Article 2 of the Charter of the Organization states that one of the essential purposes of the OAS is to promote, through cooperative action, the economic, social, and cultural development of member states. The General Secretariat provides technical cooperation, especially through the activities of the executive secretariats. The specialized organizations and conferences (see Chapters IV and V) and other bodies (see Chapter II) also provide cooperation for development. Other areas of the General Secretariat also provide development cooperation services.

This Chapter gives an overview of the technical cooperation activities in the CIES and CIECC areas. The annual reports of the inter-American councils spell out in detail the objectives and activities of the various projects.

EXECUTIVE SECRETARIAT FOR ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL AFFAIRS

The Executive Secretary for Economic and Social Affairs, who is appointed by the Secretary General with the approval of CIES, is also the Secretary of that Council (Article 122 of the Charter). The Executive Secretariat plans, organizes, and supervises the execution of cooperation activities approved for the area in the Program-Budget of the Organization. The programs of the Executive Secretariat are carried out through the departments of Economic and Social Affairs, and Regional Development and Environment.

1. DEPARTMENT OF ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL AFFAIRS

This Department is in charge of activities that promote equitable economic development in a number of priority areas.

Trade

The following training activities were conducted for public officials and private-sector representatives through the Plurinational Project on Trade:

• Inter-American Seminar on "Strategic Management and Trade Planning," Washington, D.C. Attending the seminar were fellowship recipients from Central America and the Caribbean, as well as officers from diplomatic missions. The academic activities were held at the Center for International Business Education and Research (CIBER), Georgetown University, Washington, D.C.

• Inter-American Course on "Trade, Investments and Services in the Caribbean Basin," Miami, Florida. This seminar was attended by fellowship recipients from Central America and the Caribbean, as well as local participants. The academic activities were held at the North-South Center, University of Miami.

• Central American and Caribbean Seminar on "Trade Relations and Export Promotion," San Salvador, El Salvador. In attendance were public officials and private-sector representatives from Central America, Panama, and the Dominican Republic, along with representatives from various national sectors. The activity was sponsored by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of El Salvador.

• "Third Course on Central American Trade Relations," Guatemala City, Guatemala. In attendance were public officials and private-sector representatives from Central America, Panama, and the Dominican Republic. Forty representatives from various national sectors also participated. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs sponsored the event.

  Several of these activities were held in conjunction with the North-South Center, University of Miami, and included horizontal cooperation.

  • The Inter-American Marketing Center (CICOM), headquartered in Rio de Janeiro, conducted training activities through 25 national and regional seminars and courses in Argentina, Brazil, Peru, Panama, the Dominican Republic, and Venezuela. Approximately 1,000 public officials and private-sector representatives participated. CICOM continues to provide technical support for introducing graduate courses in foreign trade to some universities of the region.

  • Technical cooperation focused partially on strengthening the institutional framework for export development. Areas of concentration were the requirements for access to the food industry and the international standards ISO 9,000 and 14,000 with direct applications in the lumber industry and the contract furniture segment of that industry. Seminars/workshops were held on these topics.

  • With the support of the Plurinational Project on Creating Business and Generating Employment (Latin American Module), a small industry and handicraft products show, organized by the National Association of Small Industry of Nicaragua (CONAPI), was held at the Convention Center in Managua, Nicaragua, parallel to the International Seminar on Small Business.

  • In conjunction with the Corporación Invertir (COINVERTIR) in Colombia a seminar/workshop was conducted in the cities of Bogotá, Medellín, and Armenia. The purpose of the event was to analyze strategic alliances as a tool for globalization of the economy in the current framework of the opening-up of trade. Also participating were representatives of several Ecuadorean institutions.

  • The project Strengthening the Modernization of Foreign Trade in Nicaragua was aimed at supporting consolidation of the market economy through specific actions related to foreign trade.

  • In the field of Export Promotion, the Secretariat is assisting the Barbados Investment and Development Corporation (BIDC) to identify licensing opportunities abroad and to forge business ties. A center has been set up at the BIDC for centralizing and distributing updated information on business opportunities, product licenses, and concessions.

  • Support was provided for the institutional strengthening of the Ministry of Trade and Industry of Belize through the provision of computers and a subscription to trade publications, and an internship at the "World Trade Institute" of New York on export promotion strategies. In addition, assistance was forthcoming for a group promoting craft exports to make a two-week visit to the United States.

  • The following training activities were held for public officials from port authorities and private-sector representatives: Seminar on Port Safety for the Control of Drugs, Chemicals, and Hazardous Materials. Bridgetown, Barbados. First Inter-American Course on Port Safety, Miami, United States. Second Inter-American Course on Port Administration, for Caribbean countries. Castries, St. Lucia. First Inter-American Course on Multimodal Transportation. Valparaíso, Chile.

  • Meetings of the Permanent Technical Committees on Port Administration and Port Operations were held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; the Puertos Amigos Program was reactivated, and in conjunction with the American Association of Port Authorities (AAPA), invitations were sent to the port authorities of Central America and the Caribbean to present candidates to receive fellowships for training at ports in the United States and Canada. It was also agreed that a port training program would be developed with Puertos del Estado, of Spain.

  • The following training activities were held in the customs area for public officials and private-sector representatives: Third Inter-American Seminar on Customs Valuation, Business Fraud, and Customs-related Crimes, in Mexico City, Mexico, with technical support from the customs services of the United States, Spain, and France. Third Central American Course on Customs Operations, in Panama City, Panama, with support from SIECA. Fourth Inter-American Course on International Customs Techniques, in Brasilia, Foz de Iguaçu, and Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Sixteenth Ibero-American Course on International Customs Techniques, in Madrid, Spain. Third Inter-American Course on Business Fraud, and Second Inter-American Course for Coast Guards, in Martinique, with the French Customs Bureau. And Second Course on Customs Automation, in Glynco, Georgia, United States.

  • Technical assistance was provided to some countries of the region in conjunction with the Customs World Organization, the Caribbean Council for the Application of Customs Laws, the Latin American Integration Association (ALADI), CARICOM, SIECA, and the Secretariat of the Mutual Assistance Agreement of Latin American, Spanish, and Portuguese Customs Directors.

  • The project Modernizing the Customs System in Ecuador is aimed at helping to improve the national customs system with a view to facilitating trade through training, specialized advisory services, and the acquisition of texts, specialized materials, and classroom equipment.

  • The purpose of the project Strengthening the National Customs School, in Peru, is to assist that school in Peru as well as the Andean School for Customs Training. Under this project, training activities were carried out and a data base of cases was designed.

  • In St. Lucia assistance was provided to establish the National Standards Board through advisory services in technical matters, personnel training, and the acquisition of basic equipment.

  • In Bolivia support was given to founding the Customs Training School. The Seminar on Customs Auditing was held in La Paz, with 42 participants.

  • The main objective of the Customs Training project in Grenada is to help establish a training unit. The Course on GATT Value and Business Fraud was organized in conjunction with the Customs Department.

Taxation and Financial Management

• In Colombia technical cooperation was provided to the National Planning Department (DNP) through the project Support for the Enhancement of National Public Administration. Support has been provided for developing management methods and promotion and dissemination strategies.

• In Guatemala Phase IV of the Training Program for Public Health Staff in Project Design and Evaluation was carried out; 16 courses were offered for a total of 340 participants from departmental and municipal offices.

• The Department participated in the Second Seminar on the Design, Evaluation, and Management of Public Investment Projects, given by the Inter-American Taxation and Financial Management Center (CITAF). The Seminar included discussion of the horizontal cooperation experience with Mexico in the Training Project for Project Design and Evaluation. The Department also participated in the Seminar on Strengthening Teaching and Learning, given by the Nacional Financiera (NAFIN) in Mexico City, Mexico, whose objective was to further knowledge about the teaching of project design.

• The Inter-American Taxation and Financial Management Center (CITAF) continued to provide technical cooperation services to the authorities of Argentina and Uruguay on issues related to tax harmonization in MERCOSUR. Technical advisory services were provided to the Ministry of Economy, Public Works and Services of Argentina in relation to the United Nations Model Convention to Avoid Double Taxation between Developed Countries and Developing Countries. Academic advisory services were provided to support the organization of inter-American courses on public investment projects in Mexico, training programs on government financial management in the provinces and municipalities, as well as tax reform, in Argentina, and the preparation of investment projects in Guatemala. CITAF has initiated a technical assistance program on issues related to the state reform process.

The following courses were offered by CITAF:

Regional Seminar in preparation for the Fifth Inter-American Course on the Design, Evaluation, and Management of Public Investment Projects (in Buenos Aires, February 14-17); Second Inter-American Seminar on the Design, Evaluation, and Management of Investment Projects (in Buenos Aires, March 29-31), for which the Argentine Horizontal Cooperation Fund financed fellowships for eight participants; Fifth Inter-American Course on the Design, Evaluation, and Management of Public Investment Projects (in Buenos Aires, May 17-June 16); Regional Training for Trainers Seminar (in Trinidad and Tobago, May 13-16); Regional Seminar on Strengthening Teaching (in Mexico City, July 3-7); Regional Workshops on Quantitative Fiscal Analysis (Buenos Aires, June 26-July 5 and November 20-24); Regional Seminar on University Management and Cost: Guidelines for Budgeting (Mendoza, Argentina, July 4-7); Course on Strengthening the Value-Added Tax in Central America (Costa Rica, September 25-October 9); Training Course on Financial Management (Costa Rica, September 25-October 6); Inter-American Course on Financial Management (Buenos Aires, October 17-November 24); Inter-American Course on the Effects of Taxation on International Trade and Economic Integration (Buenos Aires, November 6-December 1), 16 participants;Basic Regional Course on the Design, Evaluation, and Management of Public Investment Projects (Uruguay, November 13-December 15). CITAF also participated in several national courses in Argentina, undertook several research projects, and prepared 21 papers for presentation in various courses and seminars.

Investment Projects and Programming

• The project Improvements in the Public Sector Investment Program Unit (PSIPU) of Belize, carried out in conjunction with the Ministry of Economic Development, involved the installation of a computer system and financing for a staff member to take a course on project management in the United States.

• In Colombia, through the project Strengthening Mexico's Provision of Technical Cooperation to the Countries of Latin America and the Caribbean, assistance was provided to the Ministry of Communications to draw up a National Plan for the Assignment of Radio Frequencies and a management system and automated control of the radio spectrum.

• In conjunction with the Telecommunications Research Center of Colombia, a three-day forum on the regulation of telecommunications was organized for the Tenth National and First Andean Congress of Telecommunications, held in Cartagena.

• An International Seminar on National Investment Projects Banks has been programmed to introduce Colombia's experience with Project Banks to the representatives of other governments.

• In Honduras advisory services continued to be provided for the process of privatization and/or opening up to private investment of infrastructure sectors. Through horizontal cooperation technical assistance was provided to revise the Draft Law on Concessions.

• In Nicaragua technical assistance was provided, also through horizontal cooperation, for the development of a strategy for privatizing transport services offered by Managua's international airport.

• An agreement was concluded between the Government of Panama and the General Secretariat of the OAS to provide general technical cooperation to strengthen the privatization process, an area in which advisory services have been provided in several cases.

• In St. Kitts and Nevis the project Strengthening of Institutional Capacity developed a central data system, the Agricultural Database Management System (ADMS), for the Ministry of Agriculture to record and analyze data and agricultural information crucial for project management. The project Improvements in Planning and Management Systems facilitated the provision of computer systems to the planning units of both islands and assisted the Nevis Planning Unit with the design of a computerized information system for the public investment program.

