The Inter-American Economic and Social Council (CIES) is an organ directly answerable to the General Assembly (Articles 52 and 69 of the Charter). Title XIII of the Charter determines its membership, duties and responsibilities. It comprises one principal representative for each member State, who is especially appointed by the respective government. Its purpose is to promote cooperation among the countries of the Americas in order to achieve economic and social development. CIES has a Permanent Executive Committee (CEPCIES), created by Article 96 of the Charter.

General Assembly resolution AG/RES. 1220 (XXIII-O/93) established the Special Committee on Trade (CEC) to replace the Special Committee for Consultation and Negotiation (CECON). The purpose of the new Committee is to promote trade liberalization and expansion among the countries of the hemisphere. Accordingly, its function is to serve as a forum for discussion and analysis of trade and trade-related issues.

The Inter-American Council for Education, Science and Culture (CIECC) is an organ that reports directly to the General Assembly (Articles 52 and 69 of the Charter). Title XIV of the Charter establishes its membership, responsibilities and functions. It comprises one principal representative for each member State, who is especially appointed by the respective government. Its purpose is to promote friendly relations and mutual understanding among the peoples of the Americas through educational, scientific and cultural cooperation and exchange. It has a Permanent Executive Committee (CEPCIECC), created under Article 102 of the Charter.

The Protocol of Amendments to the Charter of the Organization of American States, the "Protocol of Managua", established the Inter-American Council for Integral Development (CIDI), whose purpose will be to further cooperation among the American countries with a view to achieving their integral development and particularly to helping to eradicate critical poverty. CIDI will replace the existing Inter-American Economic and Social Council (CIES) and the Inter-American Council for Education, Science and Culture (CIECC) once the Protocol of Managua has been ratified by two thirds of the member States.

In keeping with Article 90.f of the Charter of the Organization, CIES and CIECC are presenting reports wherein they recount their activities. This section of the present Report will summarize some highlights of their annual meetings, the meetings of their Permanent Executive Committees and the activities of other committees and groups active in the area of cooperation for development.

The XXVIII Annual Meeting of CIES was held in Washington, D.C., April 21 and 22, 1994. The resolutions adopted were on the following issues, among others: horizontal cooperation; OAS support for the development of the member States of the Caribbean; CIES' participation in the reform of development cooperation and preparation of the Inter-American Council for Integral Development; an examination of the specialized conferences; the impact that the member States' failure to contribute to the voluntary funds has had on the technical assistance provided through plurinational projects or inter-American centers; program guidelines for the 1994-1995 biennium; support for the Special Committee on Trade; development and integration in border areas, and natural disasters.

The Twenty-fifth Regular Meeting of CIECC, mentioned in the Annual Report of the Secretary General 1993-1994, was held in Cartagena de Indias, Colombia, February 21 through 23, 1994. There, the main theme was captured in the Declaration of Cartagena de Indias, which is a commitment on the part of the member States to development programs and projects in education for democracy in both the formal and nonformal educational systems, with the support and backing of CIECC.

CIECC's participation in reforming cooperation for development was a major topic of discussion and led to approval of resolution CIECC/RES. 864 on that very subject.

CIECC adopted resolutions on other issues, among them the following: Proposed Regional Educational Activities Related to Solving Global Problems in the XXI Century: Minimum Agenda; Evaluation of Regional Programs in the CIECC Area; Multinational Projects as of 1996; Support for the National Education Plan of Haiti; Prioritization of Education in Technology at the Different Levels of Education; Protection of Children and Youth at Risk.

The Special Committee on Trade held its first meeting at the headquarters of the General Secretariat, May 16 through 18. During the proceedings the various sides of regional economic integration were discussed. A number of experts gave presentations concerning the main features of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) and the main regional and subregional integration agreements: ALADI, SICA, MERCOSUR, the Andean Pact, the G-3 Group, and CARICOM.

The General Assembly established an Advisory Group composed of nine high-ranking government trade officials designated by the member States. The Group's function is to discharge the mandate that the CEC assigns it and to suggest alternative solutions to trade problems which the Committee may then consider. At its first meeting, the CEC elected the members of the Advisory Group, who were the candidates nominated by Brazil, Canada, Chile, El Salvador, Guatemala, Jamaica, Mexico, the United States and Venezuela.

The Advisory Group met for the first time in Lima, October 6 and 7, 1994, with the Acting Chairman of the Special Committee on Trade presiding. To ascertain the present status and scope of the integration agreements negotiated within the region, the Advisory Group instructed the Secretariat to prepare an organized compendium of the regional and subregional integration agreements, bilateral agreements included, among and between the member countries of the CEC. Apart from the complete text of the agreements, the compendium is to include a detailed analysis of the provisions of each one.

The Advisory Group identified 16 topics or areas that should be studied to determine where the regional integration systems are similar. The Group selected the following topics or areas that might be studied first: standards of origin; settlement of disputes; market access; subsidies and dumping; intellectual property; services; investments; and the integration of countries of differing levels of development, with particular reference to those subregions or countries with smaller economies. As the priority topic to be examined, the Group chose a study on standards of origin in integration agreements, which is being prepared in cooperation with the IDB.

When studying the expansion, coverage and use of SICE, the Group suggested that to achieve a vigorous, up-to-date database and at the same time make SICE more important and increase its usage, the General Secretariat should embark upon a systematic program that would begin by collecting tariff information and import/export statistics from the member countries.

The Advisory Group asked that in his address to the Summit of the Americas, the Secretary General make reference to the work that the CEC is conducting and to the Committee's readiness to help implement any decisions forthcoming from the Summit that fall within its area of competence.

The second meeting of the Advisory Group, the purpose of which was to begin efforts to support the creation of a Free Trade Area of the Americas by the year 2000, was held at the Organization headquarters, February 2 and 3, 1995. Chairing the Advisory Group was the Deputy Minister of Industry of Peru, Mr. Jaime García Díaz.

The Joint CEPCIES-CEPCIECC Working Group, established by the General Assembly, began efforts to study and then recommend measures needed during the transition to the Inter-American Council for Integral Development. In this context, the Group studied how to put into practice, starting January 1996, the concept of cooperation as defined both in the Protocol of Managua and in the decisions passed by the General Assembly at the special session on Inter-American Cooperation for Development, while considering alternatives for the scenario with and without the Protocol of Managua in force.

To put that new general strategy of the Partnership for Development into practice, the Joint Group decided to examine and propose guidelines for a global cooperation budget for the 1996-1997 biennium, which it will then present to the Secretary General, who is responsible for preparing the Organization's program-budget..

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