OAS :: SPA Newsletter
             Edition 1 – 2015     January - February - March
OAS hosts First Meeting of Chiefs of
Electoral Observation Missions, March 11
Topics such as "Observing Tight and/ or Complex Elections"; "Legislative and Municipal Elections"; and "The Impact of EOM Recommendations" were discussed. The Secretary General of the Organization, José Miguel Insulza, highlighted the professionalism and the experience accumulated during the more than fifty years the Organization has observed elections.
Read more...

OAS hosts Roundtable on Innovation for the Advance of Democracy and Citizen Participation, March 26 SPA launches OAS Program for the Promotion of Open Government in the Americas, March 22-28 OAS Electoral Observation Mission Observes Local Elections in Bolivia, March 29
The event, “Innovating for Democracy: Citizen Participation in the Digital Era,” held on March 26th in Washington, took place in the context of the first edition of the OAS Fellowship on Open Government in the Americas. The discussion brought together experts on open government and tackled the topic of how technology is affecting democracy.
Read more...
The initiative seeks to create a network of people, bringing together young leaders from throughout the region and offering them a space for sharing and debating ideas and experiences in Open Government. An external selection committee chose the 25 fellows that participated in the first edition of The OAS Fellowship on Open Government in the Americas.
Read more...
The Electoral Observation Mission (EOM) of the Organization of American States (OAS) in Bolivia, headed by the former President of Guatemala Álvaro Colom, deployed specialists to 7 regions of the country to observe the voting, the vote count and the transmission of results in the local elections held on March 29.
Read more...
Site of the EOM



SPA co-organizes Forum on Political Reform in Bogotá, March 24-25 Belize Presents Award to SG in Recognition of Mediation with Guatemala SPA/OAS hosts III Inter-American Conference on "Innovative Experiences on Effective Public Management,"  March 5-6
Together with the National Civil Registry of Colombia and the Universidad Sergio Arboleda, the OAS co-organized a forum in Bogotá to discuss, among other topics, international political reform experiences. Scholars, legislators, politicians and international experts were among the participants in this Forum, in addition to Dr. Kevin Casas-Zamora, the OAS Secretary for Political Affairs.
Read more...
The government of Belize honored OAS Secretary General José Miguel Insulza with the most prestigious award bestowed upon a civilian foreigne, the Order of Distinction of Belize, in recognition of his diplomatic efforts and support in the advancement of the negotiation process between Belize and Guatemala.
Read more...
The Conference took place in Pachuca de Soto, Mexico, in the framework of the II Meeting of High-Level Authorities of the Inter-American Cooperation Mechanism for Effective Public Management (MECIGEP), which was attended by by Ministers, Deputy Ministers and High-Level Public Management Authorities from OAS member states, as well as the OAS Assistant Secretary General and Secretary for Political Affairs. During this event, the OAS also presented the Records and Archives Management Model developed by the Transparency and Access to Information Network  with support from the OAS and EUROsociAL.
Read more...



Secretary Casas Zamora joins MAPP/OAS in field visit to Antioquia and Boyacá departments of Colombia, February 3-6 DECO Launches Study on Electoral Participation in Central America and a Publication on Gender Equity and Political Financing, ¨Elections in Latin America in Retrospect¨ March 23rd First Inter-American Meeting of Young Legislators to take place in Lima in May 2015
The trip took place within the context of the Mission’s efforts to produce reports on the security and social contexts in the different regions of Colombia affected by the conflict. The information gathered from stakeholders is condensed into reports which are critical to understanding the current conflict dynamics, and essential information for planning post-peace scenarios. 
Read more about the MAPP/OAS...
DECO published a study on electoral participation in Central America that analyzes the socio-demographic factors that have influenced political turnout in Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Panama. The document ¨Elections in Latin America in Retrospect¨ presents a comparative analysis that builds on the conclusions regarding gender and political financing produced by the 2013 EOMS in Paraguay, Ecuador and Honduras.
Read more...
The President of the Congress of Peru, Ana María Solórzano, signaled the country’s eagerness to host the First Inter-American Meeting of Young Legislators, which will take place in May in Lima, Peru. Solórzano signed an agreement with the OAS to officially host the event, which will bring together young parliamentarians from the 35 member-states in order to discuss legislative modernization and transparency, improving the relationship between legislators and citizens, and accountability.