• In conjunction with the FAO and the European Union, the OAS has provided technical and financial assistance to St. Lucia under the Agricultural Census and Sectoral Planning project, the aim being to carry out the agricultural census.

• Training for an official from the Ministry of Industry and Commerce in London was financed as part of the Consumer Development Program.

• The Seminar on Opportunities for Investment, Trade, and Development of Telecommunications was carried out in cooperation with the Institute of the Americas. During the event, participants examined the new opportunities and challenges in this sector in Latin America. It was held at Santa Clara, California.

Capital Markets

In conjunction with the Secretariat of the Caribbean Community, studies have been undertaken with a view to the development and integration of capital markets in the member countries of CARICOM and the countries of the Group of Three (Colombia, Mexico, and Venezuela). These studies were the basis for a conference on the Development and Integration of Capital Markets in the Region. The event was held in Jamaica in cooperation with the CARICOM Secretariat and the Mona Institute of Business of the University of the West Indies. The conference brought together high-level officers of the central banks, agencies in charge of regulating capital markets, including the stock market, and representatives of private banks, financial companies, investors, and academic institutions.

Small- and Medium-sized Enterprises and Microenterprises

• The Plurinational Business Ventures and Job Creation Project offered technical support to 18 countries through 18 internships (Latin America Module), five horizontal cooperation activities, and eight consultations involving five countries, to strengthen the operational capacity of small business associations. The Project sponsored and provided advisory services for the Sixth Congress of Small- and Medium-sized Enterprises in Latin America and the Caribbean in Managua, Nicaragua. Representatives from 15 countries of Latin America and the Caribbean participated, the aim being to come to an agreement on mechanisms to enable the sector to step up regional trade and take action in one of its lines of action, "Poverty- Employment-Small Enterprise." Support was provided to the Latin American and Caribbean Confederation of Small- and Medium-sized Industry (CLAMPI) for preparation of the 1995 work plan and a proposal involving four projects for development of the sector, and for preparation of a manual on small enterprise fairs and shows. Equipment was supplied to the Central American Small Enterprise (Confederación Centroamericana de la Pequeña Empresa - CONCAPE). Making use of the horizontal cooperation mechanism, support was provided to conduct the Workshop on Computer Applications in Small- and Medium-sized Enterprises in Guatemala, and to prepare a proposal for a Training Program for Business Leaders as well as an inter-American course to train trainers.

• Three plurinational projects were carried out for the Caribbean area: Creating and Developing Businesses in the Caribbean Islands; Creating Business and Generating Employment in the Caribbean; and the Workshop Program of the Inter-American Conference of Ministers of Labor. Activities were geared towards increasing the financial and technical resources available to member states for the development of long-term business strategies in the Caribbean. An effort was also made to better coordinate and integrate policies and programs in the region as related to small-sized enterprises. In conjunction with CARICOM, an education and entrepreneurial development fund was proposed to accomplish these goals.

• A series of national and regional consultations were held to help member states obtain external financing and improve technical assistance for existing programs and to identify priority areas in which additional services and financial assistance might be needed.

• In Costa Rica, technical advisory services are being offered to the Department of Industry (Dirección General de Industria) and Industrial Information Center, both of the Ministry of Economics, Industry, and Commerce, to support its Industrial Modernization program, the creation of a Guaranty Fund for Small- and Medium-sized Industry, and an Investment Fund for the Modernization of Industry.

• In El Salvador, the project to set up and launch operations of the Microentrepreneurial Training School was completed; the school offers training to microentrepreneurs to improve managerial and marketing skills, as well as credit management.

• Mexico is the center of the Program for Strengthening Mexico's Technical Cooperation with Countries of Latin America and the Caribbean, which covers technical internships, specialized advisory services, and training. The project is being carried out through an agreement between the OAS and the Government of Mexico. In addition, the Program to Support Micro-enterprise and Small-and Medium-sized Enterprises (PROAME) is being carried out with funding from external sources.

• In Nicaragua, the project in support of the National Association of Small Industry (CONAPI), which seeks to strengthen operational capacity in the areas of identification of projects and marketing channels, was completed.

• In Panama, cooperation with the Small Business Bureau under the Ministry of Commerce and Industry in designing, setting up, and operating a computerized system was completed. As a result, the operations of the departments of Credit and Operations, Development and Management, Technical Assistance and Training, Official Records, Office of the Director General, and Secretariat have all been pulled together in a single network.

• In Paraguay, the Project on Strengthening of Municipal Government for Local Development continues. Through this project support is being provided to 16 municipalities of the interior. Cooperation involves installing and operating the Automated Comprehensive Municipal Management System (SIGMA), which will enable the municipalities to substantially increase their tax revenues, which can then be used for productive local development.

• In the Dominican Republic technical advisory services are being provided to the Dominican Confederation of Small- and Medium-sized Business (CODOPYME) to design and implement a series of surveys for small businesses. The purpose of the surveys is to identify areas that could benefit from technology improvements, market expansion, manpower training, job creation, and managerial training.

• In Venezuela cooperation with the Small- and Medium-sized Industrial Productivity Center (CEPROPMI) was concluded; the objective was to enhance productivity and quality control in the medium-sized business sector.

Social Development and Poverty

• In carrying out the Plurinational Project for Cooperation in the Fight Against Critical Poverty, the Department provided cooperation and fostered technical exchange through social investment funds, institutions and programs for overcoming poverty in the member countries, ministries of labor, and public and private organizations associated with and participating in programs and projects in this area.

• Three seminar-workshops were held: Poverty and Youth in the English-speaking Caribbean Countries and Suriname, in Trinidad and Tobago; Sustainability of Social Investment Projects, in Bolivia; and Evaluation and Monitoring of the Results of Social Funds and Programs in Latin America and the Caribbean, held in Colombia, with UNDP support.

• The Second Conference of the Social Network of Latin America and the Caribbean was held in the Dominican Republic. Participants included 49 high-level executives and technical staff from national institutions responsible for policies and programs to fight poverty in 22 countries, as well as observers from international and regional cooperation agencies. The Declaration of Santo Domingo was adopted with specific recommendations being made to direct national and regional activities; areas of cooperation and technical exchange among the countries were defined, as set forth in the Plan of Action.

• The Department sponsored horizontal cooperation activities in the form of internships, visits to observe projects in progress, and sharing of information and methodologies among institutions and programs in Bolivia, Belize, Chile, Costa Rica, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Trinidad and Tobago, and Venezuela.

• Advisory services were provided to the Regional Commission on Social Issues of Central America (ST/CRAS). The aim was to carry out a comparative study of the legal framework that regulates the private sector in each country with a view to ascertaining the possibility of earmarking resources, through specific mechanisms, to support programs and projects aimed at local development and addressing critical poverty. Based on that study, a technical seminar was held in Costa Rica. Private business representatives from the countries of the subregion participated in that seminar.

• Mar del Plata, Argentina, was the venue for the Seventeenth Inter-American Course on International Migration, sponsored by the OAS, the International Organization for Migration, and the Government of Argentina. The objective was to train staff of government institutions involved in international migration with a view to modernizing the systems for regulating and orienting the movements of the working population.

• Technical assistance and logistical support were provided to the Government of Guatemala for setting up systems for registering and returning seasonal migrant workers who do agricultural work in the states that share borders with Mexico.

• The population estimates for Costa Rica, Panama, and the Dominican Republic were updated and published as part of the series "Migraciones Laborales en América Latina."

• The following activities under the national projects merit special mention:

Under the Social and Agricultural Development Project in Dominica activities to address situations of extreme poverty in 16 rural areas have been intensified by organizing and fostering the joint participation of local governments and institutions, community groups, and parents' associations, using selected schools as a base.

In Haiti cooperation was provided for defining and drawing up the proposal to implement the Solidarity and Municipal Rehabilitation Plan, which seeks to eradicate critical poverty.

The Project Support for the International Technical Cooperation Program of the National Solidarity Program of the Social Development Secretariat of Mexico continues to cooperate in implementing horizontal cooperation activities between Mexico and the rest of Latin America and the Caribbean, through projects and specific actions to support programs to overcome poverty in countries of the region. With the Project Technical Cooperation for Social, Indigenous, and Nongovernmental Organizations, support continues to be channelled to strengthen the managerial capacity of networks of social organizations and their members in areas afflicted by critical poverty in eight states and the Federal District, where activities are being carried out in the areas of training, communication, and mobilization of resources for productive, sociocultural, and environmental projects.

The project Special Programs of the National Fund for Peace (FONAPAZ) of Guatemala is intended to lay the groundwork for the reintegration of displaced persons and to set up the infrastructure for the process of disarmament and demobilization when the peace agreements are signed.

The aim of the project Support for the Property Stabilization Plan in the Reformed Sector is to support the efforts of the Nicaraguan Government in the process of titling, legalization, and transfer of rural properties to landless peasants, with special priority to the demobilized population.

The project Job Promotion and Creation is carried out through Panama's Ministry of Labor to determine the possibilities for job creation in the Panama City metropolitan area. The final evaluation report was produced during this period; the project was implemented in the previous biennium.

• Several projects were undertaken under the National Technical Cooperation Programs to assist member states in their efforts to achieve social development and eradicate poverty. These activities included The Belize Youth Start Plan, which sets forth an integrated method of training for remunerated work and self-employment.

• The Surveys Project of Belize helps the Central Statistics Office of Belize to increase its ability to conduct surveys on poverty, the working population, and households.

• In The Bahamas the Youth Enterprise Project trained more than 200 people in management. Under this project a center was also established to provide assistance for developing medium-sized enterprises, with support from the Ministry of Youth and Culture.

• Under the Youth Enterprise Project of Barbados a plan was established, with the financial support of the Youth Business Trust, to train and provide extension services to young entrepreneurs who are starting a business. Support was also provided to expand the Barbados Youth Service and to a project of the youth community of Barbados. Also in Barbados an income generation program was carried out for the community with the assistance of the Department of Community Development.

• In conjunction with the Jamaica Tourist Board, 200 people received training and assistance in self-employment initiatives or in setting up microenterprises related to the tourism sector in Negril and Montego Bay, under the Small Business Development project.

• The project Job Creation and Youth Development used three nongovernmental organizations for its implementation: i)The rehabilitation unit at Mona increased its ability to manufacture and sell prosthetic devices (wheel chairs, artificial legs); ii) Operation Friendship implemented new methods of training in the use of machinery for youth in the cities; and iii) the Combined Disabilities Association trained deaf persons in basic computer skills.

• In conjunction with the Social Development Commission, the Business Training Project trained personnel from the Commission in business planning and fundamentals of management.

• In Dominica, the Youth Skills Training project has offered training in technical areas related to building construction and maintenance. The students have applied their skills to repair primary schools, health centers, and other public buildings damaged by hurricanes Luis and Marilyn. As part of the Small Business Project in rural areas, training was provided to youth in the delivery of support services for assisting farmers to prepare and harvest the land.

• In St. Kitts and Nevis the work force survey was completed. A decision was made to establish a Labor Information System to provide data on employment to persons making economic decisions in the government and private sector. A household survey on family spending has begun.

