III. GENERAL SECRETARIAT
THE GENERAL SECRETARIAT
Chapter XVI of the Charter describes the functions and authorities of the General Secretariat, the OAS' permanent, central organ headquartered in Washington, D.C.
Elected by the General Assembly, the Secretary General directs the General Secretariat, serves as its legal representative and participates, with voice but without voice, in all meetings of the Organization. The Secretary General has the authority to bring to the attention of the General Assembly or the Permanent Council any matter that, in his judgment, could affect the peace and security of the Hemisphere or the development of the member states. It is the Secretary General's responsibility to establish whatever offices he deems necessary within the General Secretariat, to determine the number of staff members, appoint them, regulate their duties and functions and fix their remuneration.
Also elected by the General Assembly, the Assistant Secretary General is the Secretary of the Permanent Council and an advisory officer to the Secretary General, whose functions he performs during the latter's temporary absence or disability. He also serves as the Secretary General's representatives in all matters that the Secretary General may entrust to him.
OFFICE OF THE SECRETARY GENERAL
1. Office of the Secretary General
In keeping with policy and practice decided by the General Assembly and with the pertinent decisions of the Councils, the Office of the Secretary General, under the provisions of Article 110 of the Charter, directs the functions associated with the promotion of economic, social, juridical, educational, scientific and cultural relations among all the member states of the Organization.
The entry into force of the Protocol of Managua on January 29, 1996, and the launching of the Inter-American Council for Integral Development (CIDI) set in motion an institutional reform that is now in full progress. Its purpose is not only to give the Organization a simpler and more efficient structure, but also new areas of business and a new work style.
2. Department of Public Information
The principal function of the Department is to conduct an information gathering and reporting program through press, radio and television activities, reference services, public relations and production, in order to bring news about the OAS to the public in the member states and thus increase their awareness and understanding of the Organization's purposes, programs and achievements.
The Press area also answered a number of written and telephone inquiries from the general public about such topics as the Convention against Corruption, opinions of the Inter-American Juridical Committee on the Helms-Burton Act, the Declaration and Plan of Action approved at the Summit on Sustainable Development and the activities of various working groups of the Permanent Council.
At the Organization's home page on the Internet, the space devoted to "This Week at the OAS" continued to be updated. The calendar of the Permanent Council's activities was included, as were press communiques, the Weekly Report on Activities of the General Secretariat, and the Secretary General's speeches. As part of a strategy aimed at building up this resource, additional institutional information is now being added, as is information about the radio and television areas.
During the twenty-sixth regular session of the General Assembly in Panama, close coverage of all the proceedings was assured, which meant that the most important debates were broadcast across the Hemisphere and beyond. The occasion was also used to produce news spots about the General Assembly and the Organization. Because it is vital that this area be used to maximum advantage and that the new technologies available be introduced, funds are being sought to digitalize the sector as soon as possible.
The program titled The Voice of the OAS continued to be broadcast daily to Latin America and the Caribbean, in Spanish and English, respectively. The weekly programs in Portuguese also continued, as did two weekly programs in English broadcast in the United States and the Caribbean. A number of events were broadcast live. There were correspondent services and broadcast press conferences. During the twenty-sixth session of the General Assembly in Panama, there was daily coverage of the sessions in Spanish and English, with special dispatches to be included in the OAS' own transmissions and in programs broadcast by stations throughout the Hemisphere. In the last quarter of 1996, a plan got underway to modernize the sector, which involves a change in the Spanish-language programming in 1997 and the production of special programs to extend and optimize the Organization's radio broadcasting circuit.
The XVI Model General Assembly of the OAS for university students was held in Washington in 1996. Participating were 500 students and 50 university professors from Argentina, Canada, Guatemala, Mexico, Puerto Rico and the United States. The XV Model General Assembly for high school students from the United States was also held, with 500 students from 38 high schools in the United States and Puerto Rico in attendance. An agreement was reached to hold a Model Assembly in Bolivia in April 1997, and another in Argentina in October.
During the first half of 1996, the Visitors Service welcomed groups of various nationalities to Secretariat headquarters and gave them guided tours of the Main Building. These groups also attended lectures on the history, structure and purposes of the OAS.
The membership of the Editorial Board of Americas appointed by the Permanent Council in 1993, was renewed in 1996. Ambassador Carlos Víctor Montanaro, Permanent Representative of Paraguay, was named Chairman. The other members of the Board are the Representatives of Barbados, Brazil, Canada, Colombia, Costa Rica, Mexico and the United States.
Americas put out six issues in 1996, each with a total run of 65,000, with separate English and Spanish editions. The magazine was circulated in the member states through subscriptions, sales at magazine stands, advertising campaigns, controlled distribution and exchanges. Americas is one of the publications of the Secretariat that has stirred tremendous interest in the general public and in 1996 earned an important distinction: it was given the award of excellence by the United States' Printing and Graphics Communications Association.
In the last months of 1996, a promotional campaign was launched in which one million notices were mailed offering the magazine at a discount. In early 1997, a promotional campaign was set in motion in which the Agenda de las Américas [Americas Magazine daily agenda] was offered gratis. The advertising campaign is expected to generate a considerable increase in the number of subscribers, which will make up for the revenues lost when subscribers failed to renew. The novelty of the 1996 campaign is that it used lists of specially selected subscribers and 300,000 offers in Spanish were sent out (included in the one million figure cited earlier). This campaign is sounding out the market with a view to future promotional campaigns in the member states.
During 1996 Americas focused on magazine-stand sales. Since the magazine was first established, sales at magazine stands have been very low. Before March 1996, less than 1,000 copies were sold at magazine stands, almost all of them in the United States. These sales represented about 8 percent of the total. However, since March 1996 the situation has changed drastically. Over 20,000 copies of the January-February 1997 issue were distributed at magazine stands in the United States and Canada. Sales were up by 21 percent. A market survey has also been conducted in Uruguay and, with the support of the Permanent Observer Mission of Spain, talks have gotten under way with a number of Spanish distributors with a view to selling the magazine in Spain as well.
