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OAS Assistant Secretary General Proposes Improvements to Summits Process

The Assistant Secretary General of the Organization of American States (OAS), Albert Ramdin, has proposed changes to the Summit of the Americas process which would see the initiative attain greater stature as a multilateral political Inter-American process.

The Summits of the Americas bring together the democratically elected Heads of State and Government of the Western Hemisphere to discuss common concerns and develop a shared vision for the future development of the region. They are organized and held every three years through OAS leadership.

The OAS Assistant Secretary General described the current summit process as “primarily a consultative political encounter at the highest level of government.” According to Ambassador Ramdin, the Summits “credibility could be greatly enhanced if greater attention is paid the implementation of mandates.” He believes it would be useful for member states to consider a more structured approach, “institutionalizing the process would help to formalize roles and ensure the coordination and implementation of mandates given at the Summits.”

He further advocated a tighter focus on the Summits which would avoid a proliferation of mandates and ensure that governments can demonstrate measurable progress. In addition to institutionalizing the process, the OAS Assistant Secretary General said priority needs to be given to 3 areas: the thematic focus of the Summit’s, implementation & monitoring as well as financing. “The Summit must get away from the kitchen sink approach in which every Summit attempts to address the entire range of issues facing the hemisphere in one document. It dilutes focus and makes effective implementation nearly impossible.”

The OAS, Ambassador Ramdin said, takes the Summits of the Americas Process very seriously. “Where you already have a mechanism to bring together all the democratically elected governments of the hemisphere, you should use that mechanism to your advantage. The OAS has a long history of bringing the region’s states together and it is the only institution that can do that.”

Ambassador Ramdin delivered his remarks at the Think Tank Working Group for the VI Summit of the Americas, which met today at the Inter-American Dialogue in Washington, DC. The next summit of the Americas is to be held in Colombia in April 2012. Ambassador Ramdin expressed confidence in the capacity of Colombia to organize and host the next summit of the Americas.

For more information, please visit the OAS Website at www.oas.org.

Reference: E-339/10