Organization of American States Summits of the Americas
 
Follow-up and Implementation: Mandates
 

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TECHNOLOGY: ICT Expansion/Access
MANDATES

  1. Collect and report municipal and/or local level demographic data through qualitative and quantitative mechanisms to inform and improve equitable access to community development planning processes and public resources and services, particularly among populations at risk and in vulnerable situations and that are underserved. (Inter-American Action Plan on Democratic Governance, IX Summit of the Americas, Los Angeles, 2022).

  1. Promote national research and innovation networks and their regional and international integration, recognizing that information and communication technologies (ICTs), connectivity, and digital infrastructures are essential components for the economic, scientific, and technological development of countries. (Regional Agenda for Digital Transformation, IX Summit of the Americas, Los Angeles, 2022).

  1. Promote the dissemination and use of emerging and digital technologies. (Regional Agenda for Digital Transformation, IX Summit of the Americas, Los Angeles, 2022).

  1. To promote the appropriate, convergent, and progressive use of information and communication technologies, emerging technologies, and new technologies to promote sustainable and integral development, fostering innovation, inclusion, and competitiveness. (Regional Agenda for Digital Transformation, IX Summit of the Americas, Los Angeles, 2022).

  1. Foster the creation of smart cities and territories that enable integral development, digital government, reduce the digital divide, and further financial inclusion by expanding payment instruments, alternative financing mechanisms, and other digital financial services; and in this regard, acknowledge that building smart cities raises new challenges that require respect for citizens’ security, privacy, and human rights. (Regional Agenda for Digital Transformation, IX Summit of the Americas, Los Angeles, 2022).

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  1. Requesting that the Joint Summit Working Group (JSWG), together with other relevant regional and international bodies, develop an infrastructure platform to facilitate the exchange of experiences, training and cooperation programs for project monitoring and development, feasibility and risk analysis studies, transparent bidding procedures, and government procurement. (Lima Commitment. Peru, 2018)

  1. To facilitate equitable, pluralistic, broad, secure, and reliable access to new information and communication technologies in order to promote and build new forms of citizen participation, with full respect for all human rights, including the right to privacy, as set out in article 12 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and article 17 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. (Citizen Participation, Initiatives VII Summit of the Americas, Panama City, 2015).

  1. To foster participation and collaboration between the public and private sectors, social actors and communities to promote initiatives, in accordance with corresponding domestic legal frameworks, which enable our educational centers and health facilities, including in remote and rural areas, to enjoy equitable and affordable access to, and use of, expanded broadband, information and communication technologies (ICTs), and computers. (Access to and use of Information and Communication Technologies, Cartagena, 2012).

  1. To promote the more intensive application of ICTs in health, with a view to improving the efficiency of our countries’ health information systems, including accurate record keeping, and of subregional and regional alert systems for public health events of international concern; the expansion of continuing education programs for health workers and the population; and access to information on health services in those centers and communities that need it the most. (Access to and use of Information and Communication Technologies, Cartagena, 2012).

  1. To promote the development, coordination, and implementation of strategies and projects, as appropriate, for expanding access to, and use of, ICTs with the support and participation of international organizations, the private sector, social actors, and communities, in order to achieve greater social inclusion and improve the quality of life of our peoples. (Access to and use of Information and Communication Technologies, Cartagena, 2012).

  1. To promote and support, as appropriate, initiatives that expand the contribution of ICTs to innovation, entrepreneurship, productivity, competitiveness, the emergence of micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises, and economic growth, within the framework of sustainable development. (Access to and use of Information and Communication Technologies, Cartagena, 2012).

  1. To strengthen our efforts to make government affairs more transparent and accountable by supporting ICT initiatives and projects that enhance citizen engagement and provide capacity building for the creation, accessibility, and sharing of on-line information and knowledge, as permitted by law. (Access to and use of Information and Communication Technologies, Cartagena, 2012).

  1. To promote transparency, accountability, and anti-corruption initiatives in the private sector, with the support of ICT programs, activities, and projects, as appropriate, to improve the capacity of stakeholders to participate and access information, as permitted by law. (Access to and use of Information and Communication Technologies, Cartagena, 2012).

