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The following document is the complete text of the Plan of Action signed by the Heads
of State and Government participating in the Second 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:
provide, with respect to working conditions, the same legal
protection as for national workers;
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;
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;
encourage the negotiation of bilateral or multilateral agreements,
regarding the remission of social security benefits accrued by migrant workers;
protect all migrant workers and their families, through law
enforcement and information campaigns, from becoming victims of exploitation and abuse
from alien smuggling;
prevent abuse and mistreatment of all migrant workers by employers
or any authorities entrusted with the enforcement of migration policies and border
control; and
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 4needs. 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)
- We instruct our Ministers Responsible for Trade to take the following actions:
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.
Exercise the ultimate oversight and management of the negotiations.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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