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The Summits of the Americas are periodic institutionalized gatherings of the heads of state and government of the Western Hemisphere where leaders discuss common policy issues, affirm shared values and commit to concerted actions at the national and regional level to address continuing and new challenges faced in the Americas. The first Summit of the Americas was held in 1994 in Miami, Florida. To date, there have been six regular Summits and two Special Summits.
The VII Summit of the Americas will be held in Panama City, Panama on April 10-11, 2015.
The central theme of the VII Summit of the Americas is: “Prosperity with Equity: the Challenge of Cooperation in the Americas”. The topics under this themes are:.
- Democratic Governance
- Citizen Participation
- Education
- Health
- Energy
- Environment
- Migration
- Security
For additional information, please consult the draft document of Mandates for Action which the participating countries are negotiating.
The meetings of the Heads of State and Government at the Summits of the Americas are private events.
On the occasion of the VII Summit, a series of activities with civil society representatives and social actors will be organized on April 8, 9 and 10, to promote a dialogue and present recommendations on joint collaborative strategies with Governments to follow-up on the mandates of the Summit.
These activities will include:
1. April 8, 9 and 10, 2015 - Hemispheric Forum: concerted work during which civil society representatives and social actors will split into working groups and formulate concrete proposals and recommendations of collaborative actions with Governments for the follow-up of the mandates.
2. April 10, 2015 - Dialogue: presentation of the conclusions of the two and a half days of reflection and exchange with the representatives of the Governments of the Hemisphere, on the follow-up of the Summit mandates.
The Working Groups will be organized according to the topics of the VII Summit:
- Democratic Governance
- Citizen Participation
- Education
- Health
- Energy
- Environment
- Migration
- Security
Upon conclusion of the Forum, each Working Group will designate one representative who will speak at the Dialogue on their behalf. The representative will present the recommendations of the working groups to Heads of Delegation of the participating countries.
You may apply to participate by filling out and submitting the form available at: Application Form
Taking into account the high level of the Seventh Summit, the limited number of spots available for the activities programmed on that occasion, and the large number of requests that are received for these activities, it is recommended that civil society and social actors interested in participating submit this application as early as possible.
The deadline to submit the application along with all the required supporting documents is March 7, 2015 at 11:59 pm at the latest, with no exception.
Civil society organizations interested in participating in the activities organized on the occasion of the VII Summit do not need to be registered with the OAS to apply.
In order to facilitate the participation of the greatest number of organizations possible, no more than 2 persons per organization can apply.
You do not need to be a member of an organization to participate. Social actors who work on the themes of the VII Summit can also apply.
The organizations must submit:
a. A copy of the Certificate of Incorporation of the organization, if applicable;
b. A copy of the Statutes of the Organizations, if applicable;
c. The Declaration of the Institutional Mission or description of the objectives of the institution, signed by the Director or Legal Representative; and,
d. A copy of the passports of the representatives who wish to participate (maximum 2 persons per organization).
Civil society organizations registered with the OAS will only submit the application form, along with a copy of the passport(s) of the representative(s) who are applying to represent the organization in the activities (maxim 2 persons per organization). Social actors who do not represent an organization will have to submit a copy of their curriculum vitae along with a short description (150 words maximum) of the reasons why they wish to attend the activities. All documents must be submitted at the following email address: [email protected] by March 7, 2015.
The applications will be received and a pre-selection will be carried out, on the basis of the following criteria:
1. Equitable geographic and gender representation;
2. Relevant expertise and knowledge of the themes of the Seventh Summit of the Americas; and
3. Representation of thematic, regional, sub-regional and national networks.
In addition, active participation in the preparatory process for the Seventh Summit, which has been ongoing since November of 2014 through national and virtual consultations, will be taken into account.
Between March 10-15, 2015, the pre-selection will be shared with the Human Rights Network of Panama, who is collaborating on the organization of the activities with civil society representatives and social actors on the occasion of the Summit.
The Human Rights Network of Panama was established in 2012 and is currently composed of 22 Panamanian civil society organizations. The Network is coordinated by the Pro-Justice Citizen Alliance organization.
The confirmations will be sent to the selected participants by mid-March, 2015.
Civil society representatives and social actors who are confirmed for participation in the Hemispheric Forum and Dialogue will receive a link to fill out the accreditation form. They will receive their accreditation in Panama.
The countries of the hemisphere which require a visa to come to Panama are:
- Cuba
- The Dominican Republic
- Haiti
- Suriname
To double check whether you will need a visa, please refer to the following link: http://www.embassyofpanama.org/inmigration-and-visas/
Participants will be responsible for their travel and accommodation expenses. Information will be provided later on, should financial assistance become available.
English-Spanish interpretation will be available for the plenary sessions of the Forum. Interpretation will be available in all 4 official languages of the OAS - English, Spanish, French and Portuguese – at the Dialogue with the Representatives of Governments of the Hemisphere. The working groups will not have interpretation but staff will be available for support.