  1. To further promote the cooperation of international organizations, specialized agencies, the private sector, and other social actors in the collection and analysis of uniform data on information and communication technologies, as appropriate, with a view to strengthening public policies, including the design of adequate strategies on the use of those technologies. (Access to and use of Information and Communication Technologies, Cartagena, 2012).

  1. In order to foster innovation, increase competitiveness and promote social development, and taking note of the outcomes of the Second Meeting of Ministers and High Authorities of Science and Technology, held in Mexico City in 2008, we commit to create conditions for increasing public investment and to take measures that promote investment in the private sector, particularly in science, technology, engineering, innovation, research and development, and to encourage the strengthening of linkages among universities, science institutions, the private and public sectors, multilateral agencies, civil society and workers. We recognise that the protection and enforcement of intellectual property rights should contribute to the promotion of technological innovation and to the transfer and dissemination of technology, to the mutual advantage of producers and users of technological knowledge and in a manner conducive to social and economic welfare and to a balance of rights and obligations. Therefore, we reiterate our commitment to their protection in accordance with the Agreement on Trade-related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights of the World Trade Organisation (WTO). (Declaration of Port of Spain, 2009).

  1. We recognise that the benefits of a digital society should reach all citizens of the Americas. Additionally, we consider that reducing the digital divide, both among and within the nations of the Americas, is one of the conditions for achieving internationally agreed development objectives, including those of the Millennium Declaration. We therefore renew our commitment to collaborate with regional, subregional and multinational agencies to advance progress in the implementation of the outcomes of the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS), the Agenda for Connectivity in the Americas - the Plan of Action of Quito and the Declaration of the OAS General Assembly held in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic in 2006 on ‘Good Governance and Development in the Knowledge-Based Society’, and we take note of the eLAC 2010 Plan of Action contained in the San Salvador Commitment of 2008. We call upon our Ministers and high level authorities with responsibility for information and communication technologies (ICT) and for health and education to promote the use of ICT in all those areas in which they can improve our public and private sectors and the quality of life of our people, and to seek to improve access for households and communities. (Declaration of Port of Spain, 2009).

  1. We commit to support the improvement of the quality of the teaching of science and we will strive to incorporate science, technology, engineering, and innovation as principal factors in national strategies and plans for social and economic development, for the fundamental purpose of reducing poverty and generating decent work. In this vein, we support the Declaration and Plan of Action adopted at the Ministerial Meeting of Science and Technology held in Lima (Declaration of Mar del Plata, 2005).

  1. We will do our utmost to take advantage of the possibilities offered by information and communication technologies to increase efficiency and transparency in the public sector, and to facilitate the participation of citizens in public life, thereby helping to strengthen democratic governance in the region. In that sense, we will continue promoting the adoption in the region of training programs in e-government, by sharing the experience of countries that have made headway in this field. This will help boost the skills of public sector employees through the use of innovative tools such as on-line training portals for government officials currently implemented in some countries.
    These actions will provide training at several levels, thereby helping to improve the skills of civil servants and strengthening education in democratic values and best practices in the region (Declaration of Mar del Plata, 2005).

  1. We will seek, within the framework of our national legislation and authority, to promote affordable access to information and communications technology for all, and encourage the full and active participation of civil society, including the private sector, in meeting this goal (Declaration of Nuevo León, 2004).

  1. Noting that access to existing and emerging information and communications technologies has an increasingly significant impact on the lives of individuals and offers important opportunities for democratic development, and that the media has an important role to play in promoting a democratic culture: (Plan of Action Québec, 2001).

  1. Facilitate the upgrading of human resources in the telecommunications sector through ongoing training programs on telecommunications policy, regulation, management and technology, and request the Inter-American Telecommunication Commission (CITEL), in coordination with national agencies, the International Telecommunication Union (ITU)'s Centre of Excellence for the Americas, and in partnership with regional and subregional organizations and the private sector, to create a focal point for information on human resource development programs to foster exchanges of information on relevant training programs among governments, universities, industry associations and the private sector, in order to assist countries of the Americas in meeting the growing need for trained and competent personnel in the rapidly changing knowledge based economy; (Plan of Action Québec, 2001).

