E-137/01
June 21, 2001
INTERNATIONAL
INSTITUTIONS TO IMPLEMENT SUMMIT MANDATES TOGETHER
Under the terms
of a memorandum of understanding signed today, the Organization of American States (OAS),
the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) and
the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) are to coordinate
efforts more closely to support implementation of the Summit of the Americas mandates.
The agreement
was signed by OAS Secretary General, C�sar Gaviria; IDB President, Enrique Iglesias; PAHO
Director General, Sir George Alleyne; and ECLAC Executive Secretary, Jos� Antonio Ocampo.
The World Bank President, James Wolfensohn, has also written to the OAS
Secretary General, accepting an invitation to join this Inter-Agency Coordinating Group.
Jaime Aparicio
heads the OAS' Office of Summit Follow-up, which will act as Secretariat to the
coordinating body. It will provide member
states and the general public with information on each Institution's activities, in
keeping with the mandates from the Presidents and Prime Ministers of the Hemisphere.
The coordinating group
will also provide information on the Summits process and on the Ministerial meetings
dealing with implementation of those mandates and will issue an annual report on the work
of its member Institutions.
"The four international Institutions will have
absolute independence to implement their respective mandates and to take whatever action
they deem necessary, in conjunction with other relevant parties," Mr. Aparicio
explained.
At the Third
Summit of the Americas in Quebec City, Canada, this past April, the Hemisphere's Heads of
State and Government expressed
support for closer collaboration between the international organizations in question, to
foster efficient use of resources while optimizing effectiveness, avoiding duplication of
mandates, increasing funding opportunities and ensuring that Summit initiatives are
implemented in a coherent manner.
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