Strategic Vision of the OAS 1

INTRODUCTION Like any regional organization linked to the United Nations, the OAS plays a crucial part on the inter-American and international stage in contributing to global peace and stability. There are many differences between today's world and that of 1948, and neither the Americas nor the OAS could be immune to that reality. However, the purposes and principles enshrined in the Charter of Bogotá remain valid and the member states are as steadfast as ever in their commitment to the values of democracy, human rights, security, and integral development. Currently, the main challenge comes from the impact of the technological revolution and globalization, which increase interdependence, integration, and a more-active involvement by other social actors, with new forms of communication, information, and linkage, that demand the definition of new horizons and headings to enable the OAS to fulfill its mission. Now more than ever, multilateralism--and the dialogue and cooperation that are an inseparable part thereof--requires an Organization that is more sensitive and closer to individuals, in which dialogue, cooperation, and the solutions developed through them help to harmonize national agendas with the greater global agenda, without blurring the separate interests of each state in the process or detaching it from the international context. The challenge is to modernize the Organization so that it can better confront the hurdles and risks of a 21 st -century world, joining efforts with other national and international players. Committed to a shared inter-American present and future, the member states have decided to endow the Organization with a strategic vision and guidelines that will inspire its array of organs, helping to mobilize and marshal all available resources, so that it can carry out its mission transparently, efficiently, and responsibly in order to obtain tangible results. The Strategic Vision does not seek at this stage to envisage all the measures and actions to be undertaken in a program or a specific time frame. Rather, it must establish a single frame of reference that will allow the OAS member states collectively to pave the way toward a solution for those areas where change or adjustment is needed. At this stage, we offer a Vision Statement and, by way of appendixes to outline the Vision’s scope, Strategic Guidelines—both general and specific to each pillar—designed to facilitate decision-making on the activities that make the Organization indispensable by giving it an added value that sets it apart from other international actors, as well as on those for which partners with greater capacities must be sought in order to deliver the awaited results. 2

The Organization of American States is an international political body of a regional nature open to the participation of all the countries of the Americas. It has an organizational structure, legal and political instruments, and its own resources for carrying out a mission oriented toward international peace and security, through dialogue and cooperation for the benefit of the well-being of all the peoples of the Americas. In the new multilateral context of the 21 st century, the OAS promotes and protects human rights; strengthens democracy; encourages multidimensional security strategies; and fosters the generation of national capacity-building policies and international partnership for integral development. STRATEGIC VISION STATEMENT OF THE OAS 3

- APPENDIXES - Strategic Guidelines a) General 4

The OAS is singularly well-placed to promote and facilitate political dialogue and should focus its unique drawing power on building strengths and consensus. On that basis, the OAS should bolster its political role in the Hemisphere by integrating the Summits process with the inter-American system's strategic programming process, revitalizing the role of the General Assembly as the supreme organ, and empowering the Permanent Council to plan and assess the Organization's activities. As part of a growing network of actors at the global, regional, and subregional level, the OAS should strive with those actors for practical and effective communication and partnership to achieve common objectives, so that the scale of its operational participation is fit for purpose. It should develop program-monitoring mechanisms that rely on tools to determine their cost-benefit by allocating funding consistent with priorities, tied to organizational strategic plans, and subject to regular reporting and evaluation, in order to ensure that they are satisfactorily completed on time. The Vision has as crosscutting themes substantive gender equality, international cooperation, dialogue with civil society, and regional integration. The OAS should strive for harmonious interdependence among its pillars: democracy, human rights, multidimensional security, and sustainable economic and social development. General Strategic Guidelines 5

Strategic Guidelines b) Specific to Each Pillar 6

The Democracy pillar is geared to the attainment of full democracy, with effective institutions that encourage free, active, decisive, and responsible citizen participation in a transparent, law-abiding framework. This leads to: Consolidation of democratic processes and modernization of electoral institutions in the Hemisphere, under the principle of non-intervention. Improvements in governance, transparency, and combating corruption. Consolidation of a culture of democratic values and respect for the rule of law. Equal participation by both sexes in democratic governance. Democracy 7

Human rights The Human Rights pillar aims to ensure the conditions for the full exercise of human through: Consolidation of the inter-American human rights system, with promotion and protection of human rights as its fundamental premise. Development and updating of international norms and standards on protection of human rights. Promotion and consolidation of a culture of respect for those rights by governments and societies. Support for the efforts of states to improve their regulatory and institutional frameworks so as to have in place specific mechanisms to ensure state protection for human rights and comprehensive reparation for their violation. Greater cooperation among states. 8

Multidimensional Security The strategic aim of the security pillar parts from the multidimensional outlook of the Declaration on Security in the Americas (DSA) and seeks its full implementation, directing efforts in order to: Realign the structure of the OAS and the security agenda to make them consistent with the multidimensional outlook of the DSA. Strengthen approaches that center on the human person, planning, and preventive action, giving emphasis to the link between security and social development. Strengthen regional security strategies; the institutional capacities of countries, including training human resources; and the OAS institutional framework, in order to respond more effectively to the challenges posed by the new threats described in the DSA. Foment a culture of awareness, so that institution-building incorporates multidimensional security as a policy indicator in all spheres of government activity and relevant OAS programs. 9

The strategic aim of this pillar is to capitalize on potential complementarities and synergies in order to help reduce inequality and advance toward sustainable social and economic development through measures designed to: Foster the progressive evolution of a lasting culture of integrality and sustainability in development that includes extensive training of human resources and national capacity building. Strengthen the inter-American system with a view to promoting strategic partnerships that identify synergies and avoid duplication. Support national efforts and high-level intersectoral dialogue aimed at developing global strategies to generate public policies and exchange best practices. Integral Development 10