Introduction to the Summits of the Americas Process Summits of the Americas Secretariat December 13, 2010

Questions to Answer 1. What is the Summits of the Americas process? 3. How have Indigenous Peoples participated? 4. What is the Summit Virtual Community (SVC) and how can Indigenous Peoples participate? 2. Who are Social Actors and how do they participate in the Summits process?

Summits of the Americas Process 5th Summit of the Americas (Port of Spain, April 2009) “Securing Our Citizens’ Future by Promoting Human Prosperity, Energy Security and Environmental Sustainability” I Summit Miami 1994 Special Summit Santa Cruz 1996 II Summit Santiago 1998 III Summit Québec 2001 Special Summit Monterrey 2004 IV Summit Mar del Plata 2005 Consensus-building at the Highest Level S eek solutions to problems and challenges facing their countries S eek solutions to problems and challenges facing their countries D evelop a shared vision for the future development of the region D evelop a shared vision for the future development of the region Discuss common concerns Discuss common concerns

Main components - Summits of the Americas Process Main Actors of the Summits Process Host Country (Colombia) Inter-American Ministerial Meetings Social Actors Joint Summit Working Group : 12 institutions Joint Summit Working Group : 12 institutions OAS General Secretariat - Summits of the Americas Secretariat OAS Member States - SIRG and Executive Council

Social Actors’ Participation Historical antecedents of the participation are wide and diverse Political bases for participation: Summits’ Declarations and Plans of Action, OAS Resolutions and the inter-American Democratic Charter (Art. 3, 4, 6 and 26) The participation is key for the Summits process, both in the preparatory stages and for follow-up and implementation of previous Summits.

Fifth Summit of the Americas V Summit of the Americas (2009 – Port of Spain): “We commit to continue encouraging the participation of our peoples, through the engagement of our citizens, communities and civil society in the design and execution of development policies and programmes, by providing technical and financial assistance, as appropriate, and in accordance with national legislation to strengthen and build their capacity to participate more fully in the inter-American system ”. [Paragraph 94]

Civil Society Organization Social Actors STAKEHOLDERSSTAKEHOLDERS Who Are Social Actors? Indigenous Peoples Private Sector Women and Gender Group Youth Afro-descendants Academia and Think tanks Unions and Workers’ groups Others

The participation of social actors is being consolidated by… Forums and Consultation meetings, both face to face and virtual Presentation of their recommendations in Member States’ meetings Dialogue between Member States and Social Actors’ representatives in the framework of the Summits Assisting States in the implementation of commitments Development of the e-participation tools as a way to involve social actors with other stakeholders. Social Actors’ Participation

Indigenous Peoples Participation in the Summits of the Americas and the Indigenous Summits

Opportunities to create linkages and network with other Indigenous and social actors from the hemisphere Collectively consolidate policy priorities Commitments can be enacted at hemispheric and national levels Follow-up & implementation of high-level mandates and implement your own documents, (Declarations and Plans of Action) Indigenous Peoples as a Social Actor Access to decision- makers Importance of Indigenous Peoples as a Social Actor in the Summits Process

Indigenous Peoples Participation: ILSAs Indigenous Summits in the framework of the Summit of the Americas: First Indigenous Summit of the Americas (Ottawa, Canada. March, 2001). Main themes: Economic Development, new economic models and Human Rights. Second Summit of Indigenous Peoples of the Americas (Buenos Aires, Argentina. October, 2005). Main themes: Governance and free determination; lands, territories, and resources; Sustainable Development.

Third ILSA III Indigenous Leaders’ Summit of the Americas “Implementing the Rights of the Indigenous Peoples of the Americas for Present and Future Generations” (Panama, April 14-15, 2009). Declaration and a Plan of Action: Short and concrete points. Main themes: Reaffirm principles and Rights; Human Prosperity, energy security, Environmental Sustainability, and Strengthening Public Security, Democratic Governance and the Summit of the Americas. A final point includes Follow-Up and Implementation. Follow-up proposal: Creation of a Permanent Forum. A proposal was presented to the OAS Secretary General in March, Presented outcomes at the Dialogue between Ministers of Foreign Affairs and Social Actors ( Trinidad y Tobago. April 17, 2009)

Indigenous themes and language from the Summits Language from the Declarations and Plans of Action: All Summits held have expressed the desire to protect indigenous peoples of the Hemisphere and have recognized the need to promote a common vision to improve the lives of indigenous peoples and facilitate their participation in the Inter-American System. Related themes more relevant or frequent: Human Rights; health; Education; Justice; Employment; Cultural Diversity; Sustainable Economic Development; among others.

