SUMMITS OF THE AMERICAS

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The Summits of the Americas bring together the 34 democratically-elected Heads of State and Government of the Western Hemisphere to discuss common concerns, seek solutions and develop a shared vision for the development of the region, be it economic, social or political in nature.

Fourth Summit of the Americas The Fourth Summit of the Americas will be held in Mar del Plata, Argentina during the first two weeks of November, 2005. The proposed theme for this Summit is “Creating Employment to Confront Poverty and Strengthen Democratic Governance.”

Background
	First Summit of the Americas Miami, USA - December, 1994
	Summit of the Americas on Sustainable Development Santa Cruz, Bolivia – December, 1996
	Second Summit of the Americas Santiago, Chile - April 1998
	Third Summit of the Americas Quebec, Canada - April 2001
	Special Summit of the Americas Monterrey, Mexico - January 2004

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Results of the Summits of the Americas

Important results of the Summits of the Americas to date:

² Adoption of the Inter-American Democratic Charter

² Negotiations for the creation of a Free Trade of the Americas (FTAA)

² Formation of the Committee of Experts for the Implementation of the Inter-American Convention against Corruption

² Establishment of a multilateral evaluation mechanism (MEM) to improve the capacity of Member States to control drug trafficking and abuse and enhance multilateral cooperation

² Elaboration of the American Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples

² Implementation of civil society participation within the preparation process of the Summits of the Americas

² Promotion of an agenda of Connectivity for the Americas to facilitate the integration of the Hemisphere

² Establishment of a special rapporteur for freedom of expression

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Summit of the Americas Follow Up Mechanism

² The Summit Implementation Review Group (SIRG) is the follow-up mechanism for the Summit Process. The SIRG is composed of the National Coordinators, who are high-ranked officials from the Ministries of Foreign Affairs. The SIRG meets three times per year; one of those meetings is celebrated at the level of Ministers of Foreign Affairs. The SIRG’s Executive Council is the regional representation body; its responsibility is to assess, strengthen and support the follow-up of Summit initiatives. The SIRG Executive Committee is composed of the previous and future hosts of the Summits; its job is to assist the President of the Summit in the SIRG preparation meetings and future Summits. The next SIRG meeting will be held in Buenos Aires, Argentina in March 9 - 10 of 2005.

² The Ministerial Meetings are in charge of the follow up and implementation of the mandates emanating from the Summits and also present recommendations to future Summits.

² The Joint Summit Working Group (JSWG) is composed by international organizations that have significant responsibilities in the implementation of the Summit mandates. The institutions that form this group are: the Organization of American States (OAS) -Chair; the Inter-American Development Bank (IADB); the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC); the Pan-American Health Organization (PAHO); the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA); The World Bank (WB); the Central American Bank for Economic Integration (CABEI); The Andean Development Corporation (CAF); The Caribbean Development Bank (CDB); the International Organization for Migration (IOM), and the International Labour Organization (ILO).

Main actors of the Summits of the Americas

² 34 Democratically-elected Governments

² Office for the Summit Process of the OAS

² Institutional Partners (JSWG)

² Civil Society

² Private Sector

² Academia

² Media

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Summits of the Americas Secretariat

The Summits of the Américas Secretariat under the auspices of the OAS, acts as the institutional memory and technical Secretariat to the Summit Process, supports the countries in Summit follow up and preparation for future Summits, coordinates the support of the OAS in the implementation of Summit mandates, and chairs the Joint Summit Working Group which brings together international and Inter-American Agencies.