FOLLOW-UP AND MONITORING CHART -QUEBEC CITY …
DOC/w/14/rev.4
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IMPLEMENTATION AND MONITORING CHART – VENEZUELA
1. Making Democracy Work Better
Electoral Processes and Procedures
Mandate: Share best practices and technologies with respect to increasing citizen participation in electoral processes, including voter education, the modernization and simplification of voter registration and the voting and counting process, while taking into account the need to safeguard the integrity of the electoral process and promoting the full participation and integration of all persons eligible to exercise the right to vote, without discrimination;
|Actions – Hemispheric Level |Actions – Regional Level |Actions – National Level |Funding |Obstacles and/or Best Practices and/or Special Needs |
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|Timeline: |Timeline: |Timeline: | | |
Mandate: Continue to enhance electoral mechanisms, using information and communications technologies where possible, to effectively guarantee the impartiality, promptness and independent action of agencies, tribunals or other bodies responsible for the conduct, supervision and verification of elections at national and sub-national levels, and strengthen and facilitate, with the support of the Organization of American States (OAS) and other regional and international organizations, hemispheric cooperation and exchange of legislative and technological experiences in these areas, and the deployment of election observers when so requested;
|Actions – Hemispheric Level |Actions – Regional Level |Actions – National Level |Funding |Obstacles and/or Best Practices and/or Special Needs |
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|Timeline: |Timeline: |Timeline: | | |
Mandate: Convene under the auspices of the OAS, and with the collaboration of the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), meetings of experts to examine in more depth issues such as: political party registration, access of political parties to funding and to the media, campaign financing, oversight and dissemination of election results and relations of political parties with other sectors of society;
|Actions – Hemispheric Level |Actions – Regional Level |Actions – National Level |Funding |Obstacles and/or Best Practices and/or Special Needs |
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|Timeline: |Timeline: |Timeline: | | |
Transparency and good governance
Mandate: 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;
|Actions – Hemispheric Level |Actions – Regional Level |Actions – National Level |Funding |Obstacles and/or Best Practices and/or Special Needs |
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|Timeline: |Timeline: |Timeline: | | |
Mandate: Encourage cooperation and exchange of experiences and best parliamentary practices between national legislators of the Hemisphere, while respecting the separation and balance of powers, through bilateral, subregional and hemispheric vehicles such as the Inter-Parliamentary Forum of the Americas (FIPA);
|Actions – Hemispheric Level |Actions – Regional Level |Actions – National Level |Funding |Obstacles and/or Best Practices and/or Special Needs |
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|Timeline: |Timeline: |Timeline: | | |
Mandate: 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;
|Actions – Hemispheric Level |Actions – Regional Level |Actions – National Level |Funding |Obstacles and/or Best Practices and/or Special Needs |
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|Timeline: |Timeline: |Timeline: | | |
Mandate: 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;
|Actions – Hemispheric Level |Actions – Regional Level |Actions – National Level |Funding |Obstacles and/or Best Practices and/or Special Needs |
| |Ministry of Science and Technology (MST): |Ministry of Science and Technology (MST): |Regular budget of the Ministry of | |
| |We are continuing to participate in a Conference of |Design of the Electronic Government Program. Creation of a |Science and Technology | |
| |Ibero-American Information Technology Authorities (CAIBI). |supporting legal framework: the Data Message and Electronic | | |
| | |Signature Act, the Computer-related Crime Act, measures to | | |
| | |establish a regulatory framework for information technology | | |
| | |(CMARTI), the Science, Technology, and Innovation Act, draft | | |
| | |legislation on data security, and the Telecommunications Act | | |
| | |(CONATEL). | | |
|Timeline: |Timeline: Implementation is already underway |Timeline: Implementation is already underway | | |
Media and Communications
Mandate: Ensure the media is free from arbitrary interventions by the state, and specifically, work to remove legal or regulatory impediments to media access by registered political parties including by facilitating, where possible, equitable access during election campaigns to television and radio;
|Actions – Hemispheric Level |Actions – Regional Level |Actions – National Level |Funding |Obstacles and/or Best Practices and/or Special Needs |
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|Timeline: |Timeline: |Timeline: | | |
Mandate: Encourage cooperation among public and private broadcasters, including cable operators, and independent broadcast regulatory bodies and governmental organizations, in order to facilitate the exchange of best industry practices and technologies at the hemispheric level, to guarantee free, open and independent media;
|Actions – Hemispheric Level |Actions – Regional Level |Actions – National Level |Funding |Obstacles and/or Best Practices and/or Special Needs |
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|Timeline: |Timeline: |Timeline: | | |
Mandate: Encourage media self-regulation efforts, including norms of ethical conduct, to address the concerns of civil society with regard to, inter alia, reducing the dissemination of extreme violence and negative stereotypes of women and ethnic, social and other groups, contributing in this way to the promotion of changes in attitudes and cultural patterns through the projection of pluralistic, balanced and non-discriminatory images;
|Actions – Hemispheric Level |Actions – Regional Level |Actions – National Level |Funding |Obstacles and/or Best Practices and/or Special Needs |
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|Timeline: |Timeline: |Timeline: | | |
Fight Against Corruption
Mandate: Consider signing and ratifying, ratifying, or acceding to, as soon as possible and as the case may be, the Inter-American Convention Against Corruption, in accordance with their respective legal frameworks, and promote effective implementation of the Convention by means of, inter alia, the Inter-American Program for Cooperation in the Fight Against Corruption and associated technical cooperation programs and activities, including those of relevant multilateral organizations and MDBs, in the area of good governance and in the fight against corruption, as well as programs which each country designs and implements in accordance with national laws, by its own appropriate bodies that may require assistance;
|Actions – Hemispheric Level |Actions – Regional Level |Actions – National Level |Funding |Obstacles and/or Best Practices and/or Special Needs |
| | |Office of the Comptroller General of the Republic of |Financing for the national | |
| | |Venezuela: |programs is included in the State | |
| | |Placement in operation of the mechanism for monitoring |Budget Plan. | |
| | |implementation of the Inter-American Convention Against | | |
| | |Corruption. | | |
| | |Venezuela designated Dr. Adelina Gonzalez, Deputy | | |
| | |Comptroller, as its representative on the Expert Committee. | | |
| | |Dr. Gonzalez took part in the Committee's first meeting in | | |
| | |Washington on 14-18 January 2002. At that meeting, the | | |
| | |Committee approved the regulations and rules of procedure for| | |
| | |the Convention follow-up mechanism. At its next meeting, the| | |
| | |committee will analyze the implementation of the | | |
| | |Inter-American Convention Against Corruption by the States | | |
| | |Parties. | | |
|Timeline: |Timeline: |Timeline: | | |
Mandate: Support the establishment as soon as possible, taking into consideration the recommendation of the OAS, of a follow-up mechanism for the implementation of the Inter-American Convention Against Corruption by States Parties to this instrument;
|Actions – Hemispheric Level |Actions – Regional Level |Actions – National Level |Funding |Obstacles and/or Best Practices and/or Special Needs |
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|Timeline: |Timeline: |Timeline: | | |
Mandate: Support strengthening the Inter-American Network of Institutions and Experts in the Fight Against Corruption in the context of the OAS, as well as initiatives aimed at strengthening cooperation among ethics officials and members of civil society;
|Actions – Hemispheric Level |Actions – Regional Level |Actions – National Level |Funding |Obstacles and/or Best Practices and/or Special Needs |
| |Office of the Comptroller General of the Republic of Venezuela:| |Financing for the national | |
| |Support for efforts to strengthen the International Network of | |programs is included in the State | |
| |Cooperation against Corruption. | |Budget Plan. | |
| |The Office of the Comptroller General of Venezuela signed an | | | |
| |International Cooperation Agreement with the comptroller | | | |
| |general offices of the Bolivarian countries (Colombia, Ecuador,| | | |
| |Peru, Bolivia, and Panama) in November 2001. The objectives of| | | |
| |this agreement include: | | | |
| |Promote the exchange of information and experiences related to | | | |
| |the control of public resources and the fight against | | | |
| |corruption and impunity. | | | |
| |Promote the exchange of experiences with respect to specific | | | |
| |areas where there is significant potential for corruption, such| | | |
| |as procurement by the state and by private entities using | | | |
| |public resources, the administration of justice, financial | | | |
| |administration, internal revenue administration, and foreign | | | |
| |trade. | | | |
| |Cooperate on various institutional matters to promote probity | | | |
| |and public ethics and heighten citizen awareness of ethical | | | |
| |issues. | | | |
|Timeline: |Timeline: |Timeline: | | |
Mandate: Strengthen, in cooperation with multilateral organizations and MDBs, where appropriate, the participation of civil society in the fight against corruption, by means of initiatives that promote the organization, training and linkage of citizens groups in the context of concrete projects which promote transparency and accountability in governance;
|Actions – Hemispheric Level |Actions – Regional Level |Actions – National Level |Funding |Obstacles and/or Best Practices and/or Special Needs |
|Office of the Comptroller General of the Republic of | |Office of the Comptroller General of the Republic of |Financing for the national | |
|Venezuela: | |Venezuela: |programs is included in the State | |
|Cooperation with multilateral organizations and | |Citizen involvement in specific projects to promote |Budget Plan. | |
|multilateral development banks in the fight against | |transparency in public administration. | | |
|corruption. | |The objectives of the project are as follows: to develop a | | |
|The Office of the Comptroller General of the Republic | |community control and enforcement training program; to | | |
|is participating in the Project to Strengthen | |promote community development as a mechanism and instrument | | |
|High-level Audit Authorities in the Fight against Fraud| |for social change; and to generate new managerial capacities | | |
|and Corruption, sponsored by the Latin American and the| |to help improve the effectiveness, efficiency, quality, and | | |
|Caribbean Organization of High-level Audit Authorities | |impact of social investment. The project entails the | | |
|(OLOACEFS). The Office of the Comptroller General also| |training of a significant number of community leaders, who | | |
|took part in the course on "Techniques for the | |will then form the parish control team to be responsible for | | |
|Detection and Investigation of Fraud and Corruption", | |citizen control activities within the jurisdiction of that | | |
|provided with the sponsorship of the Inter-American | |municipal entity. | | |
|Development Bank and attended by twenty-six officials | | | | |
|on the Office of the Comptroller General. The | | | | |
|objective of this course was to improve the technical | | | | |
|capacity of the participants to audit and identify | | | | |
|cases of fraud and corruption. | | | | |
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|With support from OLOACEFS and the Andean Development | | | | |
|Corporation (CAF), the comptroller general offices of | | | | |
|the Andean Countries are developing a project on | | | | |
|"Ethics and the Fight against Corruption in Public | | | | |
|Administration". | | | | |
|Timeline: |Timeline: |Timeline: | | |
Mandate: Continue to promote policies, processes and mechanisms that protect the public interest, the use of disclosure of assets mechanisms for public officials in order to avoid possible conflicts of interest and incompatibilities, as well as other measures that increase transparency;
|Actions – Hemispheric Level |Actions – Regional Level |Actions – National Level |Funding |Obstacles and/or Best Practices and/or Special Needs |
| | |Office of the Comptroller General of the Republic of |Financing for the national | |
| | |Venezuela: Promotion of policies, processes, and a mechanism |programs is included in the State | |
| | |to protect the public interest. |Budget Plan. | |
| | |The new Organic Law on the Office of the Comptroller General | | |
| | |of the Republic and the National Fiscal Control System | | |
| | |provides for the functional, administrative, and | | |
| | |organizational autonomy of the Office of the Comptroller | | |
| | |General and assigns it responsibility for control, | | |
| | |monitoring, and enforcement in respect of public revenues, | | |
| | |expenditures, and assets. The National Fiscal Control System| | |
| | |consists of the various bodies, structures, resources, and | | |
| | |processes that fall under the authority of the Office of the | | |
| | |Comptroller General. | | |
|Timeline: |Timeline: |Timeline: | | |
Empowering local governments
Mandate: Promote mechanisms to facilitate citizen participation in politics, especially in local or municipal government;
|Actions – Hemispheric Level |Actions – Regional Level |Actions – National Level |Funding |Obstacles and/or Best Practices and/or Special Needs |
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|Timeline: |Timeline: |Timeline: | | |
Mandate: 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;
|Actions – Hemispheric Level |Actions – Regional Level |Actions – National Level |Funding |Obstacles and/or Best Practices and/or Special Needs |
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|Timeline: |Timeline: |Timeline: | | |
Mandate: 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;
|Actions – Hemispheric Level |Actions – Regional Level |Actions – National Level |Funding |Obstacles and/or Best Practices and/or Special Needs |
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|Timeline: |Timeline: |Timeline: | | |
Mandate: 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;
|Actions – Hemispheric Level |Actions – Regional Level |Actions – National Level |Funding |Obstacles and/or Best Practices and/or Special Needs |
| | |Ministry of Science and Technology (MST): |Regular budget of the Ministry of | |
| | |Design and implementation of the Regional Strengthening |Science and Technology | |
| | |Program, whose aim is to strengthen the access capacity of | | |
| | |local and municipal governments to funds for investment in | | |
| | |science and technology. | | |
|Timeline: |Timeline: |Timeline: Implementation is already underway. | | |
Mandate: Stimulate international cooperation in training directors and managers of local government; 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;
|Actions – Hemispheric Level |Actions – Regional Level |Actions – National Level |Funding |Obstacles and/or Best Practices and/or Special Needs |
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|Timeline: |Timeline: |Timeline: | | |
Mandate: 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;
|Actions – Hemispheric Level |Actions – Regional Level |Actions – National Level |Funding |Obstacles and/or Best Practices and/or Special Needs |
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|Timeline: |Timeline: |Timeline: | | |
2. Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms
Implementation of International Obligations and Respect for International Standards
Mandate: Consider signing and ratifying, ratifying, or acceding to, as soon as possible and as the case may be, all universal and hemispheric human rights instruments, take concrete measures at the national level to promote and strengthen respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms of all persons, including women, children, the elderly, indigenous peoples, migrants, returning citizens, persons with disabilities, and those belonging to other vulnerable or discriminated groups, and note that the use of the term “peoples” in this document cannot be construed as having any implications as to the rights that attach to the term under international law and that the rights associated with the term “indigenous peoples” have a context-specific meaning that is appropriately determined in the multilateral negotiations of the texts of declarations that specifically deal with such rights;
|Actions – Hemispheric Level |Actions – Regional Level |Actions – National Level |Funding |Obstacles and/or Best Practices and/or Special Needs |
| | |Office of the Human Rights Ombudsman of the Bolivarian | | |
| | |Republic of Venezuela: | | |
| | |The Office of the Human Rights Ombudsman of the Bolivarian | | |
| | |Republic of Venezuela is comprised of the National Institute | | |
| | |for the Promotion and Protection of Human Rights in Venezuela| | |
| | |and was established to promote, monitor and defend the rights| | |
| | |and guarantees enshrined in the National Constitution and in | | |
| | |the international human rights instruments ratified by the | | |
| | |Republic of Venezuela, as well as the legitimate, collective | | |
| | |and diverse interests of citizens. | | |
| | | | | |
| | |It is useful to bear in mind that the attributes of the | | |
| | |Office of the Human Rights Ombudsman in discharging its | | |
| | |responsibilities to protect the rights of citizens are what | | |
| | |is referred to in the doctrine as “the power of persuasion”, | | |
| | |or the ability to mediate and conciliate social conflicts, | | |
