PLAN OF ACTION II SUMMIT OF THE AMERICAS
We, the democratically elected Heads of State and Government of the Americas,
recognizing the need to make a collective effort that complements the actions
being developed and executed at the national level to improve the economic
well-being and the quality of life of our peoples, mindful of our commitment
to the continued implementation of the Miami Plan of Action, affirm our
resolute determination to carry out this Plan of Action, which constitutes a
body of concrete initiatives intended to promote the overall development of
the countries of the Hemisphere and ensure access to and improve the quality
of education, promote and strengthen democracy and the respect for human
rights, deepen economic integration and free trade and eradicate poverty and
discrimination. We have adopted this Plan of Action conscious that all the
initiatives are inter-related and equally important to the attainment of our
common endeavor.
I. EDUCATION: THE KEY TO PROGRESS
The Hemisphere's commitment to education is reflected in the sweeping reform
processes encompassing all levels of educational systems, and is based on
broad consensus with respect to the problems confronting education and the
shared commitment and effort of societies as a whole to overcome them. These
processes are based on the principles of equity, quality, relevance and
efficiency. Equity is defined as the creation of conditions that ensure that
all people have the opportunity to receive quality education services, thereby
significantly reducing the effects of inequalities based on socio-economic
status, disability and ethnic, cultural and gender discrimination. Quality
implies the achievement of high levels of cognitive development, skills,
capabilities and ethical attitudes. Relevance is defined as the ability of an
educational system to meet the needs and aspirations of society as a whole,
taking into account its social, cultural, ethnic and linguistic diversity.
Lastly, efficiency is defined as the provision of adequate resources, used
optimally, in order to enhance educational achievements.
Therefore, the Governments, fully recognizing and respecting national
sovereignty and the responsibilities of the institutions of our respective
countries with regard to education, reiterate the commitment of the Miami
Summit to ensure, by the year 2010, universal access to and completion of
quality primary education for 100 percent of children and access for at least
75 percent of young people to quality secondary education, with increasing
percentages of young people who complete secondary education, and assume
responsibility for providing the general population with opportunities for
life-long learning. If these objectives are met, we are confident that we will
provide our people with the tools, skills and knowledge necessary for and
suited to the development of capabilities that ensure better conditions of
competitiveness and productivity required by modern economies, thus allowing
our people to contribute as worthy citizens to their respective societies.
To achieve these objectives, Governments will:
- Implement targeted and inter-sectoral educational policies, as necessary,
and develop programs that focus specifically on groups at a disadvantage in
the areas of education, functional illiteracy and socio-economic conditions,
with attention to women, minorities and vulnerable populations. Inter-sectoral
programs in education, health and nutrition, as well as early childhood
educational strategies, will be priorities, inasmuch as they contribute more
directly to plans to combat poverty.
- Establish or strengthen national or subnational and, where applicable,
subregional systems to evaluate the quality of education, which permit
assessment of the performance of various educational actors, innovations and
factors associated with achievements in learning. To that end, information and
national or subnational or, where applicable, subregional indicators will be
made available that can be used to design, carry out and evaluate
quality-improvement programs based on equity. Standards for reading and
writing, mathematics and science shall receive special attention. Also, where
appropriate, criteria and methodologies for collecting data that permit
comparison of some educational indicators across countries in the Hemisphere
shall be established.
- Develop comprehensive programs to improve and increase the level of
professionalism among teachers and school administrators that combine
pre-service and in-service training, exploring incentive mechanisms tied to
updating their skills and to meeting such standards as may have been agreed
upon. Higher education must collaborate in this endeavor through research and
pedagogy, both of which should be strengthened in order to meet this goal.
- Strengthen education management and institutional capacity at the national,
regional, local and school levels, furthering, where appropriate,
decentralization and the promotion of better forms of community and family
involvement. Encourage the mass media to contribute to bolstering efforts
being made by educational systems.
- Strengthen preparation, education and training for the world of work so that
an increasing number of workers can improve their standard of living and,
together with employers, have the opportunity to benefit from hemispheric
integration. In this regard, consideration will be given to the adoption of
new technology based on different options and alternatives, ranging from
specific occupational training to strengthening general employability
competencies. Special attention will also be paid to the establishment or
strengthening of mechanisms that permit workers to obtain certification of
job-related competencies acquired through formal education and work
experience. In order to confront changes in the labor market and to enhance
employability prospects, actions that take into account the development of
entrepreneurial skills will be included and will involve the different sectors
and offer various options and alternatives.
- Establish or improve, according to their internal legal framework,
educational strategies relevant to multicultural societies, so as to be able
to shape, with the participation of indigenous populations and migrants,
models for bilingual and intercultural basic education. Similarly, the content
of basic education will have to be enhanced, together with respect and
appreciation for the cultural diversity of peoples, as well as to expand the
knowledge of the different languages spoken in the countries of the
Hemisphere, where resources and possibilities permit.
- Develop, within and outside schools, with the assistance of families and
other actors and social organizations, educational strategies that foster the
development of values, with special attention to the inclusion of democratic
principles, human rights, gender-related issues, peace, tolerance and respect
for the environment and natural resources.
- Promote access to and use of the most effective information and
communication technologies in education systems, with special emphasis on the
use of computers, in combination with revised pedagogical methods and proper
training for teachers in the use of these technologies. Special attention
shall be paid to the ethical imperative of including the most vulnerable
sectors. To that end, distance education programs shall be strengthened and
information networks established.
-
Make efforts to increase the availability of teaching materials in
collaboration with official institutions and, depending on the specific
conditions in each country, with the private sector.
- Seek to use technology to link schools and communities as a way of
establishing ties in the Hemisphere while encouraging the participation of
higher education institutions that have advantages in this field.
- Further scholarship and exchange programs for students, teachers,
researchers and educational administrators using different strategies,
including institution-to-institution ties, communications technology and
internships which permit exposure to pedagogical and management innovations in
the other countries of the Hemisphere. This will contribute to strengthening
the institutional capacity of Ministries or Departments of Education,
decentralized administrative entities and centers of higher learning.
Funding, Horizontal Multilateral Cooperation Strategies and Follow-up
We, the Heads of State and Government, recognizing the cardinal importance of
education as a foundation for development, agree, in accordance with our
respective legislative processes, to promote allocation of the resources
necessary for educational expenditure with a view to attaining greater levels
of equity, quality, relevance and efficiency in the educational processes,
emphasizing the optimal use of resources and a greater participation of other
social actors.
