AG/RES. 1572 (XXVIII-O/98)

FIRST MEETING OF MINISTERS OF EDUCATION

(Resolution adopted at the third plenary session, held on June 2, 1998)

THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY,

CONSIDERING:

That the General Assembly, in its resolution AG/RES. 1524 (XXVII-O/97), urged the member states to promote the use of mechanisms of the Inter-American Council for Integral Development (CIDI), particularly its regular and specialized ministerial meetings, to follow up on the decisions adopted at the Summits of the Americas, as well as to formulate and develop initiatives that facilitate the implementation of these decisions;

That the Heads of State and Government, meeting at the Second Summit of the Americas, decided that, "in the case of specific mandates that require the convening of sectoral ministerials, these meetings, when appropriate, will take place under the aegis of the OAS Inter-American Council for Integral Development (CIDI)";

That the Plan of Action of the Second Summit of the Americas assigned the task of developing a plan to implement the education initiative to the Meeting of Ministers of Education, which will be convened by the OAS under the Strategic Plan for Partnership for Development 1997-2001 and held in Brazil in July 1998; and

That CIDI, in resolution CIDI/RES. 43 (III-O/98), resolved to provide support for the First Meeting of Ministers of Education of CIDI, convened a preparatory meeting of CIDI to devise a preliminary draft Inter-American Education Program, and instructed the Nonpermanent Specialized Committee on Education to consider the education projects once the proposals arising from the meeting have been incorporated,

RESOLVES:

1. To emphasize the importance to partnership for development of the first Meeting of Ministers of Education in the Inter-American Council for Integral Development (CIDI) framework, which will continue the important dialogue and cooperation that have been under way for many years at the OAS.

2. To endorse the decision of CIDI to support the First Meeting of Ministers of Education of CIDI, and to point to that meeting as an example of the use of CIDI mechanisms to follow up on the Second Summit of the Americas.

3. To instruct CIDI to provide, through the Permanent Executive Committee of the Inter-American Council for Integral Development (CEPCIDI), its fullest support to the ministers of education that so request to:

a. Undertake necessary preparations to hold the First Meeting of Ministers of Education of CIDI;

b. Devise and develop the Inter-American Education Program;

c. Assist in the implementation of the education initiative of the Second Summit of the Americas, with full respect for consensus, essential to the Summit process.