SUMMITS OF THE AMERICAS - Information Network -
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LINKS 
V SUMMIT CIVIL SOCIETY FORUM
Trinidad and Tobago
April 15- 16, 2009
Affirming that openness and transparency are vital to building public awareness and legitimacy for our undertakings, the Summit Plans of Action call upon all citizens of the region to contribute to the Summits of the Americas Process.
The Summits Process has given an important stimulus to the involvement of civil society in the Organization of American States. The Special Committee on Inter-American Summits Management and the Committee on Civil Society Participation in OAS Activities were created in order to establish clear, transparent and modern procedures for interactions between civil society organizations (CSOs) and the political organs of the OAS.
As a result, the Permanent Council approved CP/RES. 759 (1217/99) “Guidelines for the Participation of Civil Society Organizations in OAS Activities,” which defines the scope of participation of CSOs in the activities of the OAS and its political bodies, including attending meetings of these bodies. This resolution defines the principles governing the participation of CSOs, the responsibilities of the organs, agencies, and entities of the inter-American system in relation to CSOs, and the requirements that CSOs must meet in the event that they express their desire to be registered. A list of the CSOs that are part of the OAS Registry of Civil Society Organizations is available here.
In 2002, after the XXXII General Assembly in Bridgetown, Barbados, the Permanent Council decided to unify the Special Committee on Inter-American Summits Management and the Committee on Civil Society Participation in OAS Activities. These organs were merged into the Committee on Inter-American Summits Management and Civil Society Participation in OAS Activities (CISC).
The CISC held a Special Session on March 28, 2003. In attendance were more than 30 civil society representatives, who expressed their views on specific Summit themes. These views were transmitted to the XXVIII Meeting of the SIRG, which took place on April 2, 2003 at OAS headquarters. This was the first time that CSOs were invited to participate in an open session of the SIRG.
In March 2003, building on this momentum, the Permanent Council approved CP/RES. 840 (1361/03) "Strategies for Increasing and Strengthening Participation by Civil Society Organizations in OAS Activities," which called for a more active promotion of the registration process and participation of civil society organizations.
On June 8, 2003, directly preceding the XXXIII General Assembly that took place in Santiago, Chile, there was an Informal Dialogue among representatives of CSOs, Foreign Ministers of Member States, and the Secretary General of the OAS. Due, in part, to the significant contributions from civil society organizations in implementation and monitoring of Summit initiatives, Heads of Delegation agreed that this Informal Dialogue become an institutionalized meeting of the General Assembly. The XXXIIII General Assembly of the OAS approved Resolution AG/RES. 1915 (XXXIII-O/03) “Increasing and Strengthening Civil Society Participation in OAS Activities.” In this resolution, the General Assembly ratified the Strategies and included the Informal Dialogue as a regular activity within the framework of the General Assembly.
The Dialogue between Ministers of Foreign Affairs, Civil Society Representatives and the OAS Secretary General has been held at each of the OAS Annual General Assemblies held since that time.
The OAS General Secretariat elaborated in fulfillment of resolution AG/RES. 1915/03 “Increasing and Strengthening Civil Society Participation in OAS Activities" the document CP/CISC-106/04, "Review of the Rules of Procedure for Civil Society Participation With the Organization of American States" which consolidates the existing norms contained in all current provisions of the rules of procedure of the General Assembly, the Permanent Council, the Inter-American Council for Integral Development, the specialized conferences, and other organs and agencies that permit participation by civil society organizations in OAS activities.
Additionally, in 2004, the OAS Permanent Council adopted resolution CP/RES. 864 (1413/04) which established the Specific Fund to Support the Participation of Civil Society Organizations in OAS Activities and in the Summits of the Americas Process. The purpose of the Fund is to provide financial support to facilitate the participation of registered civil society organizations in the activities of OAS political bodies, such as the General Assembly and Permanent Council, special meetings of the CISC as well as of the SIRG, ministerial meetings as appropriate, and other OAS activities. The Fund may also foster the participation of civil society organizations in the Summits of the Americas process.
In the XXXIV General Assembly of the OAS that was held in Quito, Ecuador, resolution AG/RES. 1991/04 "Increasing and Strengthening Civil Society Participation in OAS Activities” was approved. This resolution invited Member States to contribute to the Specific Fund to Support the Participation of Civil Society Organizations in OAS Activities and in the Summits of the American Process, including the dialogue between Heads of delegations with civil society representatives.
Further information about the participation of civil society in the OAS is available at the OAS Civil Society Website (www.civil-society.oas.org):
The Summits of the Americas Secretariat (formerly the Office for the Summit Process) and the civil society organizations throughout the Americas have a long standing relationship and actively cooperate to provide opportunities for continued participation in the activities of the OAS and the inter-American agenda.
The OAS, through the Committee on Inter-American Summits Management and Civil Society Participation in OAS Activities (CISC) and the General Secretariat, has developed a number of initiatives to create opportunities for participation and discussion and to report on Summit policy developments in the inter-American system. For example:
- Regional forums/discussions organized by CSOs, with technical support from the OAS, to afford opportunities for policy-making and for implementation and follow-up to the Summit mandates;
- Presentation of proposals and recommendations resulting from a series of national and regional consultations held by CSOs on topics on the hemispheric agenda, covering social, political, economic, and cultural issues;
- Establishment of strategic networks of CSOs, governments, and inter-American and international organizations to exchange information and provide feedback on implementation and follow-up of the Summit mandates;
- Institutionalization of discussions between CSOs and high-ranking national officials from ministries of foreign affairs to exchange views on policy design and fulfillment of mandates;
- Holding of special meetings with civil society during meetings of the Summit Implementation Review Group (SIRG) to exchange information on the Summit Process.
First Summit of the Americas – Miami, Florida, United States - 1994
Summit on Sustainable Development – Santa Cruz, Bolivia - 1996
Second Summit of the Americas – Santiago, Chile - 1998
Third Summit of the Americas – Quebec City, Canada - 2001
Special Summit of the Americas – Monterrey, Mexico - 2004
Fourth Summit of the Americas – Mar del Plata, Argentina - 2005
Presently, we are preparing for the Fifth Summit of the Americas, to be held in Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago on April 17-19, 2009 under the theme: ‘Securing Our Citizens’ Future by Promoting Human Prosperity, Energy Security and Environmental Sustainability’.
A number of consultations and forums have been held to date.