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

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PUBLIC MANAGEMENT: Transparency
 MANDATES

  1. Strengthen regional cooperation in support of the Inter-American Democratic Charter, including through the following measures, among others:

    • c. Recognize the provisions adopted by States Parties to the Escazú Agreement and invite the countries of the region to join efforts to act in keeping with it, as appropriate. (Inter-American Action Plan on Democratic Governance, IX Summit of the Americas, Los Angeles, 2022).

  1. Support free and fair elections with full respect for state sovereignty, through the following measures, in accordance with domestic law:

    • c. Implement measures to protect and strengthen the integrity of the electoral process and promote its accountability to the citizenry, transparency, and impartiality in domestic electoral institutions and oversight mechanisms, as well as transparency in the funding of political parties, electoral campaigns and candidatures for public office;

    • g. Recognize the importance of electoral observation missions, carried out in keeping with the principles of objectivity, impartiality, transparency, independence, respect for sovereignty, and with access to information respecting the procedures established in the rules of the inter-American system, including the InterAmerican Democratic Charter, and without undermining the independence of missions, with States ensuring the conditions of security for electoral observers so they may carry out their duties independently and safely; (Inter-American Action Plan on Democratic Governance, IX Summit of the Americas, Los Angeles, 2022).

  1. Protect press freedom and the full exercise of civil rights, including freedom of association, freedom of peaceful assembly, and freedom of expression, and promote the free exchange of ideas, information, and thought as fundamental principles of representative and participatory democracies, in keeping with international human rights treaties, promoting the establishment, in all areas of government, of mechanisms that promote transparency and access to public information. (Inter-American Action Plan on Democratic Governance, IX Summit of the Americas, Los Angeles, 2022).

  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:

    • b. Public and inclusive participation and access to judicial and administrative procedures and to information on public policies; (Inter-American Action Plan on Democratic Governance, IX Summit of the Americas, Los Angeles, 2022).

  1. Adopt appropriate measures to address the political commitments in the UN General Assembly Resolution A/RES/S-32-1, which approved the political declaration “Our common commitment to effectively addressing challenges and implementing measures to prevent and combat corruption and strengthen international cooperation,” as well as continue to advance the outcomes achieved in the preparatory process for this special period of this General Assembly, including, as appropriate and according to domestic legislation, to:

    • c. Establish, where necessary, a clear policy on gifts and substantial benefits, as well as an effective regulation on conflicts of interest; (Inter-American Action Plan on Democratic Governance, IX Summit of the Americas, Los Angeles, 2022).

  1. Promote respect for human rights, including freedom of expression, as well as digital literacy, privacy of personal data, and the dissemination and secure, responsible, and lawful development and use of emerging and digital technologies, in line with international standards, to address the challenges of content moderation and to fight against disinformation. (Regional Agenda for Digital Transformation, IX Summit of the Americas, Los Angeles, 2022).

  1. Foster the use of the internet in a responsible manner, while upholding freedom of expression, stability, security, and functionality, as well as the transparent and multi-stakeholder governance of the internet, provided that its use does not violate or impair human rights and fundamental freedoms, and it is otherwise in accordance with domestic legislation. (Regional Agenda for Digital Transformation, IX Summit of the Americas, Los Angeles, 2022).

  1. Accelerate digital government transformation and support the simplification of administrative procedures and modernization of public services, as well as strengthen the quality of digital literacy and digital citizenry, always taking into consideration the protection of citizens’ personal data. (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. Promote the digitalization of citizen services to facilitate carrying out remote processes and services, as well as to establish technically efficient mechanisms, procedures, and standards for communication, openness and the interoperability of information among States, enabling the recognition of cross-border digital certificates, in accordance with each State’s domestic legislation. (Regional Agenda for Digital Transformation, IX Summit of the Americas, Los Angeles, 2022).

  1. Further a strategy of open data and public information that facilitates interoperability in the region, strengthening collaboration and active participation among States, civil society, the private sector, and academia towards an open-government approach. (Regional Agenda for Digital Transformation, IX Summit of the Americas, Los Angeles, 2022).

  1. Promote transparency and accountability in the management, publication, and use of open data and digital technologies, including the responsible and ethical development and use of artificial intelligence systems and other transformative technologies, while protecting individual privacy and personal data and promoting equity and respect for human rights and inclusive growth; and foster transparency and accountable use of algorithms that enable their auditing and technical evaluation, in a manner consistent with domestic legislation and international law. (Regional Agenda for Digital Transformation, IX Summit of the Americas, Los Angeles, 2022).

  1. Foster coordinated and transparent practices in the digital issuance of government permits by, inter alia, using digital one-stop shops as a measure to prevent corruption, promote competitiveness, and expedite the corresponding permits. (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. Improve user-centered public service design and delivery, fostering cooperation with public, private, and civil society stakeholders to create public value. (Regional Agenda for Digital Transformation, IX Summit of the Americas, Los Angeles, 2022).

  1. Promote digital transformation of government through inclusive policy-making processes, the professional development of civil servants, and other institutional capacities, which reinforce public institutional leadership and public trust. (Regional Agenda for Digital Transformation, IX Summit of the Americas, Los Angeles, 2022).

  1. Promote regional efforts to share knowledge, tools, and digital solutions that could accelerate digital transformation of government across the Americas, reinforcing the central role of the collaborative networks. (Regional Agenda for Digital Transformation, IX Summit of the Americas, Los Angeles, 2022).

  1. Develop an evidence-based Action Plan that takes into account the sociocultural, economic, and structural challenges facing the Americas region and includes, among others, identifying measures for national and international coordination and cooperation, taking into account the global commitments assumed by the states with respect to health and resilience, with a view to:

    • c. Examining financing mechanisms that guide the involvement of national and international financial institutions and the public and private sectors in strengthening health systems in the management of new financing models aimed at improving efficiency, effectiveness, transparency, sustainability, and equity in financing, increasing and improving public financing, and making progress towards eliminating out-of-pocket expenses, when applicable, as well as pandemic prevention, preparedness, and response, encouraging international financial institutions to grant financing to the developing countries; (Action Plan on Health and Resilience in the Americas, 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:

    • e. Develop efficient, transparent, exact, coherent, and comparable systems for monitoring and evaluating climate change adaptation and mitigation actions; (Our Sustainable Green Future, IX Summit of the Americas, Los Angeles, 2022).

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  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 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. 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).

 

 
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