THE SECRETARY GENERAL,
In the exercise of the
powers conferred upon him by Articles 108 and 112 of the Charter and Articles 4, 8 and 12
of the General Standards to Govern the Operation of the General Secretariat of the
Organization of American States, and
CONSIDERING:
That the Plan of
Action of the December 1994 Miami Summit of the Americas recognized the need to reassess
the on-going interaction among the region's science and technology infrastructure and
cooperative mechanisms so as to provide impetus for improved cooperation and reduced
barriers to collaboration, to augment the demand for technology, to disseminate
information about technological opportunities and to improve communication among key
scientific and technological organizations, researchers, and technology-based small and
medium-sized enterprises;
That the Protocol of
Managua, which amended the OAS Charter effective January 29, 1996, reorganized and
reoriented technical cooperation in the OAS by creating the Inter-American Council for
Integral Development ("CIDI");
That in the
Declaration of Cartagena and Plan of Action adopted at the Hemispheric Meeting of
Ministers Responsible for Science and Technology, held in Cartagena in March 1996, the
Ministers recognized the importance of hemispheric cooperation for the development of
science and technology in the region, reflecting the strategic role science and technology
play in economic and social development and environmental protection; and
That at its
Twenty-sixth Regular Session, the General Assembly approved funding for a new Office of
Science and Technology within the General Secretariat, in the second year of the 1996-1997
Program-Budget.
RESOLVES:
I. CREATION OF THE OFFICE OF SCIENCE AND
TECHNOLOGY AND
ABOLITION OF THE DEPARTMENT OF SCIENTIFIC AND TECHNOLOGICAL AFFAIRS
1. The Office of Science and Technology
(the "Office") is hereby created as a dependency of the Office of the Secretary
General and as the principal advisory entity within the General Secretariat responsible
for advising the Secretary General, the Assistant Secretary General, the Executive
Secretary of CIDI, and the governing bodies of the Organization, on all matters pertaining
to scientific and technological activities of the Organization.
2. The Department of Scientific and
Technological Affairs ("DSTA"), currently a dependency of the Executive
Secretariat of CIDI, is hereby abolished.
II. RESPONSIBILITIES AND FUNCTIONS OF THE
OFFICE OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
The Office of Science
and Technology shall have the following functions and responsibilities:
1. To help strengthen technical
capabilities and programs in the Hemisphere which have a scientific and/or technological
component, especially by contributing effectively to the achievement of the Organization's
present and future goals in Hemispheric areas such as trade, democracy, environment, and
social development.
2. To support the member States in the
design, formulation, implementation and evaluation of scientific and technological
development policies, programs, and strategies, especially those related to the
development of institutional and information networks aimed to promote scientific and
technological cooperation; to strengthen small and medium-sized enterprises to increase
productivity and to create employment; and to encourage strategies of sustainable
development.
3. To cooperate with the Executive
Secretariat for Integral Development by promoting regional and hemispheric dialogues in
order to link scientific and technological efforts with the most relevant priorities
identified in the Inter-American Agenda.
4. To contribute to the identification of
successful experiences in the application and development of scientific and technological
development policies, and to assist in the dissemination of information on those
experiences.
5. To facilitate the exchange of
information on the status and evolution of scientific research and technological
innovation in the countries of the Hemisphere as well as on policies, programs and actions
of common interest to the member States.
6. To support the Executive Secretariat
for Integral Development in organizing ministerial forums and any other mechanism of
governmental representation in the areas of science and technology, integrated within the
framework of CIDI, contributing, in particular, by providing technical support to the
secretariat of the non-permanent specialized committees to be established by CIDI in the
areas of science and technology.
7. To collaborate with the Executive
Secretariat for Integral Development in identifying, formulating and designing of
inter-American cooperation programs in the areas of science and technology, as well as in
the evaluation of projects and activities of specific nature derived from them.
8. To focus on the application of science
and technology for the improvement of competitiveness of the productive sector, the
modernization of the governmental sector, the strengthening of research and development
and its linkage with the productive sector.
9. To support activities in the
application of competitive clean technologies and the initiatives on quality,
standardization and metrology with emphasis on small and medium-sized enterprises.
10. To collaborate with the Executive
Secretariat for Integral Development in providing technical secretariat services to the
Permanent Committee of the Program "Common Market of Scientific and Technological
Market" (MERCOCYT) in its capacity as a forum for hemispheric dialogue in science and
technology and as a mechanism to implement the Plan of Action adopted by the Ministers
Responsible for Science and Technology in Cartagena, as well as to give assistance to the
organization of future ministerial meetings in the framework of CIDI.
11. To coordinate the awarding of the
Inter-American Science Prizes.
12. To serve as the Executive Secretariat
of the Inter-American Nuclear Energy Commission.
III. BASIC STRUCTURE OF THE OFFICE
1. The Office is a dependency of the
Office of the Secretary General. The Chief of the Office, its Director, is directly
responsible to the Chief of Staff. The Director administers, coordinates, and has
technical responsibility for the Office's work product and personnel.
2. The Director, in accordance with the
applicable norms regarding personnel, the program-budget, and related matters, is
responsible for establishing an internal structure for the Office which will enable the
Office to function responsively and properly in accordance with its responsibilities and
mandates.
IV. TRANSITION
1. All staff members of the former
Department of Scientific and Technological Affairs ("DSTA") are hereby
transferred to the Office of Science and Technology.
2. The Office is responsible for all
current programs formerly administered by DSTA.
3. The Department of Program-Budget shall
promptly transfer to the Office the funds allocated to the DSTA under the 1996
Program-Budget.
4. Any disputes regarding the area of
competence of the Office in relation to other areas of the General Secretariat shall be
resolved definitively by the Secretary General.
V. AMENDMENTS AND REPEALS
This Executive Order
supersedes all present norms, regulations and practices of the General Secretariat to the
contrary.
VI. EFFECT
This Executive Order
shall take effect on the date on which it is signed.
Date: January 29, 1997
Original: English
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