Declaration of Commitment of Port of Spain Paragraph 55: Corporate social responsibility - best practices in the energy sector, - enhance dialogue with indigenous groups Indigenous Peoples in the Fifth Summit Declaration Paragraph 86: “Recognizing the diversity and the traditional and ancestral nature of the cultures, histories and demographic, socio- economic and political circumstances of indigenous peoples, we reaffirm our commitment to respect their rights and we will promote the successful conclusion of negotiations on the American Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. Recognition of the rights of indigenous peoples is essential for their existence, welfare, and integral development. In accordance with the domestic laws of each State, we will promote the exercise of their rights, their full participation in national activities and the creation of the conditions that allow them to overcome poverty, social exclusion, and inequality.”

Activities since the Fifth Summit and Colombia as Host Country for the Sixth Summit Follow-up and Implementation - A joint effort -

Social Actors: key for the Implementation It is necessary that the Summits’ objectives be assumed as a joint effort between the States, the Inter-American Institutions and the social actors. The current task is implementing initiatives to provide concrete and measurable results in development of the hemispheric agenda that has been reflected in the Summits documents. Follow-up and Implementation

Initiatives being developed Submission of social actor’s inputs and recommendations to the Ministerial meetings. Multi-sectoral meetings lead by think tanks and other social actors: Creation of a “Public Opinion Task Force” (underway). Development Marketplace for Latin America and the Caribbean 2010 (Grant Competition - YABT, BM, BID): Follow-up projects of the Youth Forum of the Americas E-participation Mechanisms: Summits Virtual Community (June 4, 2010) Seminar “Mechanisms for Indigenous Peoples’ participation in the OAS” (June 22-24, 2010) Initiatives proposed to Colombia: Multi-sectoral Policy Dialogues to start in 2011

Seminar on “Mechanisms for Indigenous Peoples’ participation in the OAS and the inter-American System”, held in OAS In follow-up to this Seminar, the SAS is working on a booklet that showcase the current mechanisms in the OAS, the Summits Process and the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) fostering continuous participation via Virtual Group Holding this series of Sub-regional phase-to-phase activities, as requested in the June Declaration. Providing this opportunity to listen to your inputs towards the Sixth Summit and to exchange ideas on the possible next steps for indigenous participation. OAS Seminar with Indigenous Peoples

Advances and Next Steps Inmediate Next Steps (by the OAS): Sub-regional Meeting with Indigenous representatives from the Spanish-speaking countries, to be held tentatively in Colombia, early in Gather all your recommendations for submission to Colombia and other Member States for: Consultations, events and other activities to be developed in preparation for the Sixth Summit of the Americas in 2012, including through the Summits Virtual Community. Present to the Colombian Government a proposal for Indigenous Peoples Participation in the Summits process.

SUMMITS VIRTUAL COMMUNITY “It is the right and responsibility of all citizens to participate in decisions relating to their own development. This is also a necessary condition for the full and effective exercise of democracy. Promoting and fostering diverse forms of participation strengthens democracy.” Inter American Democratic Charter – Art. 6

New phase: Virtual Community Its new name shows its evolution towards a more dynamic and user-focused interaction. OAS JSWG INSTITUTIONS Social Actors Member States Plataform Community

Why was the Virtual Community created? Txt Text MAIN GOAL : (long-term) Strengthen the culture of democratic engagement in the Americas Facilitate the development of a Inter-American agenda that represents the common challenges and interests of the peoples of the Americas. INTERMEDIATE GOALS: Broaden the consultation, participation and interaction of social actors and other Summits stakeholders in the Summits of the Americas process and the Inter- American system Strengthen the dialogue between Member States and other Summit stakeholders

Txt Text Engage in a rich dialogue on key hemispheric issues and share best practices; Text Members of the Virtual Community can: Share their views with decision-makers of the Summit process; Stay informed by participating actively and accessing thematic information and resources; Network and collaborate with peers and organizations; Contribute to raising awareness and to solving challenges faced by the peoples of the Americas. Summits Virtual Community

Current Statistics SVC Basic StatisticsNo. Registered users409 No. of Countries represented by users41 Registered Orgs in Spanish84 Registered Orgs in English44 Forums7 Groups15 Comments140 Documents & Publications88 Videos19

Be an active member of the Summits Community and Stay informed! Stayed informed on the Summits OAS Summit Americas

SVC Launch to Follow!

Thank you! SUMMITS OF THE AMERICAS SECRETARIAT ORGANIZATION OF AMERICAN STATES ww w.summit-samericas.org 19th Street & Ave. Constitution, NW Washington, D.C