• The Inter-American Center for Social Development (CIDES) carried out training activities that benefited a total of 105 participants from 31 countries of the region. In April CIDES, in conjunction with the Government of Trinidad and Tobago, offered the Subregional Seminar on Poverty and Young People for the English-Speaking Countries of the Caribbean and Suriname. In coordination with the Government of Venezuela, CIDES carried out the Andean Subregional Course on Policies for Poverty Eradication and Social Management. The Inter-American Course on Social Policies and Programs to Overcome Poverty was held at the Center's headquarters. The Inter-American Technical Seminar on Programs to Overcome Poverty was conducted in conjunction with the Government of Argentina.

Latin American and Caribbean Integration

• Under the Program of Cooperation for Central American Integration, established pursuant to the SICA/OAS cooperation agreement, support was given to the Workshop on Food Safety, Production and Marketing of Bread, and the Social Communication for the Integration of Central America program. These projects are being carried out in the context of integration of the border areas among El Salvador, Honduras, and Guatemala.

• Support was provided to a project on Consolidation of the Integration Process through Incorporation of the Forum of Vice Presidents into the SICA Information Services Network.

• Progress was made in the Tax Harmonization Program of Central America and Panama. Activities for holding the third meeting on Integration of Central America and the Caribbean were coordinated, and involved the participation of the General Secretariats of SICA, SIECA, and CARICOM, the Executive Directors of the Federation of Private Entities of Central America and Panama (FEDEPRICAP), the Caribbean Association of Commerce and Industry (CAIC), and the presidents of the business associations of both subregions.

• In the context of cooperation between the Group of Three and the Caribbean activities have been coordinated in connection with: i) the process of integration with Central America, and ii) the marketing of crafts on the U.S. market.

• Activities carried out with the Andean Group are focused in two areas: i) strengthening of the Andean Parliament and its programs to support the national legislatures of the region, and ii) support for reactivating the Simón Rodríguez Agreement on social integration.

• The Seminar on Publicizing MERCOSUR in the United States is being carried out jointly with the Graduate School of Economics of the Universidad Católica of Argentina, and in the context of the Miami conference of the Caribbean Latin American Action (CLAA).

Technological Development

With support from the Plurinational Project to Create Business and Generate Employment (Latin American Module), a national survey of the bread-making industry was carried out in the Dominican Republic with a view to designing a program for technological improvement of the process of producing bread and related products. In addition, a proposal was drawn up for an energy reconversion project. Under that project, firewood, now used as fuel, would be replaced by gas, thereby reducing environmental damage.

Other Activities

• The Inter-American Statistical Training Center (CIENES) focused its inter-American activities on four priority areas: i) it conducted five workshop-courses and workshop seminars on Social and Poverty Statistics in five countries of the region; ii) the Center gave a course on Environmental Statistics and Sustainable Development at its headquarters in Santiago, Chile; iii) in the area of International Economics and Regional Integration, a workshop-course was offered at headquarters, and two subregional seminars were held elsewhere (one in Barbados, the other at the University of Miami) for 13 English-speaking Caribbean countries; and iv) in the area of Statistics and Computer Applications, six inter-American workshop courses and seminars were given (one by CICAD), along with two subregional workshop courses and one national seminar given by CICAD at CIENES headquarters. In addition, special attention was given to carrying out eight applied research projects on priority issues in the region.

• In 1995, a total of 467 participants from 28 member countries of the OAS attended the various inter-American training courses and seminars offered by CIENES.

• The following activities were carried out in the area of statistical analysis and services and informatics: i) obtaining, processing, and storing statistical information for the ECOSOC database; ii) establishing and maintaining the Statistical Information Center of the Department of Economic and Social Affairs; iii) analysis and dissemination of statistical information through the regular publications (Boletín Estadístico de la OEA and the Boletín Trimestral de Precios Internacionales de Productos Básicos); and iv) supply of statistical information to internal offices and outside users.

• The Economic and Social Analysis project has provided support to the fora of the Organization and its working groups by preparing informational, statistical, and technical documents and providing technical secretariat support. The project has also participated in technical seminars and has responded to several outside requests for economic information on the region.

2. DEPARTMENT OF REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT AND ENVIRONMENT

The Department of Regional Development and Environment provides technical cooperation and training in areas related to development planning, environmental management, and the design of investment projects. Activities are focused on integrated regional development, watershed management, integrated natural resource management plans (especially water- and land-based), preparedness for natural disasters to prevent loss of life and physical infrastructure, planning and management of national parks and ecological reserves, compilation of indexes of information on natural resources and environmental conditions, reclamation of ecosystems, and the sustainable development of tourism.

The amount of technical cooperation resources provided to the countries came to US$11.6 million. Fifty percent came from technical cooperation funds of the Organization and the other fifty percent came from other sources, international technical cooperation and financing agencies, and donor countries.

Technical Cooperation for Integrated Regional Development Planning

Cooperation in this area is geared towards working with the countries as they plan the development of national subregions, using environmental management criteria. The objectives are: to improve quality of life, to maintain the natural resources base, and to minimize conflicts that stem from their use. The activities are aimed at designing and evaluating investment projects at the proposal, pre-feasibility, and feasibility stages.

A Project Proposal for Planning and Development of the Biological Corridor of Central America was formulated for submission to the Global Environmental Facility (GEF) for financing in the amount of US$23,200. It was approved by the Central American Councils of Protected Areas (CCAP) and Forests (CCAB), which in turn make up the Central American Council on Environment and Development (CCAD), and supported by the Twenty-fifth Meeting of Vice Presidents of the Central American Isthmus.

In Brazil, the Irrigation Secretariat of the Ministry of Environment, Water Resources, and the Legal Amazonia continued to receive assistance for activities involving technical-institutional support and supervision of the implementation of irrigation projects in the ten states participating in the Program. Support was provided to strengthen the technical and managerial expertise of the state coordination agencies in the area of irrigation projects. The Government of Brazil is financing implementation of this project with a World Bank loan; in 1995, US$500,000 were provided.

In Guyana, implementation of the Kimbia and Mainstay Regional Development Plan continued. Complementary studies were designed and initiated to implement the integrated development strategy.

In Mexico, the Project on Ecology-based Organization of the Geographic Regions with Priority Productive Activities is now in its fourth stage; its objective is to draw up proposals for regional planning and development.

In Suriname, a National Environmental Action Plan was completed; it includes the preparation of investment proposals for priority actions. In addition, the solar energy-based rural electrification project was designed and implemented, and the regional development program for the northwest region was drawn up.

In the Dominican Republic support was provided for drawing up the National Plan for Water Resource Management, and specific proposals were prepared as part of that Plan on watershed management, basic sanitation, hydroelectricity, and irrigation.

In Uruguay, the Second Stage of the Regional Project on Forestry Investment Alternatives was completed. It received a contribution of US$186,000 from the National Preinvestment Fund (FONADEP-IDB) and from the Forestry Office of the Ministry of Livestock, Agriculture and Fisheries. Similarly, the Project Uruguay's Transportation Alternatives in MERCOSUR is being carried out with a contribution from the Financial Fund for the Plata basin (FONPLATA) in the amount of US$397,900; the objective is to draw up a proposal for policy options, programs, and projects for national transportation in light of the requirements of the integration process.

Technical Cooperation for Watershed and Border Area Development

Studies on national watersheds and watersheds belonging to more than one country seek to develop multi-purpose strategies and projects; recommendations are to be made in the pre-feasibility, design, execution, and evaluation stages. Under the border area cooperation projects, the studies cover analysis and use of shared natural resources; facilitation of trade across borders; the development, integration, and use of infrastructure and services in transportation, communication, and energy; and the integration of tourist activities in development planning.

In Argentina and Bolivia, at the request of the Binational Commission of the Bermejo river, a proposal involving a preliminary amount of US$4.5 million is being drawn up for Management of the Water Resources of the Binational Watershed of the Bermejo River. That proposal will be submitted to the Global Environmental Facility (GEF). To prepare this proposal, contributions totalling US$240,000 have been received from the countries, in addition to which the GEF has provided US$231,000.

In Bolivia and Peru, the activities of the project Environmental Management of Lake Titicaca-Río Desaguadero-Lake Poopó and Salar de Coipasa System (TDPS System) were launched. The project has a contribution from the countries totalling US$160,000 and financing from the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) in the amount of US$318,000, for the first stage. With support from PAHO a study is being carried out on pollution problems in Puno bay (Peru) and Copacabana bay (Bolivia), both in Lake Titicaca.

In Brazil activities continued under the Program for the Development of Priority Areas in the Amazon Valleys (PROVAM), which is being carried out in conjunction with the Superintendency for the Development of Amazonia (SUDAM) of Brazil. During the biennium, the project had a financial contribution of US$977,000, from the Government of Brazil.

Under the Plurinational Project on Integrated Development of Border Regions in Central America and Panama cooperation was provided to the meetings of officials of the Forum of Central American Vice Presidents for updating the project portfolio and border development initiatives, and to the General Secrtetariat of the Central American Integration System (SICA), to prepare guidelines for border development. Support has been continued for the following projects:

Integrated Development Plan for the Trifinio Border Area (El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras): With a contribution of US$400,000 from the Government of Finland, cooperation was provided in monitoring the activities included in the Plan to Rationalize Energy Use and Environmental Management in the Trifinio border area in an attempt to support development and community participation efforts in reforestation and energy saving activities.

Project for Sustainable Development of the Guatemala-Honduras Border around the Gulf of Honduras: Technical cooperation was provided to both countries for preparation of the Sustainable Development Plan for the region.

San Juan River Basin Management and Development Plan: This project has financing from the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) in the amount of US$471,000, for the current stage. The objectives are to accomplish the environmental zoning, to define management units, and to identify and prepare a set of priority projects for sustainable development of the area.

Under the Plurinational Amazon Cooperation Project technical assistance continued for drawing up plans and programs for development and border integration in the Amazon region. This project has received additional financing from the Government of the United States, which came to US$238,900 in 1995.

In the Colombia-Peru Program, the binational marketing project was designed, the Development Plan was drafted, environmental zoning of the Peruvian area of the project was completed, as was the stage of review and adjustment of the binational projects which had already been designed.

In the Brazil-Peru Program the area's Development Plan was completed, as was the environmental zoning study of the roadway between San Lorenzo and Brasilia (Peruvian area).

Under the Bolivia-Brazil Program, the integrated regional assessment was prepared, and a start was made with designing the priority projects identified.

In the Brazil-Venezuela Program, the study of environmental zoning and planning and development of the border area between Vila Pacaraima and Santa Elena de Uairén was begun.

Preparation of National Environmental Action Plans

The national environmental action plans supply the governments with information on the "environmental situation", which enables them to adopt solutions and identify environmental management projects. Cooperation provided by the Department in this area includes the preparation of plans and projects for environmental management, pollution control, and reclamation of ecosystems.

In the Caribbean the proposal for the Project on Planning to Adapt to Global Climate Change was completed and submitted to the Global Environmental Facility, which approved financing in the amount of US$6.5 million. The OAS will be the executing agency of the Project, and the World Bank will be the implementing agency for the Global Environmental Facility.

In St. Kitts and Nevis assistance was provided to the Ministry of Tourism, Culture, and Environment to set up a new Environment Department.

In Trinidad and Tobago a project on Environmental Impact Assessment of the Southwest of Tobago was launched. The objective is to prepare an environmental management plan for the economic, physical, and social development of the region.

In Uruguay, under the project on Introducing the Economic Agenda in Environmental Policy, an initial estimate of the economic value of the country's principal natural resources was prepared.

