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

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YOUTH AND CHILDHOOD
MANDATES

  1. Deepen the relationship between inclusive, democratic governance and sustainable development by:

    • 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; (Inter-American Action Plan on Democratic Governance, IX Summit of the Americas, Los Angeles, 2022).

  1. Adopt appropriate measures to address the political commitments in the UN General Assembly Resolution A/RES/S-32-1, which approved the political declaration “Our common commitment to effectively addressing challenges and implementing measures to prevent and combat corruption and strengthen international cooperation,” as well as continue to advance the outcomes achieved in the preparatory process for this special period of this General Assembly, including, as appropriate and according to domestic legislation, to:

    • g. Empower young people to propose ideas with a view to preventing and combating corruption based on outcomes of the Youth Forum in the framework of the preparatory process of the 2021 special period of sessions of United Nations General Assembly Against Corruption. (Inter-American Action Plan on Democratic Governance, IX Summit of the Americas, Los Angeles, 2022).

  1. 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).

  1. Promote regional mechanisms to facilitate meaningful participation of civil society and social actors, including women’s and youth organizations in monitoring the implementation of the Summit commitments. (Inter-American Action Plan on Democratic Governance, IX Summit of the Americas, Los Angeles, 2022).

  1. 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;

    • f. Promoting parliamentarian engagement as an integral part of the Summits process through ParlAmericas, the interparliamentary organization of the Hemisphere, and other parliamentary organizations. (Inter-American Action Plan on Democratic Governance, IX Summit of the Americas, Los Angeles, 2022).

  1. Increase efforts to ensure inclusion and diversity in all aspects of governance, through the following actions:

    • a. Increasing the use of tools that incorporate gender perspective in assessing and drafting legislation so that laws and policies are responsive to differential impacts on men, women, boys, and girls, including in efforts to address climate change, the digital economy, and healthcare, among others; (Inter-American Action Plan on Democratic Governance, IX Summit of the Americas, Los Angeles, 2022).

  1. Take note of the recommendations of the Civil Society and Social Actors Forum, the Young Americas Forum, and the CEO Summit of the Americas. (Inter-American Action Plan on Democratic Governance, IX Summit of the Americas, Los Angeles, 2022).

  1. Encourage, in particular, such action with respect to persons with disabilities or with specific needs, as well as members of groups that have been historically marginalized, discriminated against, and/or in vulnerable situations, as well as all women and girls, taking into account their diverse conditions and situations, in a manner consistent with national legislation and international law, to broadly use digital platforms. (Regional Agenda for Digital Transformation, IX Summit of the Americas, Los Angeles, 2022).

  1. To accelerate measures on climate change adaptation, taking into account different national circumstances, we intend to:

    • c. Enhance environmental education, through research and active and inclusive participation from all stakeholders to build capacities for climate change adaptation and mitigation for current and future generations, including youth, indigenous peoples, persons of African descent, civil society, women’s organizations, the private sector, policymakers, practitioners, and persons working in related industries; (Our Sustainable Green Future, IX Summit of the Americas, Los Angeles, 2022)

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  1. Promoting a hemispheric initiative to coordinate the efforts of competent regional and international organizations in the framework on the Inter-American Education Agenda focusing on civic education led by the Organization of American States (OAS), through the Inter-American Committee on Education (CIE), with the support of the Joint Summit Working Group (JSWG) and with respect for regional diversity. (Lima Commitment. Peru, 2018)

  1. Developing a culture of citizen participation and prevention of corruption with a view to strengthening democratic and civic values from early childhood and throughout life, by implementing teaching and learning programs at all levels of education, as well as ongoing education programs. (Lima Commitment. Peru, 2018)

  1. 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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  1. To entrust the Ministers of Education of the Americas with defining and identifying the necessary actions to build and implement an Inter-American Education Agenda in coordination with other international, regional, and subregional organizations and mechanisms, in order to strengthen policy dialogue and cooperation that help to ensure access for all to quality, inclusive, and equitable education, the strengthening of the teaching profession, and comprehensive early childhood care. (Education, Initiatives VII Summit of the Americas, Panama City, 2015).

  1. To strengthen specific public policies and programs for young people with a view to striving to halve by 2025 the number of young people neither studying nor working, through ongoing technical and vocational education and training, promotion of scholarships and academic mobility, and by fostering human talent through new pedagogies influenced by the arts, innovation and entrepreneurship to help enable them to successfully transition from school to the work place. (Education, Initiatives VII Summit of the Americas, Panama City, 2015).

