The Summits of the Americas Secretariat and the
Department of International Affairs of the OAS wishes to
announce the launch of the
Civil Society Virtual
Forum in preparation for the 39th OAS General
Assembly “Toward a
Culture of Nonviolence” to be held
in San Pedro Sula, Honduras on June 1-3, 2009. The
virtual forum will be open from May 18–21, 2009
through the
Summits Virtual Platform (SVP).*
This virtual Forum,
organized by the Department of International Affairs and
the Summits of the Americas Secretariat, will address
the theme of the 39th OAS General Assembly
(non-violence), the inter-American agenda (i.e.
multi-dimensional security, human rights, and
democracy), and Follow-up to the Fifth Summit of the
Americas, as well as make reference to the Dialogue
between the Heads of Delegation, the OAS Secretary
General, and civil society representatives.
The objective of the
Civil Society Virtual Forum is to generate
recommendations from civil society organizations
regarding the themes that will be discussed during the
General Assembly, to be presented to OAS Member States
and the General Secretariat of the OAS, while sharing
experiences about the projects and programs executed by
civil society in the support of policies developed by
OAS Member States with regard to non-violence, the
inter-American agenda, and Summit follow-up.
Following a brief
introduction by the moderator, the discussion will be
initiated with several key questions regarding each
theme. Participating civil society representatives will
have the opportunity to provide their inputs regarding
the challenges within each thematic area. The resulting
consensus from this virtual forum will be presented to
Member States in the Dialogue between the Heads of
Delegation, the OAS Secretary General, and civil society
representatives in the framework of the 39th
OAS General Assembly.
Registration for
membership in the Summits Virtual Platform is open to
everyone. If you are already registered in the
Summits Virtual Platform, simply
login to the Platform and participate
in the forum. If you have not yet registered,
please click
here
and complete the ‘registration form’.
Registration for membership in the SVP is free of cost
and open to all members of civil society.
For more information
regarding civil society participation in OAS activities
and the 39th OAS General Assembly, please
visit the OAS Civil Society Webpage at
www.civil-society.oas.org.