Management of National Parks, Ecological Reserves and other Conservation Areas

The assistance provided to member states includes studies, planning, and management in the area of biodiversity (ecosystems and genetic reserves), national parks, and similar preserves, natural monuments, scientific preserves, and wildlife habitats and protected landscapes and seascapes.

In Costa Rica and Panama, the final report for the project on Institutional Development for the Creation and Management of La Amistad Biosphere Reserve was submitted; UNEP provided US$150,000 to help finance this project.

In Dominica an Integrated Plan for Expanding Infrastructure and Services of the Cabrits National Park was completed for the National Park Service. This plan makes provisions for improving the current conditions of Fort Shirley, new developments, and restoration work in four areas within the old military peninsula.

Natural Hazard Management

This involves technical assistance, training, and technology transfer to generate and use the information needed to evaluate natural hazards and to prepare studies to reduce the vulnerability of investment projects and of existing economic and social infrastructure.

The second phase of the Project on Mitigation of Natural Disasters in the Caribbean has been completed; the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) provided US$5 million over a five-year period. An analysis was performed of the vulnerability of selected power plants to natural hazards, and recommendations and standards were drawn up to be used by all members of the Caribbean Electric Utility Services Corporation (CARILEC). The Project also supports nongovernmental organizations in St. Lucia and Dominica by providing technical assistance and training to improve local construction so as to make it more resistant to hurricanes. The Project installed a computer model for evaluating storms at the Caribbean Meteorological Institute (CMI) in Barbados and prepared coastal flooding risk maps for the coasts of Jamaica. In the Dominican Republic assistance was provided for establishment of a nongovernmental institution to promote and support measures to prepare for and mitigate natural disasters at the community level, including private sector participation. Cooperation is also under way with the insurance industry in Jamaica and the Dominican Republic, and at the CARICOM level, to identify how to improve the availability of insurance and reduce the cost of catastrophe coverage in the region. Finally, technical assistance was provided to Dominica, Antigua and Barbuda, and St. Kitts and Nevis to develop and incorporate into their internal systems methods of evaluation, planning, and mitigation of the impact of hurricanes Luis and Marilyn.

In Central America, the Department is carrying out the Program for Reducing the Vulnerability of Schools to Natural Hazards, with financing in the amount of US$327,000 from the European Community Humanitarian Office (ECHO). The Department is coordinating efforts with the Ministries of Education of each country, based on the pilot experience in Nicaragua and El Salvador, to draw up vulnerability profiles for schools, which will be incorporated into building construction, maintenance, and repair plans.

In cooperation with the Central American Electrification Council (CEAC), and with a US$100,000 contribution from the United States Department of Energy, a study is being carried out on Vulnerability of the Electric Power Sector to Natural Hazards. The study will be the basis for preparing the Institutional Annex to the Regional Plan for the Prevention of Natural Disasters in Central America (under CEAC).

The Regional Program for Technical Cooperation with the Center for the Prevention of Natural Disasters in Central America is being carried out through a cooperation agreement between the OAS and SICA. Support is being given to the institutions in the sectors of energy, agriculture, transport, telecommunications, education, and health services.

The Program to Reduce the Vulnerability of the Highway System was initiated for the Andean and Central American countries. Under this Program the European Community Humanitarian Office (ECHO) approved financing in the amount of US$232,000 to continue training activities and to perform tests in pilot areas.

In Peru, the Program to Reduce Vulnerability to Natural Hazards continued, in cooperation with the National Development Institute (INADE). The UNDP has provided US$74,800.

With a contribution of US$232,000 from ECHO, a Program on Assessments of Vulnerability to Natural Hazards was launched. The purpose of that Program was to design a methodology for determining the vulnerability of the populations to natural disasters, and to enhance the effectiveness of their responses to mitigate their effects in the energy, agriculture, and transport sectors. The pilot stage is under way in Costa Rica, Ecuador, and Jamaica.

In Honduras, the first phase of the Flood Warning and Vulnerability Reduction Program was completed in the municipality of Arizona in collaboration with the Standing Committee on Contingencies (COPECO), and with financial support from ECHO, totalling US$69,600.

Organizing Information for Integrated Development Planning

Support is being given to the countries in the development of geographic information systems (GIS). The use of the GIS facilitates efficient mapping and analytical work. In addition, assistance is provided in establishing networks and databases.

In the context of the Plurinational Project for Compilation of Natural Resource and Environmental Indicators in the Americas, two seminars were held on classification of information on natural resources and environmental conditions. One seminar, on Lake Titicaca (Bolivia-Peru),was held in Lima, Perú and the other, on the San Juan river basin (Costa Rica-Nicaragua), was held in Managua, Nicaragua.

The Inter-American Network of Water Resources was established as an activity of the Inter-American Dialogue on Water Resources; focal points were set up in several countries of the Hemisphere. Drawing on a US$92,000 contribution from UNEP for 1995, work was begun on preparing directories of water resource organizations in the Americas.

Training in Environmental Management

The Department works with two institutions that offer training opportunities relevant to environmental management: the Inter-American Center for the Development of Waters and Lands (CIDIAT) and the Inter-American Center for Regional Development (CINDER).

• The OAS/CIDIAT Inter-American Program is engaged in training, research, documentation, and dissemination activities in environmental and regional planning and development issues. It has collaborated in the preparation and execution of the following activities: two Seminars on Technologies to Increase the Water Supply for Latin America and the Caribbean, held in Lima, Peru, and Bridgetown, Barbados; preparation of the Directory of Water Resource Training Opportunities in Latin America and the Caribbean; and the design of a node of the network to be situated at CIDIAT. The Program has conducted an Inter-American Course on Environmental Impact Assessment in Investment Projects, in Mérida, Venezuela, and the Seminar on Reducing the Vulnerability of the Farm, Energy, and Transport Sectors to Flooding in Watersheds at Foz de Iguaçu, Brazil, with support from the Ministry of Environment, Water Resources, and Legal Amazonia.

• The following activities were carried out under the OAS/CINDER Inter-American Program:

  A Workshop-Seminar on Trade and Environmental Management in the Context of Integration Schemes, held in Buenos Aires, Argentina. It was organized in conjunction with the Universidad del Salvador of Buenos Aires and was sponsored by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, International Trade, and Worship, the Secretariat for Natural Resources and Human Environment, and the Secretariat for Trade and Investment of the Ministry of Economy, Public Works, and Services of Argentina.

  A Workshop-Seminar on Regional Environmental Accounts whose objective was to exchange information on and assess the experiences of countries working to incorporate environmental accounts into their national accounting systems and to agree upon a hemispheric cooperation activity.

Research on the Planning of Environmental Management

The Department carries out studies aimed at improving its integrated planning and environmental management methods, and ensuring more effective technical cooperation.

The UNEP has selected the Department of Regional Development and Environment as part of an activity it is carrying out worldwide in order to draft the Manual on Alternative Technologies to Increase Water Supply in Latin America and the Caribbean. The two Workshop-Seminars noted above were held in Lima and Barbados as an initial effort. UNEP has contributed US$80,000.

Strategies and Policies for Sustainable Tourism

Sustainable tourism development requires policies and strategies that include the concept of natural resource management and conservation.

In Jamaica, training modules were developed to create and improve the ability to provide services in nature-based tourism areas. These modules have been used successfully in Barbados, Suriname, and Guyana.

In Saint Lucia, cooperation has been provided for activities to improve the facilities, marketing, and financial management of small hotels; to establish minimum standards for accommodation; and to develop a transport system for tourism.

In St. Kitts and Nevis, activities carried out involved publicity and community and school participation with the purpose of enhancing the value of the country's historic and environmental assets.

Formulating Plans and Projects for Sustainable Tourism

Policies and strategies for the sustainable development of tourism are being implemented through plans and projects. The Department is cooperating with the countries in a broad array of activities ranging from support for the development of specific tourist attractions to preparing Tourism Master Plans for the countries and the region.

A technical cooperation agreement was entered into by the Government of Antigua and Barbuda and the General Secretariat for carrying out the Program to Facilitate Development of the Parham Harbour Project. This two-year program provides support to the government in implementing the Parham Harbour Project, based on the guidelines of the Master Plan, which was prepared with OAS technical cooperation. The Master Plan was published and distributed and initial implementation involved the zoning of the Parham Town community, the design of the legal structure of the Parham Town Development Company, and additional engineering and environmental impact studies of the bay. Technical support continued to flow to the community's new cooperative.

In Costa Rica, in the context of the Tourism Micro-entrepreneurs Training Project, work has proceeded with the Costa Rican Tourism Institute to hold training seminars for micro-entrepreneurs.

Panama is receiving assistance totalling US$896,000 under the technical cooperation agreement between the General Secretariat and the Government. Of this amount, US$415,000 is provided by the Government to support implementation of the Panamanian Tourism Development Master Plan, which was drawn up with technical assistance from the Department. Assistance is being provided for preparation of the various investment projects that are part of the Plan.

In Nicaragua, the Department worked with the Ministry of Tourism on the design and evaluation of priority tourism projects.

In Guyana, cooperation is being provided for preparation of a National Tourism Development Plan. The purpose of the Plan is to analyze the country's tourist potential, demarcate the areas of tourism, and adopt comprehensive development policies and strategies. At the same time, technical assistance is being provided to prepare a Master Plan for the Kaieteur National Park.

In Jamaica, cooperation is playing a role in developing the outskirts of the Spanish Town Square and the Spanish Town Historical District, and to set up a visitors center.

In El Salvador, preparation of the Recreational Plan was completed. That Plan is based on the use of tourism centers located in national parks and other priority locations. Centers in a position to be privatized were identified.

Support for Cooperation in Tourism and Integration Systems

The Plurinational Project on Tourism supports the governments and private sector in their efforts to integrate tourism activities in various regions and throughout the Hemisphere.

In the Caribbean, public awareness campaigns continue as part of the Plurinational Project on Caribbean Tourism, in Barbados, Guyana, Jamaica, and Suriname in the form of action plans. Workshops on microenterprise management were held in Barbados, Guyana, Saint Lucia, Suriname, and Trinidad and Tobago. The objective of these workshops is to improve the quality of the product offered by small hotels directly involved in ecotourism. In addition, cooperation in tourism training and marketing is being provided to the Caribbean Tourist Organization (CTO).

Under the Plurinational Project on Tourism for the Central American Region, two studies were prepared to identify projects for development of integrated tourism circuits. The studies were on the Pacific Coast circuit and the Route of the Volcanos. A Regional Course on Planning and Marketing of Tourism Attractions was sponsored by the Ministry of Tourism of Costa Rica. At the request of the organization Mundo Maya, advisory services were rendered for preparing project proposals to develop integrated tourism products and for marketing and promotion.

In South America, activities were focused on preparing two comprehensive tourism development plans for two especially important geographic areas, the Amazon basin, for which the assessment was completed, strategies were defined, and priority projects designated; and the River Plate basin, for which the Tourism Development Plan of the River Plate Region is being drawn up. The work related to the assessment began recently.

EXECUTIVE SECRETARIAT FOR EDUCATION, SCIENCE AND CULTURE

The Executive Secretary for Education, Science and Culture, appointed by the Secretary General with the approval of CIECC, is also the Secretary of the Inter-American Council for Education, Science, and Culture (Article 122 of the Charter). The Executive Secretariat plans, organizes and supervises implementation of the cooperation activities approved for the area in the Organization's Program-Budget. The Regional Programs of which the Executive Secretariat is in charge are carried out through three departments: Educational Affairs, Scientific and Technological Affairs, and Cultural Affairs.

