OEA/Ser.P AG/RES. 1834 (XXXI-O/01) 5 June 2001 Original: Spanish THE ORGANIZATION OF AMERICAN STATES AND CIVIL SOCIETY (Resolution adopted at the fourth plenary session, held on June 5, 2001;. subject to review by the Style Committee) THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY, HAVING SEEN the Annual Report of the Permanent Council on the topics assigned to the Committee on Civil Society Participation in OAS Activities (AG/doc. .../01); RECALLING resolutions AG/RES. 1707 (XXX-O/00), "The Organization of American States and Civil Society" and AG/RES. 1668 (XXIX-O/99), "Strengthening Cooperation between Governments and Civil Society"; RECALLING ALSO the Guidelines for the Participation of Civil Society Organizations in OAS Activities, approved by the Permanent Council through its resolution CP/RES. 759 (1217/99); BEARING IN MIND: That in the Declaration of Quebec City of the Third Summit of the Americas, the Heads of State and Government of the Hemisphere stated that they "welcome and value the contributions of civil society ... to (the) Plan of Action" and "affirm that openness and transparency are vital to building public awareness and legitimacy…"; and That the Plan of Action of Quebec City of the Third Summit of the Americas states that, among other initiatives, governments will develop strategies at the national level and through the OAS to increase the capacity of civil society to participate more fully in the inter-American system; REAFFIRMING the significant contribution of civil society organizations to the activities of the OAS and of the related organs, agencies and entities of the inter-American system; RECOGNIZING: That the Committee on Civil Society Participation in OAS Activities benefited from presentations by directors of various organs, agencies and entities of the OAS on their experiences with civil society organizations; and That various civil society organizations contributed to the work of the Special Committee on Inter-American Summits Management; and NOTING WITH SATISFACTION the efforts undertaken by member states to enhance civil society participation in public life, notably the adoption of the Charter of Civil Society for the Caribbean Community, RESOLVES: 1. To request that the Permanent Council, through the Committee on Civil Society Participation in OAS Activities (the Committee), and in accordance with the Guidelines for the Participation of Civil Society Organizations in OAS Activities (the Guidelines), develop strategies to increase civil society participation in the OAS. 2. To request that the Committee: a. Study the feasibility of and modalities for enhancing and regularizing the dialogue between the OAS and accredited civil society organizations; and, to that end b. Prepare and hold, prior to the thirty-second General Assembly, a special session with the participation of the said organizations, thereby encouraging appropriate and broad participation and equitable treatment of topics. 3. To instruct the General Secretariat: a. To consolidate, under the direction of the Committee, a database on best practices of civil society participation in the OAS, based on the guidelines approved for such purposes; and b. To consult with other international organizations on their activities to promote civil society participation. 4. To request the General Secretariat to support member states that so request, in their efforts to increase the institutional capacity of governments to receive, absorb, and act on civil society input and advocacy, particularly through the use of information and communications technologies. 5. To instruct the General Secretariat to carry out the activities mentioned in this resolution in keeping with the resources allocated in the program-budget of the Organization and other resources. 6. To request the Permanent Council to report to the General Assembly at its thirty-second regular session on the implementation of this resolution.