| | |together with the ability to make recommendations and | | |
| | |observations to the Government that enhance the effectiveness| | |
| | |of the Institute’s work. | | |
| | | | | |
| | |In 2000, the General Assembly of the Organization of American| | |
| | |States adopted resolution AG/RES 1701 (XXX-O/00), article 3 | | |
| | |of which instructs “the Permanent Council to promote, in the | | |
| | |context of the dialogue on the inter-American system, | | |
| | |participation by national institutions involved in the | | |
| | |promotion of human rights, such as the defenders of the | | |
| | |people, defenders of the population, human rights attorneys, | | |
| | |human rights commissioners (ombudsman), or others with an | | |
| | |equivalent role.” | | |
|Timeline: |Timeline: |Timeline: | | |
Mandate: Reaffirm their determination to combat and eliminate impunity at all levels within their societies by strengthening judicial systems and national human rights institutions;
|Actions – Hemispheric Level |Actions – Regional Level |Actions – National Level |Funding |Obstacles and/or Best Practices and/or Special Needs |
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|Timeline: |Timeline: |Timeline: | | |
Mandate: Combat, in accordance with international law, genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes wherever they might occur, and in particular, call upon all states to consider ratifying or acceding to, as the case may be, the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court;
|Actions – Hemispheric Level |Actions – Regional Level |Actions – National Level |Funding |Obstacles and/or Best Practices and/or Special Needs |
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|Timeline: |Timeline: |Timeline: | | |
Mandate: Recognize the importance of the Regional Preparatory Conference of the Americas against Racism, Racial Discrimination, Xenophobia and Related Forms of Intolerance held in Santiago, Chile, in December 2000, and undertake to participate actively in the World Conference to be held in South Africa in 2001, promoting its objectives and stressing that political platforms based on racism, xenophobia or doctrines of racial superiority must be condemned as incompatible with democracy and transparent and accountable governance;
|Actions – Hemispheric Level |Actions – Regional Level |Actions – National Level |Funding |Obstacles and/or Best Practices and/or Special Needs |
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|Timeline: |Timeline: |Timeline: | | |
Mandate: Support efforts in the OAS to consider the need to develop an inter-American convention against racism and related forms of discrimination and intolerance;
|Actions – Hemispheric Level |Actions – Regional Level |Actions – National Level |Funding |Obstacles and/or Best Practices and/or Special Needs |
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|Timeline: |Timeline: |Timeline: | | |
Strengthening Human Rights Systems
Mandate: Continue promoting concrete measures to strengthen and improve the inter-American human rights system, in particular the functioning of the Inter-American Court of Human Rights and the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR), focusing on: the universalization of the inter-American human rights system, increasing adherence to its founding instruments, complying with the decisions of the Inter-American Court and following up on the recommendations of the Commission, facilitating the access of persons to this protection mechanism and substantially increasing resources to maintain ongoing operations, including the encouragement of voluntary contributions, examining the possibility that the Court and the IACHR will function permanently, and entrust the XXXI General Assembly of the OAS, which will take place in San Jose, Costa Rica, in June of this year, to initiate actions to meet the above-mentioned goals;
|Actions – Hemispheric Level |Actions – Regional Level |Actions – National Level |Funding |Obstacles and/or Best Practices and/or Special Needs |
|The Federation of Ombudsmen (IFO): |The Office of the Human Rights Ombudsman of the Bolivarian |Office of the Human Rights Ombudsman of the Bolivarian | | |
|The IFO is comprised of Human Rights Ombudsmen, |Republic of Venezuela: |Republic of Venezuela: | | |
|attorneys, commissioners and heads of public human |The Office of the Human Rights Ombudsman of the Bolivarian |Monitoring and defense: | | |
|rights commissions at the national, state, autonomous |Republic of Venezuela is part of the Andean Council of Human |The activities carried out by the Office of the Human Rights | | |
|regional and provincial levels of Ibero-America. The |Rights Ombudsmen. This Council has as its key objectives to |Ombudsman in the legislative field include active | | |
|objective of this Federation is to create a space for |promote closer cooperation between Human Rights Ombudsmen of |participation in the monitoring of human rights, for which it| | |
|inter-institutional cooperation, the exchange of |the Andean Region, provide support for those countries that do |has developed a mechanism for coordination with the National | | |
|experiences, strengthening of the institution of |not have such institutions and to promote the dissemination of |Assembly that has enabled it to follow up draft legislation, | | |
|Ombudsman in the region, and for the promotion, defense|information about their activities in order to strengthen the |the most noteworthy of which have been the adoption of the | | |
|and monitoring of human rights. |culture of human rights in Andean countries. |Organic Law on refugees and asylum seekers, observations on | | |
| | |the Law on Security and Defense of the Nation, and | | |
|Its objectives also include strengthening the figure of|The activities undertaken by the Council include: conducting |observations on the Organic Code of Criminal Procedure. | | |
|the Ombudsman throughout Ibero-America; supporting the |programs and joint activities aimed at strengthening and | | | |
|work of the members of the Federation; promoting, |modernizing the member institutions of the Council, promoting |In order to implement the constitutional mandate governing | | |
|expanding and strengthening the culture of human |studies and research to enhance the effectiveness of the work |the actions of the Office of the Human Rights Ombudsman for | | |
|rights; denouncing to international public opinion |of the Office of Human Rights Ombudsmen, among other things. |the promotion, defense and monitoring of human rights, the | | |
|violations of human rights that deserve to be | |following initiatives have been taken, varying according to | | |
|publicized because of their gravity; conducting joint |The IV Meeting of the Andean Council of Human Rights Ombudsmen |the rights that were violated: | | |
|work programs for institutional strengthening and |took place on August 14, 2001, in La Paz, Bolivia. At that | | | |
|promoting studies and research to strengthen the rule |meeting, Dr. Germán Mundaraín H., the Human Rights Ombudsman, |The Office of the Human Rights Ombudsman processed a total of| | |
|of law, democracy and peaceful co-existence among |proposed the launching of a process aimed at restructuring the |2,050 complaints for alleged violations of the right to due | | |
|peoples. |Andean Council of Human Rights Ombudsmen to provide it with |process, which represents 4 per cent of all the cases | | |
| |statutes, a Chairman and an autonomous and independent |processed during the period under review and 7.9 per cent of | | |
|The IFO has found it necessary to intervene whenever |technical secretariat. This proposal of the Human Rights |the complaints received about violations of human rights. | | |
|any Ombudsman has been subject to harassment, either |Ombudsman of Venezuela was approved by the members of the |Other complaints processed concerned procedural delays, | | |
|for political reasons or because of the effective |Andean Council, and as a result the Office of the Human Rights |procedural irregularities, absence of preliminary | | |
|discharge of his mandate. It has also expressed |Ombudsman of Bolivia was appointed the coordinating |proceedings, lack of notification, infringement of the right | | |
|solidarity with institutions when these have been the |institution. |to defense, unjustified omissions, failure to observe legal | | |
|victims of budgetary reductions or attacks against | |requirements, lack of due authority, absence of legal norms | | |
|their independence. |Other important agreements reached at that meeting included: |and disregard for the presumption of innocence, all of which | | |
| | |involved constitutional rights that were violated and in | | |
|On 7 December 2001, Dr. Germán Mundaraín H. was elected|Active participation in the elaboration of an Andean Charter of|which, in defense of those rights, the Office of the Human | | |
|Vice-Chairman of the IFO. His candidature was proposed|Human Rights; |Rights Ombudsman was involved as a party to the legal | | |
|by Dr. Enrique Múgica, Ombudsman of the Kingdom of |Request the President of the United States of America, George |proceedings that subsequently arose. | | |
|Spain, and supported by the Ombudsmen of Argentina, |Bush, to put an end to the bombardment and military exercises | | | |
|Mexico, Guatemala, Puerto Rico, Paraguay, the |on the island of Vieques, so as to prevent the contamination to|At a national level, the Office of the Human Rights Ombudsman| | |
|Principality of Andorra and Portugal. |which the population of the island is exposed, and to release |received during the period under review a total of 1,058 | | |
| |the Hispanic actor Edward James Olmos, who was jailed for |complaints or denunciations of violation of the right to | | |
|The central theme of the VI Congress of the IFO was the|actively protesting the military practices. |freedom, which, when broken down into categories or | | |
|role of the Ombudsman in the challenge to the capacity | |sub-categories, shows that 97.07 per cent consisted in the | | |
|to bring legal action for violations of economic, |In its Declaration, the Council: |unlawful deprivation of freedom by officials of the various | | |
|social and cultural rights. To facilitate the exchange| |organs of the State; 1.99 per cent had to do with the | | |
|of experiences between the Ombudsmen of the region, |Called upon the Government of Colombia not to cease its efforts|practice of holding incommunicado persons in detention, in | | |
|working groups were established to discuss |to find a peaceful solution to the armed conflict that is |other words, violating their right to communicate freely with| | |
|representative cases that were resolved by the |causing so much pain to the people of Colombia, and urged it to|members of their family or with their legal representatives; | | |
|institutions. The Office of the Human Rights Ombudsman|put forward a proposal for a humanitarian agreement with the |and, lastly, 0.95 per cent were for violation of the right | | |
|of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela described the |actors in the conflict that would make it possible to separate |that each person has to know the identity of the agents | | |
|case of the child cardiac patients in the J.M. de los |the civilian population from the conflict; |detaining him. | | |
|Rios Hospital. | | | | |
| |2. Welcomed the political decision of the President of Chile, |The Office of the Human Rights Ombudsman also processed 1,834| | |
|The proposals of Dr. Mundaraín, which were aimed at |Ricardo Lagos, to create a Presidential Advisory Commission for|complaints for alleged violation of the person. Of this | | |
|strengthening this forum, were based on the following |the Protection of Individual Human Rights, as a body charged |total, 1,202 are related to abuse of authority by officials | | |
|elements: |with monitoring the observance and promotion of the interests |of the State security organs, 604 to cruel, inhuman or | | |
| |and rights of individuals in the face of acts or omissions by |degrading treatment, 24 to violation of the person through | | |
|Equip the IFO with a permanent technical secretariat to|organs of the State administration in satisfying public needs; |physical and psychological torture, and 4 are cases of | | |
|carry out administrative tasks; | |alleged forced disappearances. | | |
|Transform the IFO into a specialized human rights body |Reaffirmed its commitment to promoting ratification of the Rome| | | |
|of the Summit of Heads of State in order to define |Statute establishing the International Criminal Court as a key |With regard to asylum seekers and refugees, the Office of the| | |
|positions and make recommendations on issues within the|and important step in the process towards the adoption of human|Human Rights Ombudsman received a total of 11 complaints of | | |
|competence of its member institutions and governments |rights mechanisms; |violation of this right accompanied by requests for | | |
|to promote greater commitment on their part to human | |intervention by the Institute to resolve their situation with| | |
|rights, democracy, the fight against corruption, and |Proposed the creation of mechanisms to strengthen the |the competent authorities. | | |
|the welfare of migrants and indigenous people, among |coordination of actions to protect the human rights of | | | |
|other things; |migrants, by promoting the consistent application of the |With regard to the violation and infringement of | | |
|Amend the Statutes of the Federation of Ombudsmen to |agreements concluded for this purpose between Human Rights |non-employment-related social rights, the Office of the Human| | |
|give the Federation competence to elaborate and submit |Ombudsmen. |Rights Ombudsman received 4,135 complaints or denunciations | | |
|reports on the situation of human rights in | |out of a grand total of 51,201 complaints processed at the | | |
|Ibero-America, as well as to issue statements and | |national level. Of the total number of cases processed, | | |
|recommendations in the field of human rights to the | |1,428 were concerned with rights to protection of the family,| | |
|Governments of member States. | |disaggregated into 641 cases of protection of the family as | | |
| | |such, and 787 cases of violence against women and the family.| | |
|In the above-mentioned Congress, members of the | |Some 1,388 cases were concerned with rights to protection of | | |
|Ibero-American Federation of Ombudsmen approved the | |children, 210 with rights to protection of older people, 62 | | |
|Declaration of San Juan, which contained the following | |with the rights of disabled persons, 847 with the right to | | |
|statements on behalf of human rights in the region: | |housing and 493 with the right to health. | | |
| | | | | |
|They reiterated that the Office of the Human Rights | |In addition, a total of 360 complaints were received alleging| | |
|Ombudsman or Office of the Attorney for the Defense of | |violation of the right to life. In classifying the cases | | |
|Human Rights is a democratic institution that should | |related to this right, a functional division was made to | | |
|ensure, above all else, that the organs of State | |focus on the arbitrary deprivation of life through: | | |
|function in a manner that is respectful of the law and | |executions, excessive use of force, indiscriminate use of | | |
|consistent with the commitments undertaken in the | |force, death as a result of torture, cruel or inhuman | | |
|international human rights instruments signed and | |treatment, and death by negligence. Mention should be made | | |
|ratified by States, with a view to promoting and | |here, as a representative case, of the violation of human | | |
|guaranteeing the fundamental rights of all the | |rights consisting in what has now become the practice known | | |
|inhabitants of a given country. | |as “execution” and “forced disappearance”, on which the | | |
| | |Office of the Human Rights Ombudsman has taken a firm | | |
|Reaffirmed the commitments given at the World | |position, following a detailed investigation in those | | |
|Conference Against Racism, Racial Discrimination, | |localities where such events have taken place. The results of| | |
|Xenophobia and Related Forms of Intolerance, which was | |this investigation will enable it to carry out systematic | | |
|held in Durban, South Africa, last September, where for| |follow-up activities with a view to initiating legal | | |
|the first time the Ombudsmen participated in their own | |proceedings in respect of the complaints in the competent | | |
|right in a conference of this nature. | |forums so as to establish responsibilities in the cases. | | |
| | | | | |
|They vigorously condemned all terrorist attacks, | |The investigations of each of the above-mentioned categories | | |
|independently of their causes, and expressed solidarity| |of violations have been reported in the First Human Rights | | |
|with the victims and peoples who suffered from such | |Yearbook of the Office of the Human Rights Ombudsman, in | | |
|attacks. They stated that it is necessary for such | |which the work done by this Institute during the year 2001 | | |
|acts to be characterized as crimes that can be judged | |was publicized and a statistical report presented of the | | |
|by the international criminal courts established | |complaints received and work done in implementation of its | | |
|pursuant to universal conventions, without regard for | |constitutional mandate, under which it is charged with the | | |
|the nationality of the perpetrator or the place where | |task of monitoring and defending human rights. | | |
|the crimes were committed. | | | | |
| | |Promotion: | | |
|They supported the efforts being made to find peaceful | |The elaboration of the Human Rights Yearbook, in which for | | |
|solutions to conflicts, promote development and social | |the first time a compilation was made of human rights | | |
|justice and consolidate representative democracy as | |violations that took place in the country, where the Office | | |
|essential conditions for the establishment of a climate| |of the Human Rights Ombudsman has actively participated in | | |
|conducive to full respect for human rights. | |the defense and monitoring of the rights violated. It is | | |
| | |also very valuable as a teaching and reference tool for those| | |
|They called on the authorities of the United States of | |studying human rights, which will help to strengthen and | | |
|America to put and end to the use of the municipal | |disseminate a democratic culture of respect for this category| | |
|island of Vieques as a firing practice range in order | |of rights. | | |
|to be able to restore and return the land and marine | | | | |
|areas, which have been contaminated over the years by | |In its work of dissemination and institutional strengthening,| | |
