Civil Society and Parliamentary Participation

Newsletters • October 2005 • July 2005 • June 2005 • April 2005 • March 2005 • February 2005 • December 2004  Reports • Multisectoral Meeting on   the Fourth Summit of   the Americas   (September 2005)

The Government of Canada firmly believes that all sectors of society should be engaged in the hemispheric process. This includes action groups, volunteer organizations, academics, indigenous peoples, non-governmental organizations, non-profit organizations, unions and the business community. The Government's policy of openness and transparency with civil society groups helps facilitate dialogue on Summit objectives and common issues affecting all citizens of the hemisphere.

Foreign Affairs Canada ensures that civil society's voice is heard by:

• holding regular consultations with Federal ministers and government representatives;
• supporting and holding forums and roundtables for information sharing;
• proactively communicating regularly with civil society organizations through newsletters and news releases; and
• financially supporting and contributing to the participation of civil society organizations in the Summit process, namely through the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA)

Canada has long played a leading role in the Americas in advocating the participation of civil society organizations in the Summit of the Americas process. Several international consultative events took place in 2005 to engage civil society organizations in the preparation of the Fourth Summit of the Americas agenda, Declaration and Plan of Action.

In early 2005, the Government of Argentina announced a series of eight thematic forums to be held in the lead-up to the Summit. These forums focus on key issues related to the Summit. The resulting discussions between experts, civil society and government representatives will help inform the Summit process.

The themes include: gender, labour, young entrepreneurs, human rights, children and youth, indigenous peoples and small and medium enterprises. The last forum to be held in preparation for the Summit is the 2nd Indigenous Peoples' Summit of the Americas October 27-29, 2005 in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

Other Links

• The President of the Inter-Parliamentary Forum of the Americas (FIPA) presents recommendations of parliamentarians in Mar del Plata, Argentina
• Civil Society Participation in the Summits
• Civil Society Participation in the Organization of American States (OAS)
• The 3^rd People's Summit of the Americas, Mar del Plata Argentina, November 1-5, 2005
• The 2nd Indigenous Peoples' Summit of the Americas October 27-29, 2005 Buenos Aires, Argentina
• CIDA-Funded Civil Society Organizations involved in the Summit Process