3. Department of Legal Services
Under Executive Order 96-4 of May 1996, the Secretariat for Legal Affairs was reorganized and the Department of Legal Services was transferred from that Secretariat to the Office of the Secretary General. The Department's function remained unaltered, which is to deal with the legal matters that arise with regard to the Organization's activities, its internal rules and regulations and its relations with other entities. The Department accomplishes its objectives by providing legal advisory services, representation in litigation and negotiations, and helping to draft legal documents for the General Secretariat, the political bodies and other organs within the Organization. Given its nature, the work is extensive, varied and intensive.
4. Office of the Inspector General
The Office of the Inspector General operates under the provisions of the General Standards to Govern the Operations of the General Secretariat, Chapter XV of the Budgetary and Financial Rules, and Executive Order No. 95-05, which provide for the internal auditing function that helps the Secretary General and the governing bodies monitor to ensure that the various levels of administration are fully discharging their responsibilities vis- a-vis the programs and resources of the General Secretariat, thereby ensuring a systematic review of the operating procedures and financial transactions of the General Secretariat at headquarters and in the offices of the General Secretariat in the member states. It also checks to ensure that the established policies, rules and practices are being observed and carried out correctly, efficiently and economically.
During the period from March 1, 1996, to February 28, 1997, the Office of the Inspector General (OIG) conducted 12 audits and a number of inspections and investigations that reached into almost every area of the General Secretariat's operations. As in previous years, this work has been carried out with complete freedom and independence and with open, unrestricted access to staff, records, documents and papers at headquarters and away from it. On only two occasions did the OIG meet with any resistance from certain staff members to its access to documents or files; in both cases the situations were quickly resolved. The work done covered the General Secretariat's Offices in Antigua and Barbuda, Grenada, Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago; within the Secretariat for Management, the OIG's work concerned the Department of Human Resources (Travel Office, long-distance phone calls, official travel) and the Department of Human Resources (contracting mechanisms); within the Executive Offices, the OIG looked into the Unit for the Promotion of Democracy (concerning the International Civilian Mission in Haiti, MICIVIH); within the Executive Secretariat for Education, Science and Culture, it was the Department of Cultural Affairs (Inter-American Music Editions); in the area of Conferences, it was the Unit of Language Services; and among the specialized organizations, it was the Inter-American Commission of Women. As of the date of this Report, the recommendations that the Inspector General presented to the Secretary General have all been approved. Those recommendations represented a savings to the General Secretariat on the order of US$250,000 during the 1995-1996 period.
The Inspector General designated an auditor to follow up on the recommendations resulting from the audits. This step was taken to help make these recommendations more effective by making the OIG's contacts with the various departments, offices and areas more dynamic, while clarifying any doubts and resolving any differences that might arise.
The OIG has continued to provide advisory services to various areas of the General Secretariat and has sat in on meetings of the Secretary General's Executive Board, the Internet Committee, the Sales Committee, the Committee on Contracting Methods and the Publications Board, among others.
The Protocol Office plans and coordinates the official ceremonies of the governing bodies, the Secretary General, the Assistant Secretary General, the Executive Secretaries and the Assistant Secretaries. It serves as liaison between the permanent missions and the United States Department of State on matters concerning the privileges and immunities of the members of the missions. It also organizes and coordinates the use of the OAS' Main Building for protocolary and social functions.
The Office concerned itself with matters relating to the protocol to be observed at official events and meetings that took place and the diplomatic and social functions associated with them. The Directory of Heads of State and of Government and other high- ranking officials of the members states and of the permanent missions and permanent observer missions to the OAS was updated and published in October. Assistance was provided to members of the permanent missions to the OAS in matters relating to visas and the like.
The Department of Fellowships administers the Organization's fellowship programs. It applies the standards for awarding fellowships and helps evaluate the training activities conducted by the General Secretariat.
In compliance with the directives that the General Assembly adopted during its twenty-sixth regular session [AG/RES. 1381 (XXVI-O/96)III.A.4], the following activities have been carried out:
During the period covered by this Report, around 1,260 fellowships are in the process of being awarded, at an estimated cost of some $8.0 million. If the extra-budgetary resources that will be raised through the courses conducted thanks to the participation of the observer countries (PEC courses) and through horizontal cooperation (ADPD) with the member countries are factored in, then the Department will have handled an estimated $10.0 million in training services. These overall figures are similar to previous years, but below the figures in some years in the 1980s, particularly in unit terms when some 2,000 fellowships were granted each year. This is in part because of the Organization's overall financial situation; even though the fellowship programs are a priority when it comes to allocating Regular Fund resources, the levels approved have not been sufficient to offset the rapid increase in the unit costs of the fellowships, particularly those for postgraduate studies, where the increase in tuition fees has been excessively high.
This program is a tool for career instruction at the postgraduate level, that uses the universities and centers of higher learning in the member states. Some 396 fellowships, extensions included, will be granted at an estimated total cost of $7.3 million. These fellowships continue to be in high demand among the member states, but because of limited budgeted resources not all their requests can be met.
These fellowships are for specialized professional and technical courses given by various schools under the auspices of the governments of some of the member states under the concept of horizontal cooperation. For the 1996 programming, offers were received from nine member countries: Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Jamaica, Mexico and Venezuela, and the Asociación Panamericana de Crédito Educativo [Pan American Association for Educational Loans](APICE), a regional organization. A total of 73 courses were offered, involving 833 fellowships. Of these offers, 44 courses were actually carried out, for a total of about 452 fellowships. The cost to the General Secretariat will be around US$500,000 and the contribution from the cooperating countries will be over $1.0 million.
This program is carried out in cooperation with some of the observer countries. In 1996, offers were received from Spain and Israel, for a total of 30 courses for which some 220 fellowships would be granted. Of these, 22 courses were actually held and the total number of fellowships was estimated at 150. The cost to the General Secretariat is close to US$350,000, while the cooperating countries are estimated to have contributed anywhere from 3 to 4 times that amount (approximately US$1,000,000).
This program was set up to award fellowships for the last two years of basic university studies, although specialized courses to train professionals in areas of particular interest to the region are also included. In 1996, some 66 fellowships were awarded at a cost to the General Secretariat of over $800,000.
The Department continues to work with other offices of the General Secretariat on training courses. These courses are conducted in conjunction with the technical areas, either through the Inter-American Centers or institutions in the member states. Among the topics this year were marketing, social and economic development, drug abuse prevention, promotion of democracy, international law, telecommunications, education, culture and others. The total amount of training resources that will be channeled to the member states with resources assigned in the respective technical areas for those training programs will be approximately US$360,000, involving 200 fellowship grants.