  1. To identify, research and analyze new strategies and effective public policies in education, carried out inside and outside the region, as well as innovative experiences incorporating intercultural education and the needs of persons with disabilities intended to improve the quality of educational processes at the pre-school, primary and secondary levels, and to promote access to early education and childhood care. To request the Organization of American States (OAS) to promote discussion and formulation of public policies through the relevant institutions. To request the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), through the creation of an educational research and innovation laboratory for the Americas, to support this initiative, and likewise the World Bank, through the creation of an inter-American education network, to consolidate the various proposals in this area. To that end, to establish a working group comprising the OAS, the IDB, the Development Bank of Latin America (CAF) and the World Bank to, with the active participation of the Hemisphere’s countries, design and integrate these initiatives within an inter-American institutional framework. (Education, Initiatives VII Summit of the Americas, Panama City, 2015).

  1. To encourage the joint efforts of the public and private sectors, civil society, and other social stakeholders to strengthen strategies for food and nutrition, specifically child nutrition, as an integral element of health in fighting poverty, hunger, and inequality. (Health, Initiatives VII Summit of the Americas, Panama City, 2015).

  1. To accelerate efforts to improve maternal and child health, in particular reducing maternal and child mortality, including neonatal mortality, and continue working to ensure effective access by all women to comprehensive healthcare, in particular during pregnancy, partum and post-partum periods. To request the collaboration of PAHO in continuing to support the countries in this endeavor. We commit to supporting the renewal of the United Nations Global Strategy for Women’s and Children’s Health. (Health, Initiatives VII Summit of the Americas, Panama City, 2015).

  1. To design and implement or strengthen public policies to improve economic and social conditions to generate more and better opportunities for advancement of our populations, particularly young people, through the development of human talent, the creation of more and better jobs, the stimulation of the productive sector, access to credit, and improved citizen security, among other factors, so that the decision to migrate can be taken freely and voluntarily. (Migration, Initiatives VII Summit of the Americas, Panama City, 2015).

  1. To strengthen programs to prevent and fight illicit smuggling of migrants and trafficking in persons, particularly of women, children and adolescents, as well as to generate, review and amend laws, where appropriate, against these crimes so that, in their enforcement, they will render assistance and protection to victims of trafficking and to promote cooperation among states to that end, in accordance with the Convention against Transnational Organized Crime and its protocols on trafficking in persons and smuggling of migrants. (Migration, Initiatives VII Summit of the Americas, Panama City, 2015).

  1. To strengthen efforts and prioritize actions to effectively address violence against women and girls, particularly through the promotion of initiatives to empower women, and the implementation of effective public policies focused on achieving this goal, including measures to prevent, investigate, punish, and eradicate such violence; training for public officials at national and local levels; implementation of programs to educate, sensitize, and raise awareness about this phenomenon; and the collection of data and statistics within, as applicable, the framework of the Inter-American Convention on the Prevention, Punishment, and Eradication of Violence against Women (Convention of Belém do Pará) and its follow-up mechanism. (Security, Initiatives VII Summit of the Americas, Panama City, 2015).

  1. To strengthen holistic efforts with special attention to socio-economic factors to prevent juvenile delinquency through actions and mechanisms that foster livelihood, sociability, self-esteem, and well-being among young people. (Security, Initiatives VII Summit of the Americas, Panama City, 2015).

  1. To promote and strengthen economic, political, social and cultural empowerment for women, ensure the protection and guarantee of all their rights, and redouble our collective efforts to end discrimination, child, early and forced marriage, recognizing that gender equity and equality is necessary and legitimate for the sustainable and democratic advancement of our societies. (Citizen Participation, Initiatives VII Summit of the Americas, Panama City, 2015).

  1. To promote and encourage comprehensive, timely, and quality public policies on:

    1. Early childhood care, education, and development.
    2. Protecting children from economic exploitation and from any tasks that may interfere with their education and integral development, according to the principle of the effective abolition of child labor, which is contained in the ILO Declaration on Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work (1998); as well as preventing and eradicating the worst forms of child labor according to Convention 182 of the ILO (1999)
    3. Raising awareness about the adverse effects of adolescent pregnancies on the integral development of the adolescent and their offspring, as well as fostering their health and well-being.(Poverty, Inequality, and Inequity, Cartagena, 2012).

