Public
FTAA.soc/15/Rev.5
March 31, 2004
Original: English – Spanish
Translation: non FTAA Secretariat
FTAA - COMMITTEE OF GOVERNMENT REPRESENTATIVES ON THE PARTICIPATION OF CIVIL
SOCIETY
OPEN AND ONGOING INVITATION TO CIVIL SOCIETY IN FTAA PARTICIPATING COUNTRIES
- In view of the Quito Ministerial mandate issued to the Committee of
Government Representatives on the Participation of Civil Society to continue
to forward contributions to the FTAA entities received from civil society,
the Committee reiterates, as of December 3, 2002, an open invitation to
Civil Society to continue presenting written contributions.
- At their Eight Meeting held in Miami, on November 20, 2003, the
Ministers Responsible for Trade of the Hemisphere reaffirmed the commitment
to the principle of transparency in the FTAA process and recognized the need
to enhance and sustain participation of the different sectors of civil
society in the hemispheric initiative.
- The Ministers considered the importance of the Committee as a mechanism
for fulfilling their commitment to transparency and welcomed the Forth
Report of the Committee, which described the activities of the Committee as
well as the range of contributions received during the previous stage of
negotiations. The Fourth Report of the Committee may be found on the FTAA
web site
(http://www.ftaa-alca.org).
- TThe Committee acknowledges the receipt of the contributions submitted
in response to its Open Invitation to Civil Society and thanks all those who
took the time and effort to contribute their views. These contributions were
forwarded within days of being received and translated to the corresponding
FTAA entities (as listed in the attached Cover Sheet).
- Contributions may be submitted via e-mail, mail, fax, or courier. In
the interest of facilitating translation into the working languages,
distribution throughout the countries of the hemisphere, and analysis by the
relevant national negotiators, it is highly recommended that contributions
be submitted via e-mail or via electronic format (i.e., a 3.5” diskette
containing the submission) sent to the corresponding address. Contributions
submitted via other means will be given equal consideration and every effort
will be made to process the transmission of these documents expeditiously.
- In order to be considered, each written submission must:
- Identify the respondent(s), specifying name(s) and contact or sender
information;
- Make reference to matters relating to the FTAA process and/or second
draft FTAA Agreement;
- Be in written form, in one of the FTAA languages (Spanish, English,
French, Portuguese);
- Be accompanied by the cover sheet which is attached to this document
(also available on the FTAA web site
http://www.ftaa-alca.org), with an indication of the FTAA
entity(ies) to which the contribution pertains;
- If the submission is longer than five pages, include an executive
summary, no longer than two pages, which summarizes and identifies the
issues considered in the document. (The FTAA Secretariat will translate
executive summaries and contributions of five pages or less.
Contributions longer than five pages will only be available to FTAA
Entities in the original language of the submission.);
- Be sent directly to the Chair of the Committee of Government Representatives on the Participation of Civil Society, at one of the following addresses:
Via Electronic Mail:
soc@ftaa-alca.com
Via Postal Mail:
Secretaría Administrativa del Área de Libre Comercio de las Américas (ALCA)
Apartado Postal No.885
Puebla, México
CP 72001
Via Private Messenger/Courier Service:
Secretaría Administrativa del Área de Libre Comercio de las Américas (ALCA)
8 Oriente N° 1006
Paseo San Francisco
Centro Histórico, Puebla 72000
México Via Fax:
(52 - 222) 309-0340
- Contributions will be welcomed on an ongoing basis. The Committee will
acknowledge receipt of the contributions and forward them to the relevant
FTAA Entity(ies). Based on the contributions received from May 2003 to May
1, 2004, the Committee will prepare a report to the Ministers for their 2004
meeting. The Committee will continue to forward contributions received after
May 1, 2004 to the FTAA entities on an ongoing basis and will prepare a
report for the following Ministerial meeting.
- Please note that all contributions received in response to the FTAA
Public Invitation may be cited, copied and/or distributed, in part or in its
entirety, for consideration by the pertinent FTAA entities. Further, all
information provided within the contribution, including the cover page,
(except for postal address, email, telephone and fax numbers) will be made
public via the FTAA website and/or other FTAA documents.
- We again encourage all interested individuals to please consult the
FTAA Official Website for the latest information. http://www.alca-ftaa.org
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