The Rowe Fund offers interest-free loans to students from Latin America and the Caribbean to supplement the funds they have to complete their graduate studies or to pursue courses for a masters degree or doctorate in the United States. In 1996, the Fund awarded 140 loans to students, for a total of $694,893, and 37 to staff, for a total of $179,576.
The promotion of cultural values is one of the areas whose tradition and history date back to the very beginning of the inter-American system. Over that period, the shape of the cultural area has changed several times, as has its organizational structure. The most recent is the current Department of Cultural Affairs, established by Executive Order No. 82-4, of November 5, 1982. Its basic responsibilities are to advise the various governing bodies and organs of the Organization, and to provide training, technical cooperation and institutional support services to the institutions that participated in the then Regional Cultural Development Program. During the twenty-sixth regular session of the General Assembly, a new Inter-American Cultural Program was established [AG/RES. 1434 (XXVI-O/96)], intended to reaffirm the importance of culture for the integral development of the member states. Accordingly, measures are now underway to transform the Department of Cultural Affairs into an Office of Culture.
The 1995 "Gabriela Mistral" Inter-American Prize for Culture, awarded in the field of the music arts and sciences, went to Venezuelan maestro José Antonio Abreu. Honorable mentions went to tenor Luis Alva of Peru and guitarist Abel Carlevaro of Uruguay. The competition for the 1996 "Gabriela Mistral" Inter-American Prize for Culture was announced.
A regional course for Latin America on Preserving Paper in Archives was held in Santiago, Chile, from September to November 1996. The activity was organized in conjunction with the International Centre for the Study of the Preservation and Restoration of Cultural Property (ICCROM) in collaboration with the National Conservation and Restoration Center (CNCR) of Chile. Participating were specialists from Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Haiti, Mexico, Panama and Peru.
A three-stage training workshop was held in Buenos Aires, Argentina, for staff of archeological and ethnographic museums, to train participants in heritage preservation involving national and international agencies, in order to develop preservation recommendations.
This Forum was organized jointly with the Center for Latin American Studies of the University of Maryland and held in December 1996, in Washington, D.C. Participating in the event were specialists in research, teaching, and the policy and practice vis-a-vis various aspects of culture and democracy in Latin America. The Forum was organized into three panels, the themes being: "Culture, Democracy and State Reform", "Cultural Integration and Citizen Participation", and "Public Policy, Communication and Cultural Democracy".
Issues 3 and 4 of the inter-American journal Nuevas Tecnologías de la Información were published and circulated as part of strategies aimed at circulating Spanish-language information on new information technologies, with emphasis on the Internet.
Twelve fellowships were awarded for masters degrees in social sciences, eight for masters degrees in government and political science, eight for masters degrees in population studies and eight for doctorates in social science research, specializing in policy, culture, and public institutions. A conference was organized in St. Kitts and Nevis with officials from the Department of Culture and other figures in the public and private sectors, to discuss the updating of the 1986 Cultural Study and preparation of a draft cultural policy for the country.
Prominent among the events conducted were the Inter-American Symposium on Authenticity for Conservation and Management of the Cultural Heritage, organized by the United States Committee of the International Council of Monuments and Sites (US/ICOMOS), the Getty Preservation Institute and the San Antonio Preservation Society and held in San Antonio, Texas, in March 1996; the exhibit that was touring museums in the Caribbean community until November 1996, on "Encounter of the Worlds"; the Seminar-workshop titled "International Debate on Management of the Submerged Heritage" held in Tegucigalpa, Honduras; and the restoration and musical scoring of the Chilean film "El Húsar de la Muerte" (1925) and a Colombian film "Bajo el Cielo Antioqueño".
The series of concerts and recitals by outstanding soloists and groups of the Americas continued at both the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts and at the Organization's Hall of the Americas. The highest honor that the OAS and the Inter-American Music Council can confer went to Maestro Ljerko Spiller, in Argentina, Mercedes Sosa, in New York, and Plácido Domingo, in Washington. The VII Inter-American Course for Young Orchestral Directors was held in Cumaná, Venezuela, where eleven students from Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Guatemala, Mexico and Venezuela graduated.
8. Office of Science and Technology
This Office was created by the Secretary General on January 29, 1997, through Executive Order No. 97-1. Under that Executive Order, it comes under the Office of the Secretary General and is the advisory office to the Secretary General, the Assistant Secretary General and the Executive Secretary for Integral Development and the Organization's governing bodies on all matters related to activities in science and technology. The Office of Science and Technology replaces the former Department of Scientific and Technological Affairs and its functions and responsibilities are: to strengthen the technical capability and the programs that have some scientific and/or technological component; to assist the member states in matters within its competence; to cooperate with and support the activities of the Executive Secretariat for Integral Development; to foster the exchange and dissemination of specialized information; to coordinate the inter-American prizes in its area of specialization, and to serve as Executive Secretariat of the Inter-American Nuclear Energy Commission.
The Protocol of Central American Integration and its Secretariat (SICA) recognize the Commission as the specialized technical agency in science and technology. Since its establishment, the OAS has provided it with support and serves as its Technical Secretariat. At the Hemispheric Meeting of Ministers of Science and Technology, held in Cartagena, Colombia (March 1996), the Commission introduced a working paper on the position of the relatively less developed countries. In 1996, the Commission met twice under OAS auspices.
In keeping with a MERCOCYT initiative recommended by the Ministers of Science and Technology in their Plan of Action, in 1995 a project on regional science and technology indicators got underway in cooperation with the Ibero-American Science and Technology Program (CYTED). In the latter half of 1996, the project had funding from CEPCIDI. An Inter-American/Ibero- American Network has been formed and a regional publication has been prepared containing data from the countries of the region. The second publication will come out in the latter half of 1997. The data are now available at a page on Internet's World-Wide Web.
This project combines the activities of the Inter-American Metrology System (SIM), the support provided to the Pan American Standards Commission (COPANT) and the Total Quality Project sponsored by the Government of Germany. In the first quarter of 1996, the Office collaborated on the Meeting of the FTAA Working Group on "Standards and Technical Barriers to Trade", in which metrology and standards agencies of the region, active members of SIM, COPANT and other agencies participate.