We also reaffirm our commitment to promote horizontal and multilateral
cooperation in the area of education. To that end, we:
- Instruct the Organization of American States (OAS) and request the
Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) and World Bank, together with the other
national and multilateral technical and financial cooperation agencies
operating in the Hemisphere, to provide, within their respective areas of
action, support for programs and initiatives that are consistent with the
goals, objectives, and actions proposed in this Chapter of the Plan of Action.
To this end, the IDB is encouraged to work with member countries to
substantially increase the share of new lending for primary and secondary
education, by more than doubling the quantity over the next three years,
compared to the previous three years. We also request that the IDB establish a
special regional fund for education in the Hemisphere, utilizing the existing
resources of this institution. This fund would support efforts to raise
educational standards and performance throughout the Region.
- Instruct the OAS and request the IDB, the World Bank, and United Nations
Economic Commission on Latin-American and the Caribbean (ECLAC), among other
institutions, to use the mechanisms within their scope to develop and
strengthen regional cooperation in areas such as distance education, using,
among other means, satellite technology; internships and exchange programs;
the development and use of information technology for education; the updating
of education statistics; and quality assessment, while striving to ensure that
this cooperation is in keeping with the specific needs of each country. We
recognize the role and interest in these efforts of specialized international
organizations, such as United Nations Education, Science and Cultural
Organization (UNESCO). Likewise, we recognize the contributions of the private
sector, philanthropic foundations, and pertinent non-governmental
organizations.
- Instruct the OAS to foster, articulate and facilitate, through ministerial
meetings and other mechanisms being developed by member States in the
framework of the Inter-American Council for Integral Development (CIDI),
collaboration and joint effort in the Hemisphere and, to that end, to convene,
in consultation with the coordinating countries, technical consultation forums
of the countries in the Hemisphere in order to contribute to the
implementation of the commitments included in this Chapter of the Plan of
Action.
- Entrust the Meeting of Ministers of Education, to be convened by the OAS
within the framework of CIDI's Strategic Plan for Partnership for Development,
to be held in Brazil in July 1998, with the development of an implementation
plan for this education initiative.
- Instruct the OAS and request the IDB, World Bank, ECLAC, and other
multilateral institutions to report on the execution of this Plan to the
Government representatives responsible for review and follow-up of the
commitments of the Summit of the Americas.
II.
PRESERVING AND STRENGTHENING DEMOCRACY, JUSTICE AND HUMAN RIGHTS
The strengthening of democracy, justice and human rights is a vital
hemispheric priority. In this Plan of Action, we endorse new initiatives
designed to deepen our commitment to these important principles. Specifically,
we will intensify our efforts to promote democratic reforms at the regional
and local level, protect the rights of migrant workers and their families,
improve the capabilities of our justice systems and labor ministries to
respond to the needs of our peoples, and encourage a strong and active civil
society. We further resolve to defend democracy against the serious threats of
corruption, terrorism, and illegal narcotics, and to promote peace and
security among our nations. Taken together, these measures consolidate our
democratic gains, reaffirm our commitment to democratic institutions, and
commit us to building a Hemisphere of shared values.
Democracy and Human Rights
Governments
will:
- Define and develop, with the participation of civil society, comprehensive
policies aimed at promoting and protecting human rights at a domestic level,
in accordance with relevant international norms and principles, incorporating
those policies, where appropriate, into national human rights plans and
programs, as recommended by the World Conference of Vienna, 1993; and
underscore as well the importance of promoting respect for the universally
recognized principles of international humanitarian law.
- Guarantee that all individuals have the right to due process of law,
including the presumption of innocence and the right to trial within a
reasonable period of time and the full respect for their constitutional and
other legal rights. Governments will, in accordance with their legal
framework, adopt measures intended to ensure that no person awaiting trial
shall be detained for a period longer than permitted by law, taking fully into
account the rights of the accused, the protection of society, crime
prevention, the promotion of respect for the law, the rights of victims and
other relevant considerations. Governments will continue their efforts to
improve conditions of detention and enhance human rights education for the
respective officials involved in the administration of justice.
- Promote a review of their respective national legislation in order to
eliminate or amend those provisions which may lead to any type of
discrimination, for any reason, in contravention of their international
commitments. In particular, they will seek to attain legal equality between
men and women by the year 2002. In this context, priority should be given to
the rights to equal treatment in the workplace, property, inheritance and
child custody, as well as combating domestic violence.
- 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.
- Promote the signature, ratification and accession to international human
rights instruments to which they are not party, as well as observe the
provisions contained in the instruments to which they are party.
Governments will also enhance cooperation with and support for the activities
of the Organization of American States (OAS) in order to:
- Strengthen the inter-American human rights system through concrete
initiatives and measures which aim to reinforce its institutional structure
and promote its links with national systems and regional entities that promote
and protect human rights. In this context, Governments consider important the
institutional strengthening of the Inter-American Human Rights Institute.
- 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).
- Strengthen the exercise of and respect for all human rights and the
consolidation of democracy, including the fundamental right to freedom of
expression and thought, through support for the activities of the
Inter-American Commission on Human Rights in this field, in particular the
recently created Special Rapporteur for Freedom of Expression.
- 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.
Education
for Democracy
Governments will:
- Include in educational programs, within the legal framework of each country,
objectives and contents that develop democratic culture at all levels, in
order to teach individuals ethical values, a spirit of cooperation and
integrity. To that end, the participation of teachers, families, students and
outreach workers will be stepped up in their work related to conceptualizing
and implementing the plans for shaping citizens imbued with democratic values.
Civil Society
Governments will:
- Promote, with the participation of civil society, the development of
principles and recommendations for institutional frameworks to stimulate the
formation of responsible and transparent, non-profit and other civil society
organizations, including, where appropriate, programs for volunteers, and
encourage, in accordance with national priorities, public sector-civil society
dialogue and partnerships in the areas that are considered pertinent in this
Plan of Action. In this context the Organization of American States (OAS) may
serve as a forum for the exchange of experiences and information.
-
In this process, draw upon existing initiatives that promote increased
participation of civil society in public issues, such as relevant successful
experiences from the National Councils for Sustainable Development and the
Inter-American Strategy for Public Participation, among others. As soon as
possible, Governments will adopt work plans to implement legal and
institutional frameworks based on the principles and recommendations in their
respective countries.