REGIONAL PROGRAM FOR EDUCATIONAL DEVELOPMENT (PREDE)

Inter-American Prizes

The Panel of Judges awarded the "Andrés Bello" Inter-American Education Prize to Carlos Muñoz Izquierdo of Mexico for his valuable contribution to educational research on determining factors in the quality of education, the relationship between education and the labor market, and the financing of education. In addition, an honorable mention was awarded to Patricio Cariola (Chile) for his outstanding work in education and his dedication to the development of educational information systems throughout the Hemisphere.

Regional Activities

Education and the Environment

In conjunction with the Department of Regional Development and Environment and the European Community Humanitarian Office, a workshop-seminar on mitigating natural disaster risks was held in Managua, Nicaragua (October 1995). It was attended by representatives from Belize, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, and Panama.

Pursuant to mandates from the General Assembly and CIECC, support was given to the Inter-American Network for Improvement of Environmental Quality, organized by the University of Western Ontario (Canada) and the Universidad de El Salvador. Through the network a subregional meeting in Mexico was promoted. At that meeting, approximately 80 research projects were presented. PREDE presented a study on the environment, education, and the new international division of labor, and provided financing for publishing the results of the activity.

PREDE produced two books on environmental education in Latin America, Educación y Medio Ambiente en los Países Andinos: Estrategias Educativas, and Formación Ambiental Participativa: Una Propuesta para América Latina.

Pilot Literacy Project in Haiti

Pursuant to CIECC/RES. 886/95, the Executive Secretariat of CIECC implemented a pilot project on literacy in Haiti. That project involved testing various teaching materials and methods which would be used later to carry out a national literacy campaign. The project will set up 150 training centers in the country's nine departments, to reach a population of 4,000 people—2,400 women and 1,600 men ranging from ages 14 to 45, who have not attended school, or who dropped out without learning how to read and write. To date the project has trained 300 monitors, 40 promoters, and 15 high-level staff from the Ministry of Education. Materials have been produced in Creole and distributed at the education and training centers in an effort to analyze the most effective way to get training materials to the most distant corners of the country, by radio and video, and by sending in trainers.

Comprehensive Preventive Education Against Drug Abuse

PREDE is carrying out this program in conjunction with the Inter-American Drug Abuse Control Commission (CICAD). The program's work plan includes priority actions in the countries of Central America, Panama, and the Dominican Republic. The main activities are centered on curriculum development, application of an evaluation system to the prevention programs, and dissemination of publications. The program received an additional financial contribution from the United States.

Inter-American Center of Studies and Research on Educational Planning (CINTERPLAN)

The following activities of CINTERPLAN should be mentioned: 8 seminar-workshops for training in educational planning and management, with 5 horizontal cooperation and technical assistance activities; implementation of a monitoring and evaluation system for the program New Argentinean School by the XXI Century; implementation in 8 schools of the State of Monagas, Venezuela, of a project on strategic and participatory school management. CINTERPLAN also participated in the National Commission of the project on staff development for the Ministry of Education in Venezuela; it participated in the Commission in charge of preparing a proposal for the structural and functional restructuring of the Ministry of Education in Venezuela; it was represented at the International Technical Seminar on the Ibero-American Agenda for the Future, which was sponsored by IDB, OEI, and the Spanish Agency for Cooperation. Regarding studies and research projects, 7 projects were developed on different aspects of educational planning and management in the region. The data-base of the computer software program DIERPE was broadened. CINTERPLAN issued 9 specialized publications that contain theoretical and methodological contributions on topics related to educational planning and management. During the XIX meeting of the Board of Directors, on November, the Chair of the Board received the Center from the retiring Center Director.

Publications

Three specific activities were carried out under the CIECC Information System (INFOCIECC): i) A total of 1,200 studies, research projects, theses, and dissertations related to regional educational issues are being selected, organized, and indexed; the index is being published in periodical installments in La Educación, Revista Interamericana de Desarrollo Educativo, and will be made available on the Internet to the countries of the region, beginning in 1996. ii) A Manual for Training Documentary Information Analysts for Electronic Networks was produced and is being used on an experimental basis in training courses organized jointly with the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) and the Center for Educational Research and Development (CIDE) of Chile. iii) The 1993 INFOCIECC Catalogue, containing the index of scientific and technological monographs was completed, as was the 1994 Catalogue, with an index of educational matters. They can be accessed, for dissemination and use, on the Internet.

Under the PREDE Publications Program three issues of the inter-American periodical La Educación were prepared; a special issue was organized to mark its 40th anniversary. The journal had an average circulation of 8,000 copies, and is distributed in 140 countries. In the INTERAMER/OEA studies and research monographs collection, a total of nine studies were published, and another 11 are in progress. These publications refer to the priority areas established by CIECC and have been widely accepted in international academic circles. The series of working papers has produced four new titles, and the EDUCA newsletter is being distributed on line.

The Publications Center now offers editing and publishing services to various areas of the General Secretariat. It has produced 28 publications for the areas of trade, human rights, democracy, economic and social affairs, CIM, and the Office of the Secretary General.

Multinational Projects

Multinational Project on Basic Education (MULTIPROBE)

The countries participating in the project undertook activities to reduce the drop-out rate and improve the quality of basic education through training for teachers, school administrators, and auxiliary staff in areas such as the creation, development, and administration of resource centers for learning; organization and management of multigrade classrooms; enhancing the teaching of language, math, and the natural sciences; early education programs, with the participation of the family and the community in general; training in social management for school administrators and teachers; and establishing educational information networks and services.

Equipment was provided to improve the development and production of printed and audiovisual teaching materials. The following events were held, among others: First MERCOSUR Congress on Educational Computer Applications; Seventh International Meeting of LOGO in Brazil; Third International Conference on Science Teaching in Jamaica; and with support from Argentina and Mexico, Panama hosted the Training Workshop for the Use of Technologies in teaching and learning how to read and write, and arithmetic. To contribute to the indigenous peoples' decade the project is preparing a report on a workshop on comprehensive services for children under six years of age from indigenous communities.

As part of its regional activities, the Multinational Project on Basic Education (MULTIPROBE) lent assistance to the Third International Conference on Science Education, organized by the Association of Science Teachers of Jamaica, the National Science Teachers Association (NSTA) of the United States, and PREDE-OAS, with the participation of 300 educators from the English-speaking Caribbean. Support was provided for the International Seminar on Quality in Science Teaching, in Colombia, and for the First National Congress of Science Teachers of Chile, organized by the National Association of Science Teachers, which was created with support from PREDE and the NSTA. In addition, PREDE participated in the Organizing Committee of the World Summit Conference of Scientists and Educators. Local networks and access to Internet nodes were established in The Bahamas, Barbados, and Saint Lucia. Support was also given to the establishing of an educational computer network coordinated from Costa Rica and the Revista Educativa Interactiva based in Curitiba, Brazil.

Pursuant to CIECC/RES. 894/95, the Third Latin American Symposium on Comprehensive Services for Children Living in Poverty was held in Costa Rica (September 1995). A total of 725 professionals from 22 countries were in attendance. The event benefitted from the advisory services of an inter-agency committee made up of staff from UNICEF, UNESCO, ECLAC, IDB, the World Bank, WOECE, the OAS, AED-AID, a consultative group on early development, and UNDCP.

Subregional meetings on the mental health and psychosocial development of children were held in coordination with six international organizations, and as part of the joint work agreements with the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO). Venezuela brought together delegates from five Andean countries, as did El Salvador with seven countries of Central America and the Caribbean. As a result, national plans were produced and are now being carried out in the countries.

Bolivia, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, and the countries of Central America have carried out multinational and national activities to strengthen the operations of the Learning Resource Centers to improve the quality of services for children under six years of age.

Pursuant to CIECC/RES. 866/94, the Multinational Project on Basic Education (MULTIPROBE) underwent an external evaluation by two consultants who visited selected countries to apply the evaluation instruments mandated by CIECC and to confirm in situ the information presented in the coordinators' reports. The evaluators highlighted the role of the project in promoting the quality of education, as a cohesive factor in the pooling of efforts, as a means of coordinating and facilitating professional interaction, and as a contributing factor in proposed policies and plans of the official institutions. Another key aspect is the capacity and experience acquired by the national teams during project execution, which made it possible for several of them to assume higher level responsibilities in other national projects.

Preliminary data indicate that during the six-year period MULTIPROBE trained 40,375 teachers, directors, and multiplier agents; produced 455 reports and documents to be used for the compilation and distribution of information; undertook 214 studies and research projects; and engaged in 89 activities related to the design of policies and strategies for basic education. The project evaluation will be published in 1996, together with information on the activities and results achieved over the six years.

Multinational Project on Education for Work (PMET)

Pursuant to CIECC/RES. 771/88, the Multinational Project on Education for Work (PMET) undertook the first regional study on links between formal and non-formal education programs and labor markets in the countries of South and Central America. This study analyzes the demands made on educational systems as a result of more free trade, greater international competitiveness, and the movement towards international economic integration, technological advances, and the new division of labor. A total of 14 Ministries of Education participated in the study; the results were presented in a seminar held in La Paz, Bolivia (March 1995). The outcome and recommendations of the event will be published along with the study.

The project made progress in the work of the regional on-line information network devoted to generating relevant data in the field of education for work. The network nodes were linked through the Rede Latinoamericana de Comunicação de Dados para a Educação Tecnológica (RedeLET), at the Centro Federal de Educação Tecnológica (CEFET) in Minas Gerais, Brazil, and at the Regional Center for Cooperation in Adult Education in Latin America and the Caribbean (CREFAL) in Mexico. Both centers have expanded the network's impact, training personnel in member states and using new equipment to stimulate regional research projects.

Pursuant to CIECC/RES. 866/94, an external and internal evaluation was carried out to assess project results during the six-year-period from 1990-1995. In this framework, personnel from the counterpart institutions in the participating countries were trained in methods for evaluating projects on education and employment for adults. The external evaluation was performed by independent consultants from Argentina, The Bahamas, and Canada to provide member states with objective data on the efficiency, relevance, and effectiveness of the project's activities since it was launched in 1990. The external evaluators noted the following project accomplishments: the Education for Work Network; development of a model educational program for street children; work to replicate the experiences that resulted from the project for training workers; and the publications of the Multinational Project. Preliminary data indicate that over the course of the six years, the Multinational Project trained 22,279 teachers, administrators, and multiplier agents; generated 494 reports and documents intended for the compilation and dissemination of information; performed 1,213 studies and research projects; and conducted 272 activities for the purpose of developing education for work policy and strategy. The project evaluation will be published in 1996.

Multinational Project on Secondary and Higher Education (PROMESUP)

The project stepped up its manpower training activities through courses, workshops, seminars, and conferences on management, budgetary procedures, accreditation and evaluation, educational quality, environmental education and indigenous education, educational technologies, distance education, and science teaching in secondary schools.

Argentina, Brazil, and Chile held the "International Seminar on Programs Background and Projections" (Santiago, Chile, June 1995). This Seminar was based on studies on each country, prepared by the Inter-university Development Center (CINDA). The final report will be published next year.

In Chile, in the area of management and evaluation of institutions of higher learning, the project designed and systematized methodologies for setting up policies and institutional mechanisms for exchange of experiences among the institutions of higher learning, through new paradigms for Latin American universities.

