Organization of American States Summits of the Americas
     
Follow-up and Implementation: Mandates
 

2
   
PUBLIC MANAGEMENT
MANDATES

  1. Take concrete actions, with the participation and collaboration of civil society, to improve the promotion and protection of human rights defenders, including those working on environmental matters, to include:

    • a. The development of consultative processes, particularly regarding the enactment of laws, public policies, development projects, and the creation of a safe and enabling environment for civil society to work; (Inter-American Action Plan on Democratic Governance, IX Summit of the Americas, Los Angeles, 2022).

  1. Recognize, respect, and protect the rights of all, in accordance with those international treaties to which each state is party and in accordance with its domestic legislation, with a particular emphasis on:

    • b. Persons of African descent, taking into account their inherent human rights, history, cultures, and traditions, and taking into account, where applicable, and according to domestic law, public policy arrangements for their empowerment, inclusion, participation, and representation. (Inter-American Action Plan on Democratic Governance, IX Summit of the Americas, Los Angeles, 2022).

  1. Deepen the relationship between inclusive, democratic governance and sustainable development by:

    • b. Pursuing implementation of expanded hemispheric cooperation and investment programs to promote sustainable development as a key pillar and objective of democratic governance;

    • c. Promoting the development of policies and programs to expand opportunities for economic and social empowerment and advancement for all peoples of the Hemisphere;

    • d. Promoting policies and programs that address the structural causes of poverty and inequality and foster strengthened cooperation and the exchange of experiences and best practices in that regard; (Inter-American Action Plan on Democratic Governance, IX Summit of the Americas, Los Angeles, 2022).

  1. Carry out actions identified in the resolutions adopted by the IX Conference of States Parties (COSP) to the UN Convention against Corruption (UNCAC), held in December 2021, to effectively follow up on the Sharm el-Sheikh Declaration on strengthening international cooperation in the prevention of and fight against corruption during times of emergencies and crisis response and recovery, including by developing, putting in place and, where appropriate, improving and strengthening anticorruption policies and strategies, consistent with domestic law, to provide for emergency preparedness and address corruption during times of emergencies and crisis response and recovery, as well as the resolution “Our common commitment to effectively addressing challenges and implementing measures to prevent and combat corruption: follow-up to the special session of the General Assembly against corruption”. (Inter-American Action Plan on Democratic Governance, IX Summit of the Americas, Los Angeles, 2022).

  1. Support young people’s inclusion, as appropriate, in decision making, oversight, control, and supervision in all levels of public administration processes in order to improve good management practices with a view to preventing and combating corruption. (Inter-American Action Plan on Democratic Governance, IX Summit of the Americas, Los Angeles, 2022).

  1. Promote transparency and reliance by our governments on good regulatory and administrative practices that protect people, increase accountability, predictability and inclusion, and support strong and resilient economies, through measures such as:

    • a. Establishing, maintaining, or improving our respective processes and mechanisms to develop regulations in an open and transparent manner with citizen participation, and take concrete steps to implement good regulatory practices across the region, including through cooperative activities, sharing best practices, engagement with the private sector, and bilateral and multilateral initiatives;

    • b. Using good practices for the development and implementation of regulations and processes, including through public consultations, analysis of regulatory impact, and stakeholder engagement. (Inter-American Action Plan on Democratic Governance, IX Summit of the Americas, Los Angeles, 2022).

  1. Strengthen the public procurement and acquisition policies at the national, regional, and international levels, to include:

    • a. Promoting strategic actions to ensure implementation of the recommendations made by the Inter-American Network on Government Procurement (INGP) via the declaration of “Public Procurement as a strategic area for the generation of greater public value and better access to citizens’ rights,” issued by its member states in 2021;

    • b. Implementing, using open data, methodologies and technological resources to identify and mitigate risks of corruption;

    • c. Establishing regulatory frameworks, measures, and indicators that are effective for countering conflicts of interest, favoritism, and corruption;

    • d. Developing and implementing effective measures that address informality and job insecurity, and prevent and combat corruption and abuses, including forced labor and child labor in global supply chains, by developing transparent public procurement standards and compliance requirements or codes of conduct, related to the sustainable procurement of goods and services, as applicable and in keeping with domestic legislation and international obligations of States.

    • e. Developing and implementing, as appropriate and in accordance with domestic legislation, mechanisms to prevent, investigate, or, where necessary, punish corruption, including bribery, trading in influence, child labor and forced labor in the procurement of goods and services of the public and private sectors in collaboration with the authorities responsible for law enforcement and other actors. (Inter-American Action Plan on Democratic Governance, IX Summit of the Americas, Los Angeles, 2022).

