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