  1. To develop and strengthen, as appropriate, strategies and policies on youth employment, as well as to promote technical and vocational education and training opportunities in order to improve and increase the entry of young people into the labor market, the quality and stability of their jobs, as well as their social protection. (Poverty, Inequality, and Inequity, Cartagena, 2012).

  1. To give priority to nutrition, particularly child nutrition, in the fight against poverty, hunger, and inequality and, in this context, we underscore the importance of joint efforts by the public and private sectors, civil society, and other social actors. (Poverty, Inequality, and Inequity, Cartagena, 2012).

  1. To strengthen our efforts to prevent and fight the smuggling of migrants and trafficking of persons, particularly of women, children and adolescents, and to promote cooperation among states to that end, respecting and fully protecting their human rights. (Citizen Security and Transnational Organized Crime, Cartagena, 2012).

  1. We reiterate our commitment towards families and society to protect the rights of children and adolescents, including the right to education, the right to the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health, and the entitlement to special care and assistance, in order to promote their social well-being, protection and integral development (Declaration of Port of Spain, 2009).

  1. Considering that young people are integral to development in our societies, we commit to continue investing in our young people by implementing policies and programmes aimed at: expanding their economic opportunities; providing access to comprehensive education and training for in-demand skills; opening avenues for leadership; and promoting healthy lifestyles. We therefore reaffirm our commitment to the 2008 Declaration of Medellin on Youth and Democratic Values (Declaration of Port of Spain, 2009).

  1. Considering the importance of child protection public policy and legislation in our Hemisphere, as well as the need for institutions at the state level to channel these efforts, we reaffirm the relevance of strengthening the institutions that work with children, and improving their linkages to the inter-American system, and in particular the system for the promotion and protection of human rights, as appropriate. Taking into consideration national circumstances, we will continue to encourage efforts to ensure that child protection systems facilitate family, community and social environments that are free from violence and abuse and promote comprehensive development of the child, adolescent and the family environment with special emphasis on the most vulnerable sectors of our societies. In this sense, we support the organisation of the XX Pan American Child Congress, to be held in Lima, Peru from September 22 to 25, 2009 (Declaration of Port of Spain, 2009).

  1. To reduce youth unemployment and significantly lower the percentage of young people that neither study nor work. We shall strengthen our efforts in the development of specific policies for training, vocational training, reinsertion into the educational system and promotion of access of young people of either gender to their first job. In this respect, some countries promote youth employment in non traditional sectors such as in the conservation and rehabilitation of the environment and in areas of public-private partnerships to enable access to formal education and introductory professional courses in the workplace. We shall promote targeting these programs, in particular, towards youths that are most vulnerable, whether because of low levels of education or low income (Plan of Action Mar del Plata, 2005).

  1. Consider, signing and ratifying, ratifying, or acceding to, as soon as possible and as the case may be, the two Optional Protocols to the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, specifically on the Involvement of Children in Armed Conflict, and the Sale of Children, Child Prostitution and Child Pornography; seek to integrate fully their obligations pursuant to the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, and other international human rights instruments into national legislation, policy and practice (Plan of Action Québec, 2001).

  1. Integrate fully the human rights of children and adolescents into the work of hemispheric institutions, including the Inter-American Court of Human Rights, the IACHR and the Inter-American Children’s Institute (IACI); (Plan of Action Québec, 2001).

  1. Increase access to opportunities for sustainable entrepreneurship, productivity and employment among young people; (Plan of Action Québec, 2001).

  1. Recognizing that promoting the rights of children and their development, protection and participation is essential to ensure that they reach their full potential; further recognizing the effectiveness and the need for intervention centered on protection against discrimination, inequity, abuse, exploitation and violence, especially of the most vulnerable and taking into account a gender perspective; asserting the importance of the cooperation endorsed at the Tenth Summit of Ibero American Heads of States and Governments in Panama, as well as the significant opportunity for progress for children in 2001 in the context of the Inter American Year of the Child and the Adolescent and the goals adopted at the 1990 World Summit for Children; and recognizing the vital contribution of the Convention of the Rights of the Child in the promotion and protection of children's rights, and the work undertaken by the Inter-American Children’s Institute (IACI):(Plan of Action Québec, 2001)

  1. Implement and support the commitments contained in the Agenda for War-Affected Children agreed to by 132 states at the International Conference on War-Affected Children held in Winnipeg, Canada, in September 2000, including fostering the active participation of children and adolescents in policy, dialogue and programming for children and adolescents affected by armed conflict and also encouraging the establishment of a network for them; consider additional ways to monitor, report on and advocate the protection, rights and welfare of children affected by armed conflict in the Hemisphere in conjunction with the IACHR's Rapporteur for Children's Rights (Plan of Action Québec, 2001).