- Entrust the OAS to encourage support among Governments and civil society
organizations, and to promote appropriate programs to carry out this
initiative, and request the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) to develop
and implement, along with interested States and other inter-American
institutions, hemispheric financial mechanisms specially devoted to the
implementation of programs oriented toward strengthening civil society and
public participation mechanisms.
Migrant
Workers
Governments will:
- Reaffirm that the promotion and protection of human rights and the
fundamental freedoms for all, without distinction by reasons of race, gender,
language, nationality, or religion, is a priority for the international
community and is the responsibility of every state.
- Comply with the applicable international human rights instruments and,
consistent with the legal framework of each country, guarantee the human
rights of all migrants, including migrant workers and their families.
- Seek full compliance with, and protection of, the human rights of all
migrants, including migrant workers, and their families, and adopt effective
measures, including the strengthening of public awareness, to prevent and
eradicate violations of human rights and eliminate all forms of discrimination
against them, particularly racial discrimination, xenophobia, and related
intolerance.
- Reaffirm the sovereign right of each State to formulate and apply its own
legal framework and policies for migration, including the granting of
permission to migrants to enter, stay, or exercise economic activity, in full
conformity with applicable international instruments relating to human rights
and in a spirit of cooperation.
- Seek full respect for, and compliance with, the 1963 Vienna Convention on
Consular Relations, especially as it relates to the right of nationals,
regardless of their immigration status, to communicate with a consular officer
of their own State in case of detention.
- Protect the rights of all migrant workers and their families, consistent
with each country´s internal legal framework, by taking steps, in case they
do not exist, to: 1) provide, with respect to working conditions, the same
legal protection as for national workers; 2) facilitate, as appropriate, the
payment of full wages owed when the worker has returned to his/her country,
and allow them to arrange the transfer of their personal effects; 3) recognize
the rights of citizenship and nationality of the children of all migrant
workers who may be entitled to such rights, and any other rights they may have
in each country; 4) encourage the negotiation of bilateral or multilateral
agreements, regarding the remission of social security benefits accrued by
migrant workers; 5) protect all migrant workers and their families, through
law enforcement and information campaigns, from becoming victims of
exploitation and abuse from alien smuggling; 6) prevent abuse and mistreatment
of all migrant workers by employers or any authorities entrusted with the
enforcement of migration policies and border control; and 7) encourage and
promote respect for the cultural identity of all migrants.
- Support the activities of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights with
regard to the protection of the rights of migrant workers and their families,
particularly through the Special Rapporteur for Migrant Workers.
Strengthening
Municipal and Regional Administrations
Governments will:
-
Within their legal framework and within a reasonable time, establish or
strengthen mechanisms for the participation of groups of society in the
process of local and other subnational decision-making, such as open public
hearings and public budget reviews, and promote transparency in local and
other subnational Government finance operations.
- In accordance with legislation at all levels, provide for financing options
for local and other subnational Governments, including groups of local
Governments, such as through transfers of national revenue, access to private
capital markets, and authority for raising revenue locally, in order to expand
the delivery of quality services as well as provide for training opportunities
to strengthen local and other subnational administrative capabilities.
- In accordance with circumstances and the legal framework of each country,
study the possible transfer of additional national governmental functions to
local and other subnational levels as well as the possibility for enhancing
such authorities.
- Share their experiences and information from existing and future programs
supported by multilateral and bilateral cooperation institutions such as the
Organization of American States (OAS), the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB)
and the World Bank, to facilitate the implementation of this initiative.
Corruption
Governments will:
- 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.
- Sponsor in Chile a Symposium on Enhancing Probity in the Hemisphere to be
held no later than August 1998, in order to consider, among other topics, the
scope of the Inter-American Convention against Corruption, and the
implementation of the aforementioned program. They will also resolutely
support the holding of workshops sponsored by the Organization of American
States (OAS) to disseminate the provisions set forth in the Inter-American
Convention against Corruption.
- Foster within the OAS framework, and in accordance with the mandate set
forth in the Inter-American Program to Combat Corruption, appropriate
follow-up on the progress achieved under the Inter-American Convention against
Corruption.
- Promote in their domestic legislation the obligation for senior public
officials, and those at other levels when the law so establishes, to declare
or disclose their personal assets and liabilities to the appropriate agency.
- Encourage the approval of effective and specific measures to combat all
forms of corruption, bribery, and related unlawful practices in commercial
transactions, among others.
Financing
of Electoral Campaigns
Governments will:
- Propose the exchange of experiences that may be used as a support for each
country so that, according to their own realities and legal systems, they
adopt or develop internal rules that regulate contributions to electoral
campaigns and independent internal control mechanisms.
- Consider the proposals resulting from the Meeting of Government
Representatives on Contributions to Electoral Campaigns, held in Caracas in
February 1998, under the auspices of the OAS.
- Adopt or consider, as appropriate, measures to prevent financial
contributions to electoral campaigns derived from organized crime and drug
trafficking. Similarly, they will promote the adoption of measures designed to
ensure transparency in the origin of all contributions.
Prevention
and Control of Illicit Consumption of and Traffic in Drugs and Psychotropic
Substances and other Related Crimes
Governments will:
- Continue to develop their national and multilateral efforts in order to
achieve full application of the Hemispheric Anti-Drug Strategy, and will
strengthen this alliance based on the principles of respect for the
sovereignty and territorial jurisdiction of the States, reciprocity, shared
responsibility and an integrated, balanced approach in conformity with their
domestic laws.
- With the intention of strengthening mutual confidence, dialogue and
hemispheric cooperation and on the basis of the aforementioned principles,
develop, within the framework of the Inter-American Drug Abuse Control
Commission (CICAD-OAS), a singular and objective process of multilateral
governmental evaluation in order to monitor the progress of their individual
and collective efforts in the Hemisphere and of all the countries
participating in the Summit, in dealing with the diverse manifestations of the
problem.
- Strengthen national efforts and international cooperation in order to:
. Enhance their national policies and plans with regard to the prevention of
illicit drug consumption, and step up measures, particularly at the community
level, in schools and those aimed at the most vulnerable groups, such as
children and young people, in order to prevent the growth and spread of this
consumption and to eliminate financial incentives to illicit trafficking;
. Develop appropriate treatment, rehabilitation and reintegration programs
with a view to alleviating the serious social effects, human suffering and
other adverse effects associated with drug abuse;
. Increase cooperation in areas such as the collection and analysis of data,
standardization of systems that measure illicit consumption, scientific and
technical training and exchange of experiences;
.
