1 Review of OAS Mandates Status Report 1 SECRETARIAT FOR ADMINISTRATION AND FINANCE December 2008

2 What is covered in this presentation? I.Background II.Mandates in the OAS Context III.Narrowing the Scope IV.Where is the GS/OAS in the process? V.Next Steps VI.Annexes

3 I Background

4 General Standards Article 88a: ■ “Maintain a database with the current mandates, which contains, among other things, the following information: the beginning and end of the mandate, origin of the mandate, program area, organ responsible for its execution, etc. This information must be used as a basis for determining actions to be undertaken by the General Secretariat during the budget year and should be made available to the Member States”. (CP/RES. 703 (1122/97) dated May 27, Article 88b: ■ “Prepare, as far as possible, a classification of the mandates in each area, according to the level of priority the General Secretariat believes they should have”. (CP/RES. 703 (1122/97)) dated May 27, Background OAS Regulations – What is the OAS mandate for this exercise?

5 ■ General Assembly: AG/RES (XXXVIII-O/08) rev. 1 (Jun. 3, 2008) General Provision: II.A.1.c “ To request the General Secretariat to provide the following reports on an annual basis: a comprehensive report regarding the resources allocated for compliance with the mandates of the member states of the Organization, listed by effective date, object of expenditure (e.g., travel, contracts), and responsible area of the Secretariat, taking into account the four pillars of the Organization” ■ General Assembly: AG/RES. 1 (XXXVI-E/08) rev. 1 (Sep. 30, 2008) General Provision: III.2.d “To instruct the Permanent Council to conduct, beginning in October 2008, a thorough review of all resources and expenditures of the Organization in the context of existing mandates, in order to prioritize and optimize the use of resources for future program- budgets…” Background OAS Regulations – What is the OAS mandate for this exercise? (cont.)

6 ■ Like the OAS, the UN is addressing the issue of mandate reform and is three years into the project. ■ UN document “Mandating and Delivering: analysis and recommendations to facilitate the review of mandates” (A/60/733). Distributed to CAAP on October 31,2008 at the request of the member states. ■ That UN experience includes development of a web-based repository of mandates. ■ The UN is also re-examining the “Mandate Generation Cycle”: ▪ who can create a mandate, ▪ how are they funded and implemented, ▪ who follows up and evaluates the progress; continuation, change or elimination. Background UN Experience

7 II Mandates in the OAS Context

8 ■ Challenges identified by the UN: ▪ Burdensome reporting requirements ▪ Overlap between and within organs ▪ Duplicative architecture for implementation (proliferation leads to overlapping; what to do with older mandates? who’s responsible for implementing or eliminating them?) ▪ Gap between mandates and resources ■ UN identified tools required: ▪ Searchable database ▪ Better reporting ▪ Monitoring and evaluation (e.g. better information on effectiveness) ▪ Phraseology used in resolutions – they should provide strategic direction, set objectives, establish measures of accountability. Mandates in the OAS Context Key challenges

9 ■ Sources: ▪ Multiple sources of mandates. Policy bodies other than the General Assembly issue mandates for the OAS. ▪ Many resolutions and mandates are directed at multiple technical areas, resulting in overlap. ■ Timeline: ▪ Fiscal year and mandate-generation cycle (GA, Summits etc) are out of sync. ▪ Specific Funds do not reflect the Fiscal Year. ■ Funding: ▪ Mandates generally do not specify source of funding. ▪ The structure of the Regular Fund budget is not mandate-based. ▪ The OAS often resorts to multiple funding sources (Regular, Voluntary and Specific) to finance activities required to meet the mandate. ■ Definitions/Results: ▪ Need to define what is to be considered an OAS mandate. ▪ Articulate within the mandate the desired result. ■ Communication: ▪ How we inform member states in a coherent and decision-oriented format the work of the GS/OAS and the results obtained. Mandates in the OAS Context Key challenges (cont.) Building on the UN experience, five key challenges for the OAS have been identified :

10 Mandates in the OAS Context Key challenges (cont.) ■ Like at the UN and other Multilateral Organizations, there are many sources of mandates: a) Internal Legislation: ▪ Charter of the Organization ▪ Democratic Charter ▪ General Standards b) Organs of the Inter-American System: ▪ General Assembly (In 2008, 87 Resolutions with 767 operative paragraphs were issued) ▪ Meetings of Consultation of Ministers of Foreign Affairs (e.g. Colombia-Ecuador) ▪ Permanent Council ▪ CIDI: Integral Development ▪Summits of the Americas ▪Ministerial Meetings: ▪ Education ▪ Public Security ▪ Social Development ▪ Labor ▪ Culture ▪ Science & Technology ▪ Sustainable Development ▪ Tourism ▪ Justice ▪ Defense

11 ▪ I-A Commission of Human Rights (IACHR) ▪ I-A Drug Abuse Control Commission (CICAD) ▪ I-A Committee against Terrorism (CICTE) ▪ I-A Telecommunications Commission (CITEL) ▪ I-A Committee on Ports (CIP) ▪ I-A Children’s Institute (IIN) ▪ I-A Commission on Women (CIM) Mandates in the OAS Context Key challenges (cont.)

12 Mandates in the OAS Context Key challenges (cont.) Current OAS Policy-Making Framework Summit of the Americas General Assembly Permanent Council Specialized Commissions & Committees Ministerial & Sectoral Meetings Sectoral Commissions CIDI CEPCIDI

13 Mandates in the OAS Context Example of the challenge General Assembly: AG/RES (XXXVIII-O/08) ERADICATION OF HUNGER: INTERNATIONAL YEAR OF THE POTATO [THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY] RESOLVES: 1.To welcome with satisfaction the declaration of 2008 as the “International Year of the Potato.” 2.To request the organs, agencies, and entities of the inter-American system to contribute, within their areas of competence, to the efforts of the member states to reduce rates of malnutrition in the Hemisphere by providing support for food crops, inter alia, the potato. 3.To request that the Inter-American Council for Integral Development (CIDI), with the support of the General Secretariat, report to the General Assembly at its thirty-ninth regular session on the implementation of this resolution, the execution of which shall be subject to the availability of financial resources in the program-budget of the Organization and other resources.