|the above-mentioned practices, among other things. | |the Office of the Human Rights Ombudsman presented and | | |
| | |implemented international cooperation projects and has | | |
|Recently, on 25 January 2002, the Governing Council of | |lobbied for the signing of agreements with other Offices of | | |
|the IFO met in the city of San José, Costa Rica, and | |the Human Rights Ombudsman and international institutions, | | |
|drafted a Special Declaration of the Governing Council | |including: the Training and Instruction Program for | | |
|of the Ibero-American Federation of Ombudsmen, which | |Ombudsmen, Assistants and Auxiliaries; the Training and | | |
|stated the following: | |Instruction Program for Ombudsmen in the Promotion, Defense | | |
| | |and Monitoring of the Rights of Women and the Family, Rights | | |
|They reiterated the opposition of the Ibero-American | |of Indigenous Peoples and Access to Justice; the Project of | | |
|Federation of Ombudsmen to the application of the death| |Support for the Institutional Strengthening of the Office of | | |
|sentence as punishment, a practice that constitutes a | |the Human Rights Ombudsman; Symposiums on the LIII | | |
|violation of the principles enshrined in the Universal | |Anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights; | | |
|Declaration of Human Rights and other international | |and, very recently, the organization of the Rómulo Gallegos | | |
|human rights instruments. They also expressed | |International Human Rights Seminar. | | |
|particular concern at the situation of Salvadorian | | | | |
|citizens who are prisoners and of persons condemned to | |Strengthening of the Inter-American System: | | |
|death by the Cuban authorities. | |The Office of the Human Rights Ombudsman contributes through | | |
| | |its activities to the strengthening of the Inter-American | | |
|They expressed solidarity with the people of Colombia | |system, by promoting awareness and respect for the human | | |
|as a whole and condemned the attacks on the civilian | |rights enshrined in the international instruments that are | | |
|population. They also acknowledged the efforts of the | |part of the inter-American system. | | |
|Office of the Human Rights Ombudsman of Colombia in the| | | | |
|search for a peaceful solution to the armed conflict. | |In many of the cases involving human rights violations, the | | |
| | |Institution has also filed actions of amparo, habeas corpus, | | |
|They reiterated their condemnation of discriminatory, | |and habeas data, inter alia, with a view to ensuring that | | |
|intolerant and xenophobic acts which, for various | |national public institutions guarantee the effective | | |
|reasons, force people into internal displacement or to | |enjoyment of human rights and the judicial and administrative| | |
|migrate to other countries. They also undertook to | |guarantees provided in the Constitution and other | | |
|develop mechanisms of inter-institutional coordination | |international instruments ratified by the Republic. | | |
|that promote respect for the fundamental rights of | | | | |
|migrants and requested States of origin, of transit and| |In addition to fulfilling its constitutional mandate, the | | |
|host nations to review, seek to understand and approach| |Office of the Human Rights Ombudsman also helps to ensure | | |
|the phenomenon of migration from a human rights | |recourse to and the exhaustion of domestic remedies, an | | |
|perspective. | |indispensable requirement before the Inter-American | | |
| | |Commission on Human Rights is able to rule on the | | |
|They rejected any act that constitutes an attack on the| |admissibility of a petition. | | |
|exercise of social communication; such acts violate the| | | | |
|fundamental right of every person to freedom of thought| | | | |
|and expression. | | | | |
| | | | | |
|Lastly, they pledged to take action to help strengthen | | | | |
|democratic regimes in Latin America. | | | | |
| | | | | |
|The Ibero-American Federation of Ombudsmen must now | | | | |
|assume a new role involving the submission of reports | | | | |
|on the situation of human rights in the region to | | | | |
|organs of the Organization of American States (OAS) and| | | | |
|the United Nations, more active participation in the | | | | |
|Summit of Heads of State, on-site visits, making | | | | |
|recommendations, producing documents that set out the | | | | |
|institution’s position on various issues related to | | | | |
|human rights and monitoring of the Latin American | | | | |
|integration process, inter alia. | | | | |
| | | | | |
|In addition, the Office of the Human Rights Ombudsman | | | | |
|participated in the World Conference on Racism, Racial | | | | |
|Discrimination, Xenophobia and Other Related Forms in | | | | |
|Intolerance, held from 31 August to 7 September 2001 in| | | | |
|Durban, South Africa, at which for the first time | | | | |
|national human rights institutions had the right to | | | | |
|speak at a specialized conference of the United | | | | |
|Nations. | | | | |
| | | | | |
|Through this participation, it was possible to adopt | | | | |
|positions on the need to work in all areas to create | | | | |
|more just and egalitarian societies. In this | | | | |
|connection, reference was made to the Constitution of | | | | |
|the Bolivarian Republic Venezuela, which recognizes the| | | | |
|rights of indigenous peoples. | | | | |
| | | | | |
|Establishment of a Network of Human Rights Institutions| | | | |
|of the Hemisphere, using Information and Communications| | | | |
|Technologies to Promote Cooperation and Coordination | | | | |
| | | | | |
|The Network of National Institutions for the Promotion | | | | |
|and Protection of Human Rights in the American | | | | |
|Continent held on 7 and 8 April 2002, in Kingston, | | | | |
|Jamaica, its first General Assembly, at which the first| | | | |
|statutes that will govern the Federation were adopted | | | | |
|by consensus. | | | | |
| | | | | |
|The Network is comprised of institutions, established | | | | |
|by law, for the promotion and protection of human | | | | |
|rights in all regions of the hemisphere: North America,| | | | |
|Central America, South America and the Caribbean. | | | | |
| | | | | |
|All the participants in the General Assembly of the | | | | |
|Network, including the Office of the Human Rights | | | | |
|Ombudsman of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, | | | | |
|recognized the importance of expanding cooperation | | | | |
|between human rights institutions in the hemisphere | | | | |
|and, to this end, undertook to work towards the: | | | | |
| | | | | |
|Establishment, maintenance and promotion of a culture | | | | |
|of respect for human rights in the region; | | | | |
|Implementation of the principles relating to the status| | | | |
|and functioning of national institutions for the | | | | |
|protection and promotion of human rights (Paris | | | | |
|Principles); | | | | |
|Promoting the recognition and implementation of | | | | |
|inter-American and international agreements and | | | | |
|standards on human rights by Governments of the region;| | | | |
|Strengthening individually and collectively national | | | | |
|institutions in the American continent and supporting | | | | |
|the development of emerging national institutions in | | | | |
|all countries of the region; | | | | |
|Increasing cooperation with non-governmental | | | | |
|organizations dedicated to the task of promoting and | | | | |
|protecting fundamental freedoms and human rights. | | | | |
| | | | | |
|In addition, it was agreed to expand cooperation with | | | | |
|the International Coordinating Committee of National | | | | |
|Institutions for the Promotion and Protection of Human | | | | |
|Rights (ICC), the Office of the United Nations High | | | | |
|Commissioner for Human Rights, the Organization of | | | | |
|American States and regional human rights associations,| | | | |
|such as the Caribbean Ombudsmen Association (CAROA) and| | | | |
|the Ibero-American Federation of Ombudsmen. Lastly, it| | | | |
|requested continuing support from the Office of the | | | | |
|United Nations High Commissioner. | | | | |
|Timeline: |Timeline: |Timeline: | | |
Mandate: Strengthen the capacity of governmental institutions mandated with the promotion and protection of human rights, such as national human rights institutions, thereby recognizing the important function they perform, and contribute to the successful establishment of a network of all such institutions of the Hemisphere, using information and communications technologies to promote and give effect to sustainable cooperation and better coordination;
|Actions – Hemispheric Level |Actions – Regional Level |Actions – National Level |Funding |Obstacles and/or Best Practices and/or Special Needs |
| | | | | |
|Timeline: |Timeline: |Timeline: | | |
Mandate: Create and strengthen national human rights action plans, in accordance with the mandate of the 1993 Vienna Declaration and Programme of Action, and foster independent national human rights institutions by seeking, where appropriate, technical and financial support from multilateral organizations, MDBs and specialized multilateral agencies;
|Actions – Hemispheric Level |Actions – Regional Level |Actions – National Level |Funding |Obstacles and/or Best Practices and/or Special Needs |
| |National Council on the Rights of Children and Adolescents: |National Council on the Rights of Children and Adolescents: |The sources of financing for the |Obstacles: |
| |As part of the elaboration of the plan, technical meeting have |The National Council on the Rights of Children and |“Border Plan for the Protection of|While an Organic Law on Refugees and Asylum Seekers exists, the draft |
| |been arranged with Colombian border authorities (Arauca, |Adolescents is working to formulate updated guidelines on |Children, Women and the Family on |internal regulation for the application of the law is still at the |
| |Vichada, Norte de Santander, Guanina, La Guajira and Cesar). |systems for the protection of rights. However, due to the |the Colombian –Venezuelan Border” |stage of approval and promulgation. However, the National Commission |
| |At the date of submission of the present report, the technical |situation of armed conflict in Colombia today, the “frontier |will be international, national |on Refugees, the national body that deals with the issue of refugees, |
| |meeting had already been held with the government of the |plans for the protection of children, women and the family on|and local. |has still not been convened. |
| |Department of Arauca (Colombia), on the frontier with the state|the Colombian/Venezuelan frontier” is being developed and | | |
| |of Apure (Venezuela). In addition to local governments, the |includes a broad component on public awareness and training | |Recommendations and Best Practices: |
| |Institute of Social Well-Being (counterpart institution of the |targeted to the key actors in the system of state and | |The National Council on the Rights of Children and Adolescents has |
| |National Council on the Rights of Children and Adolescents) and|municipal protection in the four states of Venezuela that | |adopted an intersectoral approach to its work, thanks to which it has |
| |the Social Solidarity Network (the institution responsible for |border with Colombia (Amazonas, Apure, Táchira and Zulia). | |become acquainted with the points of view of the various |
| |displaced persons in Colombia) also participate in the | | |organizations. |
| |technical meetings. |The Municipal Councils on the Rights of Children and | | |
| | |Adolescents are expected to develop the plan and to train our| | |
| | |officials using research methodology – an initiative that | | |
| | |would enable them to become natural multipliers in each one | | |
| | |of their municipalities from the perspective of the system of| | |
| | |protection, the Organic Law for the Protection of Children | | |
| | |and Adolescents (LOPNA), as well as from the scenario of the | | |
| | |reality of children and adolescents who are refugees from | | |
| | |Colombia. | | |
|Timeline: |Timeline: It is estimated that implementation of the “Border |Timeline: It is estimated that implementation of the “Border | | |
| |Plan for the Protection of Children, Women and the Family on |Plan for the Protection of Children, Women and the Family on | | |
| |the Colombian –Venezuelan Border” would begin in May. |the Colombian –Venezuelan Border” would begin in May. | | |
| |Discussions on the frontier lines are expected to take place in|Discussions on the frontier lines are expected to take place | | |
| |the month of June. |in the month of June. | | |
Mandate: Seek to promote and give effect to the Declaration on the Right and Responsibility of Individuals, Groups and Organs of Society to Promote and Protect Universally Recognized Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms [also referred to as the United Nations (UN) Declaration on Human Rights Defenders];
|Actions – Hemispheric Level |Actions – Regional Level |Actions – National Level |Funding |Obstacles and/or Best Practices and/or Special Needs |
| | | | | |
|Timeline: |Timeline: |Timeline: | | |
Mandate: Advance negotiations within the OAS on the Proposed American Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples with a view toward its earliest possible conclusion and adoption;
|Actions – Hemispheric Level |Actions – Regional Level |Actions – National Level |Funding |Obstacles and/or Best Practices and/or Special Needs |
| | | | | |
|Timeline: |Timeline: |Timeline: | | |
Migration
Mandate: Strengthen cooperation among states to address, with a comprehensive, objective and long-term focus, the manifestations, origins and effects of migration in the region;
|Actions – Hemispheric Level |Actions – Regional Level |Actions – National Level |Funding |Obstacles and/or Best Practices and/or Special Needs |
| | | | | |
|Timeline: |Timeline: |Timeline: | | |
Mandate: Promote recognition of the value of close cooperation among countries of origin, transit and destination in order to ensure protection of the human rights of migrants;
|Actions – Hemispheric Level |Actions – Regional Level |Actions – National Level |Funding |Obstacles and/or Best Practices and/or Special Needs |
| | | | | |
|Timeline: |Timeline: |Timeline: | | |
Mandate: Establish an inter-American program within the OAS for the promotion and protection of the human rights of migrants, including migrant workers and their families, taking into account the activities of the IACHR and supporting the work of the IACHR Special Rapporteur on Migrant Workers and the UN Special Rapporteur on Migration;
|Actions – Hemispheric Level |Actions – Regional Level |Actions – National Level |Funding |Obstacles and/or Best Practices and/or Special Needs |
| | | | | |
|Timeline: |Timeline: |Timeline: | | |
Mandate: Commit to undertake the widest possible cooperation and exchange of information among states concerning illegal trafficking networks, including developing preventative campaigns on the dangers and risks faced by migrants, particularly women and children who often can be victims of such trafficking, with a view to eradicating this crime;
|Actions – Hemispheric Level |Actions – Regional Level |Actions – National Level |Funding |Obstacles and/or Best Practices and/or Special Needs |
| | | | | |
|Timeline: |Timeline: |Timeline: | | |
Mandate: Establish linkages with subregional processes, such as the Regional Conference on Migration and the South American Conference on Migration, which are dialogue fora, in order to exchange information on the migration phenomenon, as well as promote cooperation with specialized international organizations, such as the International Organization of Migration (IOM), in order to advance and coordinate implementation efforts of Summit mandates;
|Actions – Hemispheric Level |Actions – Regional Level |Actions – National Level |Funding |Obstacles and/or Best Practices and/or Special Needs |
| | | | | |
|Timeline: |Timeline: |Timeline: | | |
Human Rights of Women
Mandate: Continue to implement the recommendations contained in the 1998 Report of the Special Rapporteur of the IACHR on the Status of Women in the Americas and ensure the evaluation of and, where appropriate, the establishment of national mechanisms for follow-up;
|Actions – Hemispheric Level |Actions – Regional Level |Actions – National Level |Funding |Obstacles and/or Best Practices and/or Special Needs |
| | | | | |
|Timeline: |Timeline: |Timeline: | | |
Mandate: Integrate fully the human rights of women into the work of hemispheric institutions, including the Inter-American Court on Human Rights and the IACHR, and increase the nomination of women as candidates for positions in these bodies;
|Actions – Hemispheric Level |Actions – Regional Level |Actions – National Level |Funding |Obstacles and/or Best Practices and/or Special Needs |
| | | | | |
|Timeline: |Timeline: |Timeline: | | |
Mandate: Request the OAS, through its specialized organs and particularly the Inter-American Commission on Women (CIM), to facilitate the integration of a gender perspective in the work of all its bodies, agencies and entities through the development of training programs and the dissemination of information on the human rights of women, as well as support governments in the systematic compilation and dissemination of sex disaggregated data;
|Actions – Hemispheric Level |Actions – Regional Level |Actions – National Level |Funding |Obstacles and/or Best Practices and/or Special Needs |
| | | | | |
|Timeline: |Timeline: |Timeline: | | |
Mandate: Develop, review and implement laws, procedures, codes and regulations to guarantee compatibility with international legal obligations and to prohibit and eliminate all forms of discrimination based on gender, and continue work begun at the Santiago Summit that set the goal of legal equality between men and women by the year 2002;
|Actions – Hemispheric Level |Actions – Regional Level |Actions – National Level |Funding |Obstacles and/or Best Practices and/or Special Needs |
| | | | | |
|Timeline: |Timeline: |Timeline: | | |
Mandate: Develop additional policies and practices to combat violence against women, including domestic violence, in accordance with the definition established in the Inter-American Convention on the Prevention, Punishment and Eradication of Violence Against Women (The Convention of Belém do Pará);
|Actions – Hemispheric Level |Actions – Regional Level |Actions – National Level |Funding |Obstacles and/or Best Practices and/or Special Needs |
|National Institute for Women (Inamujer): Our delegates | |National Institute for Women (Inamujer): |4 billion bolívares are provided |Obstacles: |
|at the Third Plenary Session of the CIM, held on 16 | |Enactment of the Violence against Women Act and the Equal |by the Ministry of Health and |The main obstacle we are encountering is that, the provisions of the |