The University of Guyana and the National Institute of Higher Education (NIHERST) of Trinidad and Tobago worked together in carrying out the Fourth Caribbean and Latin American Conference on Languages, held in Georgetown, Guyana (April 1995). Participants included 174 specialists from the countries of the Caribbean, Central America, and South America.

In compliance with CIECC/RES. 895/95 support was provided to the First World Conference on Environmental Education (Caracas, Venezuela, July 1995), which was attended by more than 1,000 representatives of universities, environmental movements, official agencies, and multilateral bodies. Thirty countries were represented, including both government and nongovernmental representatives. Discussed at that Conference were strategies for the transition from present-day society to a more sustainable society.

Trinidad and Tobago conducted the Seminar on Total Quality Management, which was attended by 26 professionals from Trinidad and Tobago, Grenada, Guyana, and Panama. It offered support in the area of justice, providing training for 35 police officers to obtain the Associate Degree in Police Science and Correction Administration.

Thanks to action taken by Panama, Argentina, and Mexico, PROMESUP was able to support the efforts of the Ministries of Education and universities to provide teacher-training, especially in Ecuador, Colombia, Venezuela, and Brazil. In the case of Mexico, efforts to adopt new quality strategies in selected schools were promoted, and educational experiences gained by teachers, students, and industrial firms were integrated.

Colombia's national project held a workshop on Training in Conflict Negotiation, Peace, and Democracy Training with the Educational Community, which was carried out through the "Luis Carlos Galán" Institute for the Development of Democracy. This workshop was the outgrowth of an experience with the educational community of the District of Aguablanca, where the model was first developed. The necessary adjustments were made to adapt the model to the specific characteristics of the Department of Chocó.

The Universidad de la Amazonía Colombiana in Florencia, Caquetá held the Second International Seminar on Indigenous Education, as a contribution to the decade of indigenous people. Brazil, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Mexico, Panama, and Venezuela participated (November 1995).

In the framework of its regional activities, the Multinational Project on Secondary and Higher Education supported the development of on-line communication networks, helped secure access to Internet nodes, consolidated the operation of the Project's On-line Community, which was used for several real-time on-line conferences, and coordinated several multinational activities. Support was provided to the Inter-American University Organization, headquartered in Canada, for publication of the journal IGLU. Support was also given to studies on priority issues in the framework of prevailing economic trends and regional integration mechanisms.

Three consultants visited most of the countries participating in PROMESUP to carry out the external evaluation, in accordance with the mandate of CIECC/RES. 866/94, and to verify the contents of the baseline evaluation reports sent by the national coordinators. The external evaluators note that the PROMESUP upheld the criteria of equity, effectiveness, and efficiency that were laid down when it was created to benefit the segments of the population in countries participating in the project. They add that the accomplishments are not limited to meeting the goals and objectives set, but also that new resources were identified, making it possible to develop unanticipated potential. Preliminary data indicate that during the six years, the Project trained 14,119 educators, administrative staff, and multiplier agents; it generated 413 reports and documents intended for the compilation and dissemination of information, carried out 96 studies and research projects, as well as 240 activities related to developing policies and strategies for secondary and higher education. The project evaluation will be published in 1996.

REGIONAL PROGRAM FOR SCIENTIFIC AND TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENT (PRDCYT)

Technical cooperation has continued in an effort to bolster the scientific and technological capabilities of member states. Cooperation has been provided through multinational and national projects and regional activities.

Inter-American Prizes

The 1994 "Bernardo A. Houssay" Inter-American Science Prize was awarded to a citizen of Brazil working in the exact sciences, Jacob Palis Jr., for his contributions to expanding the frontier of mathematics.

The Inter-American Committee on Science and Technology, serving as the Panel of Judges for the 1995 "Manuel Noriega Morales" Science and Technology Prizes, awarded them as follows: in the biological sciences, to Dr. Pablo Vial Claro, Chilean, in recognition of his contributions to the diagnosis and treatment of infectious diseases; in the exact sciences, to Dr. Víctor Manuel Castaño Meneses, Mexican, for his contributions to electron microscopy; and in the field of applications of science and technology, to Dr. Avelino Eduardo Sáez, of Venezuelan nationality, for his research with applications in the oil industry.

Regional Activities

Commission for Scientific and Technological Development for Central America and Panama (CTCAP)

The Commission is the technical body specialized in science and technology, recognized by the Protocol of Central American Integration and by its Secretariat (SICA). The OAS has provided support to the Commission since it was formed and serves as its Technical Secretariat. The Commission met twice in 1995, under the aegis of the OAS, and once again in January 1996, to prepare a working document on the position of the relatively smaller countries for the Hemispheric Meeting of Ministers Responsible for Science and Technology. This meeting, called by the Summit of the Americas, is to be held in Cartagena, Colombia, in March 1996.

Hemisphere-wide Inter-University Scientific and Technological Information Network (RedHUCyT)

The Summit of the Americas explicitly acknowledged the work of the Hemisphere-wide Inter-university Network (RedHUCyT) and urged the universities, libraries, hospitals, and government organizations to gain access to this network. The purpose of RedHUCyT is to connect OAS member states to Internet, so as to form an on-line network for exchange of scientific and technological information among teachers, researchers, and specialists from several universities of the region. The project provides high-tech equipment and technical assistance, and sponsors technical seminars and workshops in the region in order to prepare projects, improve technical capabilities, exchange specialized knowledge, and train network managers in the countries. Significant collaboration has evolved with several organizations, including the National Science Foundation of the United States, the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), and the Central American Bank for Integration.

RedHUCyT has sponsored numerous events in the region in an effort to promote knowledge and experience in the developing on-line networks. It also supported connection to Internet, for the first time, in Bolivia, Honduras, Jamaica, Nicaragua, Panama, and Peru, among other countries. The Internet connection is either being implemented or being considered in Guatemala, El Salvador, Paraguay, Trinidad and Tobago, Saint Lucia, Belize, Barbados, and other Caribbean countries.

In the Caribbean region, the Caribbean University Network (CUNET) project was undertaken in collaboration with the Universidad de Puerto Rico, to establish an on-line network to connect institutions in the region. Technical assistance and basic equipment were also provided to Jamaica, to implement the national on-line network, thereby facilitating the country's connection to the Internet network via a high-speed satellite channel between Kingston and the United States. RedHUCyT has also supported implementation of a home page on the World Wide Web, specifically to facilitate access to scientific and technological information from the region.

OAS/GTZ Project on Quality and Productivity in Small- and Medium-size Enterprises

This project is sponsored by the OAS and the German Development Cooperation Agency (Gesellschaft für Technische Zusammenarbeit - GTZ). It is now geared towards strengthening the counterpart technical institutions in the 13 participating countries (universities, standards institutes, and technological institutes) so as to have more contact with industry and the capacity to manage total quality programs. Under this objective, priority is assigned to networking among the participating technical centers and expanding the initial experimental coverage. More than 1,450 entrepreneurs have been trained, and work is under way at 350 enterprises.

The Project also contributed to the First Inter-American Meeting of Accreditation Organizations which arrived at an agreement to create an inter-American cooperation mechanism for accreditation, which was considered by the working group on standards and technical barriers to trade, created at the Meeting of Ministers responsible for trade held in Denver.

OAS/NIST Project on Metrology for the Americas

The member states of the OAS have agreed to participate, through their national metrology laboratories, in the joint effort being undertaken by the Department of Scientific and Technological Affairs and the United States National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) to reactivate the Inter-American Metrology System (SIM). This mechanism seeks to harmonize measurement standards among the countries of the Hemisphere with a view to increasing cooperation in science and technology and promoting free trade by eliminating technical trade barriers. The OAS is serving as Executive Secretariat of the SIM, while the NIST is the Permanent Technical Adviser.

Connections were established to enable the Universidad Privada Boliviana to receive on-line information, courses, and conferences offered periodically by San Diego State University; technical assistance is being provided for the preparation and production of a strategic plan on standards.

Multinational Projects

Multinational Project on the Environment and Natural Resources

The Project conducted activities in training, extension, and the transfer of methods and techniques, applied research, and compilation of specialized information, all of which made it possible to carry out joint activities on regional issues which have little access to other sources of financing.

In the area of environmental planning, management, conservation, and development and natural resources, training was provided for government officials in environmental management and planning, in metropolitan as well as coastal and island areas of the Caribbean. In the area of management, conservation, and development of water resources, work was done on the characterization of reservoirs and natural lakes, and progress was made in defining and transferring methodologies for describing the characteristics and water quality of reservoirs. In the area of management, conservation, and development of the flora, useful plants were disseminated, active principles were identified and databases assembled. These activities were also carried out with respect to the management of wild species of neotropical fauna such as barnacles, turtles, and deer. In the area of evaluation and use of nonconventional energy sources, a network of stations was formed for evaluating solar radiation in border areas and for developing techniques for solar drying and distillation.

The Project also developed different regional activities through symposia and workshops on a wide variety of subjects, including sustainable development in urban areas in the Americas, science and technology policy and environmental legislation, environmental standards, planning for sustainable development in coastal and island areas of the Caribbean, intellectual property, compounds with natural biological activity, and resource conservation, as well as creating data bases of natural products. To disseminate the results, several newsletters were produced, and books on coastal zone management in Latin America and the Caribbean were published, along with the Manual of the DataBase on Flora of the Region. Support was also provided for establishing regional networks for dissemination. The Program was also involved in the call to compete for the 1995 Inter-American Environmental Prize and in a Seminar of Experts on Environmentally-Sound Technologies for Small- and Medium-sized Enterprises, which was held in Ottawa and brought together experts from the Hemisphere in Ottawa for activities aimed at bolstering the competitiveness of the productive sector in the region, while preserving harmony with the environment.

Multinational Project on Materials

Manpower training was provided in the area of technologies for use with metallic, ceramic, polymer, cellulose, and building materials, as part of an effort to support extending the limits of the performance and use of traditional materials, with a view to designing new and original materials.

The following are some of the regional activities carried out: Pan American Course on Transformation Metallurgy, in Venezuela; a seminar on Metallurgy of Dusts and Particulate Systems, at the Universidad de Chile; the Congress of the Colombian Association of Cellulose, Paper, and Cardboard (ACOTEPAC), in Pereira, Colombia; the Third Congress of the Latin American Metallurgy and Materials Association, in Antofagasta, Chile; and the International Conference on Evaluating the Integrity and Extending the Useful Life of Industrial Equipment, held in Bucaramanga, Colombia. In addition, assistance was provided for setting up and developing the Center for Training and Technological Development for the Paper Industry, based in Colombia, which will serve the industry in both the Andean Pact and Central American countries. At the Universidad Católica of Valparaíso a meeting was held to set up the NOTIMAT on-line network, an electronic bulletin board with Project news; this meeting was conducted in conjunction with the Government of France. The Project was also involved in the Round Table for Industrialists at the Meeting of Experts in the Area of Environmentally Sound Technologies for Small- and Medium-sized Enterprises, held in Ottawa (November 1995).

Various project activities have continued in Argentina, Colombia, Chile, Mexico, and Venezuela.

Multinational Biotechnology and Food Technology Project (PMBAT)

As indicated in earlier reports, the purpose of this project is to promote the adaptation and development of new technologies with a view to opening up new opportunities to increase farm production. The project supports efforts to solve the problem of post-harvest losses and to improve the quantity and quality of the final product of the food and biotechnology-based industries. The project also seeks to promote the mastery and dissemination of modern techniques, both at the rural level and in agro-industry.