14 ■ Scope: ▪ Paragraphs 2 and 3 contain two instructions (i.e., “mandates”) given to the General Secretariat as an entity of the Inter-American System, namely: ▪ To contribute to the efforts of member states to reduce rates of malnutrition by supporting a specific indigenous crop. ▪ To request CIDI’s Secretariat to present a report at the XXXIX session of the General Assembly ■ Timeline: ▪ Under paragraph 2, efforts (which are unspecified) may be assumed to commence immediately, but no specific timeline has been set for completion. ▪ Paragraph 3 identifies a deliverable to be presented in June ■ Funding: ▪ Paragraph 3 specifies that the source of funding for the activities required by the resolution shall be the Regular Fund, funds are contingent upon their availability (it may be assumed that funds should be secured in FY 2009, but there is no express authorization to do so). ▪ No specific amounts have been either estimated, nor earmarked in the Regular Fund to support the activities. Using AG/RES (XXXVIII-O/08) to further illustrate the challenge: Mandates in the OAS Context Example of the challenge (cont.)

15 Mandates in the OAS Context Example of the challenge (cont.) Member States themselves, other Policy Bodies, the General Secretariat to lend support to the Member States, the policy bodies and others organs directing the General Secretariat to take specific actions. It can be determined from a review of the GA resolutions that there are mandates directed to:

16 Mandates in the OAS Context Bottom Line Over the years, mandates from multiple sources have proliferated without reference to the limitation of the OAS Regular Fund budget and often with unclear measures of results intended. Further, the current Regular Fund budget is not mandate-based.

17 III Narrowing the Scope

18 ■ Restricting the scope of the initial phase to the mandates contained in the resolutions of the General Assembly in 2006 and ■ Mandates from other sources (e. g. Summits of the Americas Process) incorporate later. ■ Definition of an OAS Mandate: ▪ For purposes of this exercise, consider defining an OAS mandate as an operative paragraph of the General Assembly resolutions, which contains a request, directive or action by the General Secretariat or other implementing entities in the OAS. ▪ General Assembly resolutions which not contain a direct reference to the source of funding, will be considered “declarations” and excluded from this exercise. Narrowing the Scope For the purpose of this study, the Permanent Council through CAAP may consider:

19 1.Define what constitutes an OAS mandate and the corresponding reporting format required. 2.Define timeline. OAS mandates should contain or define a time frame for start and completion aligned with the fiscal cycle of the Organization. 3.Define funding. OAS mandates should specify funding required. The goal is to pave the way towards a mandate-based budget. 4.Define results. OAS mandates should explicitly define the expected results of the activities. 5.Communicate results. OAS mandates should define a mechanism by which results are communicated to the member states. Narrowing the Scope Agreement is needed on the following principles:

20 Narrowing the Scope Reporting Format Sample Annual Report to Permanent Council (through CAAP)

21 Narrowing the Scope Reporting Format (cont.)

22 Narrowing the Scope Reporting Format (cont.)

23 Narrowing the Scope Reporting Format (cont.)

24 IV Where is the GS/OAS in the process?

25 Where is the GS/OAS in the process? Repository - Basic Data Like the UN, the OAS started with an inventory/database, which includes: ▪ The resolution number, year (session), section or paragraph (mandate), and title. ▪ Policy Body (e.g. Permanent Council or any of its committees). ▪ Technical area within the General Secretariat responsible for carrying out the activities. ▪ The start and end dates of the mandate. ▪ The current status of the mandate, i.e. completed, in process, postponed. ▪ A listing of activities engaged by the technical areas in response to the mandate.

26 Where is the GS/OAS in the process? Repository - Basic Data (cont.) ▪ The expected result (s) of those activities. ▪ An explanation of why and how those activities were carried out in response to the mandate. ▪ A field indicating whether or not resources were identified (budgeted) in the Regular Fund. ▪ The estimated cost of the activities and source of funding.

27 V Next Steps

28 Next Steps ■ Validate sample report and approach to mandate review. ■ Define, in operational terms, what is a mandate. ■ Agree on the sources of mandates. ■ Develop a methodology to cost and fund mandates before they are approved. ■ Articulate mandates with a result in mind. ■ Communicate results to the member states. To honor the objectives of the mandate given by the member states, there are a few things that we need to do:

29 Next Steps ■ Once the technical areas have defined the results of the mandate-driven activities, the Member States will have an analytical tool at their disposal to begin the process of establishing its priorities. ■ Emphasis will be on funding outcomes, less on inputs (travel, CPR’s, etc.). ■ Mandates should articulate expected results. ■ Focus on performance measurement. ■ The Organization is gradually moving from an input-driven budget to a mandate-driven (results-driven) budget.

30 VI ANNEXES

31 Annexes 1. Database - Sample Screen Shots List of Mandates for the Department of Legal Cooperation in 2006

32 Annexes 1. Database - Sample Screen Shots Mandate Status, Activities, Results and Budgetary Information Reported by Department

33 Annexes 1. Database - Sample Screen Shots

34 Annexes 1. Database - Sample Screen Shots

35 Annexes 1. Database - Sample Screen Shots Resolution Mandates

36 Annexes 1. Database - Sample Screen Shots

37 Annexes 1. Database - Sample Screen Shots General Report

38 Annexes 1. Database - Sample Screen Shots Statistical Report