|November 2000, supported the resolution approved to | |Opportunity Act. |Social Development (MSDS) for the |National Constitution notwithstanding, a gender perspective has still |
|urge all Principal Delegates to that agency to continue| |Signature of the Additional Optional Protocol to the |implementation of our policies. |not been incorporated in the design of public policy in all agencies |
|their efforts to implement the objectives of the | |Convention for the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination| |of the Venezuelan State. |
|Inter-American Program on the Promotion of Human Rights| |against Women. Execution of the "Shelter Home" Program for | | |
|for Women and Gender Equity and Equality and to present| |women in imminent danger of domestic violence. | |Recommendations and best practices: |
|reports containing measures adopted to attain those | |Establishment of a national toll-free telephone line, 0-800 | |We urge all OAS member states to incorporate a gender perspective and |
|goals as well as the results obtained from their | |Women, offering emergency psychological assistance and | |nonsexist language in their constitutions, as Venezuela has done. We |
|application. | |referral services to victims of violence. | |appeal to the governments of the member states to express an open |
| | |Implementation of the Regional Pilot Program on Domestic | |willingness to implement a gender perspective in public policy, as the|
| | |Violence Assistance, under an agreement with the IDB. | |Venezuelan government has done. We also wish to stress the need to |
| | |Implementation of a Program to Prevent and Eradicate Violence| |train public officials to internalize a gender perspective in their |
| | |against Women, with the World Bank. | |work. |
|Timeline: |Timeline: |Timeline: | | |
Mandate: Consider signing and ratifying, ratifying, or acceding to, as soon as possible and as the case may be, the UN Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women, and its Optional Protocol;
|Actions – Hemispheric Level |Actions – Regional Level |Actions – National Level |Funding |Obstacles and/or Best Practices and/or Special Needs |
| | | | | |
|Timeline: |Timeline: |Timeline: | | |
Human Rights of Children and Adolescents
Mandate: Consider, signing and ratifying, ratifying, or acceding to, as soon as possible and as the case may be, the two Optional Protocols to the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, specifically on the Involvement of Children in Armed Conflict, and the Sale of Children, Child Prostitution and Child Pornography; seek to integrate fully their obligations pursuant to the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, and other international human rights instruments into national legislation, policy and practice;
|Actions – Hemispheric Level |Actions – Regional Level |Actions – National Level |Funding |Obstacles and/or Best Practices and/or Special Needs |
| | | | | |
|Timeline: |Timeline: |Timeline: | | |
Mandate: Integrate fully the human rights of children and adolescents into the work of hemispheric institutions, including the Inter-American Court of Human Rights, the IACHR and the Inter-American Children’s Institute (IACI);
|Actions – Hemispheric Level |Actions – Regional Level |Actions – National Level |Funding |Obstacles and/or Best Practices and/or Special Needs |
| | | | | |
|Timeline: |Timeline: |Timeline: | | |
Freedom of Opinion and Expression
Mandate: Continue to support the work of the inter-American human rights system in the area of freedom of expression through the Special Rapporteur for Freedom of Expression of the IACHR, as well as proceed with the dissemination of comparative jurisprudence, and seek to ensure that national legislation on freedom of expression is consistent with international legal obligations;
|Actions – Hemispheric Level |Actions – Regional Level |Actions – National Level |Funding |Obstacles and/or Best Practices and/or Special Needs |
| | | | | |
|Timeline: |Timeline: |Timeline: | | |
Mandate: Ensure that national legislation relating to freedom of expression is applied equitably to all, respecting freedom of expression and access to information of all citizens, and that journalists and opinion leaders are free to investigate and publish without fear of reprisals, harassment or retaliatory actions, including the misuse of anti-defamation laws;
|Actions – Hemispheric Level |Actions – Regional Level |Actions – National Level |Funding |Obstacles and/or Best Practices and/or Special Needs |
| | | | | |
|Timeline: |Timeline: |Timeline: | | |
3. Justice, Rule of Law and Security of the Individual
Access to Justice
Mandate: Support public and private initiatives and programs to educate people about their rights relating to access to justice, and promote measures that ensure prompt, equal and universal access to justice;
|Actions – Hemispheric Level |Actions – Regional Level |Actions – National Level |Funding |Obstacles and/or Best Practices and/or Special Needs |
|National Council on the Rights of Children and |National Council on the Rights of Children and Adolescents: |National Council on the Rights of Children and Adolescents: |So far, only from government |Obstacles: |
|Adolescents: |At the regional level, coordination units for the defense of |Public-awareness campaigns on the adoption of new conceptual |entities |Change of paradigm from an irregular situation to one of integral |
|The National Council on the Rights of Children and |collective and group rights have been created in the various |framework involving a broader concept of protection; | |protection, which means abandoning the traditional schema to bring all|
|Adolescents, as the standard-setting organization, is |state and municipal councils, as part of the Councils on the |Coordination of activities with institutions such as: the | |institutions into line with the new doctrine of a system of integral |
|promoting the constitutional principles set out in |Rights of Children and Adolescents. |Office of the Public Prosecutor, Courts of Justice, Courts | |protection. |
|Article 78 of the Bolivarian Constitution of the | |for the Protection of Children and Adolescents, | | |
|Republic of Venezuela, by virtue of which guidelines | |Administrative organs of the system for protection | |Recommendations and Best Practices: |
|are being elaborated to ensure better functioning of | |responsible for ensuring the rights of children and | |The approval of an innovative organic law on the rights of the child |
|the system of protection. The National Council on the | |adolescents; | |and the adolescent, in which the constitutional principles relating to|
|Rights of Children and Adolescents, as the controlling | |Training activities for Human Rights Ombudsmen and human | |the system for the protection of children and adolescents are |
|body, is also charged with ensuring the proper | |rights attorneys, as ideal forums for conciliation; | |enshrined. |
|implementation of public policies towards children and | |The Organic Law for the Protection of Children and | | |
|adolescents. | |Adolescents (LOPNA) establishes a system of criminal | | |
| | |responsibility of the adolescent, with the term adolescent | | |
|Joint events have also been carried out with the | |being understood to refer to persons older than 12 years. | | |
|Republic of Peru and the Republic of Colombia, | |The system proposes removal from the criminal justice system | | |
|respectively, to share experiences in the protection of| |and the implementation of social and educational measures to | | |
|children and adolescents. | |modify the behavior of the adolescent and promote his full | | |
| | |development. It also conceives of the deprivation of liberty| | |
| | |as a strictly exceptional measure, in other words, a measure | | |
| | |of last resort. | | |
|Timeline: Results are expected in the medium term. |Timeline: Results are expected in the medium term. |Timeline: Results are expected in the medium term. | | |
Mandate: Promote cooperation to exchange experiences in alternative dispute resolution mechanisms to expedite the administration of justice, including among indigenous peoples, for which they may request the support as appropriate of the OAS, the IDB and other entities;
|Actions – Hemispheric Level |Actions – Regional Level |Actions – National Level |Funding |Obstacles and/or Best Practices and/or Special Needs |
| | | | | |
|Timeline: |Timeline: |Timeline: | | |
Independence of the Judiciary
Mandate: Encourage measures to strengthen the independence of the judiciary, including transparent judicial selection, secure tenure on the bench, appropriate standards of conduct and systems of accountability;
|Actions – Hemispheric Level |Actions – Regional Level |Actions – National Level |Funding |Obstacles and/or Best Practices and/or Special Needs |
| | | | | |
|Timeline: |Timeline: |Timeline: | | |
Hemispheric Meetings of Ministers of Justice
Mandate: Continue to support the work done in the context of the Meetings of Ministers of Justice and Attorneys General of the Americas, whose Fourth Meeting will take place in Trinidad and Tobago, as well as subsequent meetings, and the implementation of their conclusions and recommendations;
|Actions – Hemispheric Level |Actions – Regional Level |Actions – National Level |Funding |Obstacles and/or Best Practices and/or Special Needs |
| | | | | |
|Timeline: |Timeline: |Timeline: | | |
Mandate: Develop a funding plan for the Justice Studies Center for the Americas that takes into account the interests and resources of both governments and other likely donors, and that will enable the Center to contribute not only to the modernization and formulation of public policy in this area, but also to the institutional development of judicial systems in the region;
|Actions – Hemispheric Level |Actions – Regional Level |Actions – National Level |Funding |Obstacles and/or Best Practices and/or Special Needs |
| | | | | |
|Timeline: |Timeline: |Timeline: | | |
Mandate: Develop an exchange of best practices and recommendations, through the Meetings of Ministers of Justice and other appropriate mechanisms, seeking the technical and financial support of other multilateral organizations and MDBs where appropriate, that are consistent with international human rights standards, to reduce the number of pre-trial detainees, institute alternative forms of sentencing for minor crimes and improve prison conditions throughout the Hemisphere;
|Actions – Hemispheric Level |Actions – Regional Level |Actions – National Level |Funding |Obstacles and/or Best Practices and/or Special Needs |
| | | | | |
|Timeline: |Timeline: |Timeline: | | |
Mandate: Establish, in the OAS, an Internet-based network of information among competent legal authorities on extradition and mutual legal assistance to facilitate direct communications among them on a regular basis and to identify common problems in handling specific cases and issues that merit collective attention and resolution;
|Actions – Hemispheric Level |Actions – Regional Level |Actions – National Level |Funding |Obstacles and/or Best Practices and/or Special Needs |
| | | | | |
|Timeline: |Timeline: |Timeline: | | |
Combating the Drug Problem
Mandate: Note with satisfaction the creation and implementation of the MEM, and reiterate their commitment to make this instrument, unique in the world, a central pillar of assistance toward effective hemispheric cooperation in the struggle against all the component elements of the global drug problem;
Mandate: Implement the proposals and recommendations found in the national and hemispheric reports, approved by CICAD, in accordance with the specific situation of each country;
|Actions – Hemispheric Level |Actions – Regional Level |Actions – National Level |Funding |Obstacles and/or Best Practices and/or Special Needs |
| | | | | |
|Timeline: |Timeline: |Timeline: | | |
Mandate: Continue strengthening and reviewing the MEM to monitor national and hemispheric efforts against drugs, and recommend concrete actions to encourage inter-American cooperation and national strategies to combat this scourge;
|Actions – Hemispheric Level |Actions – Regional Level |Actions – National Level |Funding |Obstacles and/or Best Practices and/or Special Needs |
|National Commission against Illicit Drug Use |National Commission against Illicit Drug Use (CONACUID): |National Commission against Illicit Drug Use (CONACUID): |The mandate in this area entails |Obstacles: |
|(CONACUID): | | |rather significant budgetary |As indicated in the section on financing, the current economic |
| |In June 2001, an Andean Community meeting led to the Signature |Organization in August of the "National Workshop for the |outlays, particularly for the |situation in Venezuela has been one of the obstacles to rapid |
|The 19th International Conference for the Organization |of the "Carabobo Act", which contains the "Andean Plan for |Development of a National Antidrug Plan 2002-2007", organized|execution and implementation of |implementation of the mandate. Other factors include: |
|of the Thirtieth Regular Session of CICAD (November |Cooperation in the Fight against Illicit Drugs and Related |by CONACUID with technical assistance from CICAD-OAS. A |activities and projects contained |The limited budget allocated to the lead drug agency (CONACUID) for |
|2001), where Venezuela was elected by acclamation as |Offenses", establishing "Andean Authorities" with |summary of the results of this event are currently being |in the Venezuelan National |carrying out some of the programs indicated in the National Plan, |
|Chairman for that year. A meeting of the MEM |responsibility in this area. |finalized for presentation to the National Executive as a |Antidrug Plan, as well as other |Particularly in the Area of integral prevention. |
|Governmental Experts Group and the Third CICAD |Pursuant to the "Andean Plan of Cooperation", the "First |National Plan. As a prelude to this effort, the Office of |activities launched in 2001 for |Discussion and approval of the Law against Organized Crime (approved |
|Displacement Meeting were also held. |Meeting of Andean Authorities Responsible for the Fight against|the President and various departments of the Institution held|implementation in 2002. Given the|in the first discussion) and partial reform of the LOSEP by the |
|The Office of the President of CONACUID has |Illicit Drugs and Related Offenses" resulted in the formal |the "Awareness-Heightening Workshops" for work on developing |current economic situation, it |Venezuelan National Assembly have still not been completed. |
|participated in several meetings organized or sponsored|appointment of the "Executive Committee" for the Plan, in which|the Plan in several states (Sucre, Táchira, Zulia, and |would be utopian to expect the |Coordination among the various agencies with responsibilities in the |
|by CICAD-OAS, including: |Venezuela is represented by the Office of the President of |Carabobo). |state to cover all of the |area of drugs has at times been less than satisfactory, in terms of |
|The first meeting on the issues of displacement and |CONACUID. |Signature of four agreements: with the Municipality of Chacao|expenditures entailed. |information received late, the rotation of trained personnel out of |
|corruption, for inclusion as indicators in the MEM |Other CONACUID departments have also participated in various |(Caracas) and CONACUID for the Creation of a "Chacao |Accordingly, the possibility of |the positions for which they were trained, excessively slow |
|(Miami); |regional meetings and seminars, including: |Municipal Commission Against Drug Abuse (COMUCUID-Chacao); |resorting to external financing, |bureaucratic formalities for the processing of international |
|The control of drugs (Santo Domingo); | |with the Municipality of the Metropolitan District Capital; |from multilateral agencies (CICAD,|cooperation, etc. |
|The Twenty-ninth Regular Session of CICAD (Washington).|Guidance and Reference Center |and with the state governments of Mérida and Sucre for the |UNDCP) or bilateral donors has not| |
| | |creation of CONACUID "Regional Commissions" (CORECUID) in |been ruled out. |Recommendations and best practices: |
| |Course on Processes to Make Integral Prevention More Dynamic |those federal entities. | |The election of Venezuela as President of CICAD was one of the most |
| |(Medellín) |A “Technical Commission for the Control, Recovery, | |significant events of 2001. In assuming this responsibility, the |
| | |Conservation, Administration, Audit, and Adjudication of | |Venezuelan government has shown that it takes the commitment to the |
| |Venezuelan Observatory on Drugs |Assets Seized in Connection with Drug-Related Crimes", | |fight against illicit drugs seriously. |
| | |composed of three regular members from the Ministry of | |The serious efforts and dedication of CONACUID and other relevant |
| |Chemical Control Software Course (Lima); |Finance and four members from CONACUID with their respective | |national agencies has also contributed to the successful |
| |Seminar on the development of uniform criteria for SIDUC among |alternates; and an "Interinstitutional Committee for the | |implementation of the mandate to strengthen and review the MEM. The |
| |CICAD member countries, in Santo Domingo (Dominican Republic). |Control of Chemical Substances and Precursors", composed of | |recently completed Second Round of Evaluation (2000-2001) is expected |
| | |representatives of the national chemical industry and | |to be as successful as the First. |
| |Anti-Money-Laundering Department |CONACUID's Chemical Substances Control Department. | |The "National Workshop" to develop the National Antidrug Plan was |
| |Eighth Plenary Session of the Caribbean Financial Action Group |Participation in the National Consultation for the partial | |endorsed by CICAD as a great success. The participation of more than |
| |(GAFIC) in Trinidad and Tobago. |reform of the Organic Law on Narcotic and Psychotropic | |120 persons representing all agencies with competence in this field |
| |Second Meeting of the Multilateral Group of Experts on Currency|Substances (LOSEP), convened by the Standing Subcommittee on | |showed the determination of national stakeholders to cooperate in the |
| |Exchange in the Clandestine Peso Market (Panama). |Drugs of the National Assembly. This partial reform | |fight against illicit drugs and related crimes. |
| | |incorporated a new chapter referring to stricter control of | |The dedication of CONACUID has enabled national demand reduction |
| |Chemical Substances Control and Enforcement Department |chemical mixtures and substances. | |programs to gradually reach the widest segments of society. This was |
| | |With respect to money-laundering, CONACUID's | |recognized by CICAD in its evaluation of the country for 2001. |
| |Chemical Control Software Course (Lima) |Anti-Money-Laundering Department has organized several talks | | |