  1. Ensure, as appropriate, that the framework for upholding public integrity is based on, among other criteria, the risks of corruption, and is applied to all public servants and employees, in keeping with domestic legislation, independent of their contractual situation, and take measures so that the results of risk management are used to make strategic decisions and to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of oversight activities. (Inter-American Action Plan on Democratic Governance, IX Summit of the Americas, Los Angeles, 2022).

  1. Develop a set of public policies that will allow us to promote digital inclusion, citizen cybersecurity, and access to education and culture, to digital services provided in trustworthy and secure conditions, to open and public information, and to financial services to promote universal access and accessibility to digital content and products, as well as promote citizen participation through digital tools and means. (Regional Agenda for Digital Transformation, IX Summit of the Americas, Los Angeles, 2022).

  1. Continue to promote the use and leverage of information and communication technologies, with the digitalization of public service delivery to strengthen transparency, improve efficiency and accountability, as well as improve the quality of life of citizens, and promote democracy and citizen participation as protagonists of public management, respecting the sovereignty and integrity of each State. (Regional Agenda for Digital Transformation, IX Summit of the Americas, Los Angeles, 2022).

  1. Foster mechanisms for funding development of digital transformation policies in the Americas. (Regional Agenda for Digital Transformation, IX Summit of the Americas, Los Angeles, 2022).

  1. Improve and leverage the production of data and statistics by digital technologies with the aim of designing evidence-based equitable public policies as well as developing digital policy impact assessments. (Regional Agenda for Digital Transformation, IX Summit of the Americas, Los Angeles, 2022).

  1. Leverage and develop inclusive digital tools in providing immediate response to climate events, disasters, and other emergencies, while strengthening resilience and decision-making based on empirical evidence. (Regional Agenda for Digital Transformation, IX Summit of the Americas, Los Angeles, 2022).

  1. The responsible authorities commit to develop an Action Plan in consultation with diverse stakeholders, including civil society and other social actors and the private sector, as appropriate. (Action Plan on Health and Resilience in the Americas, IX Summit of the Americas, Los Angeles, 2022).

  1. To advance the Glasgow Leaders’ Declaration on Forest and Land Use, national deforestation and conservation commitments, and regional efforts to halt and reverse deforestation and conserve, sustainably manage, and use ecosystems, we commit to strengthen our efforts to:

    • b. Develop national plans and new initiatives, as appropriate, with the participation of civil society, the private sector, and other stakeholders, to halt and reverse forest loss and land degradation and to conserve or protect 30 percent of lands and waters by 2030 (30x30), aligned with each country’s nationally determined contribution (NDC) and net zero emissions target, as applicable;

    • c. Adopt, as appropriate, national initiatives to halt and reverse forest loss and land degradation, which includes the protection of biodiversity and ecosystems, implementing more ambitious actions in keeping with science and the goal of pursuing efforts to limit the temperature increase to 1.5 °C above pre-industrial levels; (Our Sustainable Green Future, IX Summit of the Americas, Los Angeles, 2022).

  1. To accelerate measures on climate change adaptation, taking into account different national circumstances, we intend to:

    • d. Redouble efforts to incorporate climate risks in plans, policies, operations, and sectoral budgets in order to generate resilience in strategic sectors and reduce vulnerability to climate change; (Our Sustainable Green Future, IX Summit of the Americas, Los Angeles, 2022).

  1. To promote responsible production and consumption patterns, consistent with domestic laws, through the strengthening of government procurement systems and the inclusion of sustainability criteria, as appropriate, in the procurement of goods, services, and public works; as well as through the promotion of initiatives to strengthen market capacities that reduce adverse effects on the environment. (Our Sustainable Green Future, IX Summit of the Americas, Los Angeles, 2022).

  1. Recall that the Glasgow Climate Pact calls upon Parties to accelerate the development, deployment, and dissemination of technologies, and the adoption of policies to transition towards low-emission energy systems, including by rapidly scaling up the deployment of clean power generation and energy efficiency measures, including accelerating efforts towards the phasedown of unabated coal power and phase-out of inefficient fossil fuel subsidies, while providing targeted support to the poorest and most vulnerable in line with national circumstances and recognizing the need for support towards a just transition. (Accelerating the Clean, Sustainable, Renewable, and Just Energy Transition, IX Summit of the Americas, Los Angeles, 2022).

  1. Work towards implementing 2030 emission mitigation targets and develop, as far as possible, country-level roadmaps to accelerate the process of energy transition toward a low carbon economy, in line with nationally determined contributions under the Paris Agreement, in a timeline consistent with a pathway toward the objectives set forth in Article 2 of the Paris Agreement. (Accelerating the Clean, Sustainable, Renewable, and Just Energy Transition, IX Summit of the Americas, Los Angeles, 2022).

