Table of Contents
I. Preserving and Strengthening the Community of
Democracies of the Americas
1. Strengthening Democracy
2. Promoting and Protecting Human Rights
3. Invigorating Society/Community Participation
4. Promoting Cultural Values
5. Combating Corruption
6. Combating the Problem of Illegal Drugs and Related
Crimes
7. Eliminating the Threat of National and International
Terrorism
8. Building Mutual Confidence
II. Promoting Prosperity Through Economic Integration and
Free Trade
- 9. Free Trade in the Americas
10. Capital Markets Development and Liberalization
11. Hemispheric Infrastructure
12. Energy Cooperation
13. Telecommunications and Information Infrastructure
14. Cooperation in Science and Technology
15. Tourism
III. Eradicating Poverty and Discrimination in Our
Hemisphere
- 16. Universal Access to Education
17. Equitable Access to Basic Health Services
18. Strengthening the Role of Women in Society
19. Encouraging Microenterprises and Small Businesses
20. White Helmets--Emergency and Development Corps
IV. Guaranteeing Sustainable Development and Conserving Our
Natural Environment for Future Generations
- 21. Partnership for Sustainable Energy Use
22. Partnership for Biodiversity
23. Partnership for Pollution Prevention.
Summit of the Americas Plan of Action
The heads of state and government participating in the 1994
Summit of the Americas in Miami, Florida, desirous of furthering
the broad objectives set forth in their Declaration of Principles
and mindful of the need for practical progress on the vital tasks
of enhancing democracy, promoting development, achieving economic
integration and free trade, improving the lives of their people,
and protecting the natural environment for future generations,
affirm their commitment to this Plan of Action.
I. PRESERVING AND STRENGTHENING THE COMMUNITY OF
DEMOCRACIES OF THE AMERICAS
1. Strengthening Democracy
The strengthening, effective exercise and consolidation of
democracy constitute the central political priority of the
Americas. The Organization of American States (OAS) is the
principal hemispheric body for the defense of democratic values
and institutions; among its essential purposes is to promote and
consolidate representative democracy, with due respect to the
principle of non-intervention. The OAS has adopted multilateral
procedures to address the problems created when democratic order
has been interrupted unconstitutionally. In order to prevent such
crises, the OAS needs to direct more effort toward the promotion
of democratic values and practices and to the social and economic
strengthening of already-established democratic regimes.
Governments will:
- Give expeditious consideration to ratifying the Cartagena
de Indias, Washington and Managua Protocols to the OAS
Charter, if they have not already done so.
- Strengthen the dialogue among social groups and foster
grass roots participation in problem solving at the local
level.
- Support efforts by the OAS to promote democracy by:
- Encouraging exchanges of election-related
technologies and assisting national electoral
organizations, at the request of the interested
state.
- Strengthening the Unit for the Promotion of
Democracy so that it can provide assistance at
the request of the interested state on such
matters as legislative and judicial processes,
government reforms (including administration of
justice, technical modernization of national
legislative bodies, simplification of government
regulations and promotion of participation by
community organizations in local democracy), and
other institutional changes.
- Encouraging opportunities for exchange of
experiences among member states' democratic
institutions, particularly
legislature-to-legislature and
judiciary-to-judiciary.
- Fostering understanding, dialogue and political
reconciliation, at the request of the affected
state and bearing in mind that national
reconciliation comes from within.
- Requesting the OAS to promote and follow up on
these commitments.
2. Promoting and Protecting Human Rights
Great progress has been made in the Hemisphere in the
development of human rights concepts and norms, but serious gaps
in implementation remain. While courts ultimately have the
responsibility for enforcing legal rights and obligations,
reforms in other institutions are needed to contribute to the
further development of a climate of respect for human rights.
There must also be universal access to justice and effective
means to enforce basic rights. A democracy is judged by the
rights enjoyed by its least influential members.
Governments will:
- Give serious consideration to adherence to international
human rights instruments to which they are not already
party.
- Cooperate fully with all United Nations and
inter-American human rights bodies.
- Develop programs for the promotion and observance of
human rights, including educational programs to inform
people of their legal rights and their responsibility to
respect the rights of others.
- Promote policies to ensure that women enjoy full and
equal legal rights within their families and societies,
and to ensure the removal of constraints to women's full
participation as voters, candidates and elected and
appointed officials.
- Review and strengthen laws for the protection of the
rights of minority groups and indigenous people and
communities to ensure freedom from discrimination, to
guarantee full and equal protection under the law, and to
facilitate active civic participation. Support a process
to review and enhance the protection of indigenous rights
in OAS member states and to develop promptly an effective
United Nations declaration on indigenous rights.
- Review national legislation affecting people with
disabilities, as well as benefits and services for them,
and make any changes needed to facilitate the enjoyment
by these individuals of the same rights and freedoms as
other members of society.
- 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.
- Guarantee the protection of the human rights of all
migrant workers and their families.
- Take the necessary steps to remedy inhumane conditions in
prisons and to minimize the number of pretrial detainees.
- Review training curricula for law enforcement agents to
ensure that they adequately cover proper treatment of
suspects and detainees as well as relations with the
community.
- Exchange experiences on protection of human rights at the
national level and, where possible, cooperate in the
development of law enforcement and security force
training or other programs to reduce the potential for
human rights violations.
- Call on the OAS and the Inter-American Development Bank
(IDB) to establish or to reinforce programs, as
appropriate, to support national projects for the
promotion and observance of human rights in the Western
Hemisphere.
- Further strengthen the Inter-American Commission on Human
Rights and the Inter-American Court of Human Rights.
3. Invigorating Society/Community Participation
A strong and diverse civil society, organized in various ways
and sectors, including individuals, the private sector, labor,
political parties, academics, and other non-governmental actors
and organizations, gives depth and durability to democracy.