  1. Promote actions to establish, strengthen and implement public policies to ensure the well being and integral development of children and adolescents , and promote the convening of conferences, seminars and other national or multilateral activities dedicated to children and adolescents, especially throughout 2001 in the context of the Inter American Year of the Child and the Adolescent (Plan of Action Québec, 2001).

  1. Ensure that every child in conflict with the law is treated in a manner consistent with his/her best interests, in accordance with our obligations under the Convention on the Rights of the Child and other relevant international human rights instruments, including the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights; bear in mind the United Nations Standard Minimum Rules for the Administration of Juvenile Justice; and provide training opportunities, as appropriate, including gender sensitivity and human rights instruction, to those involved in the administration of justice (Plan of Action Québec, 2001).

  1. Identify, share and promote best practices and approaches, particularly community based approaches aimed at supporting families, meeting the needs of children and adolescents at risk and protecting them from physical or mental abuse, injury or violence, discrimination, neglect, maltreatment, and exploitation, including sexual abuse, commercial exploitation and the worst forms of child labor as expressed in ILO Convention 182; in accordance with national legislation, develop national policies and models for rehabilitation or judicial systems for minors, incorporating initiatives for crime prevention, safeguarding the due process of law, and allowing access to institutions and programs for rehabilitation and reintegration of child and adolescent offenders into society and their families (Plan of Action Québec, 2001).

  1. Endorse and seek cooperative means to advance the recommendations contained in the Kingston Consensus of the Fifth Ministerial Meeting on Children and Social Policy, held in Jamaica in October 2000, which represents the region's contribution to the UN Special Session for Children to be held in September 2001 (Plan of Action Québec, 2001).

  1. Encourage cooperation to reduce cases of international abduction of children by one of their parents; consider signing and ratifying, ratifying, or acceding to, as soon as possible and as the case may be, The Hague Convention of 25 October 1980 on Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction, The Hague Convention of 29 May 1993 on Protection of Children and Co operation in respect of Inter-country Adoption, and the 1989 Inter American Convention on the International Return of Children; and comply with their obligations under these Conventions in order to prevent and remedy cases of international parental child abduction; (Plan of Action Québec, 2001).

  1. In order to protect and promote children's rights, develop and implement inter sectoral policies and programs, which may include the promotion of civil registration of all children, and allocate appropriate resources to undertake these tasks; establish and support cooperation amongst states as well as with civil society and young people to ensure effective implementation and monitoring of children's rights, including country appropriate indicators of the health, development, and well being of children, and through sharing best practices on reporting through national reports by States Parties to the Convention on the Rights of the Child; (Plan of Action Québec, 2001).

  1. Promote consultation, participation and representation of young people in all matters affecting them by providing access to reliable information and opportunities for them to express their views and contribute to discussions in local, national, regional and international fora and events; (Plan of Action Québec, 2001).

  1. Reinforce the role of PAHO, the IACI, and the IACHR as technical advisors to the SIRG, on all aspects of children's issues, and recognize the importance of these institutions in follow up of relevant Summit recommendations. (Plan of Action Québec, 2001).

  1. Promote the adoption of legal, educational and social measures, as well as international cooperation, to combat the physical and sexual abuse of children, traffic in minors, child prostitution and child exploitation in all its forms, including pornography. At the same time, they will strengthen international cooperation through the implementation of a regional information system on affected children, based on national information systems, with the participation of and promotion by concerned international organizations, to analyze their condition and evaluate social policies to facilitate decision making in this sphere. (Plan of Action Santiago, 1998).

  • 2.7 Undertake all measures necessary to guarantee the rights of children, and, where they have not already done so, give serious consideration to ratifying the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child.(Plan of Action Miami, 1994).

 

 

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