With support from the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) of the United States, the Inter-American Metrology System (SIM), originally created in the late '70s, was reactivated. The goal of SIM is to harmonize standards of measurement among the countries of the Western Hemisphere in order to achieve the major objectives that the Plan of Action of the Summit of the Americas set for greater cooperation in science and technology in the region and for promoting prosperity and free trade by eliminating technical barriers to trade. The SIM is composed of five regional metrology agencies: NORAMET (for the countries of North America); CAMET (for the countries of Central America); CARIMET (for the Caribbean countries); ANDIMET (for the Andean countries of northern South America); and SURAMET (for the countries in the southern reaches of South America). The Executive Secretariat of the SIM is the OAS General Secretariat, while the NIST serves as permanent technical advisory body for the entire region.
During the present year, apart from the SIM Coordination Meeting, the following activities have been carried out: a) training exercises in cross-comparison of mass measurements: seminar and exchange of materials among the region's metrology centers; b) start of the seminars for cross-comparison of units of electricity and power; c) publication of two issues of the SIM bulletin; and d) training of technicians from the countries' metrology agencies, most of which was provided in the United States (NIST), Mexico (CENAM) and Brazil (INMETRO).
In collaboration with NIST, the first Advanced School of Metrology, "Optical Metrology", was held in Recife, Brazil, January 5 through 10, 1997. Two exercises in cross comparison of electrical and pressure units have been programmed for February 1997 in Washington, D.C.
This project, started by COPANT back in 1991 with support from the IDB and the OAS, has been reactivated this year with support from the American National Standards Institute. It was presented at COPANT's Annual Meeting, held in Port-of-Spain, Trinidad and Tobago, in May 1996. As a result of a meeting called by the OAS General Secretariat and attended by representatives of standards institutes in Colombia, the United States and Uruguay, the project was redesigned and submitted to CEPCIDI for financing. It will later be presented to the IDB as well. The project has the ANSI computerized database, which can be accessed via the Internet, and plans are to assist all the countries of the region to actively access that system.
The support provided for meetings of the Working Group continued. The latter held two meetings in 1996. A letter of understanding was drawn up to be signed by the accreditation organizations of the region, so as to be able gradually to standardize the national certification and accreditation systems, whereupon the countries can negotiate agreements for mutual recognition of certification and accreditation.
This project is co-sponsored by the German Government by way of its Technical Cooperation Agency (Gesellschaft für Technische Zusammenarbeit, GTZ). Between 1990 and 1994, the German Government contributed 4 million marks for this project. By the end of the 1994-1996 period, the GTZ had contributed another two million marks, and negotiations are now in progress to complete the project in 1998.
In the period 1994-1996, the project focused on strengthening the technical counterpart institutions in the 13 participating countries (universities, standards institutes and technological institutes) to create a better link with industry and conduct total quality programs. With that as the objective, the following results have been achieved: a) improved networking among participating technical centers through systems like the Textile Quality Network and the Network of Textile Technical Institutes of MERCOSUR (open to other countries; b) a Quality Network in the Dairy Sector (Central America, rural cheese manufacturers' subproject), which resulted in the creation of the Central American Association of Rural Cheese Manufacturers; c) the Central American Commodities Marketing Information System; d) the Central American System for Exchanging Information on Food Legislation and Standards; e) services provided during the 1994- 1996 period to more than 1500 businesses, including 50 rural cheese manufacturers in Central America, 575 businesses in the textile sector in Argentina and Brazil, and some 600 businesses in the other countries, served by a method of entrepreneurial quality and excellence developed by project consultants; and f) training activities, whereby some 5700 managers and technicians from over 1500 participating businesses took part in courses offered under the project.
The purpose of the Network is to connect the OAS member states to the Internet by creating a computerized network for sharing information. The project supplies high-tech equipment and technical assistance and sponsors technical seminars and workshops in the region to prepare projects, improve technical expertise, share specialized know-how and train the network's managers in the countries. This commitment was ratified during the Meeting of Ministers of Science and Technology held in Cartagena, Colombia, in March 1996. The project has also involved important collaboration with various organizations, such as the United States' National Science Foundation (NSF), the World Bank and the Central American Bank for Economic Integration (CABEI). Its funding came from the governments of the United States and of other member countries. Recently, through CEPCIDI, the sum of $1.1 million was approved to expand the project
Support was provided for the following: a) the Common Market of Scientific and Technological Knowledge Program; b) "SIMBIOSIS" - Multinational System of Specialized Information on Biotechnology and Food Technology; c) the Department's relationship and cooperation with other regional and national institutions; and d) preparation of documents and publications.
MERCOCYT is a multinational Program of the member states that is both a forum for hemispheric dialogue on scientific and technological policy and a mechanism of inter-American cooperation in science and technology. As a forum, the Program facilitates hemispheric dialogue on policies, strategies, instruments and mechanisms in science and technology. As a vehicle of cooperation, the Program provides a means for the Hemisphere's universities and research centers to communicate with each other and also generates conditions more conducive to providing better support for technological innovation in industry and public services, by working in cooperation with business associations and national and local governments. The MERCOCYT Program is directed by a Permanent Committee, composed of high- ranking delegates from the member states, most of whom are either chairmen or executive directors of national science and technology organizations.
This Inter-American Program has been implemented in conjunction with Canada's International Development Research Centre (IDRC), through the Central American Industrial Support Network (CAISNET- CODETI). It consists of a series of regional workshops targeted at representatives of business and industrial associations, national and regional bureaus of standards, and development institutions. It was organized with the idea of cultivating the strengths of small- and medium-size businesses. Workshops were held in Trinidad and Tobago (February 1996), Ecuador and Costa Rica (March 1996), and Jamaica (May 1996).
Inter-American Program for Environmental-Technological Cooperation in Key Industrial Sectors
This Program emphasizes integrated action in the area of the environment so as to further, in all the member states, direct dialogue between public and private institutions in every sector of industry.
The Trade Unit was created by Executive Order No. 95-4, of April 3, 1995, which made the Foreign Trade Information System (SICE) part of that Unit. The Unit is to assist the member states in following up on trade-related decisions adopted in the Hemisphere. It is charged with providing technical support to the Special Committee on Trade (CEC), studying various aspects of hemispheric trade relations, ensuring effective coordination with regional and subregional integration organizations, and strengthening the trade information systems.
