Washington, April 20, 2012 COMMITMENT TO DEVELOP HUMAN POTENTIAL IN THE AMERICAS

Institutional Capacity-Building and Technical Assistance Initiatives Online content development: using a solidarity-based approach to cooperation, the EPA has partnered with institutions and organizations at the regional level, as well as with the private sector and technical areas of the OAS, to create quality e-learning content by adapting their expertise material. Our partners include IICA, CIM, OAS Secretariat for Political Affairs and Secretariat for Multidimensional Security, IDB, FLACSO, Intel, UNESCO. Virtual Classroom: the EPA offers educational opportunities through alliances with reputable institutions in the region, in professional fields strongly related to the Members States development priority areas such as sustainable development and tourism, strengthening of democratic institutions, and education, among others. Cooperation for development: partnering with reputable institutions and regional organizations has allowed the EPA to respond to training needs in the members countries by expanding and strengthening their training and knowledge-sharing activities through the use of ICTs with a strong financial aid component, thus making these low-cost training opportunities really accessible to all. Knowledge transfer: following the successful experience of the PUENTE Operations Manual prepared by the Department of Social Development and Employment with the technical assistance of the EPA, we will continue to provide technical assistance to other areas of the OAS interested in keeping a record of the implementation of their projects and programs that can later serve in replicating those projects in other countries. Another component of this area of work is the training offered to partner institutions in the implementation of virtual education projects, following the EPA pedagogical model, like the training offered to FLACSO Chile experts. Results achieved to date: 23,000 professionals trained via e-learning delivered by the EPA and through joint offers with external partners since 2001; 1 transfer manual produced and 2 more in production (AMA OASIS Program and Trust of the Americas POETA Program); over 20 online courses developed; $80,770 in financial aid

Awareness Program This initiative seeks to promote the debate and to propose new initiatives on the topics of ICTs for education, mobile learning and open educational resources (OER). The tools used by the EPA to achieve this are: Hands-on workshops designed for teachers at the different levels to learn about the latest in the use of ICTs for education (OER, mobile learning, STEM), in partnership with reputable institutions in the region (Mexico 2011, Suriname & Barbados 2012). Volunteers Program: during a teacher training workshop in Mexico in 2011, the EPA was able to gauge the interest of teachers and practitioners in being part of the EPA efforts to bring educational opportunities free of charge to teachers in the region. In a first exploratory call to volunteers from among 86 graduates of one of its online courses graduates, the EPA received more than 40 applications for volunteer online tutors. Communities of practice: these EPA-hosted virtual spaces for the exchange of information and best practices are aimed at continuing the knowledge-sharing experience that result of the training opportunities and knowledge transfer initiatives offered by the EPA. Social Media and Live Broadcasting: the EPA has successfully introduced the use of Social Media (Facebook, Twitter, Youtube) and Livestream to teacher training workshops, allowing these educational opportunities to reach a wider audience thanks to the use of ICTs. Results achieved to date: 230 teachers trained through onsite workshops; more than 1,000 Livestream viewers from the Caribbean (for one of the Suriname events only); 4,011 Likes in Facebook (since December 2011); 455 Followers on Twitter; 19 Communities of Practice created on the EPA virtual space.

III Summit of the Americas – Québec, Canadá 2001 The OAS received the mandate to support the development of human potential using the new information and communications technologies (ICTS). The OAS immediately became involved with the initiative of the Educational Portal of the Americas ( Resulting from this work was the presentation of the Portal in the Meeting II of Education Ministers in Punta del Esta, Uruguay (24-25 September 2001) In June of 2011, the OAS General Assembly reaffirmed the support of the Member States for the Educational Portal of the Americas as a strategic program for the advancement of human development and competitiveness through professional development and institutional capacity building. (AG/RES (XLI-O/11) Educational Portal of the Americas: Ten Years of Strengthening Human Development in the Hemisphere through Distance Education).AG/RES (XLI-O/11) Educational Portal of the Americas: Ten Years of Strengthening Human Development in the Hemisphere through Distance Education Educational Portal of the Americas