Develop or encourage the development of campaigns to foster greater social
awareness of the dangers of drug abuse for individuals, the family and society
as well as community participation plans;
. Sensitize public opinion as to the serious effects of drug abuse and the
activities of criminal organizations that deal with them, including at the
wholesale and retail level;
. Improve and update cooperative mechanisms to prosecute and extradite
individuals charged with the traffic in narcotics and psychotropic substances
and other related crimes, in accordance with international agreements,
constitutional requirements, and national laws;
. Establish or strengthen existing, duly trained and equipped specialized
central units responsible for requesting, analyzing and exchanging among the
competent State authorities information relating to the laundering of the
proceeds, assets and instrumentalities used in criminal activities (also known
as money laundering);
. Reinforce international and national control mechanisms to impede the
illicit traffic and diversion of chemical precursors;
. Promote the rapid ratification and entry into force of the Inter-American
Convention Against the Illicit Production and Trafficking of Firearms; promote
the approval and prompt application of the Model Regulations on the Control of
Arms and Explosives Connected with Drug Trafficking of CICAD; encourage
States, that have not already done so, to adopt the necessary legislative or
other measures to ensure effective international cooperation to prevent and
combat illicit transnational traffic in firearms and ammunition, while
establishing, or strengthening, systems to enhance the tracing of firearms
used in criminal activity; and
. Eliminate illicit crops through the increased support of national
alternative development programs as well as eradication and interdiction.
- Strengthen national drug control commissions, with a view to improving
coordination in each country in the planning and implementation of their
respective national plans and in streamlining international assistance in this
area.
- Underscore the valuable contribution of civil society, through its different
organizations, in the areas of prevention of illicit consumption, treatment,
rehabilitation, and social reintegration of drug addicts.
- Encourage financial institutions to redouble their efforts to prevent money
laundering and the appropriate business sectors to strengthen its controls to
prevent the diversion of chemical precursors.
- Give full support to the upcoming Special Session of the United Nations
General Assembly which will be held in June 1998 for the purpose of promoting
international cooperation with respect to illicit drugs and related crimes and
encourage all States to participate actively, at the highest level, in that
international meeting. They will make every effort to ensure effective
implementation of international narcotics agreements to which they have
subscribed, at regional and subregional levels, and for these to operate in
consonance with the hemispheric effort and reaffirm their support for CICAD
and its fundamental role in the implementation of these agreements.
Terrorism
Governments will:
- Take measures, as agreed in the Declaration and Plan of Action of Lima, in
order to prevent, combat and eliminate terrorism, applying for that purpose
the most decisive will to comply with the general objectives set forth
therein.
- Encourage States that have not yet done so to sign, ratify, or accede to, as
appropriate, the international conventions related to terrorism, in accordance
with their respective internal legislation.
- Convene, under the auspices of the Organization of American States (OAS),
the Second Specialized Inter-American Conference to evaluate the progress
attained and to define future courses of action for the prevention, combat and
elimination of terrorism.
Building
Confidence and Security Among States
Governments will:
- Promote regional dialogue with a view to revitalizing and strengthening the
institutions of the Inter-American system, taking into account the new
political, economic, social and strategic-military factors in the Hemisphere
and in its subRegions. To that end, they will seek to expand further a climate
of confidence and security among the States of the Hemisphere.
- Carry out, in the manner in which they are set forth, the measures and
recommendations resulting from the Regional Conferences on Confidence and
Security Building Measures, held in November 1995, in Santiago, Chile, and in
February 1998, in San Salvador, El Salvador, under the auspices of the
Organization of American States (OAS).
- Continue to support the efforts of small-island States to address their
special security concerns, which are multidimensional in nature, and economic,
financial, and environmental matters, taking into account the vulnerability
and level of development of these States.
- In furtherance of efforts to transform the Western Hemisphere into an
antipersonnel mine-free zone, and in recognition of the contribution in this
regard of the Convention on the Prohibition of the Use, Stockpiling,
Production, and Transfer of Anti-Personnel Mines and on Their Destruction,
including its early entry into force, they will encourage actions and support
international humanitarian demining efforts in this area, with the goal of
ensuring that priority is given to mines that threaten civilians and of
ensuring that land can be restored for productive purpose. The latter will
take place through effective regional and international cooperation and
coordination, as requested by the affected States, to survey, mark, map, and
remove mines; effective mine awareness for the civilian population and
assistance to victims; and development and deployment of new mine detection
and clearance technologies, as appropriate.
- Continue promoting transparency in matters related to defense policy, among
other aspects, with regard to modernizing the Armed Forces, comparing military
expenditure in the Region, and strengthening the United Nations Register of
Conventional Arms.
- Increase cooperation with United Nations peacekeeping efforts.
- Encourage the development of cooperative programs to deal with natural
disasters and humanitarian search and rescue operations.
- Pledge their efforts to ensure that the peaceful resolution of pending
conflicts and disputes is achieved through existing mechanisms for the
peaceful settlement of disputes within the Inter-American System and in
keeping with international law and treaties in force, and express that said
mechanisms and instruments should be strengthened.
- Acknowledge the value of ministerial or high-level meetings on the topics of
international defense and security, such as the Defense Ministerials of
Williamsburg and Bariloche, as an important contribution to regional dialogue
on these matters, and, in this context, encourage interested countries to hold
other meetings.
-
Entrust the OAS, through the Committee on the Hemispheric Security, to:
. Follow up on and expand topics relating to confidence and security building
measures;
. Analyze the meaning, scope, and implications of international security
concepts in the Hemisphere, with a view to developing the most appropriate
common approaches by which to manage their various aspects, including
disarmament and arms control; and
. Pinpoint ways to revitalize and strengthen the institutions of the
Inter-American System related to the various aspects of Hemispheric Security.
This process will culminate in a Special Conference on Security, within the
framework of the OAS, to be held, at the latest, at the beginning of the next
decade.
- Support the convening of a follow-up Regional Conference to the Santiago and
San Salvador Regional Conferences on Confidence and Security Building
Measures, to further build mutual confidence in the Americas.
The progress achieved in these matters will be reported to States, thereby
ensuring appropriate follow-up through the OAS, so that these topics may be
discussed at the next Summit of the Americas.
Strengthening
of Justice Systems and Judiciaries
Governments will:
- Develop mechanisms that permit easy and timely access to justice by all
persons, with particular reference to persons with low income, by adopting
measures to enhance the transparency, efficiency and effectiveness of the
courts. In this context, they will promote, develop and integrate the use of
alternative methods of conflict resolution in the justice system.
