Public Participation
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The formulation of this innovative strategy is a prompt response to
a mandate entrusted to the OAS by the 1996 Bolivia Summit Conference on
Sustainable Development. For almost three years, the OSDE led an open
and participatory process to give shape to the ISP, working with public sector
and civil society organizations in the 34 member states in conducting
technical studies, seminars, and extensive consultations. This broad
consultation process gave governments, civil society organizations, and other
stakeholders in the Americas the opportunity to exchange ideas and opinions
regarding the recommendations and principles to be taken into account in the
design, implementation, and evaluation of participatory projects, policies, or
programs. As a result, the ISP contains principles and policy
recommendations aimed at achieving greater involvement of all sectors of
society in the making of decisions on sustainable development and environment.
The process of decentralization in the Hemisphere is a response to the profound
changes that are occurring in contemporary societies, governmental reforms, and the
advance toward a global society. The object of this decentralization is to improve the
efficiency and effectiveness of the public sector and of the central government in
particular, while promoting the participation of civil society in decision-making.
Environmental management is closely linked to this strengthening of the basic
structures of government and of the institutional mechanisms for identifying, dealing
with, and solving environmental conflicts and bringing about the necessary participation
of local communities.
The Seminar whose results and conclusions appear in this publication was
organized jointly by the OAS and the Foundation for the Development of the Midwestern
Region (FUDECO) of Venezuela. Its purpose was to consider the experiences of a number of
countries in the region in solving a variety of environmental problems through joint
action by local governments and civil society within the countries' own institutional
frameworks and environmental policies.
 213Kb - 40 pages
In the context of the institutional arrangements set up in Santa Cruz de la
Sierra, Bolivia, the Secretary General of the Organization American States was given the
mandate to submit a report on progress attained in the implementation of the initiatives
of the Plan of Action on Sustainable Development. The report, to be made available prior
to the 1998 Summit of the Americas, was intended as a follow-up on the commitments entered
into in Bolivia. This paper is in compliance with the coordinating and follow-up roles
entrusted to the OAS.
224Kb - 50 pages
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