One of the Trade Unit's most important missions is to assist in the development of a free trade agreement encompassing the inter- American area. The formation of the Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA) is necessitated by the changes that have taken place in the economies of the Western Hemisphere and the entire world. Inter-American relations are changing and the Hemisphere has set itself upon a course that would have been unimaginable only a few short years ago. The economic reforms in Latin America, the increase in subregional and hemispheric trade, the support of Canada and the United States for the regional agreements, and the very fact that all the countries of the Western Hemisphere share the rules and disciplines of the World Trade Organization (WTO): these factors have combined to change the face of inter-American economic and trade relations. The Trade Unit also provides support to the Special Committee on Trade, which watches trade and the new developments in trade within the region, and to its Advisory Group.
The formation of the FTAA is in progress and the Ministerial Meeting on Trade that took place in Cartagena in March 1996 helped to keep that process moving in the right direction. This Meeting was decisive in giving the FTAA process a structure and keeping the preparatory work of the negotiations moving. The Meeting also served to underscore the political commitment that all the participating countries have to establishing the FTAA by the year 2005, and to achieving tangible progress in that direction by the end of the decade.
The Trade Unit provided support and technical assistance to the Special Committee on Trade (CEC) and its Advisory Group. It has performed the following activities in that connection:
10. Unit for Social Development and Education
The Unit for Social Development and Education was created by Executive Order No. 96-5, of June 1996. It is responsible for assisting with formulation of public policy and coordination of programs of action aimed at overcoming poverty, strengthening educational systems, job training, and promotion of employment opportunities and social integration. It also conducts activities to identify and share experiences in those areas, to promote and carry out human resource training activities, and to develop and support horizontal cooperation initiatives in order to promote collective action and partnership among the countries, government institutions and institutions of civil society.
The Project involves activities geared to helping agencies in the member states design social policies; supporting CEPCIDI's Committee on Social Development with preparation of a draft Inter-American Program to Overcome Poverty and Discrimination; and assisting the Latin American and Caribbean Social Network with institution building and strengthening of its human resources.
The following were among the activities carried out: the Third Annual Conference of the Social Network of Latin America and the Caribbean (Panama, October-November 1996); four working meetings of the Steering Committee (Washington, D.C., February 1996; Buenos Aires, April 1996; Cartagena, August 1996, and Panama, October 1996); the International Seminar-Workshop on the Contribution of Investment Funds to Social Policy in the Member States (Santiago, Chile, April 1996); Andean Subregional Course on Policies for Overcoming Poverty and for Social Management (Caracas, May 1996); Subregional Course on Anti-poverty and Social Development Policies and Programs for the Countries of the Central American Isthmus and the Caribbean (Mexico, June 1996); the Seminar-Workshop on Negotiation of Credits between Social Investment Funds and International Banking (Washington, D.C., June 1996); the Seminar-Workshop on Citizen Participation and Social Control in the Struggle to Overcome Poverty, organized by the Social Partnership Network (Cartagena de Indias, October 1996); two OAS/IDB subregional meetings (Santa Cruz, Bolivia, November 1996; Antigua, Guatemala, December 1996);
Ten initiatives involving partnership for development among institutions and countries were sponsored. Requests were channeled and coordinated through the Social Network Steering Committee. The activities were geared toward determining objectives, programs and specific timetables and preparing guidelines and manuals for keeping a record of requests for cooperation and for evaluating results.
Following up on the commitments agreed upon with the Social Network Steering Committee in Washington, the Unit has worked with the Inter-American Development Bank on developing "New Generation" projects involving training for staff of institutions in the countries of the English-speaking Caribbean, as a joint effort of the IDB/Institute of Social Development/OAS/CARICOM and the University of the West Indies.
Under a joint OAS/ECLAC project, the Program of Social Policies in Latin America and the Caribbean (PROPOSAL) is being carried out. Its activities included an Inter-American Course on Formulating and Evaluating Projects, in Santiago, Chile, with 38 experts from substantive programs in 17 countries attending. Technical advisory missions were conducted in Argentina, Chile, Paraguay and Uruguay on the subject of evaluating policies in education, health and nutrition.
In Guatemala, work was done with the National Office of Women's Affairs to develop a program for the integral advancement of peasant and indigenous women; in El Salvador, the National Family Office was provided with cooperation to devise social projects and programs; in Nicaragua, support was given to the National Agrarian Reform Institute (INRA) for technical formulation of the national plan for deeding and regularizing title to property; in Ecuador, technical and organizational assistance is being given to rural cooperatives in the Esmeraldas region; in Paraguay, a project was executed with the Rural Welfare Institute to consolidate selected agrarian reform settlements in the Kororo-í zone of the San Pedro Department, for a total of 500 families on 4,000 hectares; in Mexico, support was given to NAFIN for a program of 16 courses in different cities nationwide, in which 360 students from 168 credit unions participated.
CITAF and its national counterparts jointly conducted a total of 13 courses (2 inter-American courses, 7 regional courses and 4 national courses), equivalent to 577 hours of classes for 368 participants from 24 member states. The General Secretariat funded 13 fellowships.
Twenty activities in instructors' participation (courses organized by other institutions with CITAF's support) were carried out. Some were inter-American courses, others were national. A total of 238 hours of class instruction were provided to a total of 886 participants.
Eleven technical cooperation activities were carried out that benefitted eleven member states. They concerned, inter alia, integral development, efficiency and probity in government, reduction of extreme poverty and strengthening of the regional and subregional integration arrangements. This activity was 100% effective.
As for research, 31 documents and 3 books were published and circulated, and were displayed at the International Book Fair in Buenos Aires. If the results are compared to what was originally planned, the conclusion is that this activity was 100% effective.
Five training events were carried out with the following results: three subregional courses (Venezuela, Mexico and Nicaragua), one inter-American seminar (Colombia) and one national course (Ecuador); 172 technicians and professionals were trained; 154.8 person/months trained; 23 countries benefitted (Argentina, Belize, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Jamaica, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Trinidad and Tobago, Uruguay, and Venezuela) and three documents prepared.
At the request of Argentina's Foreign Ministry, CIDES provided technical assistance to the Project for Development of the Social Sector of the Economy in Honduras (Project No. 1979) through FO-AR.