- Strengthen, as appropriate, systems of criminal justice founded on the
independence of the judiciary and the effectiveness of public prosecutors and
defense counsels, recognizing the special importance of the introduction of
oral proceedings in those countries that consider it necessary to implement
this reform.
- Step up efforts to combat organized crime, and transnational crime, and, if
necessary, foster new laws and international conventions, as well as
procedures and mechanisms for continuing to combat these scourges.
- Adapt legislation and proceed, as soon as possible, with necessary
institutional reforms and measures to guarantee the comprehensive protection
of the rights of children and youths to meet the obligations established under
the United Nations Convention on the Right of the Child and other
international instruments.
- Adopt as appropriate a clear distinction between procedures and consequences
of violations of criminal law and measures established to protect children and
youths whose rights are threatened or violated, and will promote social and
educational measures to rehabilitate young offenders.
- Foster the establishment and strengthening of specialized tribunals or
courts for family matters, as appropriate, and in accordance with their
respective legal systems.
- Expedite the establishment of a justice studies center of the Americas,
which will facilitate training of justice sector personnel, the exchange of
information and other forms of technical cooperation in the Hemisphere, in
response to particular requirements of each country. To this end, they request
the Ministers of Justice or other competent authorities to analyze and define
the most suitable actions for the organization and establishment for such a
center.
- Promote, in accordance with the legislation of each country, mutual legal
and judicial assistance that is effective and responsive, particularly with
respect to extraditions, requests for the delivery of documents and other
evidentiary materials, and other bilateral or multilateral exchanges in this
field, such as witness protection arrangements.
- Support the convening of periodic meetings of Ministers of Justice and
Attorneys General of the Hemisphere within the framework of the Organization
of American States (OAS).
Modernization
of the State in Labor Matters
Governments
will:
- Promote measures by their Ministries of Labor to provide high quality
programs and assistance for workers and employers, placing emphasis on greater
decentralization of their functions, the incorporation of new technologies,
active labor market policies, better and more timely information regarding the
labor market, and improvement of safety and health conditions in the
workplace.
- Give special attention to the incorporation of socially-disadvantaged groups
into the workforce, including women, minorities, youth, the disabled and other
vulnerable populations, and to the services offered by the Ministries of Labor
that take into consideration their special needs. At the same time,
Governments will further strengthen their overall efforts, and coordination
among involved agencies, to address the issue of children at work. The
Ministries of Labor will exchange experiences on best practices in these
areas.
- Take actions towards assuring that the Ministries of Labor have the
necessary means to carry out this Plan of Action in areas within their
jurisdiction.
- Request the participation of the International Labor Organization (ILO), the
Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) and the Organization of American States
(OAS) to assist Labor Ministries to support international activities and
exchange information on modernization methods and strategies.
III. ECONOMIC INTEGRATION AND FREE TRADE
A. Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA)
I. We instruct our Ministers Responsible for Trade to take the following
actions:
1. Initiate the negotiations for the Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA),
in accordance with the principles, objectives, structure, modalities and all
other decisions as set out in the San José Ministerial Declaration, by
convening the Trade Negotiations Committee no later than June 30, 1998, and
the Negotiating Groups no later than September 30, 1998.
2. Exercise the ultimate oversight and management of the negotiations.
3. Achieve concrete progress in the negotiations by the year 2000 and agree on
specific business facilitation measures to be adopted before the end of the
century.
4. Ensure that the negotiating process is transparent and takes into account
the differences in the levels of development and size of the economies in the
Americas, in order to create opportunities for the full participation of all
countries, including the smaller economies.
5. Conduct the negotiations in such a manner as to build broad public
understanding of and support for the FTAA, and to consider views on trade
matters from different sectors of our civil societies, such as business,
labor, consumer, environmental and academic groups, presented to the committee
of Government representatives established at the Fourth Meeting of Trade
Ministers in Costa Rica.
II. We instruct our Representatives in the institutions of the Tripartite
Committee, in particular the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), to
allocate appropriate existing resources within those institutions to support
the Administrative Secretariat for the FTAA negotiations.
III. We urge the Tripartite Committee to continue to respond positively to
requests for technical support from FTAA entities. We ask the three
institutions to consider requests for technical assistance related to FTAA
issues from member countries -in particular from the smaller economies in
order to facilitate their integration to the FTAA process- according to their
respective procedures.
B. Further Actions
In addition to initiating the negotiations for the FTAA, we have defined a
series of further actions which must be consistent with the FTAA negotiation,
aimed at deepening the process of economic integration, as well as to create
opportunities for the full participation of all countries, including the
smaller economies. We have prepared a series of proposals to advance the
modernization of financial markets, programs of science and technology, energy
cooperation, and hemispheric infrastructure, in particular in the fields of
transportation and telecommunications.
Strengthening,
Modernizing and Integrating Financial Markets
Governments will:
- Strengthen banking supervision in the Hemisphere through: implementation of
the Basle Core Principles for Effective Banking Supervision; training programs
to strengthen supervisory capacity; and establishment of sound, high-quality
reporting and disclosure standards for banks, and creation of a Working Group
to assist countries in this process.
- Improve banking and securities market clearance and settlement systems in
the Hemisphere, in order to facilitate the transparency, efficiency and
security of internal and cross-border transactions.
Science
and Technology
Governments will:
- Recognize that science and technology are related to various areas and
objectives of this Plan of Action within and beyond economic integration, free
trade and sustainable development.
- 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.
-
Apply science and technology to mitigate the damages caused by the effects of
"El Niño" and other natural hazards, such as volcanic eruptions,
hurricanes, earthquakes, and floods, and their impact on the economy and
ecosystems, based on improved forecasting, prevention and response capacity,
improved research and training methods to deal with natural hazards, and the
application of science and technology to address the effects of climate
variability on health, agriculture and water. In this context, cooperative
research and exchange of information about "El Niño" and other
natural hazards will be emphasized.
- Support the development and use of science, technology and innovation
indicators in fulfillment of the Cartagena Plan.
- Promote actions to foster alliances among all sectors of society to advance
cooperation and innovation in science and technology. It is recognized that
university-industry relations, training in technology management and other
human resource development programs, as well as participation of small and
medium-sized companies, are important elements for utilizing science and
technology to achieve hemispheric objectives.