  1. Take measures striving to implement the Mutual Recognition Agreement (MRA) for Conformity Assessment developed by CITEL without prejudice to each participant`s sovereign right to regulate its own telecommunications sector, and encourage discussion of adequate standards to ensure interoperability for existing and future telecommunications networks and the timely introduction of technology in new and existing markets, taking into account the regulations and recommendations of the ITU and other appropriate standard-setting bodies; (Plan of Action Québec, 2001).

  1. Support the convening of the ITU World Summit on the Information Society to be held in 2003, which will focus on the use of information and communications technologies for social and economic development; (Plan of Action Québec, 2001).

  1. Promote the modernization and expansion of telecommunications infrastructure in rural and urban areas through timely introduction of new technologies and services, in particular broadband technologies, the adoption of new standards on telecasting, Web casting, and Internet Protocol (IP), paying particular attention to spectrum management, interconnection policies, appropriate pace of development and emergency communications; (Plan of Action Québec, 2001).

  1. Provide and improve where necessary, both in rural and urban areas, access to quality information systems for micro, small and medium sized enterprises through the creation of non discriminatory mechanisms with the cooperation of the IDB, the World Bank, other donors, as appropriate, as well as ECLAC, and establish programs aimed at promoting the use of computers and the Internet, based on public and private sector partnership, to gain greater access to information technology, to credit and markets and to instruments designed to assist them in all these areas; (Plan of Action Québec, 2001).

  1. Promote the popularization of science and technology necessary to advance the establishment and consolidation of a scientific culture in the region; and stimulate the development of science and technology for regional connectivity through information and communications technologies essential for building knowledge-based societies; (Plan of Action Québec, 2001).

  1. Promote programs of cooperation, through the use of advanced information technology and with the support of the international institutions that deal with administration of justice, in areas identified by the OAS Working Group on Democracy and Human Rights, which include: Training of police and correctional officers; Necessary steps to remedy inhumane conditions in prisons and reduce drastically the number of pre-trial detainees; and Enhancing human rights education for judges, magistrates and other court officials. (Plan of Action Santiago, 1998).

  1. Continue implementing the Cartagena Plan of Action, agreed to in 1996, with emphasis on strengthening the capacity of the countries in the Hemisphere to participate and benefit from the knowledge-based global economy, promoting, among other actions, the growth of the communications and information industries as strategic components of national and regional integration processes. In the context of the Cartagena Declaration, recognize the important role that existing regional institutions play in implementing this Plan of Action. (Plan of Action Santiago, 1998).

  1. Foster, together with the private sector, the development of applications over electronic networks, such as the INTERNET, broadcast television and radio, that taking into account different socio-economic conditions and languages, will support education, health, agriculture and sustainable rural development, electronic commerce and other applications assisting small savers, Micro-enterprises and Small and Medium-size Enterprises (SMEs) and modernization of the State. (Plan of Action Santiago, 1998).

  • 13.1 A country's information infrastructure--telecommunications, information technology, and broadcasting--is an essential component of political, economic, social and cultural development. The information infrastructure development needs in the Americas are immense. The governments of the Americas intend to meet these needs by engaging in multiple actions, where consistent with their respective governing laws, such as: encouraging private sector investment to increase participation in the telecommunications and information infrastructure sectors; promoting competition; implementing flexible regulatory regimes; stimulating diversity of content, including cultural and linguistic diversity; providing access to information networks for service and information providers; and ensuring universal service, so that the benefits of the information infrastructure will be available to all members of our societies. (Plan of Action Miami, 1994).

  • 14.1 There is a need to re-assess the on-going interaction among the region's science and technology (S&T) infrastructure and cooperative mechanisms; to provide impetus for improved cooperation; to reduce barriers to collaboration; to augment the demand for technology; and to disseminate information about technological opportunities using new advances in information technology; and generally to improve communications among the key S&T organizations, researchers in the region, and growing technology-based small and medium-sized enterprises.
    The commitment of the countries of the Americas to non-proliferation has gained new momentum with the acceptance of the international safeguard regime by some of our countries. The outstanding progress achieved in this field is to be commended and should contribute to enhanced opportunities for cooperation in the area of advanced goods and technologies. (Plan of Action Miami, 1994).

 

 

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