Special Summit of the Americas: Fact Sheet

When, where and who:

The democratically elected Heads of State and Government of the Americas will attend t he Special Summit of the Americas on January 12th to 13th, 2004 in Mexico.

Purpose:

The goal of the Special Summit is to facilitate hemispheric cooperation at the highest level of government in order to address current economic, social and political challenges in the region. Approximately one third of Heads of State and Government in the Hemisphere have assumed office since the Third Summit of the Americas held in Quebec City in April 2001. The agenda of the Special Summit will focus on three issues:

• Economic Growth with Equity;
• Social Development; and
• Democratic Governance.

Preparations:

The 31st Meeting of the Summit Implementation Review Group (SIRG) was held in Washington, DC on September 23, 2003. The purpose of the meeting was to prepare for the upcoming Special Summit of the Americas to be hosted by the government of Mexico. This SIRG meeting included discussions on topics such as the Summit Program, format for the Political Dialogue and considerations of the Draft Declaration. Countries were very keen on ensuring that this Special Summit remain focused on specific issues and support multilateral and national actions to solve critical problems affecting people in the Hemisphere.

The 32nd meeting of the SIRG will be held in Mexico City, Mexico on October 23rd –24th, 2003 and the 33rd meeting on December 8th-9th, 2003 in Washington, DC. For more information please visit the website.