_______________________________________________

  1. Strengthening democratic institutions for the prevention of and fight against corruption in the Hemisphere, ensuring that the competent authorities have the necessary guarantees for the proper performance of their functions. (Lima Commitment. Peru, 2018)

  1. Promoting public awareness and citizen participation campaigns for the prevention of and participation in the fight against corruption and impunity, and on the tools available to address and combat corruption. (Lima Commitment. Peru, 2018)

  1. Recognizing the positive contributions of indigenous peoples and their traditional values and principles, and the contributions of Afrodescendent communities to improving the efficiency, effectiveness, and transparency of public administration and raising awareness in favor of the fight against corruption. (Lima Commitment. Peru, 2018)

  1. Ensuring transparency and equal opportunities in the selection processes of public officials based on objective criteria such as merit, fairness, and aptitude. (Lima Commitment. Peru, 2018)

  1. Promoting the adoption of measures to prevent conflicts of interest, as well as the public filing of financial disclosure statements by public officials, as appropriate. (Lima Commitment. Peru, 2018)

  1. Furthering codes of conduct for public officials that contain high standards of ethics, honesty, integrity, and transparency, using as a point of reference the “Guidelines for the Management of Policies for Probity in the Public Administrations of the Americas” and urging the private sector to develop similar codes of conduct. (Lima Commitment. Peru, 2018)

  1. Promoting and or strengthening the implementation of national policies and plans, and as appropriate subnational plans in the areas of open government, digital government, open data, fiscal transparency, open budgeting, digital procurement systems, public contracting and a public registry of state suppliers, considering towards that end the participation of civil society and other social actors. (Lima Commitment. Peru, 2018)

  1. Promoting the use of new technologies that facilitate digital government in order to promote transparency, interaction with citizens and accountability, through development of tools for the identification, detection, systematization, and monitoring of government procedures and, to that end, strengthening cooperation and exchange of best practices on the development and application of such technologies. (Lima Commitment. Peru, 2018)

  1. Promoting the establishment of an Inter-American Open Data Program within the OAS in order to strengthen open information policies and increase the capacity of governments and citizens to prevent and fight corruption, bearing in mind the important work done in this field within the inter-American framework and other regional and global initiatives. (Lima Commitment. Peru, 2018)

  1. Encouraging adoption and/or strengthening of measures that promote transparency, accountability, appropriate accounting, and use of the banking system for income and expenditures of political organizations and parties, especially those related to their electoral campaigns, in order to guarantee the licit origin of the contributions and penalizing anyone involved in accepting illicit contributions. (Lima Commitment. Peru, 2018)

  1. Promoting the use of digital systems for government procurement and contracting of services and public works, to ensure disclosure, transparency, citizen oversight, and effective accountability. (Lima Commitment. Peru, 2018)

  1. Promoting the inclusion of anti-corruption clauses in all state and public-private-partnership contracts and establishing registers of natural and legal persons involved in acts of corruption and money laundering with a view to ensuring that they are not contracted. (Lima Commitment. Peru, 2018)

  2. Requesting that the Joint Summit Working Group (JSWG), together with other relevant regional and international bodies, develop an infrastructure platform to facilitate the exchange of experiences, training and cooperation programs for project monitoring and development, feasibility and risk analysis studies, transparent bidding procedures, and government procurement. (Lima Commitment. Peru, 2018)

  3. Fostering transparency in the management of infrastructure and public resources allocated to ensure resilience to disaster, including the aforementioned infrastructure platform, in order to improve the response to emergencies and prevention, mitigation, recovery and reconstruction projects, and, to that end, promoting coordination through the Regional Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction in the Americas. (Lima Commitment. Peru, 2018)

  4. Fostering coordinated, transparent practices in the issuance of government permits inter alia by the use of one-stop shops, including in the area of construction, as a measure to prevent corruption, promote competitiveness, and expedite the corresponding permits. (Lima Commitment. Peru, 2018)

  5. Implementing measures to reduce bureaucracy and simplify administrative processes at all levels of government in order to prevent corruption. (Lima Commitment. Peru, 2018)

  1. Promoting the broadest possible cooperation among judicial, police, and prosecutorial authorities, financial intelligence units, and administrative authorities in investigations and procedures related to offenses of corruption, money laundering, and transnational bribery and corruption. (Lima Commitment. Peru, 2018)

  2. Promoting, among competent authorities, the use of flexible mechanisms for exchanges of information, cooperation, and coordination in the investigation and prosecution of acts of corruption. (Lima Commitment. Peru, 2018)