Similarly, a vigorous democracy requires broad participation in
public issues. Such activities should be carried out with
complete transparency and accountability, and to this end a
proper legal and regulatory framework should be established to
include the possibility of obtaining technical and financial
support, including from private sources.
Governments will:
- Review the regulatory framework for non-governmental
actors with a view to facilitating their operations and
promoting their ability to receive funds. This review
will emphasize the management and oversight of resources
as well as transparency and the accountability to society
of said actors.
- Take steps to improve the participation in social
activities and initiatives of groups traditionally
marginalized, including women, youth, indigenous people
and the extremely poor.
- Exchange progress reports on activities in the civil
society area at the 1996 Summit Conference on Sustainable
Development in Bolivia.
- Consider the development by the IDB of a new Civil
Society Program to encourage responsible and accountable
philanthropy and civic engagement in public policy
issues.
4. Promoting Cultural Values
Cultural development is a fundamental and integral component
of development in the Americas and has an inherent capability to
enrich our societies and to generate greater understanding among
our countries.
In order to promote cultural values, governments will:
- Encourage more dynamic relations among public and private
institutions and organizations, including universities,
museums, and centers of art and literature, as well as
among individual cultural actors. Such exchanges
emphasize our cultural diversity, recognize the value of
our local cultures and contribute to improving
hemispheric understanding.
- Request that the OAS and IDB reinforce their plans and
programs to facilitate these cultural exchanges and the
flow of cultural and historical information within and
among our nations.
5. Combating Corruption
The problem of corruption is now an issue of serious interest
not only in this Hemisphere, but in all regions of the world.
Corruption in both the public and private sectors weakens
democracy and undermines the legitimacy of governments and
institutions. The modernization of the state, including
deregulation, privatization and the simplification of government
procedures, reduces the opportunities for corruption. All aspects
of public administration in a democracy must be transparent and
open to public scrutiny.
Governments will:
- Promote open discussion of the most significant problems
facing government and develop priorities for reforms
needed to make government operations transparent and
accountable.
- Ensure proper oversight of government functions by
strengthening internal mechanisms, including
investigative and enforcement capacity with respect to
acts of corruption, and facilitating public access to
information necessary for meaningful outside review.
- Establish conflict of interest standards for public
employees and effective measures against illicit
enrichment, including stiff penalties for those who
utilize their public position to benefit private
interests.
- Call on the governments of the world to adopt and enforce
measures against bribery in all financial or commercial
transactions with the Hemisphere; toward this end, invite
the OAS to establish liaison with the OECD Working Group
on Bribery in International Business Transactions.
- Develop mechanisms of cooperation in the judicial and
banking areas to make possible rapid and effective
response in the international investigation of corruption
cases.
- Give priority to strengthening government regulations and
procurement, tax collection, the administration of
justice and the electoral and legislative processes,
utilizing the support of the IDB and other international
financial institutions where appropriate.
- Develop within the OAS, with due regard to applicable
treaties and national legislation, a hemispheric approach
to acts of corruption in both the public and private
sectors that would include extradition and prosecution of
individuals so charged, through negotiation of a new
hemispheric agreement or new arrangements within existing
frameworks for international cooperation.
6. Combating the Problem of Illegal Drugs and Related
Crimes
The problems of illegal drug and related criminal activities
pose grave threats to the societies, free market economies, and
democratic institutions of the Hemisphere. Drug use imposes
enormous social costs; drug money and income are net drains on
economic growth; and drug lords and criminal organizations
endanger the security of our people through corruption,
intimidation, and violence. While drug trafficking continues to
be a significant source of illegal funds, the money laundering
industry increasingly deals with the proceeds of all types of
criminal activity. An integrated and balanced approach that
includes respect for national sovereignty is essential to
confront all aspects of these problems. For these reasons, a
broad coordinated hemispheric strategy to reduce drug use and
production, including new enforcement methods that can disrupt
drug trafficking and money laundering networks and prosecute
those engaged in such activities, is required. In this context,
governments note the work of the 1992 San Antonio Summit, endorse
the efforts of the Inter-American Commission on Drug Abuse
Control, and agree to work together to formulate a
counter-narcotics strategy for the 21st Century.
Governments will:
- Ratify the 1988 United Nations Convention Against the
Illicit Traffic of Narcotics and Psychotropic Substances
and make it a criminal offense to launder the proceeds of
all serious crimes.
- Enact legislation to permit the freezing and forfeiture
of the proceeds of money laundering and consider the
sharing of forfeited assets among governments.
- As agreed by ministers and representatives of Caribbean
and Latin American governments in the Kingston
Declaration, November 5-6, 1992, implement the
recommendations of the Caribbean Financial Action Task
Force on Money Laundering and work to adopt the Model
Regulations of the Inter-American Commission on Drug
Abuse Control (CICAD).
- Encourage financial institutions to report large and
suspicious transactions to appropriate authorities and
develop effective procedures that would allow the
collection of relevant information from financial
institutions.
- Work individually and collectively to identify the
region's narcotics trafficking and money laundering
networks, prosecute their leaders, and seize assets
derived from these criminal activities.
- Adopt programs to prevent and reduce the demand for and
the consumption of illicit drugs.
- Adopt effective and environmentally-sound national
strategies to prevent or reduce substantially the
cultivation and processing of crops used for the illegal
drug trade, paying particular attention to national and
international support for development programs that
create viable economic alternatives to drug production.
- Pay particular attention to the control of precursor
chemicals and support comprehensive drug interdiction
strategies.
- Strengthen efforts to control firearms, ammunition, and
explosives to avoid their diversion to drug traffickers
and criminal organizations.
- Hold a working-level conference, to be followed by a
ministerial conference, to study and agree on a
coordinated hemispheric response, including consideration
of an inter-American convention, to combat money
laundering.
