Inter-American Affairs: Civil Society in the Inter-American System
Over the past seven years FOCAL has actively contributed to strengthening this region’s multilateral initiatives and institutional processes, working in collaboration with regional partners to deepen the connections between civil society and various branches of the Inter-American system (IAS). During this time FOCAL has participated in the Summit of the Americas process, the Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA) ministerials, and numerous events sponsored by the Organization of American States (OAS), charting the activities and challenges of these processes in articles, policy papers and reports on various dimensions of the IAS and civil society engagement in this arena. At the same time, we have developed strong relations with other regional civil society organizations (CSOs) active in this area.
Throughout this period civil society participation in the IAS has made substantial strides, leading to key changes in the role that CSOs play in shaping certain aspects of the inter-American agenda. Participation has reached an important and exciting juncture: a formal dialogue has been officially institutionalized between CSOs and foreign ministers at the annual OAS General Assembly, official guidelines for civil society inclusion in OAS activities have been ratified and there are increasing openings for CSOs to provide input into the Summit process. With these guaranteed spaces, CSOs have the opportunity to contribute more productively and actively than ever before.
However, there is more to be done. Future success requires that civil society organizations rethink current goals and strategies and reaffirm commitments to our partners while ensuring that existing networks are regionally and thematically diverse, energetic and committed to increasing the effectiveness and transparency of citizen engagement in the IAS. FOCAL as a CSO is actively working to ensure that member states and bodies of the Inter-American system continue to incorporate the views and objectives of the citizens of the hemisphere into the decision making process.
Project Objectives:
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Maintain the connections and momentum that have been developed over the past seven years of engagement with the IAS, providing ongoing contributions to official multilateral spaces, with a focus on deeper and sustained exchange.
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Promote the creation of strong, diverse and well-organized civil society networks that can engage effectively with the IAS.
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Continue to build reciprocal relationships with multilateral bodies, national governments and CSOs, and to work to further institutionalize spaces for productive exchange.
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Increase education about Summits and generate broader dissemination of information and results of government and CSO contributions, within Canada and throughout the region.
In the next phase of our work FOCAL will continue to participate in and monitor a range of Inter-American activities, including annual General Assemblies, meetings of the Summit Implementation Review Group (SIRG), relevant ministerial meetings, with a specific focus on promoting a broad, timely and considered participation in the 2005 Argentine Summit of the Americas. To achieve these goals, FOCAL is focusing its activities in three main areas: Area Concentrations:
Inter-American Civil Society Activities in Canada
FOCAL’s mandate is to develop a greater understanding of issues relating to inter-American relations, focusing particularly on the role of Canada in the hemisphere. FOCAL continues to collaborate with other Canadian organizations active in the Americas in an effort to strengthen Canada’s contribution to the region.
FOCAL Engagement with Regional Civil Society Partners
Only through collaboration with organizations from across the hemisphere will civil society be able to leverage substantial and long-term change within the Inter-American system. To this end FOCAL will continue to build concerted partnerships with CSOs working in the region.
Civil Society Participation in Official OAS and Summit of the Americas Spaces
FOCAL will continue to be an active participant at relevant official Inter-American events, taking advantage of the formalized opportunities for participation to engage in substantive discussion on pertinent issues. |
