CP/RES. 864 (1413/04)

SPECIFIC FUND TO SUPPORT THE PARTICIPATION OF
CIVIL SOCIETY ORGANIZATIONS IN OAS ACTIVITIES AND IN THE
SUMMITS OF THE AMERICAS PROCESS

THE PERMANENT COUNCIL OF THE ORGANIZATION OF AMERICAN STATES,

CONSIDERING resolution AG/RES. 1915 (XXXIII-O/03), which recommended to the Permanent Council the creation of a specific fund for voluntary contributions, the “Fund for Civil Society Participation,” to support the participation of civil society organizations in OAS activities, including the dialogue of heads of delegation with representatives of civil society organizations, and to urge member states, permanent observers, and other donors to contribute to it;

NOTING resolution AG/RES. 1965 (XXXIII-O/03), which instructed the Permanent Council to continue to support and facilitate civil society participation in the Summits of the Americas process as well as the efforts of member states to foster such participation;

CONSIDERING resolution CP/RES. 840 (1361/03), “Strategies for Increasing and Strengthening Participation by Civil Society Organizations in OAS Activities,” which recognized the importance of the participation of civil society organizations to consolidating democracy in all member states and the significant contribution that they can make to the activities of the OAS and of the organs, agencies, and entities of the inter-American system;

TAKING INTO CONSIDERATION the Declaration of Heads of State and Government of the Third Summit of the Americas, held in Quebec City, which welcomed and valued the contribution of civil society, including business and labor organizations, to their Plan of Action, emphasized that openness and transparency were vital to building public awareness and legitimacy for their undertakings, and called upon all citizens of the Americas to contribute to the Summits process;

BEARING IN MIND that the “Declaration of Nuevo León” stated that, through citizen participation, civil society organizations should contribute to the design, implementation, and evaluation of public policies adopted by different orders or levels of government, and that it recognized the role of civil society and its contribution to sound public administration and reaffirmed the importance of continuing to forge new partnerships that would enable constructive ties to be built between governments, nongovernmental organizations, international organizations, and the diverse sectors of civil society to work in favor of development and democracy;

TAKING INTO ACCOUNT that the “Declaration of Nuevo Leon” sought to encourage the participation of civil society in the Summits of the Americas process and undertook to institutionalize meetings with civil society and with the academic and private sectors; and

BEARING IN MIND the Guidelines for the Participation of Civil Society Organizations in OAS Activities, approved by the Permanent Council in its resolution CP/RES. 759 (1217/99) and endorsed by the General Assembly in its resolution AG/RES. 1707 (XXX-O/00),

RESOLVES:
1. To instruct the Secretary General, through the Secretariat for the Summit Process, to establish a Specific Fund to Support the Participation of Civil Society Organizations in OAS Activities and in the Summits of the Americas Process, hereinafter "the Fund," the purpose of which shall be to provide financial support to facilitate the participation of registered civil society organizations in the activities of OAS political bodies, such as the General Assembly and Permanent Council, special meetings of the Committee on Inter-American Summits Management and Civil Society Participation in OAS Activities (CISC) as well as of the Summit Implementation Review Group (SIRG), ministerial meetings as appropriate, and other OAS activities. The Fund may also foster the participation of civil society organizations in the Summits of the Americas process.

2. That the Specific Fund shall consist of voluntary contributions by OAS member states and permanent observers to the Organization, as well as by national or international, public or private persons who may wish to finance the achievement of the objective contemplated in operative paragraph 1.

3. To invite all member states, permanent observers, and other donors, as defined in Article 73 of the General Standards to Govern the Operations of the General Secretariat and other rules and regulations of the Organization, to contribute to this Specific Fund.

4. To instruct the Secretary General to administer the Fund, through the Secretariat for the Summits Process, in accordance with the General Standards to Govern the Operations of the General Secretariat and other rules and regulations of the Organization and to act as the Technical Secretariat of the Fund.

5. To create a Board, hereinafter the Selection Board, to select beneficiaries from the pool of applicants of registered civil society organizations to participate in OAS and Summits-of- the- Americas-related activities.

6. That financial support shall be allocated for travel and/or per diem for only one representative for each selected civil society organization. The beneficiaries of the Fund shall be chosen by the Selection Board, bearing in mind also the criteria of equitable geographic representation as well as relevant experience and background in the subject area in question.

7. That registered civil society organizations can submit a letter to the Secretariat for the Summit Process requesting support for one of their representatives to attend OAS or specific Summit-related activities. The contents of the letter should provide sufficient information regarding their interest in attending said activity in order to be eligible for consideration in the selection process.
8. That the Selection Board will be composed of three members, who shall be: the chair of the Committee on Inter-American Summits Management and Civil Society Participation in OAS Activities, the vice chair of the same Committee, and a civil society representative selected by registered civil society organizations. The civil society member of the Selection Board shall be elected by consensus by the representatives of the civil society organizations registered with the Organization at least 30 days prior to the regular session of the General Assembly, shall serve for a one-year term, and shall perform the functions in an ad honorem capacity.

9. That all decisions of the Selection Board shall be made by consensus. Consultations among members of the Selection Board shall take place, to the extent possible, by electronic or similar means so that the Fund will minimize the costs of its own meetings.

10. That the expenses incurred in the administration of the Fund shall be covered by the Fund itself. Operating costs incurred by the Secretariat for the Summit Process for organizational tasks, such as telecommunications, processing of travel arrangements, meeting logistics, and Web site maintenance shall also be defrayed by the Fund.

11. That these guidelines in respect of the Fund shall take effect following their adoption by the Permanent Council and may be amended by the Council itself, on its own initiative or at the recommendation of the Secretary General or the Selection Board.

12. That the viability and efficacy of the Fund shall be reviewed by the Permanent Council two years from the date of its establishment, or earlier if the Secretary General reports that there are insufficient resources in the Fund.

13. That the Specific Fund's accounts shall be audited by the General Secretariat's Board of External Auditors and its financial statements published in the annual report of that entity.

14. That this resolution shall be implemented in such a way as to take into account the Guidelines for the Participation of Civil Society Organizations in OAS Activities, approved by the Permanent Council in its resolution CP/RES. 759 (1217/99); resolution CP/RES. 840 (1361/03), “Strategies for Increasing and Strengthening Participation by Civil Society Organizations in OAS Activities”; and other provisions in force in this regard.