- Convene a hemispheric-wide conference of donors,
including multilateral development banks and UN agencies,
to seek resources for alternative development programs
aimed at curbing the production, trafficking, and use of
illicit drugs, and the rehabilitation of addicts.
- Support the discussion the OAS has initiated with the
European Union on measures to control precursor
chemicals.
- Support the convening of a global counter-narcotics
conference.
7. Eliminating the Threat of National and International
Terrorism
National and international terrorism constitute a systematic
and deliberate violation of the rights of individuals and an
assault on democracy itself. Recent attacks that some of our
countries have suffered have demonstrated the serious threat that
terrorism poses to security in the Americas. Actions by
governments to combat and eliminate this threat are essential
elements in guaranteeing law and order and maintaining confidence
in government, both nationally and internationally. Within this
context, those who sponsor terrorist acts or assist in their
planning or execution through the abuse of diplomatic privileges
and immunities or other means will be held responsible by the
international community.
Governments will:
- Promote bilateral and subregional agreements with the aim
of prosecuting terrorists and penalizing terrorist
activities within the context of the protection of human
rights and fundamental freedoms.
- Convene a special conference of the OAS on the prevention
of terrorism.
- Reaffirm the importance of the extradition treaties
ratified by the states of the Hemisphere, and note that
these treaties will be strictly complied with as an
expression of the political will of governments, in
accordance with international law and domestic
legislation.
8. Building Mutual Confidence
The expansion and consolidation of democracy in the Americas
provide an opportunity to build upon the peaceful traditions and
the cooperative relationships that have prevailed among the
countries of the Western Hemisphere. Our aim is to strengthen the
mutual confidence that contributes to the economic and social
integration of our peoples.
Governments will:
- Support actions to encourage a regional dialogue to
promote the strengthening of mutual confidence, preparing
the way for a regional conference on confidence-building
measures in 1995, which Chile has offered to host.
II. PROMOTING PROSPERITY THROUGH ECONOMIC INTEGRATION AND FREE
TRADE
9. Free Trade in the Americas
1) While pursuing economic integration and free trade in the
Hemisphere, we reinforce our strong commitment to multilateral
rules and disciplines. We endorse full and rapid implementation
of the Uruguay Round, active multilateral negotiations in the
World Trade Organization, bilateral and subregional trade
agreements, and other trade arrangements that are consistent with
the provisions of the GATT/WTO and that do not raise barriers to
other nations.
2) Extraordinary achievements have been made by countries of
the Hemisphere in trade liberalization and subregional
integration. Free trade and increased economic integration are
key factors for sustainable development. This will be furthered
as we strive to make our trade liberalization and environmental
policies mutually supportive, taking into account efforts
undertaken by the GATT/WTO and other international organizations.
As economic integration in the Hemisphere proceeds, we will
further secure the observance and promotion of worker rights, as
defined by appropriate international conventions. We will avoid
disguised restrictions on trade, in accordance with the GATT/WTO
and other international obligations.
3) We will strive to maximize market openness through high
levels of discipline as we build upon existing agreements in the
Hemisphere. We also will strive for balanced and comprehensive
agreements, including among others: tariffs and non-tariff
barriers affecting trade in goods and services; agriculture;
subsidies; investment; intellectual property rights; government
procurement; technical barriers to trade; safeguards; rules of
origin; antidumping and countervailing duties; sanitary and
phytosanitary standards and procedures; dispute resolution; and
competition policy.
4) We recognize that decisions on trade agreements remain a
sovereign right of each nation. In addition, recognizing the
importance of effective enforcement of international commitments,
each nation will take the necessary action, in accordance with
its own legislation and procedures, to implement the agreements
in the areas covered by this Plan of Action.
5) As we work to achieve the "Free Trade Area of the
Americas," opportunities such as technical assistance will
be provided to facilitate the integration of the smaller
economies and increase their level of development.
Immediate Action Agenda
- We direct our ministers responsible for trade to take
the following concrete initial steps to achieve the
"Free Trade Area of the Americas."
6) With the objective of ensuring full and complete discussion
among the parties to the various trade agreements in the
Hemisphere, we direct that meetings be held under existing trade
and investment fora. Members of these fora will determine areas
of commonality and divergence in the particular agreements under
review and should consider the means of improving disciplines
among them and bringing them together. We further direct that
members of these fora inform ministers of the status of their
discussions and make recommendations for achieving the "Free
Trade Area of the Americas."
7) Transparency in, and a clear understanding of, the
subregional and bilateral agreements achieved to date among the
nations in the Hemisphere are critical for advancing trade and
investment integration in the Americas. We will direct the OAS
Special Committee on Trade, with the support of the IDB, ECLAC,
and other specialized regional and subregional organizations, to
assist in the systematization of data in the region and to
continue its work on studying economic integration arrangements
in the Hemisphere, including brief comparative descriptions of
the obligations in each of the Hemisphere's existing trade
agreements. We will further direct the Special Committee on Trade
to prepare a report of its work by June 1995 for the meeting of
ministers.
8) We direct our ministers responsible for trade to: (a)
review the progress of work undertaken in the fora noted in
paragraphs 6 and 7; (b) provide guidance with respect to further
work; and (c) consider areas for immediate attention--such as
customs facilitation and product testing and certification with a
view to mutual recognition agreements--that could be taken up in
the appropriate fora.
9) Therefore, today we launch the "Free Trade Area of the
Americas" by initiating the following process. We will
direct the OAS to assist the host country in arranging the
ministerial meetings.
- January 1995
- Initiation of work programs and establishment of
schedules in the fora in paragraph 6 and in the
Special Committee on Trade.
June 1995
- Meeting of Ministers responsible for trade.