| |"United against Drugs" Seminar, held in Quito. |and lectures on the subject for members of the state security| | |
| |-"United against Drugs" Annual Conference, Held in Panama. |forces. | | |
| | |The Inter-American Convention Against Illicit Manufacturing | | |
| | |of and Trafficking in Firearms, Ammunition, Explosives and | | |
| | |other Related Materials was ratified on 12 June 2001 | | |
| | |(Official Gazette No. 37,217), and work is continuing on the | | |
| | |process of material implementation. | | |
| | |The Training Seminar for Mutual Evaluation Examiners was | | |
| | |organized by the Caribbean Financial Action Group (GAFIC) in | | |
| | |coordination with CONACUID. | | |
| | |The Fourteenth Meeting of the Venezuela-Colombia Joint | | |
| | |Committee on Drugs and the Technical Meeting for the Exchange| | |
| | |of Information on Drugs between Venezuela and Grenada were | | |
| | |held in Caracas. | | |
|Timeline: With respect to implementation of the |Timeline: With respect to implementation of the National |Timeline: With respect to implementation of the National | | |
|National Antidrug Plan 2002-2007, the final draft is |Antidrug Plan 2002-2007, the final draft is currently in |Antidrug Plan 2002-2007, the final draft is currently in | | |
|currently in preparation and should be ready for |preparation and should be ready for submission to the |preparation and should be ready for submission to the | | |
|submission to the Venezuelan National Executive for |Venezuelan National Executive for consideration during the |Venezuelan National Executive for consideration during the | | |
|consideration during the first half of 2002. |first half of 2002. |first half of 2002. | | |
|Approval of the partial reform of LOSEP is also |Approval of the partial reform of LOSEP is also expected in |Approval of the partial reform of LOSEP is also expected in | | |
|expected in 2002, together with the "Organic Law for |2002, together with the "Organic Law for the Fight against |2002, together with the "Organic Law for the Fight against | | |
|the Fight against Organized Crime", which will broaden |Organized Crime", which will broaden the activities of the |Organized Crime", which will broaden the activities of the | | |
|the activities of the State Security Forces and will |State Security Forces and will provide a new definition of the |State Security Forces and will provide a new definition of | | |
|provide a new definition of the concept of "organized |concept of "organized crime" extending beyond illicit drug |the concept of "organized crime" extending beyond illicit | | |
|crime" extending beyond illicit drug trafficking, which|trafficking, which has been the central focus thus far. |drug trafficking, which has been the central focus thus far. | | |
|has been the central focus thus far. |In the international arena, as President of CICAD, Venezuela |In the international arena, as President of CICAD, Venezuela | | |
|In the international arena, as President of CICAD, |has been promoting significant hemispheric activity in 2002. |has been promoting significant hemispheric activity in 2002. | | |
|Venezuela has been promoting significant hemispheric |It is planned to continue strengthening and reviewing the |It is planned to continue strengthening and reviewing the | | |
|activity in 2002. It is planned to continue |Multilateral Evaluation Mechanism (MEM), in which our country |Multilateral Evaluation Mechanism (MEM), in which our country| | |
|strengthening and reviewing the Multilateral Evaluation|has fully participated since the MEM’s inception in 1999. Work|has fully participated since the MEM’s inception in 1999. | | |
|Mechanism (MEM), in which our country has fully |has already begun to expand the evaluation questionnaire to 83 |Work has already begun to expand the evaluation questionnaire| | |
|participated since the MEM’s inception in 1999. Work |indicators. |to 83 indicators. | | |
|has already begun to expand the evaluation |This expansion process began with design of the indicators. |This expansion process began with design of the indicators. | | |
|questionnaire to 83 indicators. |Subsequently, the "Evaluation Questionnaire" was sent to the |Subsequently, the "Evaluation Questionnaire" was sent to the | | |
|This expansion process began with design of the |member countries. The progress report was reviewed by a |member countries. The progress report was reviewed by a | | |
|indicators. Subsequently, the "Evaluation |Governmental Experts Group (GEG), which subsequently issued its|Governmental Experts Group (GEG), which subsequently issued | | |
|Questionnaire" was sent to the member countries. The |recommendations with a deadline for compliance. These |its recommendations with a deadline for compliance. These | | |
|progress report was reviewed by a Governmental Experts |recommendations were re-examined by the GEG at its meeting in |recommendations were re-examined by the GEG at its meeting in| | |
|Group (GEG), which subsequently issued its |Washington (12 January 2002) which led to the "Final Report" |Washington (12 January 2002) which led to the "Final Report" | | |
|recommendations with a deadline for compliance. These |(published in 2002) and the "Hemispheric Report" (published on |(published in 2002) and the "Hemispheric Report" (published | | |
|recommendations were re-examined by the GEG at its |30 January 2002). The member countries have now completed the |on 30 January 2002). The member countries have now completed| | |
|meeting in Washington (12 January 2002) which led to |second questionnaire for evaluation corresponding to the period|the second questionnaire for evaluation corresponding to the | | |
|the "Final Report" (published in 2002) and the |2001-2002 which must be registered with the MEM unit of CICAD |period 2001-2002 which must be registered with the MEM unit | | |
|"Hemispheric Report" (published on 30 January 2002). |by 8 March 2002. |of CICAD by 8 March 2002. | | |
|The member countries have now completed the second |In terms of promoting Inter-American cooperation, bilateral |In terms of promoting Inter-American cooperation, bilateral | | |
|questionnaire for evaluation corresponding to the |Joint Committee meetings on drugs will be held with Mexico, |Joint Committee meetings on drugs will be held with Mexico, | | |
|period 2001-2002 which must be registered with the MEM |Chile, Guyana, Jamaica, Brazil, and other countries. Many of |Chile, Guyana, Jamaica, Brazil, and other countries. Many of| | |
|unit of CICAD by 8 March 2002. |these meetings are expected to be held this year. |these meetings are expected to be held this year. | | |
|In terms of promoting Inter-American cooperation, |The establishment of a "basic and homogeneous mechanism for |The establishment of a "basic and homogeneous mechanism for | | |
|bilateral Joint Committee meetings on drugs will be |estimating the social, human, and economic costs of the drug |estimating the social, human, and economic costs of the drug | | |
|held with Mexico, Chile, Guyana, Jamaica, Brazil, and |problem in the Americas" will depend on the approval of the |problem in the Americas" will depend on the approval of the | | |
|other countries. Many of these meetings are expected |National Antidrug Plan. |National Antidrug Plan. | | |
|to be held this year. |Some of the national activities described are already underway,|Some of the national activities described are already | | |
|The establishment of a "basic and homogeneous mechanism|for instance: the installation by the OVD of databases for |underway, for instance: the installation by the OVD of | | |
|for estimating the social, human, and economic costs of|several national police forces; the development of new formats |databases for several national police forces; the development| | |
|the drug problem in the Americas" will depend on the |for reporting on drug seizures, crop eradication areas, and |of new formats for reporting on drug seizures, crop | | |
|approval of the National Antidrug Plan. |drug arrests; and research on the drug problem by the Integral |eradication areas, and drug arrests; and research on the drug| | |
|Some of the national activities described are already |Prevention Department. The Interinstitutional Committee for |problem by the Integral Prevention Department. The | | |
|underway, for instance: the installation by the OVD of |the Control of Chemical Substances and Precursors and the |Interinstitutional Committee for the Control of Chemical | | |
|databases for several national police forces; the |Technical Commission for the Control, Recovery, Conservation, |Substances and Precursors and the Technical Commission for | | |
|development of new formats for reporting on drug |Administration, Auditing, and Adjudication of Assets Seized in |the Control, Recovery, Conservation, Administration, | | |
|seizures, crop eradication areas, and drug arrests; and|Connection with Drug-Related Offenses are also functioning. |Auditing, and Adjudication of Assets Seized in Connection | | |
|research on the drug problem by the Integral Prevention| |with Drug-Related Offenses are also functioning. | | |
|Department. The Interinstitutional Committee for the | | | | |
|Control of Chemical Substances and Precursors and the | | | | |
|Technical Commission for the Control, Recovery, | | | | |
|Conservation, Administration, Auditing, and | | | | |
|Adjudication of Assets Seized in Connection with | | | | |
|Drug-Related Offenses are also functioning. | | | | |
Mandate: Recommend intensifying joint IDB-CICAD efforts in order to obtain financial resources from the international donor community, through consultative groups supporting anti-drug efforts, for alternative development, as well as demand reduction programs;
|Actions – Hemispheric Level |Actions – Regional Level |Actions – National Level |Funding |Obstacles and/or Best Practices and/or Special Needs |
| | | | | |
|Timeline: |Timeline: |Timeline: | | |
Mandate: Recommend establishing units with financial intelligence functions in countries that have not yet done so, with the support of CICAD and international agencies specialized in this area, and for which, in this context, it is recommended that CICAD and IDB training efforts be expanded;
|Actions – Hemispheric Level |Actions – Regional Level |Actions – National Level |Funding |Obstacles and/or Best Practices and/or Special Needs |
| | | | | |
|Timeline: |Timeline: |Timeline: | | |
Mandate: Recommend developing, within the framework of CICAD, a long-term strategy that includes a three-year program to establish a basic and homogeneous mechanism to estimate the social, human and economic costs of the drug problem in the Americas, and to support countries through the necessary technical assistance;
|Actions – Hemispheric Level |Actions – Regional Level |Actions – National Level |Funding |Obstacles and/or Best Practices and/or Special Needs |
| | |National Commission against Illicit Drug Use (CONACUID): | | |
| | |Although it is not included in the National Plan, our country| | |
| | |still does not have a methodology enabling it to quantify | | |
| | |this mandate. A system must be implemented to permit the | | |
| | |easy recognition of these variables. At the current time, | | |
| | |CICAD is coordinating a seminar to assist countries in | | |
| | |quantifying these indicators. Venezuela is among the | | |
| | |countries benefiting from this measure, and it is hoped the | | |
| | |seminar can be held in 2002. | | |
|Timeline: |Timeline: | | | |
Mandate: Promote bilateral and multilateral cooperation and information exchange on policies and actions concerning drug prevention, treatment, rehabilitation and supply control, and develop educational campaigns to promote public awareness of the risk of drug consumption;
|Actions – Hemispheric Level |Actions – Regional Level |Actions – National Level |Funding |Obstacles and/or Best Practices and/or Special Needs |
| | |National Commission against Illicit Drug Use (CONACUID): |The mandate in this area entails |Obstacles: |
| | |CONACUID's Integral Prevention Department, Guidance and |rather significant budgetary |As indicated in the section on financing, the current economic |
| | |Reference Center, and Clinical Neurotherapy Center have held |outlays, particularly for the |situation in Venezuela has been one of the obstacles to rapid |
| | |meetings with NGOs and community groups that have resulted in|execution and implementation of |implementation of the mandate. Other factors include: |
| | |proposals for the organization of workshops for community |activities and projects contained |The limited budget allocated to the lead drug agency (CONACUID) for |
| | |leaders. Teaching materials have been prepared on the danger|in the Venezuelan National Antidrug|carrying out some of the programs indicated in the National Plan, |
| | |of drugs in general (including the new "designer" drugs - |Plan, as well as other activities |Particularly in the Area of integral prevention. |
| | |ecstasy). Treatment and counseling have been provided to |launched in 2001 for implementation|Discussion and approval of the Law against Organized Crime (approved |
| | |families and individuals and an active presence has been |in 2002. Given the current |in the first discussion) and partial reform of the LOSEP by the |
| | |maintained on radio and television programs to discuss the |economic situation, it would be |Venezuelan National Assembly have still not been completed. |
| | |issue of integral prevention. Academic advisory assistance |utopian to expect the state to |Coordination among the various agencies with responsibilities in the |
| | |has also been provided to students in developing research on |cover all of the expenditures |area of drugs has at times been less than satisfactory, in terms of |
| | |the drug problem. |entailed. Accordingly, the |information received late, the rotation of trained personnel out of |
| | |The Venezuelan Observatory on Drugs (OVD), also connected |possibility of resorting to |the positions for which they were trained, excessively slow |
| | |with CONACUID, has developed new formats for reporting on |external financing, from |bureaucratic formalities for the processing of international |
| | |drug seizures, crop eradication areas, and drug arrests, |multilateral agencies (CICAD, |cooperation, etc. |
| | |which have been sent to state police and security agencies. |UNDCP) or bilateral donors has not | |
| | |Statistical databases and software have been installed for |been ruled out. |Recommendations and best practices: |
| | |various police forces, and specialized training has been | |The election of Venezuela as President of CICAD was one of the most |
| | |provided in their use. In addition, the design phase for the| |significant events of 2001. In assuming this responsibility, the |
| | |educational game "Let's play to win against drugs" has been | |Venezuelan government has shown that it takes the commitment to the |
| | |completed, both for the board game and the interactive online| |fight against illicit drugs seriously. |
| | |version. | |The serious efforts and dedication of CONACUID and other relevant |
| | | | |national agencies has also contributed to the successful |
| | | | |implementation of the mandate to strengthen and review the MEM. The |
| | | | |recently completed Second Round of Evaluation (2000-2001) is expected|
| | | | |to be as successful as the First. |
| | | | |The "National Workshop" to develop the National Antidrug Plan was |
| | | | |endorsed by CICAD as a great success. The participation of more than|
| | | | |120 persons representing all agencies with competence in this field |
| | | | |showed the determination of national stakeholders to cooperate in the|
| | | | |fight against illicit drugs and related crimes. |
| | | | |The dedication of CONACUID has enabled national demand reduction |
| | | | |programs to gradually reach the widest segments of society. This was|
| | | | |recognized by CICAD in its evaluation of the country for 2001. |
| | | | | |
| | |Timeline: With respect to implementation of the National | | |
| | |Antidrug Plan 2002-2007, the final draft is currently in | | |
| | |preparation and should be ready for submission to the | | |
| | |Venezuelan National Executive for consideration during the | | |
| | |first half of 2002. | | |
| | |Approval of the partial reform of LOSEP is also expected in | | |
| | |2002, together with the "Organic Law for the Fight against | | |
| | |Organized Crime", which will broaden the activities of the | | |
| | |State Security Forces and will provide a new definition of | | |
| | |the concept of "organized crime" extending beyond illicit | | |
| | |drug trafficking, which has been the central focus thus far. | | |
| | |In the international arena, as President of CICAD, Venezuela | | |
| | |has been promoting significant hemispheric activity in 2002. | | |
| | |It is planned to continue strengthening and reviewing the | | |
| | |Multilateral Evaluation Mechanism (MEM), in which our country| | |
| | |has fully participated since the MEM’s inception in 1999. | | |
| | |Work has already begun to expand the evaluation questionnaire| | |
| | |to 83 indicators. | | |
| | |This expansion process began with design of the indicators. | | |
| | |Subsequently, the "Evaluation Questionnaire" was sent to the | | |
| | |member countries. The progress report was reviewed by a | | |
| | |Governmental Experts Group (GEG), which subsequently issued | | |
| | |its recommendations with a deadline for compliance. These | | |
| | |recommendations were re-examined by the GEG at its meeting in| | |
| | |Washington (12 January 2002) which led to the "Final Report" | | |
| | |(published in 2002) and the "Hemispheric Report" (published | | |
| | |on 30 January 2002). The member countries have now completed| | |
| | |the second questionnaire for evaluation corresponding to the | | |
| | |period 2001-2002 which must be registered with the MEM unit | | |
| | |of CICAD by 8 March 2002. | | |
| | |In terms of promoting Inter-American cooperation, bilateral | | |
| | |Joint Committee meetings on drugs will be held with Mexico, | | |
| | |Chile, Guyana, Jamaica, Brazil, and other countries. Many of| | |
| | |these meetings are expected to be held this year. | | |
| | |The establishment of a "basic and homogeneous mechanism for | | |
| | |estimating the social, human, and economic costs of the drug | | |
| | |problem in the Americas" will depend on the approval of the | | |
| | |National Antidrug Plan. | | |
| | |Some of the national activities described are already | | |
| | |underway, for instance: the installation by the OVD of | | |
| | |databases for several national police forces; the development| | |
| | |of new formats for reporting on drug seizures, crop | | |
| | |eradication areas, and drug arrests; and research on the drug| | |
| | |problem by the Integral Prevention Department. The | | |
| | |Interinstitutional Committee for the Control of Chemical | | |
