consolidating democratic values, practices and institutions by strengthening the respective organs of the Organization, including the Unit for the Promotion of Democracy (UPD). (Plan of Action Santiago, 1998).
Resolutely support the "Inter-American Program to Combat Corruption" and implement the actions established therein, particularly the adoption of a strategy to achieve prompt ratification of the 1996 Inter-American Convention against Corruption, the drafting of codes of conduct for public officials, in accordance with respective legal frameworks, the study of the problem of laundering assets or proceeds derived from corruption, and the promotion of information campaigns on the ethical values that sustain the democratic system. (Plan of Action Santiago, 1998).
1.1 The strengthening, effective exercise and consolidation of democracy constitute the central political priority of the Americas. The Organization of American States (OAS) is the principal hemispheric body for the defense of democratic values and institutions; among its essential purposes is to promote and consolidate representative democracy, with due respect to the principle of non-intervention. The OAS has adopted multilateral procedures to address the problems created when democratic order has been interrupted unconstitutionally. In order to prevent such crises, the OAS needs to direct more effort toward the promotion of democratic values and practices and to the social and economic strengthening of already-established democratic regimes. (Plan of Action Miami, 1994).
1.4 Strengthening the Unit for the Promotion of Democracy so that it can provide assistance at the request of the interested state on such matters as legislative and judicial processes, government reforms (including administration of justice, technical modernization of national legislative bodies, simplification of government regulations and promotion of participation by community organizations in local democracy), and other institutional changes. (Plan of Action Miami, 1994).
1.5 Encouraging opportunities for exchange of experiences among member states' democratic institutions, particularly legislature-to-legislature and judiciary-to-judiciary. (Plan of Action Miami, 1994).
1.6 Fostering understanding, dialogue and political reconciliation, at the request of the affected state and bearing in mind that national reconciliation comes from within. (Plan of Action Miami, 1994).
5.1 The problem of corruption is now an issue of serious interest not only in this Hemisphere, but in all regions of the world. Corruption in both the public and private sectors weakens democracy and undermines the legitimacy of governments and institutions. The modernization of the state, including deregulation, privatization and the simplification of government procedures, reduces the opportunities for corruption. All aspects of public administration in a democracy must be transparent and open to public scrutiny. (Plan of Action Miami, 1994).
5.6 Develop mechanisms of cooperation in the judicial and banking areas to make possible rapid and effective response in the international investigation of corruption cases. (Plan of Action Miami, 1994).