March 1996
- Meeting of Ministers responsible for trade.
10. Capital Markets Development and Liberalization
The availability of capital at competitive rates is essential
to finance private sector investment--a vital ingredient in
economic development. Developing, liberalizing and integrating
financial markets domestically and internationally, increasing
transparency, and establishing sound, comparable supervision and
regulation of banking and securities markets will help to reduce
the cost of capital by enhancing investor and depositor
confidence.
Governments will:
- Form a Committee on Hemispheric Financial Issues to
examine steps to promote the liberalization of capital
movements and the progressive integration of capital
markets, including, if deemed appropriate, the
negotiation of common guidelines on capital movements
that would provide for their progressive liberalization.
- Prepare, in cooperation with the Inter-American
Development Bank, a comprehensive list of national
capital regulations in order to promote transparency and
support the discussions in the Committee on Hemispheric
Financial Issues.
- Support the cooperative endeavors of the Association of
Latin American and Caribbean Bank Supervisors and the
Council of Securities Regulators of the Americas to
provide sound supervision and regulation that support the
development and progressive integration of markets.
- The Committee on Hemispheric Financial Issues should also
review problems of debt in the Hemisphere, taking account
of ongoing work and drawing, as appropriate, on a broad
range of expertise.
11. Hemispheric Infrastructure
Development in this Hemisphere depends on urgent
infrastructure measures, including the priority allocation of
financial resources, in accordance with national legislation and
with the participation of both the public and private sectors.
Strengthening the flow of private productive capital to
economically and environmentally sound projects has become
increasingly vital to countries throughout the Hemisphere as the
growth of official sources of capital has failed to keep pace
with the area's needs.
Governments will:
- Charge multilateral development banks to work with
governments and, as appropriate, private concerns, to
develop mechanisms to deal with lending and investment
issues.
- Draw on other regional and sub-regional experiences
within the Hemisphere to support infrastructure
development.
- Governments that so wish will develop suitable
mechanisms, including multilateral and bilateral
commitments on regulatory and legal rules and practices,
to encourage private investment, both domestic and
foreign, in national and transboundary infrastructure
projects.
12. Energy Cooperation*
The nations of the Hemisphere have begun a new era of economic
growth. This new era is based on greater economic cooperation,
freer trade, and open markets. Sustainable economic development
requires hemispheric cooperation in the field of energy.
Governments will:
- Convene a follow-up hemispheric officials' meeting in the
first semester of 1995 to encourage cooperation to study
ways to develop the energy industry within the
Hemisphere, consistent with the least cost national
energy strategies and the activities described in the
"Partnership for Sustainable Energy use" in the
following areas:
- Consideration of ways to use the energy sector to
promote sustainable economic growth.
- Cooperation to study ways to optimize and
facilitate the financing mechanisms of
international financial institutions to support
the development of projects in the energy sector,
especially including those pertaining to the
enhancement of efficiency in the use of energy
and to non-conventional renewable energy.
- Cooperation to promote capital investment and to
foster the use of innovative financial mechanisms
to increase investment in the energy sector and
the enhancement of efficiency in the use of
energy and non-conventional renewable energy, in
accordance with each country's legislation and
developmental needs.
- Promotion of the use of efficient and
non-polluting energy technologies, both
conventional and renewable, leading to a higher
degree of knowledge and technical expertise in
this area.
- Consideration of the enhancement of ongoing
efforts to establish electric and other energy
facilities in accordance with domestic regulatory
frameworks and, where appropriate, under
sub-regional agreements.
* This initiative is integrally linked with the
Partnership for Sustainable Energy Use item.
13. Telecommunications and Information Infrastructure
A country's information infrastructure--telecommunications,
information technology, and broadcasting--is an essential
component of political, economic, social and cultural
development. The information infrastructure development needs in
the Americas are immense. The governments of the Americas intend
to meet these needs by engaging in multiple actions, where
consistent with their respective governing laws, such as:
encouraging private sector investment to increase participation
in the telecommunications and information infrastructure sectors;
promoting competition; implementing flexible regulatory regimes;
stimulating diversity of content, including cultural and
linguistic diversity; providing access to information networks
for service and information providers; and ensuring universal
service, so that the benefits of the information infrastructure
will be available to all members of our societies.
Governments will:
- Engage in ongoing discussions at the international level
of the actions referred to above and endeavor to take
those actions in their own countries, taking account of
domestic conditions and circumstances.
- Undertake efforts to make government information more
publicly available via electronic means.
- Review the availability and interoperability of
connections to international networks that facilitate
trade, improve education and improve access to health
care.
- Encourage major universities, libraries, hospitals and
government agencies to have access to these networks,
building on the work of the OAS Hemisphere-Wide
Inter-University Scientific and Technological Information
Network.
- Via the OAS Inter-American Telecommunications Commission
(CITEL), and in coordination with the sub-regional
telecommunications organizations, develop and carry out a
work program to:
- Evaluate regulatory, technical and legal means to
promote liberalization, common standards,
interoperability of networks and compatible use
of the radio spectrum.
- Examine ways to promote greater consistency of
the certification processes for
telecommunications equipment among member
countries.
- Develop regional guidelines for the provision of
international value-added network services.
- Support a meeting by 1996, coordinated by CITEL, of
senior telecommunications officials to conduct further
discussions of the above actions.
14. Cooperation in Science and Technology
There is a need to re-assess the on-going interaction among
the region's science and technology (S&T) infrastructure and
cooperative mechanisms; to provide impetus for improved
cooperation; to reduce barriers to collaboration; to augment the
demand for technology; and to disseminate information about
technological opportunities using new advances in information
technology; and generally to improve communications among the key
S&T organizations, researchers in the region, and growing
technology-based small and medium-sized enterprises.