The CIDES cooperated with the Unit on preparation of documents presented at the Meeting of the Committee on Social Development attended by experts, and at the Inter-American Seminar on Citizen Participation and Social Control in the Struggle to Overcome Poverty.
The Unit provided support to the Secretariat of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) on preparation of a long-term strategic plan for development of small business and microenterprise in the Caribbean subregion.
The project on "Education and Development of Caribbean Business" is studying a proposal to establish a trust fund that could guarantee national projects the provision of technical training to entrepreneurs, support resources to businesses and joint venture financial schemes. The project is part of a network of resource centers to support businesses and was established by the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD).
As part of the Plurinational Project for the Creation of Businesses and Jobs, the Caribbean Project on Youth Businesses provided fellowships for recipients to participate in regional and international seminars and conferences in order to promote an exchange of specialized information and knowledge within the Hemisphere and on the international level. In this context, the General Secretariat, together with a number of other international organizations, including the Society for International Development and the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) co-sponsored an international conference in Washington, D.C., on the development of youth.
The General Secretariat and other multilateral agencies and nongovernmental international organizations in the Washington, D.C. area established an inter-institutional working group on matters related to young people and conducted a number of activities to identify possible areas where techniques and information could be exchanged.
An international seminar was held in Washington, D.C., on youth enterprise, jointly sponsored by the IDB in conjunction with the Inter-American Working Group for the Development of Young People, the Services for International Youth Enterprise and the OAS. The event provided an opportunity to share a number of international experiences.
Two seminars on planning social policy were carried out in the Caribbean, for 50 middle- and high-level executives. The seminars were co-sponsored by the University of the West Indies, with support from the Inter-American Institute for Social Development and the IDB.
The General Secretariat participated in the Ministerial Meeting of the Caribbean on Poverty, held in Trinidad and Tobago under the auspices of ECLAC. A coordinated regional strategy was devised for anti-poverty programs.
With a diverse range of national and subregional activities, specific activities continued in, among other places, The Bahamas, Grenada, Jamaica, St. Kitts and Nevis, and St. Vincent and the Grenadines.
The activities of the Inter-American Conference of Ministers of Labor included the meeting of the Working Group on productive retraining and professional and vocational training in Costa Rica, the meeting of the ministerial-level working group on social dialogue and collective bargaining in Colombia. A meeting of the Permanent Technical Committee on Labor Matters (COTPAL), with ministers participating, was held in Washington, D.C.
Through the Inter-American Statistics Center (CIENES), eight training courses were held, targeted at the Organization's priority areas. As part of the work of the Inter-American Statistical Conferences, seminars were held on the following: social and poverty indicators for Central America; national survey programs; the joint OAS-ECLAC meeting to enable countries to share methods and experiences in the area of statistics; and the Third Inter-American Statistical Conference, held in Chile.
Regional programs and national projects for generating productive employment and creating jobs with small business and microenterprise were carried out. The Central American Seminar on Modernization of Small Business, held in Costa Rica, looked at policies for promoting the creation of new business with a view to the region's integration, with the state, the private sector, research centers and agencies of international cooperation participating. Cooperation was provided to the Latin American Association of Small and Medium-size Industry (CLAMPI) to build up its operating capability to enable it to circulate information relevant to the promotion and development of small business at the regional level.
The following are among the most important activities conducted in the countries: in El Salvador, installation and operation of a system for training microentrepreneurs was completed; in Costa Rica, the project providing support to the Ministry of the Economy, Industry and Commerce was brought to a close; in the Dominican Republic, the Dominican Confederation of Small- and Medium-size Business received support; and in Chile, the Secretariat cooperated with the National Confederation of Small and Cottage Industry.
In Central America, as part of the Program of Cooperation for Integration (GS/OAS-GS/SICA agreement), projects to overcome poverty and create productive jobs were conducted with the Nutrition Institute of Central America and Panama (INCAP).
With the cooperation of Argentina and the International Organization for Migrations (IOM), the XVIII Inter-American Course on International Migrations was held in Mar del Plata, Argentina, October 1 through 25, and attended by 22 officials from 17 countries.
In cooperation with Costa Rica and the IOM, the Central American/Mexican Workshop for former fellows of the Inter-American Migrations Course was held in San Jose, Costa Rica, June 21 through 23. Present were 16 professionals from Central America and Mexico, all of whom are specialists in migrations.
Mar del Plata, Argentina, was the site of the South American Workshop of former fellows of the Inter-American Migrations Course, held from November 19 through 21, to create a network of horizontal cooperation in matters relating to migration for the countries of the region. Participating in the event were 12 officials from 10 countries in the area.
In conjunction with the University of Buenos Aires and the IOM, a regional seminar was held in Buenos Aires on September 28 and 29, to evaluate the proposed curriculum for the masters degree program in International Migration Policy.
At the request of the Secretariat of the Caribbean Community, and as a second phase of the studies on the development and integration of capital markets in the countries of CARICOM and the Group of Three, studies were done on the possibility of developing and building up the links connecting the capital markets of Central America and the Caribbean.
With financial support from the United States Department of State, a two-week course was organized with Florida International University on the trade opportunities that the new information technologies open up in the Caribbean. Approximately 15 fellowship recipients from the private and public sectors in the Caribbean participated in the event.
The Secretariat also participated in the Conference on the Mechanics of Trade Finance organized by the Telecommunications Industry Association, and in the Annual Miami Conference on the Caribbean and Latin America, organized by Caribbean Latin American Action.
The Fourth Latin American Symposium on Research and Evaluation of Integral Development Programs for Children Ages 0-6, was held in conjunction with the Ministry of Education and Sports of Brazil, as a regional activity recommended in CIECC resolution 894/95. The meeting took place in Brasilia, November 24 through 30, 1996, and stimulated a high-level, technical dialogue, while promoting an exchange of information among public and private, national and international institutions involved in pre-school and basic education; over 1,200 representatives and specialists in education, health and nutrition participated in the event. Among the institutions supporting the Symposium were the World Bank, the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), UNICEF, PAHO, UNESCO, and the Andres Bello Agreement.
In Washington, D.C, on September 16 and 17, a meeting on "Partnership for Educational Revitalization in the Americas" (PERA) was held in conjunction with USAID and the Academy for Educational Development. It examined the findings of case studies in educational reform in El Salvador, Jamaica, Nicaragua and the Dominican Republic.