| | |Substances and Precursors and the Technical Commission for | | |
| | |the Control, Recovery, Conservation, Administration, | | |
| | |Auditing, and Adjudication of Assets Seized in Connection | | |
| | |with Drug-Related Offenses are also functioning. | | |
| | |Ministry of Health and Social Development, Department of |Central budget office |Recommendations and best practices: |
| | |Health and Social Development, José Felix Ribas Foundation: |Organization: José Felix Ribas |Expansion of the inter-institutional network and representation of |
| | |1. Development of an institutional program of treatment aimed|Foundation |the José Félix Ribas Foundation at the national level, with the |
| | |at: | |creation of 16 new comprehensive preventive care units; |
| | |Guaranteeing and protecting rights and comprehensive care for|Budget Expenditure – 2002 (in |This institutional growth was made possible through operational |
| | |marginalized social groups; |Bolívars) |agreements with district governments, municipalities and volunteer |
| | |Strengthening and developing the institution in order to |Personnel Expenditures: |groups; strategy adopted by the institution to overcome limitations |
| | |expand health care coverage throughout the national territory|1 577 968.20 |resulting from the budget deficit, thus providing a timely solution |
| | |by creating Comprehensive Centers for the prevention of the |Materials and Supplies: |to the growing demand for health care; |
| | |improper use of drugs, comprised of: de-intoxication unit, |114 502.90 |The José Félix Ribas Foundation, through its prevention and treatment|
| | |comprehensive prevention unit, out-patient unit, day |Non-personnel Services: |programs, provided services directly to a total of 80,115 persons, |
| | |hospital, therapeutic community, half-way house and follow-up|199 142.20 |which represents a 98% overall increase in the number of |
| | |and evaluation unit, comprehensive emergency care unit, and |Real Assets: |beneficiaries over the number recorded in the previous year, which |
| | |the University Institute for Comprehensive Prevention; |11 937.10 |was 40,461 beneficiaries; |
| | |Creating greater awareness among the population about the |Debts Carried Over: |Establishment of the National Network for Drug Awareness Promotion, |
| | |problem of drugs in order to strengthen preventive measures |188 019.60 |comprised of all of the institution’s units in the country, which are|
| | |through an on-going communications plan; |Current Transfters to private |engaged in propagating numerous special activities planned from the |
| | |Undertaking epidemiological studies; |sector: 56 250.00|central level of the Foundation (school teachers and high school and |
| | |Providing care for children and adolescents wandering or |Depreciation and Amortization: |university professors, sports, military, police and community |
| | |living in the streets to rescue them from situations of |1 681.20 |institutions); |
| | |danger and drug-use through the establishment of a | |The Unit for the Comprehensive Prevention of Tobacco Use carried out |
| | |“coordinated system of comprehensive health care service”, |Total: 2.149.501,20 |a successful national anti-tobacco campaign; |
| | |incentives to draw them into the system, services of a | |The Unit for the Comprehensive Prevention of Alcohol Use designed a |
| | |toxicologist and de-intoxication expert, immediate | |study on alcohol consumption by patients treated in our centers; it |
| | |protection, therapeutic community and half-way house; | |also published a leaflet on the prevention of alcoholism, which was |
| | |Care for the population affected by drug use and their family| |distributed within the community; |
| | |to facilitate their rehabilitation and social reinsertion | |A pilot project on a “System of Care for Street Children and |
| | |through the institutional network comprised of the various | |Adolescents Affected by Drugs” was designed and its implementation |
| | |health care modalities:out-patient, day hospitals, | |begun. Use of this model will be expanded and the approach is |
| | |therapeutic communities. | |currently being tried in the state of Anzoátegui; |
| | | | |As part of efforts to emphasize prevention, the comprehensive work |
| | |2. Development and implementation of the comprehensive | |done by the José Félix Ribas Foundation continued to be disseminated |
| | |prevention program aimed at: | |through the implementation of the “Communication plan to promote |
| | |Overcoming poverty and social inequities in the context of an| |greater awareness among the population of the problem of drug use and|
| | |ethical commitment to combat marginalization and inequality | |abuse”; |
| | |by:- | |Service in the form of updated information was provided through the |
| | |Increasing coverage of care to children and adolescents in | |Documentation and Information Center (CEDIF) to consultants and |
| | |the formal educational system through the training of | |researchers from primary schools, secondary schools, universities and|
| | |teachers as multipliers so that they could in turn organize | |public and private institutions. |
| | |workshops for their students, and plan seminars for | | |
| | |comprehensive prevention measures and other preventive | | |
| | |activities; | | |
| | |Increasing coverage of care to children and adolescents in | | |
| | |communities through the community-based project for | | |
| | |comprehensive preventive care that will train promoters who | | |
| | |will in turn organize workshops and other preventive | | |
| | |activities; | | |
| | |Assisting in the training for employment of young people and | | |
| | |women who are excluded from the formal educational system and| | |
| | |who live in pilot communities, thereby creating opportunities| | |
| | |for overcoming poverty; | | |
| | |Carrying out preventive activities and identifying | | |
| | |opportunities in the community to promote community | | |
| | |activities and the constructive use of free time. | | |
|Timeline: |Timeline: |Timeline: Continuous and ongoing, since it is an | | |
| | |institutional mission (preventive and treatment programs). | | |
Mandate: Support measures to impede organized crime, money-laundering, the diversion of chemical precursors, the financing of armed groups, and other illicit activities resulting from drug and arms trafficking;
|Actions – Hemispheric Level |Actions – Regional Level |Actions – National Level |Funding |Obstacles and/or Best Practices and/or Special Needs |
| | | | | |
|Timeline: |Timeline: |Timeline: | | |
Mandate: Promote bilateral and multilateral cooperation in order to consider in an integral manner the displacement phenomenon of different factors related to the drug problem, including the displacement of persons and illicit crops;
|Actions – Hemispheric Level |Actions – Regional Level |Actions – National Level |Funding |Obstacles and/or Best Practices and/or Special Needs |
| | | | | |
|Timeline: |Timeline: |Timeline: | | |
Transnational Organized Crime
Mandate: Encourage all countries in the Hemisphere to consider signing and ratifying, ratifying, or acceding to, as soon as possible and as the case may be, the UN Convention Against Transnational Organized Crime, its Protocol Against the Smuggling of Migrants by Land, Sea and Air and its Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons, Especially Women and Children, as well as the Protocol Against the Illicit Manufacturing of and Trafficking in Firearms, Their Parts and Components, and Ammunition, once that protocol is open for signature;
|Actions – Hemispheric Level |Actions – Regional Level |Actions – National Level |Funding |Obstacles and/or Best Practices and/or Special Needs |
| | | | | |
|Timeline: |Timeline: |Timeline: | | |
Mandate: Implement collective strategies, including those that emerge from the Meetings of Ministers of Justice of the Americas, to enhance the institutional ability of states to exchange information and evidence by concluding international agreements on mutual legal assistance where necessary, develop and circulate national reports, and strengthen cooperation, seeking the technical and financial support of multilateral organizations and MDBs where appropriate, in order to jointly combat emerging forms of transnational criminal activity, including trafficking in persons and the laundering of the proceeds and assets of crime and cyber-crime;
|Actions – Hemispheric Level |Actions – Regional Level |Actions – National Level |Funding |Obstacles and/or Best Practices and/or Special Needs |
| | | | | |
|Timeline: |Timeline: |Timeline: | | |
Mandate: Review national laws and policies to improve cooperation in areas such as mutual legal assistance, extradition and deportation to countries of origin, acknowledging the serious concerns of countries that deport certain foreign nationals for committing crimes in those countries and the serious concerns of the receiving countries about the negative effect of these deportations on the incidence of criminality in the countries of origin, and express the desire to work together, as appropriate, to address the negative effects on our societies.
|Actions – Hemispheric Level |Actions – Regional Level |Actions – National Level |Funding |Obstacles and/or Best Practices and/or Special Needs |
| | | | | |
|Timeline: |Timeline: |Timeline: | | |
Mandate: Promote, where necessary, and in accordance with national legislation, the adoption of investigation techniques, contained in the United Nations Convention Against Transnational Organized Crime, which are very important tools in the fight against organized crime;
|Actions – Hemispheric Level |Actions – Regional Level |Actions – National Level |Funding |Obstacles and/or Best Practices and/or Special Needs |
| | | | | |
|Timeline: |Timeline: |Timeline: | | |
Prevention of Violence
Mandate: Encourage national institutions to work together and coordinate with all appropriate multilateral organizations and MDBs in order to implement integrated programs that include initiatives for conflict resolution, where appropriate, for sustained prevention, permanent attention, public education and treatment relevant to cases of violence against persons, families and communities, strengthening national institutional capacities in these areas;
|Actions – Hemispheric Level |Actions – Regional Level |Actions – National Level |Funding |Obstacles and/or Best Practices and/or Special Needs |
| | | | | |
|Timeline: |Timeline: |Timeline: | | |
Mandate: 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;
|Actions – Hemispheric Level |Actions – Regional Level |Actions – National Level |Funding |Obstacles and/or Best Practices and/or Special Needs |
| | | | | |
|Timeline: |Timeline: |Timeline: | | |
Mandate: Encourage greater use of community-based policing, to develop increased dialogue and interaction of law enforcement authorities with civil society and local communities;
|Actions – Hemispheric Level |Actions – Regional Level |Actions – National Level |Funding |Obstacles and/or Best Practices and/or Special Needs |
| | | | | |
|Timeline: |Timeline: |Timeline: | | |
Mandate: Promote cooperation to modernize criminal law, using information and communications technologies as appropriate, with a focus on human rights training and prevention of acts of violence, particularly violence perpetrated by law enforcement officials, in order to reduce violence against civilians and foster values necessary in our societies to retain social harmony;
|Actions – Hemispheric Level |Actions – Regional Level |Actions – National Level |Funding |Obstacles and/or Best Practices and/or Special Needs |
| | | | | |
|Timeline: |Timeline: |Timeline: | | |
Mandate: Promote the exchange of national experiences and best practices on the use of police profiling with a view to preventing biased detentions, which tend to affect mostly minorities and the poor;
|Actions – Hemispheric Level |Actions – Regional Level |Actions – National Level |Funding |Obstacles and/or Best Practices and/or Special Needs |
| | | | | |
|Timeline: |Timeline: |Timeline: | | |
Mandate: Expand opportunities to share experiences, techniques and best practices among government and civil society agencies involved in combating psychological, sexual or physical violence in the domestic setting and on the job, recognizing that such violence is overwhelmingly directed against women and children;
|Actions – Hemispheric Level |Actions – Regional Level |Actions – National Level |Funding |Obstacles and/or Best Practices and/or Special Needs |
| | | | | |
|Timeline: |Timeline: |Timeline: | | |
Mandate: Seek to adopt necessary measures to prevent, impede and punish violence, the segregation and exploitation of women, minors, the elderly, persons with disabilities and other vulnerable groups, and seek to ensure that national legislation addresses acts of violence against them and that these laws are enforced, recognizing that where victims of violence require legal assistance to obtain redress, every effort should be made to guarantee that they receive such assistance;
|Actions – Hemispheric Level |Actions – Regional Level |Actions – National Level |Funding |Obstacles and/or Best Practices and/or Special Needs |
| | | | | |
|Timeline: |Timeline: |Timeline: | | |
Mandate: Request multilateral and other organizations that participate in the Inter-American Coalition for the Prevention of Violence to intensify their support and technical assistance to those countries that so request, in the elaboration of national strategies and actions regarding this topic;
|Actions – Hemispheric Level |Actions – Regional Level |Actions – National Level |Funding |Obstacles and/or Best Practices and/or Special Needs |
| | | | | |
|Timeline: |Timeline: |Timeline: | | |
Mandate: Promote concrete measures to prevent hostile actions against minorities in the Hemisphere, as well as the violent activities of local, regional and international movements that support and foster racist ideologies and terrorist practices to reach their goals;
|Actions – Hemispheric Level |Actions – Regional Level |Actions – National Level |Funding |Obstacles and/or Best Practices and/or Special Needs |
| | | | | |
|Timeline: |Timeline: |Timeline: | | |
Mandate: Increase regional cooperation with a view to preventing the criminal use of firearms and ammunition, and examine additional measures and laws at the national level if required;
|Actions – Hemispheric Level |Actions – Regional Level |Actions – National Level |Funding |Obstacles and/or Best Practices and/or Special Needs |
| | | | | |
|Timeline: |Timeline: |Timeline: | | |
Mandate: Implement, as soon as possible, the Inter-American Convention Against the Illicit Manufacturing of and Trafficking in Firearms, Ammunition, Explosives and Other Related Materials, and apply the CICAD Model Regulations, as appropriate;
|Actions – Hemispheric Level |Actions – Regional Level |Actions – National Level |Funding |Obstacles and/or Best Practices and/or Special Needs |
| | | | | |
|Timeline: |Timeline: |Timeline: | | |
4. Hemispheric Security
Strengthening Mutual Confidence
Mandate: Hold the Special Conference on Security in 2004, for which the OAS Committee on Hemispheric Security will conclude the review of all issues related to approaches to international security in the Hemisphere, as defined at the Santiago Summit;
|Actions – Hemispheric Level |Actions – Regional Level |Actions – National Level |Funding |Obstacles and/or Best Practices and/or Special Needs |
| | | | | |
|Timeline: |Timeline: |Timeline: | | |
Mandate: Continue with priority activities on conflict prevention and the peaceful resolution of disputes, respond to shared traditional and non-traditional security and defense concerns and support measures to improve human security;
|Actions – Hemispheric Level |Actions – Regional Level |Actions – National Level |Funding |Obstacles and/or Best Practices and/or Special Needs |
| | | | | |
|Timeline: |Timeline: |Timeline: | | |
Mandate: Support the efforts of the Small Island Developing States (SIDS) to address their special security concerns, recognizing that for the smallest and most vulnerable states in the Hemisphere, security is multi-dimensional in scope, involves state and non-state actors and includes political, economic, social and natural components, and that the SIDS have concluded that among the threats to their security are illicit drug trafficking, the illegal trade in arms, increasing levels of crime and corruption, environmental vulnerability exacerbated by susceptibility to natural disasters and the transportation of nuclear waste, economic vulnerability particularly in relation to trade, new health threats including the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV)/Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) pandemic and increased levels of poverty;
|Actions – Hemispheric Level |Actions – Regional Level |Actions – National Level |Funding |Obstacles and/or Best Practices and/or Special Needs |
| | | | | |
|Timeline: |Timeline: |Timeline: | | |
Mandate: Improve the transparency and accountability of defense and security institutions and promote greater understanding and cooperation among government agencies involved in security and defense issues, through such means as increased sharing of defense policy and doctrine papers, information and personnel exchanges, including, where feasible, cooperation and training for participation in UN peace-keeping activities and to respond better to legitimate security and defense needs, by improving transparency of arms acquisitions in order to improve confidence and security in the Hemisphere;
|Actions – Hemispheric Level |Actions – Regional Level |Actions – National Level |Funding |Obstacles and/or Best Practices and/or Special Needs |
| | | | | |
|Timeline: |Timeline: |Timeline: | | |
Mandate: Continue promoting greater degrees of confidence and security in the Hemisphere, inter alia through sustained support for measures, such as those set forth in the Santiago and San Salvador Declarations on Confidence and Security Building Measures (CSBMs), and for existing mechanisms, agreements and funds, and consider signing and ratifying, ratifying, or acceding to, as soon as possible and as the case may be, the Convention on the Prohibition of the Use, Stockpiling, Production and Transfer of Anti-Personnel Mines and on Their Destruction, the Inter-American Convention on Transparency in Conventional Weapons Acquisitions, and the Inter-American Convention Against the Illicit Manufacturing of and Trafficking in Firearms, Ammunition, Explosives and Other Related Materials, giving full support to the UN Conference on the Illicit Trade in Small Arms and Light Weapons in all Its Aspects to be held in July 2001, bearing in mind the results of the Regional Preparatory Meeting of Latin America and the Caribbean, held in Brasilia in November 2000, and the work of the OAS, which contributed a regional perspective to the discussions;