The project is engaged in research projects, technology development and studies, manpower training, information, and policy-making and strategic planning. The activities for research and development of technologies are carried out by consensus with the countries and are based on three lines of action: Biochemistry and molecular biology, in particular biotechnological methods for the improvement and production of plant and animal species, and biological pest management; bioprocesses, i.e. research and development of enzyme technologies applied to the food industry; and food preservation and processing.

Significant horizontal cooperation has been generated, especially through the following activities:

A multinational data system on biotechnology and foods for Latin America and the Caribbean; a network for improving plant species for biological pest management, including both insects and plant diseases; and a network to improve animal species and for enzyme technologies.

Multinational Project on Microelectronics and Data Processing

The project has continued working nationally and regionally in its three lines of action: designing integrable electronic systems and integrated circuits; computer applications for industrial modernization; and establishment and standardization of data bases and national systems of scientific, technological, and industrial information.

The multinational project provided support to the following regional activities: Second International Course on Digital Processing of Images with Khoros 2.0, State University of Campinas, Brazil; the Second International Congress of Electrical Engineering (INTERCON-95), which was held in Lima under the sponsorship of the IIIE, CONCYTEC, and the OAS, as well as local businesses; the Second Quality Seminar on Microelectronics and Its Applications, co-sponsored by the Red Temática of the CYTED, at the offices of TELEBRAS in Campinas, Brazil; the Second Latin American Seminar on Advanced Control and Fourth Seminar on Identification of Systems, Estimating Parameters, and Adaptive Control (LASAC-95), in Santiago, Chile, which was co-sponsored by the IEEE, CONICYT, FONDEF, CSS, and the Third World Science Academy; the Workshop on Microcontrollers and their Applications, at the University of the West Indies, in Mona, Jamaica; the Regional Course on Designing Intelligence Sensors in Technology (CMOS), with the support of the State University of Campinas (Brazil) and CYTED (Spain) at the Universidad Nacional de San Agustín, Arequipa, Peru; the Second International Seminar on Microsystems and Sensors for Industrial Application at the National Institute of Industrial Technology (INTI) of Argentina; and the meeting "Towards a Definition of Applications for High-Frequency Circuits: Silicon and Its Compounds III-V," at the National Institute of Astrophysics, Optics, and Electronics, of Puebla, Mexico.

Work has proceeded apace on integrated circuits and integrable systems in Argentina, Jamaica, Mexico, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, and Uruguay to ensure the national design groups start off on a solid footing by acquiring higher-capacity computer equipment, accessories, VHDL software, MDS for MMICs, etc., thereby bolstering integration and horizontal cooperation through training activities. As the Multinational Project draws to a close, the region enjoys an infrastructure, human resources, and materials and tools that provide a firm foundation for attaining in the medium term a high degree of specialization in microelectronic design.

In the area of microelectronics applications to industrial modernization, Argentina, Chile, Panama, Paraguay, and Trinidad and Tobago continued to develop technological capacity in the area of intelligent sensors and their industrial applications in the assemblage of the Robotic Unit, offering support to medium- and small-sized industry with the development of devices and control software for small-scale production.

In the area of establishing and standardizing databases and national scientific, technological, and industrial information systems, Honduras, Paraguay, Uruguay, and Venezuela continued upgrading their databases and bibliographies, and establishing national networks on scientific and technological as well as industrial issues.

The Common Market of Scientific and Technological Knowledge Program (MERCOCYT)

The Common Market Program for Scientific and Technological Knowledge (MERCOCYT Program) is a multinational instrument of member states of the OAS. It is both a forum for hemispheric dialogue on scientific and technology policy and a mechanism for inter-American cooperation in science and technology, through the association of universities and centers of excellence, providing support to technological innovation in industries and public services, and working in collaboration with business associations and national and local governments. The Program is directed by a Permanent Committee made up of high-level delegates from member states, who are the executives of the national science and technology offices. Its areas of coverage are:

1. Forum on Policy, Strategy, and Tools in Science and Technology: for the hemispheric exchange of experiences in policy, strategies, and tools in science and technology.

2. Hemispheric Meeting of Ministers in Charge of Science and Technology: As noted above, a meeting of ministers in charge of science and technology has been scheduled. The purpose is to evaluate progress and to promote the Bolívar Program and the MERCOCYT Program of the OAS, and at the same time support the development of science and technology associations in the region, and explore a possible science and technology council. The General Assembly accepted the offer by the Government of Colombia to host that meeting in Cartagena. Reference is made to that meeting in the Plan of Action of the Summit of the Americas. The Preparatory Committee for the First Hemispheric Meeting of Ministers Responsible for Science and Technology took place in Washington, D.C. and adopted a timetable of periodical meetings and preliminary work in preparation for the event.

Studies on Technology for Development

As a contribution to the Hemispheric Meeting mentioned above, four documents are being prepared, on the following topics: clean technologies for sustainable development; technologies for social development; information and communication technologies; and technical innovation for competitiveness and international trade.

Subregional Meetings of the Permanent Committee Responsible for the MERCOCYT Program

A meeting for the Caribbean was held in Castries, Saint Lucia, to identify initiatives for hemispheric cooperation. A new meeting is to be held in Guatemala to identify cooperative activities by the Central American subregion with regard to the activities of MERCOCYT.

Technology Policy and Multinational Cooperation in Science and Technology

A document on the state-of-the-art in both Latin America and the Caribbean is being updated.

Scientific and Technological Integration Project

This project has four lines of work for the organization of inter-American consortia of academic and technical institutions: a) Exchange and linkage of highly-qualified human resources for which information on human resources has been compiled, systematized and accessed through Internet. b) Networks of Centers of Excellence, where activities have been conducted with the Alfa Program of the European Community, CINDA, and the MERCOCYT Program on technological management. The Government of Mexico made a contribution through Fund 33 for activities in the chemical industry, which in the first stage highlighted establishment of an information and communication system through Internet. c) Information system on scientific and technological activities for which an Inter-American Group of Science and Technology Indicators has been formed (ONCYT). It comprises official representatives to coordinate official guidelines and practices, and benefits from the participation of Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Chile, the United States, Mexico, and the National Science Foundation of the United States. A specialized publication is being planned. d) Dissemination of pre-competitive technologies of general application in businesses and in public agencies. In conjunction with the Ibero-American University Association at the Graduate level, work was begun to prepare written and audiovisual materials and to program multinational transmission via satellite of a ten-hour course on total quality management. The course will draw on the results of the pilot and promotional action undertaken in 1994 aimed at disseminating technological knowledge of general application to medium—and small-sized enterprises and public services.

Support for Innovation Project

The following actions were carried out under the project: a) Support for technological advances: working meetings were sponsored on information (Mexico, Universidad de Guadalajara), training (Chile, ALTEC), and institutional organization (Tienjin, UNDP), and arrangements have been completed for a meeting on financing to be held under the sponsorship of the Bolívar Program, in Caracas, in early 1996. b) In conjunction with SEBRAE, of Brazil, a hemispheric meeting is being organized on programs for providing technological support to small- and medium-sized enterprises, directed by business groups and carried out in conjunction with consortia of universities and research centers. c) Project for consultation with entrepreneurs on technological innovation and transfer: a Hemispheric Meeting on Research and Development of Industrial Technology in Latin America and the Caribbean was held. In attendance were more than 50 business executives, business organizations, and technical agencies from Canada, the United States, Latin America, and the Caribbean. The activities carried out to follow up on the conclusions and recommendations of that event included: the Hemispheric Meeting of Industrial Research Associations (Mexico, with the Instituto Mexicano de Petróleo); the Workshop on Training in Technological Management and Development of Technological Enterprises: The vision of the firm (Chile, with ALTEC); and a Workshop on Clean Technologies in the Oil Industry (Mexico, Instituto Mexicano de Petróleo).

REGIONAL PROGRAM FOR CULTURAL DEVELOPMENT (PRDC)

Inter-American Prizes

• The 1994 "Gabriela Mistral" Inter-American Cultural Prize was focused on the field of literature and philosophy, and was awarded to the following writers: Olga Orozco of Argentina, Francisco Miró Quesada Cantuarias of Peru, and Gregorio Weinberg of Argentina.

• The announcement for the 1995 Prize, in the Musical Arts and Sciences has been distributed. Thirty-seven nominations have been received from 14 countries.

• The 1995 "Marcus Garvey" Research Fellowship Prize was in the field of political science, philosophy, and law. The jury selected José Guilhon, of Brazil, for his research on MERCOSUR, NAFTA, and hemispheric integration.

Regional Activities

• The Revista Interamericana de Bibliografía (RIB) was updated with the publication of the four issues for 1994; the four 1995 issues are in print. The 1996 issues are now being prepared. The following were published and distributed under the Publications Plan of the Regional Cultural Development Program: Arquitectura Vernacular en Panamá, by Julio E. Mora Saucedo; the manual Cruzando el Umbral de la Internet; and Colombia: Literatura y Cultura del Siglo XX, edited by Isabel Rodríguez Vergara. Six additional titles are in the process of being prepared.

• Support was provided to the Les Forges Foundation of Canada to ensure the participation of Latin American poets at the IX International Poetry Festival held at Pointe-du-Lac, Quebec, Canada.

Multinational Projects

Multinational Project on Folk Culture and Education (CUPE)

The objectives of this Project are to promote the study, dissemination, and enhancement of traditional production processes and folklore (particularly crafts) as a source of information on the most important aspects of native technologies; and to identify the thinking and characteristics of the social, political, and economic organization of the cultural groups that have been maintained and transmitted primarily through the oral tradition.

Under the subproject on Cultural, Ecological, and Economic Strategies for Sustainable Development (ECEEDES) a workshop on Natural Dyes was held in Peru. There were 70 participants. In Venezuela, the Inter-American Seminar on Crafts and Tourism enlisted the participation of artisans and directors of crafts programs from the Spanish-speaking countries. The workshop on Eco-crafts and Tourism held in Guatemala, involved the participation of 20 artisans from El Petén and Mexico, together with designers and environmental specialists from Central America, Mexico, the United States, and Venezuela; in the city of Antigua, the Inter-American Workshop on Crafts Design and Marketing brought together directors for promotion of the national crafts programs, environmentalists, designers, exporters and importers, and environmentalists specialized in natural dyes. In the United States, the seminar on international markets was conducted under the heading Indigenous Artisan Women Challenge the Limits, in conjunction with the Smithsonian Museum of the American Indian. The seminar on Ethnic Identity, Community Museums, and Development Programs was conducted in conjunction with that museum and the Inter-American foundation. In attendance were 14 indigenous artisans from Ecuador, Mexico, and Bolivia. In Argentina, 40 local artisans received training in marketing at the National Crafts Market.

Planning meetings were held in Bolivia and the United States. The Bolivia meeting, on Crafts, Sustainable Microenterprises for the 21st Century, was attended by NGO representatives, groups interested in environmental protection, and artisans. The U.S. meeting addressed the theme New Directions in the Development of Crafts for the 21st Century.

