SPECIAL SESSION
P
romotion
of a Democratic Culture Through Education

The Permanent Council of the Organization of American States convened in special session on April 12 and 13, 2004 to discuss how formal and non-formal education processes promote a democratic culture and how those processes can be strengthened in the Americas. The Unit for Social Development and Education (UDSE ) and the Unit for the Promotion of Democracy (UPD ) provided support to the Permanent Council's special session, which was attended by ministers of education, members of the Inter-American Committee on Education and representatives of civil society organizations engaged in promoting a democratic culture through education. The opening session was addressed by Permanent Council Chairman Miguel Ruiz-Cabañas, Mexico's Ambassador to the OAS; Hazel Manning, Trinidad and Tobago's Minister of Education and First Vice-Chair of the Inter-American Committee on Education; and OAS Assistant Secretary General Luigi Einaudi. The two-day meeting concluded with recommendations and guidelines for the development of an Inter-American Program on Democratic Values, Human Rights and Peace both the formal and non-formal education sector.

Monday April 12

Inauguration Video (English/Spanish)

Miguel Ruíz Cabañas
Ambassador, Permanent Representative of Mexico to the OAS, and Chair of the Permanent Council
Speech

Hazel Manning
Senator, Minister of Education of Trinidad and Tobago, and First Vice-President of the Inter-American Committee on Education
Biography - Speech (English)
Web Page

Luigi R. Einaudi
Assistant Secretary General of the OAS
Biography - Speech (English)

Module I: Diagnosis of the current situation in the formal and non-formal education sectors of the Member States of the OAS

Panel 1 The current situation in the formal education sector with emphasis on how education processes are used to foment and promote a democratic culture in basic education Video (English/Spanish)

Moderator

Hazel Manning
Senator, Minister of Education of Trinidad and Tobago, and First Vice-President of the Inter-American Committee on Education
Power Point Presentation (English)
Web Page

Panelists

Sofialeticia Morales
Director of the Unit of Social Development and Education of the General Secretariat of the OAS
Biography - Speech - Flash Presentation (Spanish)
Web Page

Lorenzo Gómez Morin
Under-Secretary of Basic Education of Mexico and President of the Inter-American Committee on Education
Biography - Speech (Spanish)
Web Page

Beatriz Caicedo
Vice Minister of Education of Ecuador
Biography - Speech (Spanish)

Rolando Ernesto Marín Coto
Minister of Education of El Salvador and Second Vice-President of the Inter-American Committee on Education
Biography - Speech (Spanish)
Web Page

Aristóbulo Isturiz
Minister of Education, Culture, and Sports of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela
Biography - Speech - Power Point Presentation (Spanish)
Web Page

Juana Inés Díaz Tafur
Vice Minister of Pre-Basic, Basic and Secondary Education of Colombia
Biography - Speech - Power Point Presentation (Spanish)
Web Page

Panel 2 The current situation in the non-formal education sector with emphasis on how education processes are used to foment and promote a democratic culture Video (English/Spanish)

Moderator

Jorge Valero Briceño
Ambassador, Permanent Representative of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela to the OAS

Panelists

Elizabeth Spehar
Executive Coordinator of the Unit for the Promotion of Democracy of the General Secretariat of the OAS
Biography (Spanish) -Speech
Web Page

Matt Dippell
Deputy Director, Latin America and Caribbean Programs, National Democratic Institute for International Affairs
Biography (English) - Speech (English)
Web Page

Gary Knell
CEO, Sesame Street Workshop
Biography (English) - Power Point Presentation
Web Page

Richard Nuccio
International Programs Director, Center for Civic Education
Biography (English) - Power Point Presentation
Web Page

Maruja Pachón
Executive Director, Luis Carlos Galán Institute
Biography (Spanish) - Speech Flash Presentation (Spanish)

Tuesday April 13

Module II: How education processes are used today to promote a democratic culture and how these processes can be used more effectively will be analyzed

Panel 3 Analysis of the results of an empirical investigation on the civic knowledge, attitudes and activities of high school students in three American countries. Implications for educational policy and consideration of some innovative programs in civics education Video (English/Spanish)

Moderator

John F. Maisto
Ambassador, Permanent Representative of the United States to the OAS

Panelists

Francisco Pilotti
Principal Specialist in Social Development, Unit for Social Development and Education of the General Secretariat of the OAS
Biography - Power Point Presentation (Spanish)
Web Page

Lenore Yaffee García
Director of International Affairs, U.S. Department of Education
Biography - Power Point Presentation (English)
Web Page

Juana Inés Díaz Tafur
Vice Minister of Pre-Basic, Basic and Secondary Education of Colombia
Biography - Speech Power Point Presentation (Spanish)
Web Page

Panel 4 Presentation of concrete experiences where values education has been transversal in the curriculum of basic education or in the strategies of non-formal education Video (English/Spanish)

Moderator

Dennis Antoine
Ambassador, Permanent Representative of Grenada to the OAS

Panelists

Xiomara Lucena
National Director of Educational Communities, Ministry of Education, Culture, and Sports of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela
Biography - Power Point Presentation (Spanish)

Susana Restrepo
Executive Director, Fundación Presencia, Colombia
Biography (Spanish) - Power Point Presentation (Spanish)

Eric Suzán Reed
Director General for Political Development, Secretaría de Gobernación, México
Biography - Speech
Web Page

Module III: Towards a Continental Program of Peace, Human Rights, and Democratic Values

Working Groups: Proposals for concrete actions Video

Rapporteur sheet from working group on formal education

Rapporteur sheet from working group on non-formal education (Spanish)

Other Documents

General Assembly Resolution

AG/RES.1957 (XXXIII-O/03) “Promotion and Strengthening of Democracy: Follow-up to the Inter-American Democratic Charter”

Press Releases

OAS MEETING RENEWS COMMITMENT TO PROMOTING DEMOCRACY THROUGH EDUCATION
(April 12, 2004)

OAS PERMANENT COUNCIL TO HOLD SPECIAL SESSION ON “PROMOTION OF A DEMOCRATIC CULTURE THROUGH EDUCATION” (April 8, 2004)

Photos

Gallery

OAS /UDSE Reference Materials

Strengthening Democracy in the Americas through Civic Education  (UDSE Empirical Analysis)

Executive Summary of UDSE Empirical Analysis

Programs and Strategies to Promote a Democratic Culture through Education

OAS/UPD Reference Materials

Seminar on the Education of Democratic Values and Practices in the School System of Uruguay (Preliminar Report) (Spanish)

Program on the Promotion of Democratic Leadership and Citizenship