|Actions – Hemispheric Level |Actions – Regional Level |Actions – National Level |Funding |Obstacles and/or Best Practices and/or Special Needs |
| | | | | |
|Timeline: |Timeline: |Timeline: | | |
Mandate: Strongly support the Third Meeting of State Parties to the Convention on the Prohibition of the Use, Stockpiling, Production and Transfer of Anti-Personnel Mines and on Their Destruction, to be held in September 2001 in Managua, Nicaragua, and the Review Conference of the 1980 UN Convention on Prohibitions or Restrictions on the Use of Certain Conventional Weapons Which May Be Deemed to Be Excessively Injurious or to Have Indiscriminate Effects, to be held in December 2001 in Geneva; as well as the efforts of the OAS to pursue the goal of the conversion of the Western Hemisphere into an anti-personnel- landmine-free zone;
|Actions – Hemispheric Level |Actions – Regional Level |Actions – National Level |Funding |Obstacles and/or Best Practices and/or Special Needs |
| | | | | |
|Timeline: |Timeline: |Timeline: | | |
Mandate: Call for an experts meeting, before the Special Conference on Security, as a follow-up to the regional conferences of Santiago and San Salvador on CSBMs, in order to evaluate implementation and consider next steps to further consolidate mutual confidence;
|Actions – Hemispheric Level |Actions – Regional Level |Actions – National Level |Funding |Obstacles and/or Best Practices and/or Special Needs |
| | | | | |
|Timeline: |Timeline: |Timeline: | | |
Mandate: Promote financial support to the OAS Fund for Peace: Peaceful Settlement of Territorial Disputes, established to provide financial resources to assist with defraying the inherent costs of proceedings previously agreed to by the parties concerned for the peaceful resolution of territorial disputes among OAS member states;
|Actions – Hemispheric Level |Actions – Regional Level |Actions – National Level |Funding |Obstacles and/or Best Practices and/or Special Needs |
| | | | | |
|Timeline: |Timeline: |Timeline: | | |
Mandate: Support the work leading up to the Fifth Meeting of Defense Ministers of the Americas to take place in Chile, as well as meetings that will take place subsequently;
|Actions – Hemispheric Level |Actions – Regional Level |Actions – National Level |Funding |Obstacles and/or Best Practices and/or Special Needs |
| | | | | |
|Timeline: |Timeline: |Timeline: | | |
Fight Against Terrorism
Mandate: Support the work initiated by the Inter-American Committee on Terrorism (CICTE) established within the OAS as a result of the Commitment of Mar del Plata adopted in 1998, and encourage hemispheric cooperation to prevent, combat and eliminate all forms of terrorism, taking into account the approval of the Statute and Work Plan of CICTE;
|Actions – Hemispheric Level |Actions – Regional Level |Actions – National Level |Funding |Obstacles and/or Best Practices and/or Special Needs |
|Ministry of the Interior and Justice: | |Ministry of the Interior and Justice: | | |
|Participation in meetings of the CICTE | |The Government of Venezuela appointed General Luis Camacho | | |
| | |Kairuz, Vice Minister of Citizen Security, Ministry of the | | |
|The National Authority participated in the CICTE | |Interior and Justice, as the National Authority in the fight | | |
|special meeting held on 29 November 2001 to examine the| |against terrorism. The National Authority has been working | | |
|draft reports of the Chairs of the Subcommittees on | |with the various national agencies and authorities concerned | | |
|Frontier Controls, Financial Controls, and Work Plan. | |with the issue in support of their work with the CICTE, | | |
|Venezuela also took part in the second meeting held on | |including security forces and national authorities and | | |
|28-29 January 2002. | |agencies participating in the fight against terrorism. The | | |
| | |immediate objective is to strengthen the existing mechanism | | |
| | |for cooperation in the fight against terrorism. Measures | | |
| | |have been adopted in the following areas: | | |
| | |Control of financing for terrorism. | | |
| | |Frontier control: strengthening of security systems and | | |
| | |migration control, measures to strengthen the national | | |
| | |identification system. | | |
| | |Creation of the National Authority for Financial | | |
| | |Intelligence. | | |
|Timeline: |Timeline: |Timeline: | | |
Mandate: Consider signing and ratifying, ratifying, or acceding to, as soon as possible and as the case may be, those international agreements related to the fight against terrorism, in accordance with their respective internal legislation;
|Actions – Hemispheric Level |Actions – Regional Level |Actions – National Level |Funding |Obstacles and/or Best Practices and/or Special Needs |
| | | | | |
|Timeline: |Timeline: |Timeline: | | |
5. Civil Society
Strengthening Participation in Hemispheric and National Processes
Mandate: Seek to establish public and private funding instruments aimed at building the capacity of civil society organizations in order to highlight the work and contribution of these organizations and to promote accountability;
|Actions – Hemispheric Level |Actions – Regional Level |Actions – National Level |Funding |Obstacles and/or Best Practices and/or Special Needs |
| | | | | |
|Timeline: |Timeline: |Timeline: | | |
Mandate: Develop strategies at the national level and through the OAS, other multilateral organizations and MDBs to increase the capacity of civil society to participate more fully in the inter-American system, as well as in the political, economic and social development of their communities and countries, fostering representativeness and facilitating the participation of all sectors of society; and increase the institutional capacity of governments to receive, absorb and act on civil society input and advocacy, particularly through the use of information and communications technologies;
|Actions – Hemispheric Level |Actions – Regional Level |Actions – National Level |Funding |Obstacles and/or Best Practices and/or Special Needs |
| | | | | |
|Timeline: |Timeline: |Timeline: | | |
Mandate: Promote participation of all minority groups in forging a stronger civil society;
|Actions – Hemispheric Level |Actions – Regional Level |Actions – National Level |Funding |Obstacles and/or Best Practices and/or Special Needs |
| | | | | |
|Timeline: |Timeline: |Timeline: | | |
Mandate: Develop educational programs, in conjunction with relevant civil society organizations, academic experts and others, as appropriate, to provide democracy and human rights education and to promote the introduction of books and educational materials that reflect the ethnic, cultural and religious diversity of the Americas as part of primary and secondary school curricula;
|Actions – Hemispheric Level |Actions – Regional Level |Actions – National Level |Funding |Obstacles and/or Best Practices and/or Special Needs |
| | | | | |
|Timeline: |Timeline: |Timeline: | | |
6. Trade, Investment and Financial Stability
Trade and Investment
Mandate: Ensure the transparency of the negotiating process, including through publication of the preliminary draft FTAA Agreement in the four official languages as soon as possible and the dissemination of additional information on the progress of negotiations;
|Actions – Hemispheric Level |Actions – Regional Level |Actions – National Level |Funding |Obstacles and/or Best Practices and/or Special Needs |
| | | | | |
|Timeline: |Timeline: |Timeline: | | |
Mandate: Foster through their respective national dialogue mechanisms and through appropriate FTAA mechanisms, a process of increasing and sustained communication with civil society to ensure that it has a clear perception of the development of the FTAA negotiating process; invite civil society to continue to contribute to the FTAA process; and, to this end, develop a list of options that could include dissemination programs in smaller economies, which could be supported by the Tripartite Committee or other sources;
|Actions – Hemispheric Level |Actions – Regional Level |Actions – National Level |Funding |Obstacles and/or Best Practices and/or Special Needs |
| | | | | |
|Timeline: |Timeline: |Timeline: | | |
Mandate: Ensure full participation of all our countries in the FTAA, taking into consideration the differences in the levels of development and size of the economies of the Hemisphere, in order to create opportunities for the full participation of the smaller economies and to increase their level of development;
|Actions – Hemispheric Level |Actions – Regional Level |Actions – National Level |Funding |Obstacles and/or Best Practices and/or Special Needs |
| | | | | |
|Timeline: |Timeline: |Timeline: | | |
Mandate: Supervise and support, with technical assistance, the full implementation of adopted business facilitation measures;
|Actions – Hemispheric Level |Actions – Regional Level |Actions – National Level |Funding |Obstacles and/or Best Practices and/or Special Needs |
| | | | | |
|Timeline: |Timeline: |Timeline: | | |
Mandate: Instruct our representatives in the institutions of the Tripartite Committee to continue securing the allocation of the resources necessary to contribute to the support of the work of the FTAA Administrative Secretariat;
|Actions – Hemispheric Level |Actions – Regional Level |Actions – National Level |Funding |Obstacles and/or Best Practices and/or Special Needs |
| | | | | |
|Timeline: |Timeline: |Timeline: | | |
Mandate: Urge the Tripartite Committee institutions to continue to respond positively to requests for technical support from FTAA entities; and request the institutions, according to their respective internal procedures, to favorably consider requests for technical assistance related to FTAA issues from member countries, in particular from the smaller economies, in order to facilitate their integration into the FTAA process;
|Actions – Hemispheric Level |Actions – Regional Level |Actions – National Level |Funding |Obstacles and/or Best Practices and/or Special Needs |
| | | | | |
|Timeline: |Timeline: |Timeline: | | |
Economic and Financial Stability
Mandate: Welcome and support the work of our Ministers of Finance, who met in Toronto, Canada on April 3-4, 2001, to promote financial and economic stability as well as strong and sustainable growth, as fundamental preconditions for accelerated development and poverty reduction, and to ensure that the benefits of globalization are broadly and equitably distributed to all our people;
|Actions – Hemispheric Level |Actions – Regional Level |Actions – National Level |Funding |Obstacles and/or Best Practices and/or Special Needs |
| | | | | |
|Timeline: |Timeline: |Timeline: | | |
Mandate: Recognize the value of efforts undertaken to advance Hemispheric integration, including improved access to goods, services, capital and technology, to achieve the full range of social and other objectives;
|Actions – Hemispheric Level |Actions – Regional Level |Actions – National Level |Funding |Obstacles and/or Best Practices and/or Special Needs |
| | | | | |
|Timeline: |Timeline: |Timeline: | | |
Mandate: Support the efforts of Finance Ministers to address the challenges associated with globalization, to protect the most vulnerable and prevent crises, and affirm the importance of having the benefits of globalization widely distributed to all regions and social sectors of our countries, recognizing, at the same time, the unique challenges faced by small states;
|Actions – Hemispheric Level |Actions – Regional Level |Actions – National Level |Funding |Obstacles and/or Best Practices and/or Special Needs |
| | | | | |
|Timeline: |Timeline: |Timeline: | | |
Mandate: Affirm that greater attention must be given to increasing economic growth and reducing poverty in a mutually reinforcing way, and that this priority must include social sector policies that effectively achieve poverty reduction and greater investment in people, with improved access to basic education and health services;
|Actions – Hemispheric Level |Actions – Regional Level |Actions – National Level |Funding |Obstacles and/or Best Practices and/or Special Needs |
| | | | | |
|Timeline: |Timeline: |Timeline: | | |
Mandate: Instruct our Finance Ministers to continue to explore ways to ensure that international financial institutions, regional development banks and other international bodies take adequate account of Summit initiatives in their lending policies and technical assistance programs for the Hemisphere;
|Actions – Hemispheric Level |Actions – Regional Level |Actions – National Level |Funding |Obstacles and/or Best Practices and/or Special Needs |
| | | | | |
|Timeline: |Timeline: |Timeline: | | |
Corporate Social Responsibility
Mandate: Support the continued analysis and consideration in the OAS of corporate social responsibility, ensuring that civil society, including the private sector, is appropriately and regularly consulted and that this process benefits from the experiences of other international organizations, national agencies and non-governmental actors;
|Actions – Hemispheric Level |Actions – Regional Level |Actions – National Level |Funding |Obstacles and/or Best Practices and/or Special Needs |
| | | | | |
|Timeline: |Timeline: |Timeline: | | |
Mandate: Convene a meeting as early as feasible in 2002 with the support of the OAS, the IDB and other relevant inter-American organizations involving representatives from governments, civil society, including mainly the business community, to deepen dialogue on corporate social responsibility in the Hemisphere, raise awareness of key issues to be determined and discuss ways to promote the development, adoption and implementation by the business community of principles of good conduct that will advance corporate social and environmental responsibility;
|Actions – Hemispheric Level |Actions – Regional Level |Actions – National Level |Funding |Obstacles and/or Best Practices and/or Special Needs |
| | | | | |
|Timeline: |Timeline: |Timeline: | | |
7. Infrastructure and Regulatory Environment
Telecommunications
Mandate: 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;
|Actions – Hemispheric Level |Actions – Regional Level |Actions – National Level |Funding |Obstacles and/or Best Practices and/or Special Needs |
|National Telecommunications Council (CONATEL): Aligned |National Telecommunications Council (CONATEL): Aligned with the|National Telecommunications Council (CONATEL): A modern | | |
|with the initiatives recommended within the framework |initiatives recommended within the framework of CITEL and the |Telecommunications Act was approved in June 2000, | | |
|of CITEL and the ITU in this regard. |ITU in this regard. |establishing clear rules for the development of | | |
| | |telecommunications in the country. CONATEL was designated as| | |
| | |an autonomous Institute with legal personality; its own | | |
| | |assets independent of the National Treasury; and technical, | | |
| | |financial, organizational, and administrative autonomy. | | |
| | |Reporting to the Ministry of Infrastructure, CONATEL is | | |
| | |entrusted with regulation, monitoring, enforcement, and | | |
| | |control in respect of telecommunications in the country. | | |
| | |This law provided the necessary basis for the opening of | | |
| | |basic telecommunications services starting in 28 November | | |
| | |2000. A series of regulations have also been approved to | | |
| | |ensure that the establishment of this new market, in terms of| | |
| | |interconnection, access, capacity, and community radio | | |
| | |services, proceeds smoothly. Work is underway, inter alia on| | |
| | |the following regulations: universal service, fees, | | |
| | |sanctions, satellite services. | | |
|Timeline: |Timeline: |Timeline: | | |
Mandate: Facilitate the upgrading of human resources in the telecommunications sector through ongoing training programs on telecommunications policy, regulation, management and technology, and request the Inter-American Telecommunication Commission (CITEL), in coordination with national agencies, the International Telecommunication Union (ITU)'s Centre of Excellence for the Americas, and in partnership with regional and subregional organizations and the private sector, to create a focal point for information on human resource development programs to foster exchanges of information on relevant training programs among governments, universities, industry associations and the private sector, in order to assist countries of the Americas in meeting the growing need for trained and competent personnel in the rapidly changing knowledge-based economy;
|Actions – Hemispheric Level |Actions – Regional Level |Actions – National Level |Funding |Obstacles and/or Best Practices and/or Special Needs |
|National Telecommunications Council (CONATEL): Work is |National Telecommunications Council (CONATEL): Work is underway|National Telecommunications Council (CONATEL): CONATEL's | | |
|underway in coordination with CITEL and the ITU for |in coordination with CITEL and the ITU for participation in |Telecommunications Development and Information Center | | |
|participation in courses provided through the CITEL |courses provided through the CITEL Training Centers and the ITU|(CEDITEL) is responsible for meeting the training needs of | | |
|Training Centers and the ITU Center of Excellence. |Center of Excellence. |persons working or aspiring to work in the field of | | |
| | |telecommunications. It provides participants with the | | |
| | |necessary knowledge and technical, managerial, and | | |
| | |administrative tools. Participation is open to CONATEL | | |
| | |officials as well as the general public. | | |
| | |A Telecommunications Research and Development Fund has been | | |
| | |established under the Telecommunications Act, constituted | | |
| | |with contributions of 0.5 percent of company sales and used | | |
| | |to finance research and development in the telecommunications| | |
| | |sector (see articles 63, 64, and 152). | | |
| | | | | |
| | |Ministry of Science and Technology and subordinate agencies: | | |
| | |Placement in operation of the Telecommunications Research and| | |
| | |Development Fund (FIDETEL). One of its priority lines of | | |
| | |action is the strengthening of human talent. |Regular Budget of the Ministry of | |
| | | |Science and Technology | |
| | |Information and Communication Technology Modernization | | |
| | |Program | | |
| | |Network Specialists Training Program | | |
| | | | | |
|Timeline: The income generated by CEDITEL is used to |Timeline: The income generated by CEDITEL is used to finance |Timeline: The income generated by CEDITEL is used to finance | | |
|finance the operation of the program. |the operation of the program. |the operation of the program. | | |
|The Telecommunications Research and Development Fund is|The Telecommunications Research and Development Fund is |The Telecommunications Research and Development Fund is | | |