The commitment of the countries of the Americas to
non-proliferation has gained new momentum with the acceptance of
the international safeguard regime by some of our countries. The
outstanding progress achieved in this field is to be commended
and should contribute to enhanced opportunities for cooperation
in the area of advanced goods and technologies.
Governments will:
- Convene a meeting of ministers responsible for science
and technology in the Hemisphere within the next year to
assess progress and to promote the Bolivar Programme and
the OAS Common Market of Scientific and Technological
Knowledge (MERCOCYT) program, to provide the necessary
support to improve scientific partnerships and
technological ventures in the region, and to explore the
possibility of establishing a council on science and
technology.
- Use existing multilateral mechanisms in the region to
address a wide number of common S&T interests,
including enhanced professional technical training,
development and implementation of national policies and
regional programs, dissemination and standardization of
science and technology (including metrology and other
technical norms), environmental technology development,
and more effective partnerships to promote learning and
competitiveness.
- Stimulate greater S&T interaction in the Hemisphere
and support efforts already undertaken in other fora,
including the Inter-American Institute for Global Change
Research, and the International Research Institute for
Climate Prediction. Governments will serve to advance and
communicate new initiatives such as the Global Learning
and Observations to Benefit the Environment (GLOBE)
program.
- Confirm their interest in participating in new
initiatives driven by a demand from private sector and
non-government interests in technological opportunities.
- Confirm their national commitments to share S&T
information with others in the Hemisphere, in accord with
their respective laws, and to expand cooperation in
scientific and environmental research.
15. Tourism
Tourism is important to our economies and valuable in
promoting understanding among the people of the Americas.
Governments will:
- Undertake initiatives to stimulate tourism in the
Hemisphere.
III. ERADICATING POVERTY AND DISCRIMINATION IN OUR HEMISPHERE
Large segments of society in our Hemisphere, particularly
women, minorities, the disabled, indigenous groups, refugees and
displaced persons, have not been equipped to participate fully in
economic life. Nearly one-half of the Hemisphere's population
still lives in poverty. Expanded participation of the poor in the
region's economies, access to productive resources, appropriate
support for social safety nets and increased human capital
investments are important mechanisms to help eradicate poverty.
In pursuit of these objectives, we reaffirm our support for the
strategies contained within the "Commitment on a Partnership
for Development and Struggle to Overcome Extreme Poverty"
adopted by the OAS General Assembly.
The World Summit for Social Development to be held in
Copenhagen in March 1995, as well as the United Nations World
Conference on Women in Beijing in September 1995, will provide
unique opportunities to define strategies to promote social
integration, productive employment and the eradication of
poverty.
16. Universal Access to Education
Universal literacy and access to education at all levels,
without distinction by race, national origin or gender, are an
indispensable basis for sustainable social and cultural
development, economic growth and democratic stability.
Governments will:
- Guarantee universal access to quality primary education,
working with public and private sectors and
non-governmental actors, and with the support of
multinational institutions. In particular, governments
will seek to attain by the year 2010 a primary completion
rate of 100 per cent and a secondary enrollment rate of
at least 75 per cent, and to prepare programs to
eradicate illiteracy, prevent truancy and improve human
resources training.
- Promote, with the support of international financial
institutions and the private sector, worker professional
training as well as adult education, incorporating
efforts to make such education more relevant to the needs
of the market and employers.
- Improve human resources training, and technical,
professional and teacher training, which are vital for
the enhancement of quality and equity of education within
the Hemisphere.
- Increase access to and strengthen the quality of higher
education and promote cooperation among such institutions
in producing the scientific and technological knowledge
that is necessary for sustainable development.
- Support strategies to overcome nutritional deficiencies
of primary school children in order to enhance their
learning ability.
- Support decentralization including assurance of adequate
financing and broad participation by parents, educators,
community leaders and government officials in education
decision-making.
- Review existing regional and hemispheric training
programs and make them more responsive to current needs.
- Create a hemispheric partnership, working through
existing organizations, to provide a consultative forum
for governments, non-governmental actors, the business
community, donors, and international organizations to
reform educational policies and focus resources more
efficiently.
- Urge the March 1995 World Summit for Social Development
and the September 1995 Fourth World Conference on Women
to address the issue of universal access to education.
17. Equitable Access to Basic Health Services
Despite impressive gains in the Hemisphere, limitations on
health services access and quality have resulted in persistently
high child and maternal mortality, particularly among the rural
poor and indigenous groups.
Governments will:
- Endorse the maternal and child health objectives of the
1990 World Summit for Children, the 1994 Nariņo Accord
and the 1994 International Conference on Population and
Development, and reaffirm their commitment to reduce
child mortality by one-third and maternal mortality by
one-half from 1990 levels by the year 2000.
- Endorse a basic package of clinical, preventive and
public health services consistent with World Health
Organization, Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) and
World Bank recommendations and with the Program of Action
agreed to at the 1994 International Conference on
Population and Development. The package will address
child, maternal and reproductive health interventions,
including prenatal, delivery and postnatal care, family
planning information and services, and HIV/AIDS
prevention, as well as immunizations and programs
combating the other major causes of infant mortality. The
plans and programs will be developed according to a
mechanism to be decided upon by each country.
- Develop or update country action plans or programs for
reforms to achieve child, maternal and reproductive
health goals and ensure universal, non-discriminatory
access to basic services, including health education and
preventive health care programs. The plans and programs
will be developed according to a mechanism to be decided
upon by each country. Reforms would encompass essential
community-based services for the poor, the disabled, and
indigenous groups; stronger public health infrastructure;
alternative means of financing, managing and providing
services; quality assurance; and greater use of
non-governmental actors and organizations.