  3. Promoting cooperation between and among financial institutions and financial oversight bodies, and agencies responsible for the investigation and prosecution of acts of corruption, to provide a prompt, effective response in international investigations and asset recovery. (Lima Commitment. Peru, 2018)

  1. Furthering the adoption or strengthening of measures through relevant institutions to enable the freezing, seizure, and confiscation of proceeds of corruption. (Lima Commitment. Peru, 2018)

  2. Deepening the participation of our States in multilateral networks and initiatives against money laundering, by providing the broadest and most rapid assistance possible to identify, trace, freeze, confiscate, forfeit, and recover assets. (Lima Commitment. Peru, 2018)

  3. Taking effective measures against tax evasion and to combat tax avoidance, money laundering, and the illicit financial flows derived from corruption; as well as measures to identify beneficial ownership. (Lima Commitment. Peru, 2018)

  4. Promoting transparency in the exchange of tax information and requesting that the Joint Summit Working Group (JSWG) consider strengthening cooperation in this area among our States consistent with the existing international framework. (Lima Commitment. Peru, 2018)

  1. Calling upon MESICIC to develop, within the framework of its sphere of competence, an initiative for observing and measuring anti-corruption policies, with a view to formulating anti-corruption indicators, promoting corruption prevention mechanisms, evaluating the impact and progress of public policies, consolidating a database of regional best practices, and conducting prompt risk analysis. (Lima Commitment. Peru, 2018)

  1. Strengthening the Inter-American Cooperation Mechanism for Effective Public Management (MECIGEP) as a forum for sharing best practices in democratic governance and open government. (Lima Commitment. Peru, 2018)

_______________________________________________

  1. To support institution building and modernization of independent electoral organs, in order to strengthen their capacity to guarantee the integrity of electoral processes, and the holding of free, fair and periodic elections, in accordance with each country’s legal system, including, as appropriate, the regulation of financing of political activity. We ask the OAS and other organizations of the Hemisphere to provide advisory services and assistance for these purposes, when appropriate. (Democratic Governance, Initiatives VII Summit of the Americas, Panama City, 2015).

  1. In this sense, we recognize the work of the Meetings of Ministers and of High Authorities of the Inter-American High Level Network on Decentralization, Local Government, and Participation by Citizens, in particular the III RIAD, whose central theme was the role of local and regional governments, citizen participation and regional development in combating poverty, the generation of work and income, and the strengthening of democratic governance (Declaration of Mar del Plata, 2005).

  1. To stimulate policies that improve income distribution. (Plan of Action Mar del Plata, 2005).

  1. To encourage, through the OAS, regional training programs in e-government, and promote the exchange of experiences with the countries that have made progress in this field. (Plan of Action Mar del Plata, 2005).

  1. In the search for sustained and equitable economic growth that contributes to long-term development, reduces poverty, eliminates hunger, and raises the standard of living of the population, with special attention to the most vulnerable sectors and social groups, we commit to continue implementing sound macroeconomic policies, prudent fiscal and monetary policies, appropriate exchange rate regimes, prudent and appropriate public debt management, diversification of the economy, and the improvement of competitiveness. We also commit to the qualitative transformation of public administration through its modernization, simplification, decentralization, and transparency. Furthermore, we will redouble our efforts to improve the investment climate in our countries and promote corporate social responsibility (Declaration of Nuevo León, 2004).

  1. We recognize that sound macroeconomic policies and prudent fiscal management are also central to achieving long-term fiscal sustainability (Declaration of Nuevo León, 2004).

  1. We will encourage the modernization of the State as an important element for strengthening democratic and good governance, combining effectiveness and efficiency with greater access to services, transparency, and responsibility in management and the consolidation and professionalization of the civil service. We undertake to promote the use of new information and communication technologies in public administration and to adopt strategies for the development of electronic government (Declaration of Nuevo León, 2004).

  1. Promote cooperation among national agencies in the Hemisphere charged with the development and maintenance of procedures and practices for the preparation, presentation, auditing and oversight of public accounts, with technical assistance where appropriate from multilateral organizations and multilateral development banks (MDBs), and support exchanges of information on oversight activities related to the collection, allocation and expenditure of public funds; (Plan of Action Québec, 2001).

  1. Work jointly to facilitate cooperation among national institutions with the responsibility to guarantee the protection, promotion and respect of human rights, and access to and freedom of information, with the aim of developing best practices to improve the administration of information held by governments on individuals and facilitating citizen access to that information; (Plan of Action Québec, 2001).

