AG/RES. 1852 (XXXII-O/02)

INCREASING AND STRENGTHENING CIVIL SOCIETY PARTICIPATION IN OAS ACTIVITIES

(Adopted at the fourth plenary session held on June 4, 2002) 

            THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY, 

HAVING SEEN the Report of the Permanent Council on Civil Society Participation in OAS Activities (CP/doc.3599/02);

RECALLING its resolutions AG/RES. 1668 (XXIX-O/99), “Strengthening Cooperation between Governments and Civil Society,” and AG/RES. 1707 (XXX-O/00) and AG/RES. 1834 (XXXI-O/01), “The Organization of American States and Civil Society”; 

RECALLING ALSO the Guidelines for the Participation of Civil Society Organizations in OAS Activities (The Guidelines), adopted by the Permanent Council through its resolution CP/RES. 759 (1217/99), and endorsed by the General Assembly through its resolution AG/RES. 1707 (XXX-O/00); 

BEARING IN MIND that the Plan of Action of the Third Summit of the Americas states that, among other initiatives, governments will develop strategies at the national level and through the OAS to increase the capacity of civil society to participate more fully in the inter-American system;

REAFFIRMING that men and women have the right to participate, with equality and equity, in decision-making processes affecting their lives and well-being, and that the diversity of opinion, experience, and technical expertise of civil society constitute a significant and valuable resource for initiatives and responses of government and democratic institutions;

            RECOGNIZING the importance of the participation of civil society organizations to consolidating democracy in all member states and the significant contribution they can make to the activities of the OAS and of the organs, agencies, and entities of the inter-American system; 

            RECOGNIZING ALSO that civil society participation in OAS activities should be carried out in a context of close collaboration between the political and institutional bodies of the Organization; 

            NOTING WITH SATISFACTION the recommendations and the dialogue arising from the special meeting of the Committee held on March 22, 2002, which involved active participation by civil society organizations from all regions of the Hemisphere; and 

NOTING ALSO that the Permanent Council, through the Committee on Civil Society Participation in OAS Activities, has begun to discuss strategies to increase civil society participation in the Organization, 

RESOLVES: 

1.                   To instruct the Permanent Council:

 

a.                   To devise, hold consultations on, and adopt strategies for increasing and strengthening civil society participation in OAS activities;

 

b.                   To evaluate the implementation of the guidelines governing relations between civil society organizations and the OAS, taking into consideration the conclusions and recommendations of the Committee;

 

c.                   To facilitate contributions by civil society organizations to its work and to that of its subsidiary bodies in the areas of competence of those organizations, taking into account the existing informal participation of civil society organizations in those bodies;

 

d.                   To hold a special meeting of the Committee to strengthen dialogue between OAS organs, agencies, and entities and accredited civil society organizations and to assess progress made by the Organization and the contributions of civil society organizations to those achievements; and

 

e.                   To analyze the feasibility of establishing a specific voluntary fund to support the participation of accredited civil society organizations in the special meeting of the Committee mentioned in the preceding operative subparagraph.

 

2.                   To instruct the Inter-American Council for Integral Development (CIDI) to continue to facilitate contributions by civil society organizations in the areas of competence of those organizations to its work and that of its subsidiary bodies, in accordance with the Strategic Plan for Cooperation for Development.

 

3.                   To instruct the General Secretariat:

 

a.          To facilitate contributions by civil society organizations to the activities of the organs, agencies, and entities of the Organization;

 

b.                   To continue to support member states that so request in their efforts to increase the institutional capacity of their government to receive, absorb, and act on civil society input and advocacy, if possible through the use of information and communication technologies;

 

c.                   To promote the accreditation of new civil society organizations for participation in OAS activities, in particular those related to the Summits process; and

 

d.                   To continue to consolidate a database on best practices of civil society participation in the OAS, based on the guidelines adopted for such purposes.

 

4.                   To instruct the General Secretariat to carry out the activities mentioned in this resolution within the resources allocated in the program-budget and other resources.

 

5.                   To request the Permanent Council to report to the General Assembly at its thirty-third regular session on the implementation of this resolution.