Regional
Energy Cooperation
In accordance with the legal and constitutional rules of every State, as well
as with the commitments that our Governments assume in the context of the
negotiations of the Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA), in order to ensure
sustainable energy development and further the energy integration of the
Hemisphere,
Governments will:
- Promote policies and processes that facilitate the trade of products, goods
and services related to the energy sector.
- Give impetus to, in the shortest possible time, policies and processes that
facilitate the development of infrastructure, including across international
boundaries, to further the integration of energy markets.
- Foster the creation and strengthening of transparent and predictable
regulatory systems, which take into account the needs of the different parties
involved.
- Promote legal, fiscal and regulatory systems in order to stimulate local and
foreign private investment in the energy sector in those areas permitted by
respective Constitutions.
- Increase access of rural inhabitants to energy services.
- Support policies and programs that will stimulate the development of
renewable energy and energy efficiency.
To support these actions, we will continue our cooperation efforts through the
Hemispheric Energy Initiative.
Climate
Change
Governments will:
In light of their commitments in the United Nations Framework Convention on
Climate Change and the decisions made at the Third Conference of Parties in
Kyoto, Japan, and in view of the Fourth Conference of Parties to be held in
Buenos Aires, Argentina, in November, 1998:
- Encourage the Parties to work toward achieving the objectives and goals of
the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.
- Recognize the key role that technology plays in managing the environmental
aspects related to energy, and encourage the exchange of technology,
information and experiences, as well as share views on the Clean Development
Mechanism.
Hemispheric
Infrastructure
A. General Infrastructure
Governments will:
- Charge the Inter-American Development Bank with the preparation of a draft
set of voluntary principles to be adopted by each of the countries, to
facilitate private sector participation in local and transnational
infrastructure projects, that can serve as a basis for bilateral and
multilateral agreements. This draft will be submitted to Governments not later
than December 1998, to be further discussed during a meeting of ministers
responsible for infrastructure to be held in 1999.
B. Transportation
Governments will:
- Undertake the necessary actions to implement, to the fullest extent
possible, and taking into account subregional sectoral agreements, decisions,
and projects, the Joint Ministerial Declaration of the Second Hemispheric
Summit on Transportation, held in Santiago, Chile, in April 1996, aimed at: a)
promoting market-oriented, integrated, financially viable, and environmentally
sustainable transportation systems and services, and b) providing safe,
efficient, and reliable passenger and cargo services that foster the economic
growth and development of our countries.
- Develop a plan aimed at ensuring the highest level of safety in air, sea and
land transportation systems, improving infrastructure and increasing
environmental protection by improving compliance with international standards
and recommended practices established, such as those established by the
International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) and the International
Maritime Organization (IMO).
- Engage in discussions to develop a cooperation program, taking into account
the Santiago and San Salvador Declarations of the Regional Conferences on
Confidence and Security Building Measures, which would address maritime and
air transport of nuclear and other hazardous wastes and, where appropriate,
work with the relevant international organizations to strengthen or develop
standards governing the transport of such goods and its safety.
- Prepare a profile, with the cooperation of United Nations Economic
Commission on Latin-American and the Caribbean (ECLAC), of regional
transportation systems and services taking into account agreements, decisions,
projects and studies already prepared by regional and hemispheric
organizations. Such a profile will identify the main problems and
opportunities faced by the countries in the Hemisphere as a first step toward
establishing regional transportation priorities and policies, with respect to,
among other things, the harmonization of standards and the exchange of
technology.
- Seek, from international financial institutions, resources necessary to
undertake, as soon as possible, transportation infrastructure projects in the
Americas, including those which take into account the specific needs of the
smallest economies.
C.
Telecommunications
Governments will:
- Establish strategies to support the development and continuous updating of a
regional telecommunications infrastructure plan, taking into account national
plans, the need for universal access to basic telecommunications services
throughout the Region and the evolution of Global Information Society.
- Work together in close cooperation with the private sector to rapidly build
out the telecommunications infrastructure in the Region, adopting strategies
to make affordable access available to all for basic telephone service and the
INTERNET, such as implementing the Inter-American Telecommunications
Commission (CITEL) guidelines on value added services and encouraging, the
development of community information service centers that provide access to
basic telephone and value-added services, computers, the INTERNET and
multimedia services bearing in mind the diverse needs of the countries of the
Region and divergent levels of development.
- Promote, in cooperation with the private sector, the exchange and
distribution of information concerning regulatory matters such as universal
access/service, interconnection and the establishment of independent
regulatory bodies, taking into account the commitments made in the World Trade
Organization's Agreements on Trade in Basic Telecommunications Services (the
GBT Agreement), developments in the Free Trade Area of the Americas process,
and the Declaration and Plan of Action adopted by the 1996 Senior
Telecommunications Officials Meeting held in Washington D.C. with a view to
developing, wherever possible, and subject to national constraints, best
practice guidelines and requesting when needed the assistance of CITEL,
regional telecommunications organizations, the International
Telecommunications Union (ITU), the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) and
others as appropriate.
- 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.
- Encourage CITEL to address, with some urgency, studies of the standards
coordination aspects of the telecommunications infrastructure, including the
areas of Telecommunications Management Network (TMN) and Intelligent Networks
(IN) so that the network can evolve to meet the interconnection requirements
and to support the implementation of new applications in the regional context.
- Continue to examine ways to develop consistent regulatory approaches among
member countries leading to the promotion of greater commonality in the
certification processes for telecommunications equipment and to the
establishment of a framework and to move toward the negotiation and
implementation of a Mutual Recognition Agreement (MRA) for telecommunications
equipment encompassing all the countries of the Region.
IV. ERADICATION OF POVERTY AND DISCRIMINATION
Extreme poverty and discrimination continue to afflict the lives of many of
our families and impede their potential contribution to our nations' progress.
To move toward a prosperous future for all, we will facilitate the provision
of legal title to urban and rural properties and redouble our efforts to
increase access to credit and to provide technical support for
microenterprises, and protect the basic rights of workers. We will remove all
forms of discrimination against women, indigenous communities, disadvantaged
racial and ethnic minorities, and other vulnerable groups. We will seek to
enhance the quality of life of all people of the Americas through efforts that
ensure access to adequate health services, to improved health technologies, to
clean water and proper nutrition. Taken together, these measures will
facilitate the inclusion of all inhabitants, without exception, in the
economic and democratic transformation of the Hemisphere.
Fostering the Development of Micro, Small and Medium Size Enterprises
As a means to combat poverty and taking into account national differences, the
Governments pledge to strengthen the development of micro, small and medium
size enterprises by undertaking the following specific actions:
Governments will:
-
Ensure that a significant number of the 50 million micro, small and medium
size enterprises in the Hemisphere, whose owners and workers are persons with
low incomes, especially women from these enterprises, have access to financial
services by the year 2000.
