Points for discussion: Roundtable on the Special Summit of the Americas

What will the Special Summit be?

• A focussed political dialogue among our Leaders which will serve "to address social and economic development challenges and to strengthen democratic governance. This discussion will target reduction of poverty and inequity in the region by creating opportunities for all peoples of the Americas". (draft agenda proposed by Mexico)

• An opportunity to reinvigorate public confidence in our hemisphere and to renew a commitment to deepening hemispheric cooperation across the full range of our shared values, including democratic freedom and responsibility, cultural diversity, human development and security, hemispheric and global cooperation, stability, and well being for all our peoples.

• The Special Summit will not involve the elaboration of a new Plan of Action, but rather will provide an opportunity to assess recent developments and to highlight, in the spirit of the Inter-American Democratic Charter, ways to promote the linkages between good government and social and economic development.

• The Special Summit will serve to keep on track the comprehensive and balanced hemispheric cooperation agenda we developed in Quebec City, particularly as we head towards the next Summit of the Americas, to take place in Argentina, in 2005. It is important to continue building links between the various ministerial processes that are taking place periodically in the hemisphere (Health, Labour, Education, etc.), and through which we are developing and implementing sectoral action plans. The following meetings will take place in the coming months:

  • III Meeting of the Ministers of Health (September 22-26, Washington);
  • XIII Inter-American Conference of Ministers of Labour (September 24-26, Rio de Janeiro, );
  • III Meeting of Ministers and High-Level Authorities on Local Government and Decentralization (September 24-26, Cancun)
  • Foreign Ministerial-level Special Conference on Security (October 27-28, Mexico City);
  • II Meeting of the Ministers of Agriculture (November 11-12, Panama City) ;
  • VII Meeting of the Ministers of Trade (November 20-21, Miami);

Points for discussion:

• Democracy is the fundamental, shared value that defines our hemisphere, and full respect for democracy is essential to participation in the hemispheric process. Social and economic development are intimately linked with the health of democratic institutions, and good governance is essential to the development of our societies.

• Frank recognition of profound challenges to the social, economic, and democratic development of our region is our starting point. While growth is beginning to recover, the level of hardship across the hemisphere remains unacceptably high. Creating opportunities for all of our citizens, and targeting extreme poverty and fulfilling basic human needs, must now become urgent priorities. New, non-traditional security concerns have also emerged, which detract from social and economic development.

• Our commitment to the implementation of the Inter-American Democratic Charter across our societies, includes the promotion and development of the knowledge and culture of democracy in our hemisphere. Representative democracy and the rule of law are indispensable to building modern economies and political and social systems that promote equitable economic opportunities, accountability, transparency, security and stability, and full human development across our societies.

• Building on the recent Declaration of Santiago on Good Governance and Public Trust as well as the Consensus of Cuzco, there is a need to develop further reforms that are people oriented, and to go beyond elections to institutions that work - a professional public service; independent and effective judicial and economic institutions; effective ethical and financial codes for politicians, campaigns, and political parties; parliaments with the capacity to debate and improve legislation; ways to ensure a free and responsible media; and professional police and military services that respect the primacy of civilian authority. In many of our countries, there is an urgent need to strengthen the participation of indigenous peoples, communities, and organizations.

• It is critical to identify effective means of implementing the Monterrey Consensus and the Millennium Declaration in the Americas. The Monterrey Consensus in particular is a set of fresh principles upon which to build a new partnership in development, as well as a commitment to sound policies, good governance, and the rule of law. It concerns mobilizing domestic resources; attracting international flows; promoting international trade as an engine for development; increasing financial and technical cooperation; sustainable debt financing and external debt relief; and enhancing the coherence of the international monetary, financial and trading systems.

• Through the Summit of the Americas process, and in full collaboration with our partner institutions, we have made significant progress in developing regional priorities and mechanisms of cooperation. We have identified key governance and development challenges that have prevented our region from fully achieving prosperity and social equity within a democratic context. These include the need for widespread, quality education; expanded coverage of health and social services; strengthening our economies by encouraging the participation of marginalised populations in the formal economy; and the reform and strengthening of judicial, financial, and government institutions to ensure justice, security, and confidence in our societies.

• In order to better focus and increase the impact of development loans and assistance, and to better promote social development and economic capacity-building in target populations, we should look at developing more highly coordinated, strategic approaches among donor countries, partner countries, and hemispheric partner institutions - in particular the key role of regional development banks and new ways in which they might give greater priority to these themes.

• A shared priority is to reduce the vulnerability of our economies to the devastating consequences of financial crisis. There is a need for concerted efforts to reduce and restructure debt and the cost of debt, wherever possible, and to increase budgetary flexibility in times of hardship.

• Greater domestic savings should be promoted, such as through more efficient tax collection and pension fund reforms, and strengthening systems of independent, prudential supervision of the financial and banking systems. We might evaluate more effective ways to manage financial crises and to reduce the risk of their occurrence.

• Throughout the Americas, remittances constitute a growing and significant source of financial inflows to and within the region, estimated at some US$40 billion per year. The cost of transfers remains high, particularly for the working poor who often lack access to bank accounts. Financial authorities should be encouraged to consider ways to lower the cost of remittance transfers, and at the same time facilitate the linkage of remittances to opportunities to promote greater growth and the inclusion of marginalised populations in the formal economy.

• Significant progress has been made in recent years in increasing transparency and citizen participation in hemispheric fora, including in Ministerial processes. It is essential that civil society continues to participate in the building of a community of the Americas in order to foster a sense of belonging for all our citizens.