- Strengthen the existing Inter-American Network on Health
Economics and Financing, which serves as an international
forum for sharing technical expertise, information and
experience, to focus on health reform efforts. The
network gathers government officials, representatives of
the private sector, non-governmental institutions and
actors, donors and scholars for policy discussions,
analysis, training and other activities to advance
reform; strengthens national capabilities in this
critical area; and fosters Hemisphere-wide cooperation.
- Convene a special meeting of hemispheric governments with
interested donors and international technical agencies to
be hosted by the IDB, the World Bank and PAHO to
establish the framework for health reform mechanisms, to
define PAHO's role in monitoring the regional
implementation of country plans and programs, and to plan
strengthening of the network, including the cosponsors'
contributions to it.
- Take the opportunity of the annual PAHO Directing Council
Meeting of Western Hemisphere Ministers of Health, with
participation of the IDB and donors, to develop a program
to combat endemic and communicable diseases as well as a
program to prevent the spread of HIV/AIDS, and to
identify sources of funding.
- Urge the March 1995 World Summit for Social Development
and the September 1995 Fourth World Conference on Women
to address the issue of access to health services.
18. Strengthening the Role of Women in Society
The strengthening of the role of women in society is of
fundamental importance not only for their own complete
fulfillment within a framework of equality and fairness, but to
achieve true sustainable development. It is essential to
strengthen policies and programs that improve and broaden the
participation of women in all spheres of political, social, and
economic life and that improve their access to the basic
resources needed for the full exercise of their fundamental
rights. Attending to the needs of women means, to a great extent,
contributing to the reduction of poverty and social inequalities.
Governments will:
- Recognize and give full respect for all rights of women
as an essential condition for their development as
individuals and for the creation of a more just, united
and peaceful society. For that purpose, policies to
ensure that women enjoy full legal and civil rights
protection will be promoted.
- Include a gender focus in development planning and
cooperation projects and promote the fulfillment of
women's potential, enhancing their productivity through
education, training, skill development and employment.
- Promote the participation of women in the decision-making
process in all spheres of political, social and economic
life.
- Undertake appropriate measures to address and reduce
violence against women.
- Adopt appropriate measures to improve women's ability to
earn income beyond traditional occupations, achieve
economic self-reliance, and ensure women's equal access
to the labor market at all employment levels, the social
security systems, the credit system, and the acquisition
of goods and land.
- Cooperate fully with the recently-appointed Special
Rapporteur on Violence Against Women, its Causes and
Consequences, of the United Nations Commission on Human
Rights.
- Support and actively work to secure the success of the
United Nations World Conference on Women that will take
place in Beijing in September 1995.
- Encourage, as appropriate, ratification and compliance
with the International Convention on the Elimination of
all Forms of Discrimination Against Women and the
Inter-American Convention on the Prevention, Punishment
and Eradication of Violence Against Women.
- Further strengthen the Inter-American Commission on
Women.
- Call upon regional and international financial and
technical organizations to intensify their programs in
favor of women. Encourage the adoption of follow-up
procedures on the national and international measures
included in this Plan of Action.
19. Encouraging Microenterprises and Small Businesses
Microenterprises and small businesses account for a large
percentage of the employment of the poor, particularly women, and
contribute a considerable percentage of the gross domestic
product of our countries. Strengthened support for
microenterprises and small businesses is a key component of
sustainable and equitable development.
Governments will:
- Further pursue or initiate programs of deregulation and
administrative simplification.
- Increase efforts to enable enterprises to obtain
information on appropriate technologies (especially those
that are environmentally sound), markets, processes, raw
materials and management systems that will permit them to
be more competitive in the global economy.
- Develop programs of financial deregulation to reduce
costs in credit transactions and strengthen the
institutional capacity of the financial sector servicing
microenterprises and small businesses, and encourage the
active participation by multilateral and bilateral
agencies, development banks, commercial banks and other
intermediary credit organizations, consistent with strict
performance standards.
- Strengthen the institutions and programs that supply
services and facilitate access to training and technical
assistance to make possible this sector's participation
in the global economy through export of its products and
services.
- Encourage cooperation among businesses in this sector to
enable them to benefit from the advantages of economies
of scale without losing their distinctive
characteristics.
- Promote the strengthening of relations among the public,
private and mixed (public/private) institutions that
support the microenterprise and small business sector
through programs of information, training, technical
assistance, financing and association-building, enabling
this sector to thrive over the long term.
- Recommend to the multilateral development organizations,
especially the World Bank and the IDB, the establishment
or fortification of funds and other mechanisms to support
microenterprises and small businesses.
20. White Helmets--Emergency and Development Corps
The "White Helmets Initiative" is based on the
conviction that a concerted international effort of developing
and developed countries can facilitate the eradication of poverty
and strengthen the humanitarian rapid response capability of the
international community to emergency humanitarian, social and
developmental needs.
The countries of the Americas could pioneer this initiative
through the creation of national corps of volunteers that could
respond to calls from other countries in the region. These
national corps could eventually be put at the disposal of the
United Nations.
Governments will on a voluntary basis:
- Establish, organize and finance a corps of volunteers to
work at the national level and, at the same time, be at
the disposal of other countries of the Hemisphere and,
eventually, the United Nations system, on a stand-by
basis, for prevention, relief, rehabilitation, technical,
social and development cooperation, with the aim to
reduce the effects of natural disasters, social and
developmental needs and emergencies.
- Through the creation of a national corps of volunteers,
be responsible for the following:
- Selection and training of its national volunteer
corps;
- Financing of its national corps of volunteers,
encouraging the involvement of the private
sector;
- Preparedness to send specialized volunteers, on
short notice and at the request of the United
Nations, to cope with situations generated by or
to prevent the effects of natural disasters and
humanitarian emergencies.
- Contribute to the formation of this corps and invite
private enterprises, foundations and regional financial
institutions to do so.