- Design and implement programs, with the support of the Inter-American
Development Bank (IDB) and United Nations Economic Commission on Latin-America
and the Caribbean (ECLAC) and in coordination with the World Bank and other
development cooperation agencies, that promote appropriate financial policy
reforms that: accelerate the entry of formal-sector financial institutions
into this market; support the development of institutions that work in the
sector; and eliminate impediments that limit the access of micro, small and
medium size enterprises to financial services.
- Simplify and expedite the procedures for registration, obtaining licenses,
complying with labor and tax regulations, and the formalization, where
appropriate, of micro, small and medium size enterprises.
- Support private-sector providers of non-financial services to enable them to
expand access to new technologies and training for micro, small and medium
size enterprises, which will permit them to enhance their competitiveness in
national and global markets.
- Promote partnerships of micro, small, and medium size enterprises to allow
them to take advantage of cooperative assistance in doing business and in
modernizing business management.
- Promote inter-institutional coordination by creating effective interchange
mechanisms between national and local public institutions that support micro,
small and medium size enterprises and facilitating their links with the
private sector.
- Design national plans for the achievement of the actions previously defined
and convoke a regional meeting of ministers or senior officials responsible
for public policies to support micro, small and medium size enterprises, for
the purpose of exchanging information on those plans and thus improving the
effectiveness of support policies. To this end, the IDB, in cooperation with
ECLAC, will be asked to provide coordination for this meeting.
- Request that regional organizations and Government, multilateral, and
bilateral development agencies involved in the Region assist in policy reform
and invest between US$400-$500 million over the next three years in programs,
including training and technical assistance, that support the actions
identified in this Plan of Action.
Property
Registration
Governments will:
- Streamline and decentralize, as necessary, property registration procedures
by: adopting transparent, simplified procedures for titling and registration;
disseminating information regarding these procedures; utilizing, whenever
feasible, state-of-the-art technologies for property georeferencing,
computer-generated mapping and computerized records storage; incorporating
alternative dispute resolution mechanisms; and avoiding overlapping
administrative fees for titling and registration.
- Recommend that multilateral and bilateral cooperation institutions,
especially the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) and the World Bank,
strengthen their financial and technical assistance programs, including
information exchange regarding experiences among countries, to support
simplified property registration procedures and to assure access for the poor
to those systems.
- In accord with national legal frameworks, implement measures, where
necessary, to protect rights accorded to indigenous populations, as well as
information programs, if needed, to assure greater awareness of indigenous
populations of their rights, in this respect.
Health
Technologies
Governments will:
- Seek, through public and private efforts, or partnerships between them, to
enhance the availability, access to, and quality of drugs and vaccines,
especially for the most needy, by promoting efforts to safeguard the quality,
rational selection and use, safety and efficacy of pharmaceutical products,
with special emphasis on vital and essential drugs; and by supporting regional
initiatives that by the year 2002 will facilitate research, development,
production and utilization of vaccines, which will reduce the incidence of
diseases, such as pneumonia, meningitis, measles, rubella and mumps.
- Strengthen and improve existing national and regional networks of health
information and surveillance systems, so that stakeholders have access to data
to address critical health issues in the Region, in order to make appropriate
clinical and managerial decisions. They will address the development,
implementation and evaluation of needs-based health information systems and
technology, including telecommunications, to support epidemiological
surveillance, the operation and management of health services and programs,
health education and promotion, telemedicine, computer networks and investment
in new health technologies.
- Develop initiatives designed to reduce deficits in access to and quality of
drinking water, basic sanitation and solid waste management, with special
emphasis in rural and poor urban areas, by applying existing technologies or
developing new, appropriate and effective low-cost technologies.
- Make every effort to ensure that the necessary resources are allocated for
the development of the lines of action of this Plan, with the technical
support of the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO). They also will promote
bilateral and multilateral collaboration, and will request the Inter-American
Development Bank (IDB), the World Bank, and other financial and technical
cooperation institutions to support the programs and activities included in
this initiative, according to their own specific priorities and fields of
action.
- Develop mechanisms for evaluating the relevance, cost and efficacy of the
technologies introduced to deal with these and other priority health problems.
Women
Governments will:
- Strengthen and establish, where they do not exist, national mechanisms and
governmental organs, as well as the respective regional and subregional
networks in charge of promoting legal equality and equality of opportunities
between women and men, focused on gender equity, and provide them with
adequate and timely financial resources to enable these entities to promote,
coordinate and carry out the commitments undertaken by the States at the World
Conference on Human Rights, the International Conference on Population and
Development, the World Summit on Social Development, the Summit of the
Americas, the Fourth World Conference on Women, and the recent "Santiago
Consensus" of the VII Regional Conference on Beijing Follow-up (ECLAC/UN).
- Examine the existing laws and their implementation in order to identify
obstacles limiting the full participation of women in the political, economic,
social and cultural life of our countries. Whenever necessary, promote reforms
or create new laws to eliminate all forms of discrimination and violence
against women and to guarantee the protection of children’s rights.
- Implement and follow up on the commitments regarding the status of women as
agreed to at the Summit of the Americas, with the support of the
Inter-American Commission on Women (ICW), in collaboration with civil society,
with the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), the World Bank, United Nations
Economic Commission on Latin-America and the Caribbean (ECLAC), and other
entities of international cooperation, using when appropriate the System of
Indicators adopted by the countries of the Americas at Montelimar, Nicaragua.
- Promote policies designed to improve women's health conditions and the
quality of health services at every stage of their lives.
Basic
Rights of Workers
Governments will:
- Exchange informational materials regarding their labor legislation, with the
objective of contributing to better mutual knowledge of such legislation as
well as to promote core labor standards recognized by the International Labor
Organization (ILO) -freedom of association; the right to organize and bargain
collectively; the prohibition of forced labor; the elimination of all
exploitative forms of child labor; and non-discrimination in employment. Such
information will also include references to the mechanisms and/or legal
authorities of Ministries of Labor to implement core labor standards as a
fundamental component of productive workplaces and positive labor-management
relations.