  1. Create and implement programs with the technical and financial support, where appropriate, of multilateral organizations and MDBs, to facilitate public participation and transparency, using information and communications technologies where applicable, in decision-making processes and in the delivery of government services, and to publish information within time-limits established by national legislation at all levels of government;(Plan of Action Québec, 2001).

  1. Promote the development, autonomy and institutional strengthening of local government in order to promote favorable conditions for the sustainable economic and social development of their communities; (Plan of Action Québec, 2001).

  1. Strengthen the institutional capacity of local governments to allow full and equal citizen participation in public policies without any discrimination, facilitate access to those services fundamental to improving citizens’ quality of life , and strengthen decentralization and the integral development of these services in part through commensurate and timely funding and initiatives that permit local governments to generate and administer their own resources;(Plan of Action Québec, 2001).

  1. Promote sharing of information, best practices and administrative expertise among local government personnel, associations of local governments, community associations and the public, in part by facilitating access to information and communications technologies by municipalities and by encouraging cooperation and coordination among national, subregional and regional organizations of mayors and local government; (Plan of Action Québec, 2001).

  1. Stimulate international cooperation in training directors and managers of local government; (Plan of Action Québec, 2001).

  1. Support convening a meeting in Bolivia of ministers or authorities at the highest level responsible for policies on decentralization, local government and citizen participation in municipal government, and consider closely the recommendations of the Sixth Inter-American Conference of Mayors and other relevant processes; (Plan of Action Québec, 2001).

  1. Support the OAS Program of Cooperation and Decentralization in Local Government, including, with the support of the IDB, the development of programs and the effective inclusion of citizens in decision-making processes; (Plan of Action Québec, 2001).

  1. Consider developing cooperation with the media and entertainment industry with a view to avoiding the promotion and dissemination of a culture of violence, thus contributing to a culture of peace; (Plan of Action Québec, 2001).

  1. Propose measures designed to modernize national laws, as appropriate, based on principles such as: permanence of strong and independent regulatory bodies; a pro competitive approach, including the adoption of rules on dominant operators; a flexible regulatory framework consistent with technological convergence, and to develop human and institutional capacity in support of these principles; (Plan of Action Québec, 2001).

  1. Continue and deepen progress toward implementation of the agenda for improving property registration established at the 1998 Santiago Summit of the Americas with particular emphasis on regularizing informal property rights, in accordance with national legislation, to ensure that all valid property rights are formally recognized, that disputes are resolved, and that modern legal frameworks to legitimize property records and encourage marketable property titles are adopted; and that these actions include the formulation of institutional, political and regulatory reforms that would facilitate the use of property registration as a mechanism to enable property owners to access credit and allow commercial banks and MDBs to expand their customer base among lower income sectors; promote greater cooperation and exchange of information and technology to modernize the systems of registry and cadastre in the Hemisphere, and also request multilateral and bilateral cooperation institutions to continue supporting and strengthening, in a complementary manner, their financial and technical assistance programs; (Plan of Action Québec, 2001).

  1. Support, in cooperation with ECLAC and the World Bank, research at the hemispheric level to generate disaggregated data on the differential impact of economic policies and processes on women and men, rural and urban populations, indigenous and non indigenous, and communities of high or low social mobility, and on their respective participation in economic growth; (Plan of Action Québec, 2001).

  1. Recognizing the importance of, and positive role played by hemispheric institutions, particularly the Organization of American States (OAS), we instruct our Ministers to examine the strengthening and modernizing of these institutions (Declaration of Santiago, 1998).

  1. Within their legal framework and within a reasonable time, establish or strengthen mechanisms for the participation of groups of society in the process of local and other subnational decision-making, such as open public hearings and public budget reviews, and promote transparency in local and other subnational Government finance operations. (Plan of Action Santiago, 1998).

  1. In accordance with legislation at all levels, provide for financing options for local and other subnational Governments, including groups of local Governments, such as through transfers of national revenue, access to private capital markets, and authority for raising revenue locally, in order to expand the delivery of quality services as well as provide for training opportunities to strengthen local and other subnational administrative capabilities. (Plan of Action Santiago, 1998).

  1. In accordance with circumstances and the legal framework of each country, study the possible transfer of additional national governmental functions to local and other subnational levels as well as the possibility for enhancing such authorities. (Plan of Action Santiago, 1998).

  1. Share their experiences and information from existing and future programs supported by multilateral and bilateral cooperation institutions such as the Organization of American States (OAS), the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) and the World Bank, to facilitate the implementation of this initiative (Plan of Action Santiago, 1998).

  • 19.2 Further pursue or initiate programs of deregulation and administrative simplification. (Plan of Action Miami, 1994).

 

 

2
   
 
© Summits of the Americas