INDEPTH: SUMMIT OF THE AMERICAS
Summit of the Americas
CBC News Online | April 5, 2006
In any neighbourhood, communication is very important. There are common interests to be shared, and grievances to be aired. That's the idea behind the Summit of the Americas. The 34 democratically elected heads of state of the Americas gather to discuss areas of common interest to residents of the hemisphere. There have been four regular summits so far, one summit on sustainable development, initiated by Canada, and held in Monterry, Mexico.
(Image courtesy OAS)
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There are no set rules about how often the summit will happen or who will host. Countries can offer, and the decision is made by the OAS. Between the summits, working groups and foreign ministers have regular meetings.
When it began in 1994 under the auspices of the Organization of American States (OAS), the primary goal of the Summit of the Americas process was a free trade agreement linking the countries in the hemisphere (the Free Trade Area of the Americas, or FTAA). But the trade deal is stalled, and has largely been overtaken by plans for global free trade.
A special summit in Mexico in 2004, initiated by Canada, focussed mainly on sustainable development.
When trade discussions were paramount, anti-globalization groups and many non-governmental organizations protested the meetings. But at the last meeting in November 2005, summit participants dealt with economic growth, social development and democratic governance.
Dozens of groups interested in Latin American development and democracy issues were invited. Canada held several roundtables with civil society organizations looking for ideas about how to deal with the region's problems - especially its widespread poverty. The final declaration from the summit focussed on job creation and democratic governance.
That didn't stop all the protestors, but Venezuela's president Hugo Chavez pledged to demonstrators to kill the planned FTAA. Several other countries, including Brazil, Argentina and Chile, say they haven't seen a deal they could sign on to. They say the opening up of trade isn't in their best interests right now.
Shifting politics in Latin America
For many, the jury is still out on whether globalization and integration are helping or hurting. Many Latin American economies have shown a recovery in the past three years. Uruguay in particular has seen notable gains.
Despite a United Nations report in 2005 suggesting that several countries, including Mexico, Chile, Brazil, and Ecuador were on track to reduce extreme poverty, the region still lags well behind its northern neighbours economically. Expanding trade has not narrowed the gap between rich and poor.
Many governments in the region are shifting politics to the left, with an accompanying dislike for the U.S. and western business interests. Chile and Bolivia have recently elected leftist presidents, and seven countries are heading into elections in 2006, including powerhouses Brazil and Mexico.
These are uncertain times in much of the Americas. They are also uncertain times for those wanting to do business there.
Canadian businesses are watching the region closely. One of the largest corporate investors in Chile is Canadian methanol producer Methanex. One of the largest fertilizer producers in South America is Canadian (Agrium). Brookfield Power (formerly Brascan) is in Brazil, Enbridge is in Colombia and Hydro Quebec is in Chile, Peru, and Panama. All part of the many billions of dollars Canadian companies have invested in Latin America.
While the declaration of the last summit focussed largely on job creation and democratic governance, there was also talk of creating regional trade agreements that exclude dissenting countries.
But all of this will likely wait until the World Trade Organization talks on world trade are concluded. The so-called "Doha round" of trade talks at the WTO may set rules that any regional agreements would have to follow.
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Summit dates:
2005: Fourth Summit of the Americas; Argentina
2004: Special Summit of the Americas; Monterrey, Mexico
2001: Third Summit of the Americas; Quebec City
1998: Second Summit of the Americas; Santiago, Chile
1996: Summit of the Americas on Sustainable Development; Santa
Cruz de la Sierra, Bolivia
1994: Summit of the Americas; Miami, Florida
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