The following publications, shows, and videos were produced: Exposición de Productos y Técnicas de Tintes Naturales (Exhibit of Natural Dye Products and Techniques) in preparation for the show to be held in 1996; a video on natural dyes, produced with the support of CARACOL, Inc.; Manual de Tintes Naturales (Manual of Natural Dyes), produced in conjunction with the Corporación de Artes Textiles de Bogotá (NENCATACOA); Manual de Exportación para Artesanos (Artisan Export Manual), produced with the assistance of Aid to Artisans, Inc.; Dinero Hecho a Mano s(Money Hand Made), with support for editing from the Ford Foundation and the Inter-American Foundation; Artes Tradicionales Maya de las Tierras Bajas (Traditional Lowland Mayan Art), a joint effort on the part of the OAS and Conservation International, Aid to Artisans, and the Mexican Association of Folk Art and Culture (AMACUP); Pinturas Tigua, produced in conjunction with the Inter-American Foundation and the University of California; Alfarería y Plomo: Alternativas al Vidriado de la Alfarería (Pottery and Lead: Alternatives to Glazing), in conjunction with FONART of Mexico.

The Inter-American Centers produced the following publications: The Regional Subcenter for handicrafts and Arts of Guatemala, Cerámica Tradicional; La Platería; Los Juguetes Populares de Guatemala; La Pintura Popular Indígena de Guatemala; Sincretismo Artístico Colonial de la Pintura Mural en la Iglesia de San Francisco de Alto Totonicapán; Elaboración de Máscaras y Chirimias; Ecuador, through the Inter-American Handicrafts and Arts Center, published two issues of the Revista Artesanías de las Américas.

The subproject Development of the Inter-American Network of Folk Culture (RECUP) produced catalogs, including 10,000 artisans in cooperatives in Honduras, Mexico, Guatemala, and Bolivia; the World Network of the virtual library for indigenous musical instruments became operational; the Thesaurus of Folk Culture, a thesaurus for the network, was revised in conjunction with the Inter-American Center on Ethnomusicology and Folklore; national nodes were established for Internet between FUNDEF in Venezuela and other research institutions in Latin America; communications equipment was purchased for the Federación Indígena of Cauca, Colombia.

Under Cultural Activities for Drug Abuse Prevention a training activity was held in Brazil, in conjunction with CICAD, for high-risk youth. The Office of Folklife Programs of the Smithsonian Institution produced the CD "Música Capoeira Angola"; the proceeds will be forwarded to youth groups in northern Brazil.

Under the subproject Caribbean Basin: Ethnomusicology, Research, and Cultural Documentation the following training courses were offered: Trinidad and Tobago, Seminar on building and tuning steel pans; Antigua and Barbuda, Saint Lucia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Caribbean Dance Workshops and Choreography for Teachers, for one week in each country; training in field research on oral history, transcription, and documentation, for six weeks; in Dominica and Guyana, a course for teachers and researchers was held, thanks to horizontal cooperation from the Government of Venezuela through the CIDEF; in Jamaica, Advanced Training in Caribbean Arts was organized through the Caribbean Cultural Training Center (CARICULT). The Sixth Caribbean Arts Festival focused on strengthening communication among cultural institutions in an effort to strengthen the ties of the English-speaking member States in RECUP.

National activities were carried out in The Bahamas, St. Kitts and Nevis, Barbados, Jamaica, and Suriname.

Multinational Project on Libraries, Information and Communication (BIC)

The project objectives are to facilitate access by marginal communities to information technologies; to improve the means of communication for children; to develop the regional and national information infrastructure for all levels of society; and to improve conservation of documents.

The following regional activities were carried out under the subproject on New Information Technologies for Low-Income Populations: Chile, Latin American Meeting on the Use of New Technologies in Rural Public Libraries; Colombia, development of an easy-to-read Latin American database on laws on the family and women's rights, coordinated by PROFAMILIA. Support was provided for national projects in Mexico and Peru.

The following activities were conducted under the subproject Cultural Documentation and Exchange: Trinidad and Tobago, a Seminar on Strategic Planning and Management of Archives for archivists and permanent secretaries of the Ministries of member states of the Caribbean and Suriname; Barbados, support for the annual meeting of the Association of Caribbean University Research Libraries (ACURIL), which enjoyed the participation of member states of the Caribbean basin; Guyana, activities initiated in 1994 to update the National Archives through training and purchase of computers continued.

The subproject Communications Media/Latin American Film and Television included the following activities: in Costa Rica, the Inter-American Seminar on Radio Programming for Children: Drama and Documentary for fostering democratic ideals, in conjunction with Radionederland; the Banco del Libro in Venezuela continued its work as coordinator of the Inter-American Network of Centers for the Documentation of Children's Literature (CEDOC-LI), with updating of its public library computer equipment and its documentation center on children's literature; Brazil conducted a seminar on communications media for blind youth.

Under the "Simón Bolívar" Inter-American Program for the Transfer of New Information Technologies (SIBOLTI), the Central American Seminar on the Use of the Internet and Automation of the Technical Processes of the "Simón Bolívar" Inter-American Library was held in Panama; and Mexico hosted the Seminar to Develop the Latin American Information Network and to Foster Collaboration Among Schools of Library Science and Information Sciences.

Technical cooperation was provided in Panama to develop the Inter-American Center for Training in New Information Technologies, to develop the "Simón Bolívar" Inter-American Library, and to update information specialists on the use of the new technologies. In Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Panama, computer programs, CD ROM players, and reference materials were obtained for Central American university libraries.

As part of developing the network of Community Colleges and Public Libraries of the Eastern Caribbean States and Barbados, programs and equipment were acquired for the libraries of the community schools and public libraries in Barbados and Saint Lucia.

Six training manuals were published along with three issues of a Spanish-language journal on new information technologies.

St. Vincent and the Grenadines and Grenada automated their public libraries; Dominica increased coverage in its communities through the new technologies. In Saint Lucia, the public library developed an automated data base on the educational system.

The Inter-American Network of Image Archives (REDARIM) trained representatives of Latin American film libraries in the use of the modem and CD-ROM; directors of film archives participated, and a contribution was received from the Rockefeller Foundation.

Multinational Project on Cultural Policy and Regional Studies (POCER)

The following regional activities were carried out: Venezuela was the site of the Twentieth Latin American and Caribbean Course on Cultural Management, on cultural research; the Third Latin American Caribbean Meeting of Administrators and Sociocultural Animators in Training, Cultural Management, and Quality of Life, in which graduates of the regional courses offered by CLACDEC participated. In Jamaica, a seminar was held on Assessment of the Impact of Social and Cultural Projects and Programs. Participants included 12 fellowship recipients from the English-speaking Caribbean, Belize, and Suriname. And in Nicaragua, support was provided for preparation of the Ninth Forum of Ministers of Culture and Cultural Policy Makers in Latin America for 1996.

Among the national activities, in Costa Rica four issues of the Revista Relaciones Internacionales were published in coordination with the School of International Relations of the Universidad de Costa Rica. In St. Kitts and Nevis consultations began to draw up a national cultural policy. In Venezuela, a regional workshop was held on Integración Solidaria: Ethics, the State and Democracy in Latin America, coordinated by the Institute of Advanced Latin American Studies of the Universidad Simón Bolívar; and research and a regional seminar were conducted on Cooperation and Integration for Environmental Security: The Impact of Sociocultural Factors, coordinated by the Instituto Venezolano de Estudios Sociales y Políticos (INVESP).

Multinational Project for Preservation and Use of the Cultural Heritage (PREPAT)

The regional activities carried out under the Multinational Project for Preservation and Use of the Cultural Heritage included: The Greater Caribbean Plan for Monuments and Sites (CARIMOS) published the book "Monuments and Sites of the Greater Caribbean"; technical advisory services were provided in Haiti to evaluate the current inventory of monuments and sites and to make recommendations to update them; in the Dominican Republic a seminar was held on Archeology of the Caribbean. It was organized by the Altos del Chavón Regional Archeological Museum, and was attended by archaeologists from Colombia, Costa Rica, Jamaica, Puerto Rico, the United States, and Venezuela, and advanced archeology students from the host country.

The Inter-American Center for the Restoration of Movable Cultural Property (painting and sculpture), organized the Twentieth Course on Restoration of Movable Cultural Property, in Peru, on the specialty of easel painting. Participants included eight fellowship recipients from Argentina, Bolivia, Colombia, Chile, Ecuador, Honduras, Panama, and Venezuela.

The Inter-American Center for the Restoration of Movable Cultural Property (Ceramics) organized the course "Preservation of the Cultural Heritage of the Caribbean" in Panama; eight fellowship recipients were trained from Antigua and Barbuda, The Bahamas, Barbados, Dominica, Grenada, Jamaica, and St. Kitts and Nevis. The Center also organized the Regional Course on Preservation of Inorganic Materials: Ceramics and Metals, which was attended by eight fellowship recipients from Colombia, El Salvador, Guyana, Honduras, Nicaragua, Panama, the Dominican Republic, and Venezuela.

As part of the Archives subproject several training activities were carried out in Barbados, Costa Rica, and Peru. It was attended by fellowship recipients from several countries of the region.

In Colombia and Venezuela, training programs for indigenous groups were supported in the border zone between the two countries, taking account of the uses and customs of the local ethnic groups. This activity was coordinated by the Venezuelan Foundation for the Preservation of the Habitat and Promotion and Defense of Cultures (FUNDABITAT) and Colombian institutions.

In addition, through the national activities many different activities were carried out, as in Barbados, where support was provided for storage of the natural history collection; in Brazil, a Regional Seminar on Museology was organized by the Institute for National Historical and Artistic Heritage (IPHAN); and in Dominica, El Salvador, and Honduras, restoration work was performed at historic sites. In Uruguay, restoration work was performed on mural paintings. In Nicaragua, a catalog of real property was produced, as well as the results of the Project for Archeological Mapping of the North-Central Region.

In Paraguay, specialized equipment was obtained for the General Archive of the Nation; one of its staff members received training at the National Archive of Colombia. In Colombia, the program to draw up an inventory of movable cultural property continued, and the following publications were distributed: Monumentos Nacionales de Colombia Siglo XIX and Programa Reciclaje de las Estaciones de Ferrocarril. The first steps were taken to establish a photo archive of urban cultural property and architecture and the publication of Monumentos Nacionales de Colombia, Siglo XX.

Multinational Project on the Arts

Among the activities carried out at the headquarters of the Organization are a series of concerts by outstanding soloists and ensembles from the Americas performed at the Kennedy Center and in the Hall of the Americas. Segments of the opera "Simón Bolívar," composed by Thea Musgrave, were presented and interpreted by the Virginia Opera company under the direction of Peter Mark; the world premiere was in Richmond, Virginia. The latest compact discs of Ediciones Interamericanas de Música were released. They included choruses and instrumental groups from Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Jamaica, Paraguay, and Peru. Assistance was provided for the Festival of Religious Music, held in Popayán, Colombia.

In order to increase the repertoire of operas in Spanish and Portuguese, five opera clips or mini-operas of 20 to 25 minutes duration were commissioned from composers from Argentina, Brazil, Mexico, Uruguay, and Venezuela. In Venezuela the Sixth Inter-American Course for Youth Orchestra Directors was held with the participation of the symphony orchestras of Mérida and Guanare; and of 20 fellowship recipients, organized in two courses. In 1995 artists from Argentina, Mexico, and Venezuela graduated from these courses. The CIDEM Diploma of Honor was awarded to the Colombian choral group Ballestrinque and to Master Inocente Carreño of Venezuela.

In addition, several musical courses were carried out with the participation of students from several countries of the region at the Inter-American Center for Instrumental Studies (CIDESIN), based in San José, Costa Rica, and at the Inter-American Music Education Institute (INTEM), of Chile.

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