The General Secretariat participated in the meeting on "Higher Education in Latin America: the Challenges of the Marketplace and Institutional Reform", organized by the Latin American Scholarship Program of American Universities (LASPAU) and held at Harvard University, November 6, 7 and 8, 1996.
Together with representatives of the World Bank, the IDB, the UNDP, and the Organization of Ibero-American States, the Secretariat participated in the presentation of papers on the panel for "International Cooperation for State Reform", which was part of the First Inter-American Congress that met in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, November 7 and 8, 1996.
A number of proposals were presented to CEPCIDI for the Andres Bello Inter-American Education Prize and for multinational projects, such as: Qualitative and Quantitative Improvement of Basic Education; Education for Work and Youth Development; Environmental Education for Latin America and the Caribbean; and Family Support and Education, prepared in cooperation with the Inter-American Commission of Women.
Execution of the Pilot Project on Literacy in Haiti continued until September 1996, when activities were suspended pending the appointment of high-level counterpart technicians.
The reports of the external evaluators of the three six-year multinational projects in education that were part of the Regional Educational Development Program were sent to the counterpart institutions in the participating countries for their comments and observations. The conclusions and recommendations of the evaluators were included in the proposed new projects that the Unit prepared for CEPCIDI.
On the occasion of the 40th anniversary of La Educación, Revista Interamericana de Desarrollo Educativo, a special volume was prepared containing the three issues for 1996 and a cumulative index of all issues produced to date.
The activities of the publications program of the former Department of Educational Affairs continued. Three more monographs were recently published as part of the Interamer Collection educational series: Análisis y Propuestas para la Planeación Educativa, by Carlos Muñoz Izquierdo; Educational Management in Latin America, by Benno Sander; América Latina, Universidades en Transición, by Simon Schwartzman; Educación Preventiva Integral Contra el Uso Indebido de Drogas; Nuevos Desafios en Centroamérica, Panamá y República Dominicana, Washington, 1996. Two studies were concluded and sent for publication: Educación Indígena; Experiencia y Perspectivas, Belem, Federal University of Pará, Association of Amazonian Universities, 1996, Eneida Corra de Assis, Editor; and Educación a Distancia: Alternativas para la Formación Ciudadana, Belem, Federal University of Pará, Association of Amazonian Universities, 1996, María Cáa, Latinoamericana de Innovaciones Educativas, No. 22, 1996; la Revista Interamericana de Administración Universitaria, IGLU, No. 10, 1996, and the final issue of the Revista Interamericana de Educación de Adultos, No. 2, 1995. Each one was produced as part of the publications program of the three previous multinational projects in education.
As part of the publications program of the three previous multinational programs in education, technical education journals produced jointly with Argentina, Canada, and Mexico, continued in publication: the Revista Latinoamericana de Innovaciones Educativas (No. 22, 1996); the Revista Interamericana de Administración Universitaria (No. 10, 1996), and the final issue of the Revista Interamericana de Educación de Adultos (No. 2, 1995).
The Latin American Network for Dissemination of Data for Technological Education, which is done by the Regional Center for Adult Education in Latin America and the Caribbean (CREFAL), headquartered in Mexico, continued to serve as the focal point of the computerized communications network established for the project.
The computerized local area networking is expanding at Sir Arthur Lewis Community College in Saint Lucia, and at the Barbados Community College in Barbados. These, and other educational institutions in the Caribbean, will soon be hooked up to the Internet.
11. Unit for Sustainable Development and Environment
The Unit for Sustainable Development and Environment (UDSMA) was created by the Secretary General on June 28, 1996, through Executive Order No. 96-6. Under the latter, the UDSMA is part of the Office of the Secretary General and the General Secretariat's principal entity in charge of matters directly related to sustainable development and environment. The UDSMA replaced the Department of Regional Development and Environment (DDRMA). The Executive Order spelled out the Unit's functions and responsibilities and its basic structure. Programs and those elements of projects that directly concern tourism are now the responsibility of the Inter-Sectoral Unit for Tourism, while the UDSMA remains in charge of the administration of all DDRMA projects and programs that are related to sustainable development and the environment.
Given this background, the activities summarized below are those performed by the DDRMA when it was still operational (March-June 1996) and that became the responsibility of the UDSMA once it was established. Also summarized below are the new activities that the UDSMA has itself undertaken.
In Brazil, the activities of the project titled "Program of Strategic Activities for the Brazilian Amazon Basin" (PRODEAM) got under way. That project is being conducted in collaboration of the Office for the Development of the Brazilian Amazon Basin (SUDAM) and the Ministry of the Environment, Water Resources and Legal Amazonia. The study for ecological-economic zoning of the Brazilian portion of the Tabatinga-Apaporis axis in the border region of the Amazonas State was started and activities were carried out to expand the regional system of socio-economic data for the Amazon region. These activities are financed by the Brazilian Government under the Technical Cooperation Agreement signed with the General Secretariat, involving approximately US$2,550,000.
In Guatemala, El Salvador and Honduras, the process of handing over the functions and responsibilities that the OAS (and IICA) had had in the Trifinio Plan to the governments got under way. Meetings were held with the Plan's Trinational Secretariat where it was agreed that the transfer would be in two stages: the first by December 31, 1996, when the Project's International Coordinator would be removed, and the second by December 31, 1997, during which time the Unit for Sustainable Development and Environment would continue to consult and supervise. Another extension of the Technical Cooperation Agreement between the governments, the OAS, and IICA was signed, involving a sum approved by CEPCIDI of US$132,800. During this period, the Trifinio Plan Report was prepared and will be published shortly. A preinvestment project is being put together as part of the plan for managing the financing for the Trinational Integrated Management of the Lempa River Basin.
As part of the Trifinio Plan, the Energy Saving and Environmental Protection Program (PREPA) continued into its second phase in 1995-1996, with funding of US$480,000 from the Government of Finland.
During the period covered by the report, the local capabilities to undertake execution of the program as of 1997 were built up through training courses for community leaders. Some 1,500 new energy-saving wood-burning stoves (Finnish type) were built, nurseries and 1,500 hectares of planted trees were maintained, which included fruit trees. During the second half of the year, a technical-financial evaluation of the PREPA was done, as was an evaluation of community organization and of local acceptance of the program. A commitment was made to select communities in each of the three countries for a pilot experiment wherein the communities themselves will run the PREPA.