- For these purposes carry out the exchanges by, among other means, furnishing
informational materials on relevant changes to their labor legislation,
mechanisms and/or legal authorities for implementation of core labor
standards, and progress in the area of labor-management relations, to be
provided at a meeting of the Inter-American Conference of Ministers of Labor,
to be held in 1998 and their other meetings, as appropriate, including with
the assistance of the Organization of American States (OAS), International
Labor Organization (ILO) and Inter-American Development Bank (IDB).
- Further secure their observance and promotion of internationally recognized
core labor standards. In this context, they recognize the ILO as the competent
body to set and deal with these standards and support the ongoing work of the
ILO with regard to exchanges of information and the negotiation of a new
Declaration of Principles on Fundamental Rights of Workers and appropriate
follow-up; believe that economic growth and development fostered by increased
trade and further trade liberalization contribute to the promotion of these
standards and should lead to higher levels of employment; similarly reject the
use of labor standards for protectionist purposes, and, in this regard, note
that the World Trade Organization (WTO) and ILO Secretariats shall continue
their collaboration.
Indigenous
Populations
To promote greater participation of indigenous populations in society through
adequate access to education, health care, and occupational training, with the
aim of improving their standard of living,
Governments will:
- Support activities in the field of education aimed at improving the
participation of indigenous populations and communities in society. Such
activities would seek to strengthen the identity of indigenous populations and
promote respectful coexistence among different social groups in communities
and States.
- Promote the widening of basic and secondary education services with training
orientation, mainly in Regions with high percentages of indigenous
populations, through greater support from Governments and international
cooperation, at the request of interested Governments, so that indigenous and
non-indigenous populations have the opportunity to receive technical training
and contribute to the development of their countries. To the extent possible,
the training areas which are implemented parallel to educational processes
should respond to the needs of the Region and to productive strategies.
- In cooperation with regional organizations, development institutions and
NGOs, actively support and promote capacity building activities and productive
projects, including agriculture, handicrafts, small trade and industry and
marketing. To the extent possible, these should be guided and administered by
indigenous populations.
- Facilitate the organization of round-tables at the national and hemispheric
level, in partnership with indigenous populations, with a view to promoting
greater understanding of and cooperation in the areas of education and health,
with a particular emphasis on women and children. Governments will also
promote research initiatives on the relationship between indigenous
population, poverty and development.
- Proceed with inter-governmental examination within the Organization of
American States (OAS) framework of the "Proposed American Declaration on
the Rights of Indigenous Peoples" prepared by the Inter-American
Commission on Human Rights, with a view toward the possible adoption of a
Declaration.
Hunger
and Malnutrition
Governments will:
- Give the highest priority to reducing infant malnutrition, concentrating
efforts on health, nutrition and education programs for the nutrition of
infants, particularly those less than three, as those are the years of
greatest vulnerability. To that end, emphasis shall be given to adequate
nutrition and the correction of specific nutritional deficiencies,
specifically with vitamin and mineral supplements combined with greater use of
vaccinations and immunizations and monitoring during the growth of the child.
- Give high priority to the nutritional and caloric needs of women before and
during pregnancy and while they are breast-feeding. Governments therefore will
promote breast-feeding as an important source of nutrition for babies. The
nutritional needs of other high risk groups such as the elderly and the
disabled will also be addressed.
- Continue, as far as possible, with the dialogue begun at the Inter-American
Conference on Hunger, held in Buenos Aires in October 1996, and they will
explore the application, in their respective jurisdictions of the measures
suggested there, in particular the creation of alliances with the private
sector to fight hunger and malnutrition, the creation of food bank networks
with volunteer participation and the creation of an Honorary Council dedicated
to fostering activities to reach Summit objectives in this area.
Sustainable Development
- We recognize the effort made by the Organization of American States (OAS) in
terms of follow-up of the Sustainable Development Summit, and instruct it,
through the Inter-American Commission on Sustainable Development, to continue
coordination related to fulfillment of its mandates. We ask the entities of
the Inter-American System and the United Nations to strengthen cooperation
related to implementation of the Santa Cruz Plan of Action.
Cooperation
- With the intention of achieving a greater impact in our national and
collective efforts, we charge national agencies and organizations responsible
for international cooperation with supporting the preparation and
implementation of programs and projects which flow from the Plan of Action.
Moreover, we request the participation of the multilateral cooperation
institutions with the same objective.
SUMMIT OF THE AMERICAS FOLLOW-UP
- The Heads of State and Government will continue to meet periodically to
deepen cooperation and understanding among the countries of the Americas, and,
to that end, will strengthen the hemispheric institutional framework.
- The Governments will bear primary responsibility for implementation of the
mandates of the Summit. The mechanism established by their Foreign Ministers,
called the "Summit Implementation Review Group" (SIRG), will
continue functioning under their immediate authority. The National Summit
Coordinators of the Foreign Ministries will guarantee rapid contact, through
the appropriate channels, with all Government agencies involved in carrying
out the mandates resulting from the Summit meetings.
- The SIRG will meet on a periodic basis (two or three times a year) to
monitor the follow-up process and assess the degree to which the Summit
mandates have been fulfilled. It will be chaired by the country holding the
Summit and co-chaired by both the country that has most recently served as
host and the country that will serve as the next host ("troika").
Decisions will be adopted by consensus.
- Senior representatives of the Organization of American States (OAS), the
Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO),
and the United Nations Economic Commission on Latin America and the Caribbean
(ECLAC), will be invited to support the Governments participating in the SIRG
in order to follow up on the commitments of the Summit and to achieve greater
coordination and effectiveness of these institutions in performing this task.
To that same end, a representative of the World Bank will be invited.
- The OAS Secretariat will be assigned responsibility for operating as a
record-keeping mechanism (the institutional memory of the process) and for
providing technical support to the SIRG.
- In accordance with Summit decisions, international organizations will have
responsibilities in implementing this process and, as appropriate, according
to Summit mandates, support will be provided by private sector organizations
and civil society.
- In the case of specific mandates that require the convening of sectoral
ministerials, these meetings, when appropriate, will take place under the
aegis of the OAS Inter-American Council for Integral Development. Moreover,
the OAS, IDB, PAHO, and ECLAC, as appropriate, will lend technical support to
the meetings, the results of which will be reported to the States through the
OAS Secretariat.
-
The SIRG will annually report on the progress achieved in the fulfillment of
the Plan of Action to the Foreign Ministers, who will review this information
on the occasion of the Regular Session of the OAS General Assembly.
- Under the guidance of the Foreign Ministers, the SIRG will make preparations
for the next Summit, bearing in mind the contributions of the pertinent organs
of the OAS and other international organizations involved.
