SUMMITS OF THE AMERICAS

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SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

When, where and who:

The Special Summit of the Americas was held in Monterrey, Mexico on January 12-13, 2004 bringing together the democratically elected Heads of State and Government of the members countries of the Organization of American States.

Purpose :

The goal of the Special Summit was to facilitate hemispheric cooperation at the highest level of government in order to address current economic, social and political challenges in the region. Approximately one third of Heads of State and Government in the Hemisphere have assumed office since the Third Summit of the Americas held in Quebec City in April 2001. The agenda of the Special Summit focused on three issues:

Ø Economic Growth with Equity

Ø Social Development

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“We will seek, within the framework of our national legislation and authority, to promote affordable access to information and communications technology for all, and encourage the full and active participation of civil society…” Declaration of Nuevo Leon Special Summit of the Americas

Democratic Governance

The Declaration of Nuevo León:

The Declaration contains 75 paragraphs reflecting the policies and decisions adopted by the leaders on the three Summit topics. For example, in economic growth, they made a commitment to implement sound macroeconomic policies, to create an enabling environment for the private sector, and to reduce the costs of remittances. In the area of social development, the Heads of State recognized that the main challenge is the elimination of poverty, hunger, and inequality. They reiterated that a decisive factor for human development is education and also committed to taking the appropriate measures to reduce the threat of HIV/AIDS. In the area of democratic governance, leaders expressed their support for the Declaration of Santiago on Democracy and Citizens Confidence, as well as their respect for the rule of law, strengthening political parties, and defending human rights.

Science and Technology

In the Declaration of Nuevo Leon, the leaders of the Hemisphere agreed that research and scientific and technological development play an important role in the sustainability of productive economies. In this sense, they committed themselves to continue formulating policies and guidelines that support public and private research associations and their interaction with the productive sectors. Leaders also supported increasing investments in the fields of science and technology with the participation of the private sector and the support of multilateral organizations. They emphasized the need to intensify the efforts of universities and science and technology institutions to deepen basic and applied research. Leaders insisted on extending effective and equitable access to technologies. In recognition of its role in development, all previous Summits have included reference to this issue.