As part of the Project on Sustainable Development of Border Regions in the Central American Isthmus, cooperation was provided for two specific modules:
In Bolivia and Peru, as part of the project titled Plan for Environmental Management of the Titicaca, Desaguadero-Poopó-Salar de Coipasa System (TDPS), activities continued with preparation of the studies and priority projects identified during the diagnostic phase. Under the Cooperation Agreement concluded with the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), funding in the amount of US$318,000 was obtained for various activities. In early 1997, at the request of both governments, the General Secretariat organized a joint mission of OAS/UNEP and the Global Environment Fund (GEF), to prepare the terms of reference to implement a Strategic Plan for the region's development, using as a basis the environmental diagnostic study and the studies and projects formulated. The GEF will contribute approximately US$350,000.
As part of the Plurinational Project on Amazon Cooperation, a Regional Seminar on Binational Amazon Cooperation Programs was held at which the Technical Units of the six participating countries presented and examined the results achieved thus far with the plans, programs and projects in border development and integration prepared under the Plurinational Project. The papers were financed with resources approved by CEPCIDI, for a total amount of US$60,000.
With additional financial support from the United States Government, which contributed US$80,000, the study of environmental and territorial zoning of the border region between Vila Pacaraima and Santa Elena de Uairén continued. That project is part of the Brazilian-Venezuelan Binational Program in Amazon Cooperation.
In Argentina and Bolivia, at the request of both governments and through a contribution of US$231,000 from the Global Environment Fund, a proposal was prepared and presented for Integrated Management of the Water Resources in the Bermejo River Basin. The GEF approved the proposal in October 1996, providing a contribution of US$3 million, to be executed during the 1997-1998 period.
Technical-institutional support and financial tracking of the irrigation works and projects in Brazil continued, including the additional works in the energy and hydraulics sector, particularly in the states of Maranhão, Bahía, and Espírito Santo. These activities are being carried out in collaboration with the Secretariat of Water Resources of the Ministry of the Environment, Water Resources and Legal Amazonia, under the Technical Cooperation Agreement concluded with the Government of Brazil for the period 1995-1996, involving the sum of US$1,400,000.
The Manual of Alternative Technologies for Increasing the Water Supply in Latin America and the Caribbean was published. It was the product of a project conducted jointly by the OAS General Secretariat and the United Nations Environment Programme.
At the request of the Government of Brazil, the OAS General Secretariat, in conjunction with UNEP and the World Bank, organized and conducted a mission to Brazil to help prepare a request to be filed with the Global Environment Fund (GEF) seeking the sum of US$251,700 to prepare a proposal for Integrated Management of the Watershed of the Upper Paraguay River and a Strategy for Conservation of the Biodiversity in its Aquatic Ecosystem and a request for another US$350,000 to prepare a proposal for Integrated Management of the Water Resources of the San Francisco River Basin and the area along its banks.
The Unit cooperated with a number of institutions in holding fora on the subject of integrated water resource management, such as the International Seminar on Hydrology in the Humid Tropics, held in Kingston, Jamaica and organized by the Water Resource Authority, and the South American Forum on Water, held in São Paulo and organized by the University of São Paulo.
The first phase of the Project on Environmental Management and Sustainable Development in the San Juan River Basin was completed. The watershed is shared by Costa Rica and Nicaragua. CEPCIDI approved the sum of US$129,000 for 1996. The Project's Executive Committee met in September, approved the report and recommended to UNEP that it apply to the GEF for funding which the OAS would then administer. UNEP has already acted on this recommendation. The OAS-UNEP Agreement for execution of this project was for US$471,000; that entire sum was executed between 1994 and 1996.
In Honduras, support was provided for management and execution of horizontal cooperation from the Argentine Republic to the Government of Honduras in the amount of US$50,000 in 1996 and another US$50,000 in 1997, which was in addition to the funds that CEPCIDI approved for the Gulf of Honduras Module Project, for an advanced prefeasibility study of a project for Integrated Management of the Chamelecon River Basin.
In Central America, there was cooperation with the Central American Water Resources Commission (CCRH) to prepare a Central American Water Management Plan for the seven countries of the region, under CCRH management. The governments now have that Plan under study.
In the Caribbean, preparation and the final paperwork for the project on Planning for Adaptation to Global Climate Change were completed in the manner required by the World Bank for its evaluation. Execution of the project, whose revised cost is US$6.3 million, will be funded by the Global Environment Fund (GEF) and will begin in the first quarter of 1997.
In the seven countries of the Central American Isthmus, at the request of and in coordination with the Central American Environment and Development Commission (CCAD), the joint effort to formulate a Project for a Central American Biological Corridor continued. The Project includes assistance coordinated among the UNEP, the UNDP, and the OAS, to the countries of the subregion. The request for an estimated $14 million in funding for this project will be presented to the GEF, possibly in the first quarter of 1997.
The report titled "Uruguay: Alternatives to Industrial Processing of the Forestry Resource" was prepared and published. The report is the final result of Phase II of the Regional Project on Alternatives for Forestry Investment, developed under the agreement concluded between the OAS General Secretariat and the Ministry of Livestock, Agriculture and Fisheries (MGAP) of Uruguay. The project had a total of US$180,000 in funding from the National Reinvestment Fund of Uruguay's Planning and Budget Office and from the MGAP.
In the Caribbean, the third phase of the Caribbean Disaster Mitigation Project (CDMP) was completed. The project is being carried out under an agreement with the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and has a total of US$5 million for five years (1993-1998). As part of this Project, members of the Caribbean Electric Utility Services Corporation (CARILEC) are introducing new policies and investments based on CDMP-coordinated studies. The Project continued to provide technical assistance and training to various agencies in the countries of the subregion.
In Central America, the second phase of the Program to Reduce the Exposure of Schools to Natural Hazards was carried out, with US$327,000 from the European Community's Humanitarian Office (ECHO).
Also in Central America, the study on the Electric Power Sector's Vulnerability to Natural Disasters was completed in cooperation with the Council for Central American Electrification (CEAC), with a financial grant from the United States Department of Energy in the amount of US$150,000.
For the Andean and Central American countries, the second phase of a Program to Reduce the Highway System's Vulnerability was completed with the cooperation of the Pan American Highway In