SUMMIT IMPLEMENTATION REVIEW GROUP (SIRG) OEA/Ser.EFirst Regular Meeting of 2010 GRIC/O.1/doc.7/10April 13, 2010 15 April 2010Liberator Simon Bolivar Room – OAS Headquarters Original: Spanish Washington, D.C

SOCIAL ACTORS’ PARTICIPATION IN THE SUMMITS OF THE AMERICAS PROCESS

(Presentation by the Summits of the Americas Secretariat)

SOCIAL ACTORS’ PARTICIPATION IN THE SUMMITS OF THE AMERICAS PROCESS

Summits of the Americas Secretariat

April 13, 2010

SUMMARY

1. Evolution of the participation and who are Social Actors?

2. Synthesis of activities held before the V Summit

4. Presentation of the Summits Virtual Community

3. Activities since the V Summit

Social Actors’ Participation

Historical antecedents of the participation are wide and diverse

Political bases for participation: Summits’ Declarations and Plans of Action, OAS Resolutions and the inter-American Democratic Charter (Art. 3, 4, 6 and 26)

The participation is key for the Summits process, both in the preparatory stages and for follow-up and implementation of previous Summits.

I Summit of the Americas (1994 - Miami): Civil Society participation in public affairs is crucial for the strengthening of the Democracy.

Extraordinary Summit on Sustainable Development (1996 - Santa Cruz): The exchange of experiences and information between governments and civil society is necessary for formulating, implementing and improving programs and policies for sustainable development.

II Summit of Americas (1998 - Santiago): Civil Society participation in the educational development is seen as a determining factor of political, economic and social development.

Civil Society and the Summits

All Summits of the Americas have stimulated the recognition of civil society within the framework of the OAS

III Summit of Americas (2001 - Québec) : Civil Society plays an important role in the consolidation of democracy. Its participation in government programs is one of the most important is one of the most important resources for the success of development policies.

Extraordinary Summit of the Americas (2004 - Monterrey, Mexico): Through the participation of citizens, the society can contribute to the elaboration, the implementation and the evaluation of public policies in different areas of government.

IV Summit of the Americas (2005 - Mar del Plata) : A wider participation of citizens, communities and civil society will help ensure that the benefits of democracy are shared by the society as a whole.

Citizens Participation in the Summits

Fifth Summit of the Americas

V Summit of the Americas (2009 – Port of Spain):

“We commit to continue encouraging the participation of our peoples, through the engagement of our citizens, communities and civil society in the design and execution of development policies and programmes, by providing technical and financial assistance, as appropriate, and in accordance with national legislation to strengthen and build their capacity to participate more fully in the inter-American system”.

[Paragraph 94]

Who are the Social Actors?

- Civil Society Organizations - Indigenous Peoples- Private Sector- Women and Gender groups- Youth- Afro-descendants- Academia and Think tanks- Unions and Workers’ groups

ACTORS

Main Actors of the Summit Process

• Enriches the debate

• Gives voice to the different views existing within a society.

• Contributes to the dissemination of political agreements at the national level

• Contributes to the effectiveness and efficiency of government policies

• Accompanies States in implementing policies and increases accomplishments of commitments

• Enhances communication between governments, international institutions and citizens in general

• Strengthens democracy

RELEVANCE OF THE PARTICIPATION

Main Actors of the Summits Process

The participation of social actors is being consolidated by…

1. Forums and Consultation Meetings

2. Presentation of their recommendations in Member States’ meetings (SIRG, CISC and Inter-American Ministerial Meetings)

3. Dialogue between Member States and social actors representatives in the framework of the Summits.

4. Assisting States in the implementation of commitments.

2. Synthesis of Activities towards the Fifth Summit

Preparatory Activities: Fifth Summit

Diverse mechanisms for social actors participation…

Civil Society Hemispheric Forums (Miami, USA – May 2008; Washington, DC – March 2009)

Civil society Sub-Regional Forums- Caribbean (Trinidad and Tobago – Oct. 2008)- Central America, Mexico and Dominican Republic (El Salvador – Dec. 2008)- South America (Peru – Feb. 2009)

Forums Through the Summits Virtual Platform: - 5 Forums in preparation for the Fifth Summit (Sep. 08 - April 09)- Virtual Forum in preparation for the 39th OAS General Assembly and in follow up

to the Fifth Summit (May 2009).

Follow up on e-participation: “Exploring new ways to involve stakeholders in the activities of the OAS”.

Preparatory Activities: V Summit

Policy Dialogues and Lectures of the Americas: • Youth, Decent Work, and Human Prosperity in the Americas• The Global Economic Crisis: Effects and Political Strategies• Energy Security for Sustainable Development in the Americas• Environmental Sustainability in the Americas

Forums and consultations with other Social Actors

• 2 Think Tanks’ Hemispheric Symposiums: Organized with: the Inter-American Dialogue, the Canadian Foundation for the Americas- FOCAL- and Fedesarrollo. (Ottawa / Washington, DC)

• Second Inter-American Forum of Afro-Descendents (Global Rights) (Dominican Republic. January, 2009).

Third Essay Contest of the Summits Secretariat: 7 winners from the hemisphere.

Fifth Summit’s ActivitiesOther events in Port of Spain: April 13-19, 2009

• Youth Forum of the Americas• Private Sector Forum • A Workers’ Forum • Inter-Parliamentary Forum of the Americas (FIPA)• Academic Colloquium • Trust for the Americas Gala

Dialogue between Ministers of Foreign Affairs and Social Actors. Trinidad and Tobago. April 17, 2009

Civil Society Forum in the Fifth Summit.National Secretariat of Trinidad and Tobago. April 14 - 16, 2009

Third Indigenous Leaders Summit of the Americas (III ILSA) Panama, April 14 - 15, 2009

3. Activities from the Fifth Summit

FOLLOW UP TO THE IMPLEMENTATION- A joint effort -

Social Actors: key for the Implementation

• It is necessary that the Summits’ objectives be assumed as a joint effort between the States, the Inter-American Institutions and the social actors.

• The current task is implementing initiatives to provide concrete and measurable results in development of the hemispheric agenda that has been reflected in the Summits documents.

Follow-up and Implementation

Initiatives being developed

• Submission of social actor’s inputs and recommendations to the Ministerial meetings.

• Multi-sectoral meetings lead by think tanks and other social actors: Creation of a “Public Opinion Task Force” (underway).

• Development Marketplace for Latin America and the Caribbean 2010 (Grant Competition - YABT, BM, BID): Youth Forum of the Americas

• Civil Society Hemispheric Forum (May, 2010)

• Policy Dialogue in follow-up to the Fifth Summit (September, 2010)

• Seminar “Mechanisms for Indigenous Peoples’ participation in the OAS” (June, 2010) • E-participation Mechanisms: Summits Virtual Community (June, 2010)

¡THANK YOU!

SUMMITS OF THE AMERICAS SECRETARIAT SUMMITS OF THE AMERICAS SECRETARIAT ORGANIZATION OF AMERICAN STATESORGANIZATION OF AMERICAN STATES

www.summits-americas.org19th Street & Ave. Constitution, NW

Washington, D.C. 20006

summit-info@oas.org