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G E N E R A L      S E C R E T A R I A T

EXECUTIVE ORDER No. 97-1
SUBJECT:  OFFICE OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

 

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