- Contribute to the development of an international roster
of volunteers to be maintained in a master plan in the
United Nations to be drawn upon to complement the
activities of existing UN mechanisms. The IDB, OAS, and
PAHO should be invited to participate and assist in
developing this corps.
IV. GUARANTEEING SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT AND CONSERVING OUR
NATURAL ENVIRONMENT FOR FUTURE GENERATIONS
21. Partnership for Sustainable Energy Use*
Consistent with Agenda 21 and the Framework Convention on
Climate Change, sustainable energy development and use promote
economic development and address environmental concerns.
Governments and the private sector should promote increased
access to reliable, clean, and least cost energy services through
activities and projects that meet economic, social, and
environmental requirements within the context of national
sustainable development goals and national legal frameworks.
Governments will:
- Pursue, in accordance with national legislation, least
cost national energy strategies that consider all
options, including energy efficiency, non-conventional
renewable energy (i.e., solar, wind, geothermal, small
hydro, and biomass), and conventional energy resources.
- Emphasize market-oriented pricing, which discourages
wasteful energy use.
- Identify for priority financing and development at least
one economically viable project in each of the following
areas: non-conventional renewable energy, energy
efficiency, and clean conventional energy.
- Promote, in cooperation with the private sector and rural
and isolated communities, rural electrification programs
which take into account where appropriate the utilization
of renewable energy sources, in accordance with the
domestic regulatory framework.
- Seek to ratify and begin implementation of the provisions
of the Framework Convention on Climate Change which
entered into force on March 21, 1994.
- Encourage the World Bank and IDB to increase promptly and
substantially, as a portion of energy lending, financing
of projects in energy efficiency and renewable energy and
financing to improve the environmental sustainability of
conventional energy sources, in accordance with economic
rationality.
- Call on the multilateral financial institutions and other
public and private financial institutions to finance
regional and national programs in support of this action
plan, such as training and exchange programs as well as
technology cooperation, in accordance with the needs and
conditions of receiving countries.
- Assist with coordination and technical cooperation
between countries, using existing regional organizations,
including project identification and implementation,
training programs, and personnel and information
exchanges to increase capacity.
- Promote the identification and implementation of private
sector projects that reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
- Convene a Sustainable Energy Symposium in the first half
of 1995 to discuss follow-up activities relative to this
initiative. In the spirit of cooperation countries will
share their experiences and discuss progress on
implementing this action plan.
*This initiative is integrally linked with the
Energy Cooperation item.
22. Partnership for Biodiversity
Our Hemisphere contains over half the world's biodiversity. To
sustain the Hemisphere's social and economic development, we must
intensify efforts to understand, assess, and sustainably use this
living resource base. We must act now to increase the technical
and management capacity and public awareness of national and
international efforts in this area. Agenda 2l, the Convention on
Biological Diversity, and other related international instruments
recognize these needs and call for the conservation and
sustainable use of biodiversity resources.
Governments will:
- Seek to ensure that strategies for the conservation and
sustainable use of biodiversity are integrated into
relevant economic development activities including
forestry, agriculture, and coastal zone management,
taking into account the social dimension and impact of
these activities.
- Develop and implement the policies, techniques, and
programs to assess, conserve, and sustainably use
terrestrial, marine, and coastal biodiversity resources.
- Seek to ratify the Convention on Biological Diversity and
pursue opportunities for collaboration under it, and, as
appropriate, other international and regional
environmental instruments.
- Support democratic governmental mechanisms to engage
public participation, particularly including members of
indigenous communities and other affected groups, in the
development of policy involving conservation and
sustainable use of natural environments. The forms of
this participation should be defined by each individual
country.
- Develop national plans and programs to establish and
strengthen the management of parks and reserves, seeking
links to economic, social, and ecological benefits for
local people.
- Build capacity for the conservation and sustainable use
of biodiversity, through programs on management of parks
and protected areas, forests and wetlands management, the
Small Islands Developing States Action Plan, the Coral
Reef Initiative, CITES support projects, and the
Caribbean Regional Marine Pollution Action Plan, among
others.
- Launch a "Decade of Discovery" to promote
hemispheric technical and scientific cooperation and to
facilitate the exchange of information relevant to the
conservation and sustainable use of biological diversity.
- Increase support of training and education initiatives
addressing sustainable use of biodiversity resources and
foster activities by universities, non-governmental
actors and organizations and the private sector to assist
in the training of managers and to empower local
communities.
- Call on multilateral financial institutions, including
the IDB and the Global Environment Facility, to support
eligible regional and national projects.
- Discuss progress on implementation of national and
international activities described above at the 1996
Summit Conference on Sustainable Development in Bolivia,
and at subsequent annual sustainable development
ministerials.
23. Partnership for Pollution Prevention
As recognized in Agenda 21, sound environmental management is
an essential element of sustainable development. Cooperative
efforts are needed to develop or improve, in accordance with
national legislation and relevant international instruments: (1)
frameworks for environment protection; and (2) mechanisms for
implementing and enforcing environmental regulations. To achieve
this goal, a new partnership will promote cooperative activities
for developing environmental policies, laws, and institutions;
increasing technical capacity; promoting public awareness and
public participation; continuing to pursue technological,
financial and other forms of cooperation; and facilitating
information exchange, including on environmentally sound
technologies. The activities of the partnership will build on and
advance the implementation of international agreements and
principles including those agreed to at the 1992 United Nations
Conference on Environment and Development and the 1994 Global
Conference on the Sustainable Development of Small Island
Developing States, in areas identified as priorities by countries
of the Hemisphere.
Governments will:
- Strengthen and build technical and institutional capacity
to address environmental priorities such as pesticides,
lead contamination, pollution prevention, risk reduction,
waste and sanitation issues, improved water and air
quality, access to safe drinking water, urban
environmental problems, and to promote public
participation and awareness.