DEPM/OAS carries out Workshop on government purchase of pharmaceuticals through the Inter-American Network on Government Procurement (INGP), January 21-22 Historic Step taken in Belize-Guatemala Process  OAS Electoral Observation Mission Observed the Electoral Process in El Salvador
The Workshop, held in San José, Costa Rica, sought to present, analyze and discuss recruitment strategies and negotiation techniques used by governments in pharmaceuticals procurement.
Read more...
On December 17 2014, Belize and Guatemala signed 13 bilateral agreements in key action areas, which constituted not only an unprecedented step in the peace process but an historic accomplishment. Three additional agreements focused on security were adopted the same day.
Read more...
The Electoral Observation Mission of the Organization of American States (EOM/OAS) deployed for the elections of March 1 in El Salvador conducted a long-term observation that included the final count and the presentation of challenges.
Read more...
Site of the EOM



SAIR/OAS lends technical assistance to the Senate of Paraguay in its modernization efforts , February 25-27 February 20: DEPM/OAS and PAHO to Exchange Experiences and Practices to Improve Programs Promoting E-Government DECO presents its 2014 Annual Report, March 11
From February 25th-27th 2015, Moises Benamor, chief of the SAIR, engaged with the legislative authorities of the Senate of Paraguay and offered the Organization’s technical expertise on matters of legislative modernization and the implementation of transparency policies. Additionally, an MoU that would facilitate cooperation between the two organizations was proposed.
Read more...
The Organization of American States (OAS) and the Pan-American Health Organization (PAHO) signed an agreement on February 20th by which they will join forces to strengthen their programs designed to incorporate knowledge management and information and communication technology into the provision of health-related public services.
Read more...
The Director of DECO of the OAS, Gerardo de Icaza, presented at the conclusion of the First Meeting of Chiefs of Electoral Observation Missions their 2014 Annual Report, which is a detailed synthesis of the missions and activities the Department has implemented, including objectives for 2015. Moreover, De Icaza announced that DECO would soon publish an online database with all the data from the EOMs.
Read more...



Secretary Casas-Zamora participates in International Seminar: Challenges faced by the Ibero-American community, February 19-20 DEPM/OAS Begins Training for Panamanian Public Officials, February 24 OAS Electoral Observation Mission Observes the General Elections in Saint Kitts and Nevis, February 16
Dr. Casas-Zamora examined the challenges and opportunities faced by the Ibero-American community, particularly with regards to regionalization processes, in this Seminar co-hosted by FLACSO and AECID in Montevideo, Uruguay.
Read more...
The training is part of MuNet - Transparent and Effective Municipalities, a program that provides technical assistance to local governments. The initiative seeks to modernize public administration to improve services to citizens, promote transparency and streamline changes in municipal management. 
Read more...
A team of 11 experts lead by Ambassador Frank Almaguer observed Saint Kitts and Nevis General Election on February 16. The OAS/EOM congratulated the citizens of the country for their active participation on Election Day, reflected in a high voter turnout, and for their patience in the counting and transmission of results process.
Read more...
Site of the EOM



DEPM/OAS and the Federal District of Mexico sign Agreement to Improve Public Management, January 14 The SAIR debates legislative oversight in international seminar , February 11 Secretary Casas-Zamora participates in III International Santo Domingo Forum, January 28-30
The agreement was signed with the objective of providing technical assistance to help improve the delivery of public services and to respond to citizen demands in a transparent, effective and sustainable way.
Read more...
In the framework of lending technical assistance to legislative institutions in member-states, the head of SAIR, Moisés Benamor, traveled to El Salvador on February 11th 2015. Mr. Benamor served as a moderator for a debate regarding political control together with Jorge del Castillo, former congressman of Peru and Prime Minister during the second term of President Alan García. Secretary Casas-Zamora took part in a panel discussion on the quality of Latin American democracies in this Forum organized by IDEA International, FUNGLODE and the Pontificia Universidad Católica Madre y Maestra.
Read more...

SG/OAS and Andean Parliament renew strategic alliance

On March 25th the SG/OAS was honored with the “Gran Cruz” medal in the Andean Parliament’s headquarters in Bogota for his support for regional integration. After the ceremony, together with the President of the Andean Parliament, Peruvian Congressman Javier Reátegui Rosselló, the SG signed a memorandum of understanding to renew collaboration across various issue-areas. These include supporting efforts related to designing initiatives related to promoting interaction with young people and university students and addressing the role legislatures play in the issue-areas of education, healthcare, sustainable development, and the environment, among others.



foot
Copyright © 2015 OAS. All rights reserved.