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OAS OPENS SUMMIT OF THE AMERICAS PROCESS TO PUBLIC, USING TECHNOLOGY

The Organization of American States (OAS) Summits of the Americas Secretariat has launched a series of online forums to ensure all segments of society are given access to the process culminating in the fifth Summit of the Americas next April, in Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago.

A Virtual Forum from October 1 through 10 is focusing on the topic “Promoting human prosperity,” a major focus of the Port of Spain Declaration of Commitment that the 34 heads of state and government of the Americas will issue at the end of their meeting in the Trinidad and Tobago capital. Similar forums will be held over the next two months, to focus on the topics of energy security and environmental sustainability, the other central proposals of the Summit’s centerpiece document.

The “Promoting Human Prosperity” forum will be open to public participation until October 10, via the new Summit of the Americas Virtual Platform (SVP), a joint initiative of the Summits Secretariat and the OAS Department of Human Development, using the Education Portal of the Americas. Supported by the Institute for Connectivity in the Americas and the International Development Research Centre (IDRC), the SVP initiative is an online tool to facilitate ongoing communication among social actors, thereby contributing to a more participatory Summits process through the use of information and communication technologies (ICTs).

During this period, all registered users will have access to the Platform and can participate in the consultation on actions and commitments to promote human prosperity in the Americas. The dialogue is divided into important components such as poverty reduction and economic growth, labor and employment, food security, health, education, youth, science and technology and culture.

At the end of each Forum, the Summits Secretariat will put together a report for submission to the governments, which are currently negotiating the text of the Declaration.

Some 300 participants from across the region have so far registered to use the SVP—50% of them from Latin American Integration Association (ALADI) countries; 21% from the Caribbean Community (CARICOM); 12% from the United States and Canada; 9% from Central American Integration System (SICA) countries; and 8% from countries outside the Americas. By type of institution, the participation break down is mainly civil society (38%); academia (18%); intergovernmental organizations (12%); public sector (10%); and the private sector (8%).

The registration form for the Summit Virtual Platform is available to anyone interested in participating or in learning more about the Summits of the Americas process. For more information on the Summit Virtual Platform and to get registered, please visit http://www.summit-americas.org/vp/default.html.

Reference: SUMMIT_2