- Develop and implement national action plans to phase out
lead in gasoline.
- Strengthen national environmental protection frameworks
and mechanisms for implementation and enforcement, and
include sustainability criteria and objectives in
national and other development strategies.
- Undertake national consultations to identify priorities
for possible international collaboration.
- Support democratic governmental mechanisms to engage
public participation, particularly from members of
indigenous and other affected communities, in the
consideration of policies regarding the environmental
impact of development projects and the design and
enforcement of environmental laws.
- Convene a meeting of technical experts, designated by
each interested country, to develop a framework for
cooperative partnership, building on existing
institutions and networks to identify priority projects.
These projects will initially focus on (1) the health and
environmental problems associated with the misuse of
pesticides, and (2) the impacts of lead contamination
from gasoline and other sources. Subsequent activities
could address waste, air, water quality, marine pollution
from ships and other sources, and problems associated
with urbanization.
- Promote the participation of organizations, such as the
IDB, MIF, the World Bank, PAHO, the OAS, and
non-governmental actors and organizations, as
appropriate, to finance, develop and implement priority
projects.
- Develop environmental policies and laws with the goal of
ensuring that economic integration of the region occurs
in an environmentally sustainable manner.
- Establish mechanisms for cooperation among government
agencies, including in the legal and enforcement areas,
to facilitate environmental information exchange,
technology cooperation and capacity-building.
- Develop compatible environmental laws and regulations, at
high levels of environmental protection, and promote the
implementation of international environmental agreements.
- Discuss progress on implementation of international and
national activities described above at the 1996 Summit
Conference on Sustainable Development in Bolivia and at
subsequent annual sustainable development ministerials.
Appendix
The primary responsibility for implementing this Plan of
Action falls to governments, individually and collectively, with
participation of all elements of our civil societies.
Existing organizations or institutions are called upon to
implement the package of initiatives that has emerged from this
Summit of the Americas. In many instances we have proposed that
specific issues be examined by meetings of ministers, senior
officials or experts. We are also proposing that some of these
initiatives be carried out in partnerships between the public and
private sector. Wanting to benefit from existing hemispheric
mechanisms, and considering the various proposals included in
this Plan of Action, we offer the following recommendations,
which shall not impede any government from approaching other
institutions not cited herein, as appropriate.
I. Principal Initiatives in Which International
Organizations and Institutions Will Be Involved
A) The OAS will have a paramount role in following up on the
various decisions of this Summit meeting. Regarding the Plan of
Action, the OAS has a particularly important supporting role in
connection with the following:
- Strengthening Democracy
- Promoting and Protecting Human Rights
- Combating Corruption
- Eliminating the Threat of National and International
Terrorism
- Building Mutual Confidence
- Free Trade in the Americas
- Telecommunications and Information Infrastructure
The Action Plan also envisages roles for the OAS in the
following areas:
- Promoting Cultural Values
- Combating the Problem of Illegal Drugs and Related Crimes
- Cooperation in Science and Technology
- Strengthening the Role of Women in Society
- Partnership for Pollution Prevention
B) We call on the Inter-American Development Bank to support
the activities specified in this Plan of Action. The policies
agreed in the recently completed augmentation of its capital and
replenishment of the Fund for Special Operations already move in
the directions identified and should receive special emphasis.
The IDB has a particularly important role in connection with the
following:
- Universal Access to Education
- Equitable Access to Basic Health Services
- Encouraging Microenterprises and Small Businesses
- Partnership for Sustainable Energy Use
- Partnership for Biodiversity
- Partnership for Pollution Prevention
In addition, the Action Plan envisages roles for the IDB and
its affiliates in the following areas:
- Promoting and Protecting Human Rights
- Invigorating Society/Community Participation
- Promoting Cultural Values
- Combating Corruption
- Combating the Problem of Illegal Drugs and Related Crimes
- Free Trade in the Americas
- Capital Markets Development and Liberalization
- Hemispheric Infrastructure
- Cooperation in Science and Technology
- White Helmets--Emergency and Development Corps
C) Other international organizations, notably ECLAC and PAHO
in the Hemisphere, as well as the World Bank and all agencies of
the UN system active in the Hemisphere, are called upon to assist
in the implementation of the action items where appropriate.
II. High-Level Meetings
The following high level meetings and conferences are called
for to carry out the mandates emanating from the Summit:
- Summit Conference on Sustainable Development (Bolivia,
1996) with follow-on Annual Ministerials
- Ministerial Conference on Combating Money Laundering
(preceded by working level meeting)
- Conference of Donors for Alternative Development Programs
to Curb Narcotics Trafficking
- Global Counter-Narcotics Conference
- Special OAS Conference on Combating Terrorism
- Regional Conference on Confidence-Building Measures
(Chile, 1995)
- Meetings of Ministers Responsible for Trade (June 1995,
March 1996)
- Meeting of Committee on Hemispheric Financial Issues
- Hemispheric Meeting on Development of Energy Industries
(first semester 1995)
- Meeting of Ministers Responsible for Science and
Technology (1995)
- Meeting Between Governments and Donors/Technical Agencies
to Establish Health Reform Mechanisms
- Sustainable Energy Symposium (first half of 1995)
III. Initiatives in Which Public and Private Sector
Partnerships Play an Important Role
- Strengthening Democracy
- Promoting and Protecting Human Rights
- Invigorating Society/Community Participation
- Promoting Cultural Values
- Combating Corruption
- Hemispheric Infrastructure
- Cooperation in Science and Technology
- Universal Access to Education
- Equitable Access to Basic Health Services
- Encouraging Microenterprises and Small Businesses
- White Helmets--Emergency and Development Corps
- Partnership for Sustainable Energy Use
- Partnership for Biodiversity
- Partnership for Pollution Prevention
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