|constituted by contributions from telecommunications |constituted by contributions from telecommunications companies |constituted by contributions from telecommunications | | |
|companies in the amount of 0.5 percent of annual sales.|in the amount of 0.5 percent of annual sales. |companies in the amount of 0.5 percent of annual sales. | | |
Mandate: Take measures striving to implement the Mutual Recognition Agreement (MRA) for Conformity Assessment developed by CITEL without prejudice to each participant`s sovereign right to regulate its own telecommunications sector, and encourage discussion of adequate standards to ensure interoperability for existing and future telecommunications networks and the timely introduction of technology in new and existing markets, taking into account the regulations and recommendations of the ITU and other appropriate standard-setting bodies;
|Actions – Hemispheric Level |Actions – Regional Level |Actions – National Level |Funding |Obstacles and/or Best Practices and/or Special Needs |
|National Telecommunications Council (CONATEL): Within |National Telecommunications Council (CONATEL): Within the |National Telecommunications Council (CONATEL): Venezuela has | | |
|the framework of CITEL, the CCP-I Working Group on |framework of CITEL, the CCP-I Working Group on Certification |developed a database for the registration of equipment and is| | |
|Certification Processes and Mutual Recognition |Processes and Mutual Recognition Agreements, is promoting the |in the process of preparing telecommunications standards, a | | |
|Agreements, is promoting the adoption of MRA at the |adoption of MRA at the hemispheric level, supplying information|prerequisite for the adoption of the MRA (three standards | | |
|hemispheric level, supplying information on the subject|on the subject and encouraging the exchange of experiences |have been developed to date: electromagnetic compatibility, | | |
|and encouraging the exchange of experiences between |between countries that are already well advanced in equipment |user security, and environmental effects). | | |
|countries that are already well advanced in equipment |certification and standardization processes and those that have| | | |
|certification and standardization processes and those |made less progress in this regard. This Group has also begun | | | |
|that have made less progress in this regard. This |work on “Yellow Pages on Telecommunications Equipment | | | |
|Group has also begun work on “Yellow Pages on |Certification Processes in the Americas” | | | |
|Telecommunications Equipment Certification Processes in| | | | |
|the Americas” | | | | |
|Timeline: |Timeline: |Timeline: | | |
Mandate: Support the convening of the ITU World Summit on the Information Society to be held in 2003, which will focus on the use of information and communications technologies for social and economic development;
|Actions – Hemispheric Level |Actions – Regional Level |Actions – National Level |Funding |Obstacles and/or Best Practices and/or Special Needs |
|National Telecommunications Council (CONATEL): We are |National Telecommunications Council (CONATEL): We are working |National Telecommunications Council (CONATEL): The entities | | |
|working closely with the coordinator of the Summit, the|closely with the coordinator of the Summit, the ITU,, in |involved have already been convened to help develop the | | |
|ITU,, in monitoring the preparations. Within the |monitoring the preparations. Within the framework of CITEL, we|national position at the Summit. There are plans to create | | |
|framework of CITEL, we are participating in the process|are participating in the process to develop the regional |an electronic forum, using the Commission's web page, to | | |
|to develop the regional position at the Summit. |position at the Summit. |facilitate the exchange of information. | | |
| | | | | |
| |Ministry of Science and Technology and subordinate agencies: |Ministry of Science and Technology and subordinate agencies: | | |
| |Regional participation in the ITU World Summit on Information |We have participated in the national preparatory meetings. | | |
| |Society has been promoted and supported, for instance, in the | | | |
| |Working Group on Information Technologies of the Río Group, and| | | |
| |in other regional fora. | | | |
|Timeline: Implementation is already under way |Timeline: Implementation is already under way |Timeline: Implementation is already under way | | |
Mandate: Recommend that our national bodies work within CITEL to prepare guidelines on Universal Service, based on principles to be developed by CITEL and develop a clear definition of the responsibilities of governments and private entities;
|Actions – Hemispheric Level |Actions – Regional Level |Actions – National Level |Funding |Obstacles and/or Best Practices and/or Special Needs |
|National Telecommunications Council (CONATEL): Within |National Telecommunications Council (CONATEL): Within the |National Telecommunications Council (CONATEL): The concept | | |
|the framework of CITEL's CCP.I, a book on Universal |framework of CITEL's CCP.I, a book on Universal Service was |of the Universal Service is enshrined in the | | |
|Service was prepared to provide a compendium of the |prepared to provide a compendium of the initiatives and |Telecommunications Act (articles 49-62). | | |
|initiatives and different variants that have been |different variants that have been implemented in the region. | | | |
|implemented in the region. Work is currently underway |Work is currently underway on a revision of this book to |CONATEL has analyzed information and publications from the | | |
|on a revision of this book to include new initiatives |include new initiatives and results obtained. |ITU and CITEL, as well as the experiences of several | | |
|and results obtained. | |countries, in developing regulations in this regard. The | | |
| | |Universal Service Regulations of Venezuela are currently | | |
| | |being evaluated by the relevant agencies. | | |
|Timeline: |Timeline: |Timeline: | | |
Mandate: Instruct, as appropriate, our telecommunications authorities and our relevant regulatory bodies, working within our regional and sub-regional agencies and organizations to develop and implement before the next Summit of the Americas a cooperative and collaborative program to support a connectivity agenda for the Hemisphere;
|Actions – Hemispheric Level |Actions – Regional Level |Actions – National Level |Funding |Obstacles and/or Best Practices and/or Special Needs |
| | |We are already working with CITEL on development of the | | |
| | |connectivity agenda. | | |
|Timeline: |Timeline: |Timeline: | | |
Mandate: Encourage increased competitiveness and productivity of all sectors through applications such as distance education and tele-health and promote the creation of domestic activities dedicated to the generation of Internet-based industries;
|Actions – Hemispheric Level |Actions – Regional Level |Actions – National Level |Funding |Obstacles and/or Best Practices and/or Special Needs |
| | |National Telecommunications Council (CONATEL): Progress in | | |
| | |this area consists of: the National Telecommunications Plan; | | |
| | |the National Information Technologies Plan; Decree 825, which| | |
| | |declares Internet use to be a high-priority; and the Data | | |
| | |Message and Electronic Signature Act. Government portals | | |
| | |have been established on tele-health and distance education, | | |
| | |and Merida has been declared a technology foreign trade zone,| | |
| | |which has encouraged the establishment of software | | |
| | |development companies. | | |
|Timeline: |Timeline: |Timeline: | | |
Mandate: Request ministries or departments responsible for telecommunications and appropriate regulatory bodies to cooperate, within CITEL, in order to clarify and simplify rules governing the provision of satellite services in our countries, and work to complete the development of a Hemispheric Web site including each country’s requirements and forms of application for licensing to provide satellite-based telecommunications services;
|Actions – Hemispheric Level |Actions – Regional Level |Actions – National Level |Funding |Obstacles and/or Best Practices and/or Special Needs |
|National Telecommunications Council (CONATEL): At the |National Telecommunications Council (CONATEL): At the 20th |National Telecommunications Council (CONATEL): Venezuela is | | |
|20th Meeting of CCP.III a complete report was presented|Meeting of CCP.III a complete report was presented on the VSAT |currently the Chair of CITEL’s CCP.III on Satellites, where | | |
|on the VSAT Database Initiative and work conducted by |Database Initiative and work conducted by the countries of |this issue is being studied. | | |
|the countries of CITEL in the context of the procedures|CITEL in the context of the procedures and requirements of | | | |
|and requirements of CITEL member governments for the |CITEL member governments for the issuance of VSAT network |A number of governments, including Venezuela’s, are currently| | |
|issuance of VSAT network licenses. |licenses. |consolidating their satellite telecommunications regulations.| | |
|This report included a compilation of the responses |This report included a compilation of the responses provided by|Others are updating their regulations in this regard. | | |
|provided by 18 governments. On the basis of these |18 governments. On the basis of these contributions and the | | | |
|contributions and the information presented in the |information presented in the various CCP.III meetings, it was | | | |
|various CCP.III meetings, it was possible to identify |possible to identify certain points in common as well as | | | |
|certain points in common as well as differences between|differences between the requirements of different governments | | | |
|the requirements of different governments for the |for the issuance of licenses for VSAT networks. | | | |
|issuance of licenses for VSAT networks. |It was recommended that in the second phase of this work within| | | |
|It was recommended that in the second phase of this |the framework of CITEL, that the concept of one-stop shopping | | | |
|work within the framework of CITEL, that the concept of|(OSS) now applied in the European countries for the processing | | | |
|one-stop shopping (OSS) now applied in the European |of VSAT networks be analyzed and considered. | | | |
|countries for the processing of VSAT networks be | | | | |
|analyzed and considered. | | | | |
|Timeline: |Timeline: |Timeline: | | |
Mandate: Promote the modernization and expansion of telecommunications infrastructure in rural and urban areas through timely introduction of new technologies and services, in particular broadband technologies, the adoption of new standards on telecasting, Web casting, and Internet Protocol (IP), paying particular attention to spectrum management, interconnection policies, appropriate pace of development and emergency communications;
|Actions – Hemispheric Level |Actions – Regional Level |Actions – National Level |Funding |Obstacles and/or Best Practices and/or Special Needs |
| | |National Telecommunications Council (CONATEL): In the |The Universal Service Fund will |A CD is attached containing the progress made by the Office of |
| | |Telecommunications Act, the concept of Universal Service is |report to CONATEL but will operate|Information and Communication Technologies. (OTIC/MSDS) |
| | |defined as the range of telecommunications services that |with its own separate assets, | |
| | |operators are required to provide users in order to offer |generated a through a | |
| | |them minimum standards of penetration, access, quality, and |contributions from | |
| | |economic accessibility, irrespective of geographic location. |telecommunication service | |
| | |The aim of Universal Service is to promote national |companies in the amount of one | |
| | |integration, maximum access to information, educational and |percent of annual sales (Art. | |
| | |health-care development, and the reduction of inequalities in|151). | |
| | |terms of access to telecommunications services for the | | |
| | |population (article 49 LOTEL). | | |
| | |Article 55 establishes the Universal Service Fund for the | | |
| | |purpose of subsidizing the infrastructure costs necessary to | | |
| | |fulfill the obligations of Universal Service. | | |
| | |The foregoing shows how telecommunications operators must | | |
| | |focus their efforts on correcting the lack of necessary | | |
| | |infrastructure in remote areas, including rural and neglected| | |
| | |urban areas, by providing support for projects through this | | |
| | |Universal Service Fund. The services to be provided are | | |
| | |defined and revised regularly by CONATEL. | | |
| | | | | |
| | |Ministry of Health and Social Development, Office of | | |
| | |Information and Communication Technologies: | | |
| | |Fully equipping and wiring the Regional Health and Social | | |
| | |Development Departments in the states of Anzoátegui, Aragua, | | |
| | |Bolívar, Carabobo, Falcón, Mérida, Monagas, Sucre, Tuijillo, | | |
| | |Táchira and Zulia. | | |
| | |Strengthening of the technological Platform; | | |
| | |Automation of processes; | | |
| | |Reduction of expenditure on inputs and paper; | | |
| | |Reduction in response time between the | | |
| | |various units. | | |
|Timeline: |Timeline: |Timeline: | | |
Mandate: Address voluntary funding for the implementation of CITEL's additional mandates set out in this Plan of Action;
|Actions – Hemispheric Level |Actions – Regional Level |Actions – National Level |Funding |Obstacles and/or Best Practices and/or Special Needs |
| | |National Telecommunications Council (CONATEL): Currently | | |
| | |under study | | |
|Timeline: |Timeline: |Timeline: | | |
Venezuela considers it important to highlight some of the work we have been conducting on other issues addressed by the Summit that are not indicated as mandates but are included in the initial declaration of the Presidents with respect to the telecommunications sector
|Summit issue |Actions – National Level |Funding |Obstacles and/or Best Practices and/or Special Needs |
|1. Encourage cooperation with the private sector with a|There is close cooperation with the private sector for the establishment of regulations that we consider fundamental for the | | |
|view to modernizing and expanding telecommunications |development of telecommunications, for instance the public consultation processes to which the various legal instruments | | |
|services. |developed by CONATEL should be subjected. | | |
| |In promoting private sector participation in the study of technical issues within the framework of such international | | |
| |agencies as CITEL and the ITU, aside from projecting a world presence, Venezuela is endeavoring to keep the country up to | | |
| |date on world trends in the area of technology and services | | |
| |In coordination with the Superintendency for the Promotion and Protection of Free Competition, CONATEL is responsible for | | |
| |promoting investment in the sector and protecting free competition, while at the same time acting as an effective arbitrator | | |
| |in disuptes that arise between telecommunications operators. | | |
|2. Improve the quality, coverage and diversity of |It is planned to issue a resolution in the quality of telecommunications services, and a draft Systems Act is under | | |
|service and adopt policies for the protection of users’|sonsideration by the National Assembly. With respect to user rights, the Telecommunications Act and the Consumenr and User | | |
|rights. |Protection Act establsih a series of rights, and in particular the right for contracts used by telecommunications operators | | |
| |in providing their services to be previously approved by CONATEL. | | |
Transport
Mandate: Endorse the areas for cooperation identified at the Ministers' meeting in Punta del Este, Uruguay, in March 2001;
|Actions – Hemispheric Level |Actions – Regional Level |Actions – National Level |Funding |Obstacles and/or Best Practices and/or Special Needs |
| | | | | |
|Timeline: |Timeline: |Timeline: | | |
Mandate: Promote and facilitate increased cooperation, convergence and information-sharing in the transportation-related activities of the five subregions of the Hemisphere and with multilateral organizations, with a view to furthering the development of human and institutional capacity and ensuring the environmental sustainability of transportation systems and infrastructure; to this end, request that the UN Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) continues to provide its valuable support to the WHTI;
|Actions – Hemispheric Level |Actions – Regional Level |Actions – National Level |Funding |Obstacles and/or Best Practices and/or Special Needs |
| | | | | |
|Timeline: |Timeline: |Timeline: | | |
Mandate: Improve human resources development programs by encouraging exchanges of personnel among the countries and institutions of the region, as well as the development of, and participation in, transportation-related training programs and the dissemination of information regarding these programs by way of the WHTI's Web site and by other means;
|Actions – Hemispheric Level |Actions – Regional Level |Actions – National Level |Funding |Obstacles and/or Best Practices and/or Special Needs |
| | | | | |
|Timeline: |Timeline: |Timeline: | | |
Mandate: Emphasize the need to develop proper infrastructure and high safety standards as a principal priority for the WHTI's work program, while recognizing the importance of human and institutional capacity development in ensuring the safety of transportation services;
|Actions – Hemispheric Level |Actions – Regional Level |Actions – National Level |Funding |Obstacles and/or Best Practices and/or Special Needs |
| | | | | |
|Timeline: |Timeline: |Timeline: | | |
Mandate: Actively and collectively encourage international maritime and air carriers to fully comply with International Maritime Organization (IMO), International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), and International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) standards of safety governing the transport of dangerous goods including nuclear, hazardous and noxious substances and waste and stress the importance of having effective liability mechanisms in place;
|Actions – Hemispheric Level |Actions – Regional Level |Actions – National Level |Funding |Obstacles and/or Best Practices and/or Special Needs |
| | | | | |
|Timeline: |Timeline: |Timeline: | | |
Mandate: Actively and collectively encourage international maritime carriers, in particular cruise ships, to comply with IMO standards in relation to the protection of the marine environment, and to take full account of the special area status of the wider Caribbean;
|Actions – Hemispheric Level |Actions – Regional Level |Actions – National Level |Funding |Obstacles and/or Best Practices and/or Special Needs |
| | | | | |
|Timeline: |Timeline: |Timeline: | | |
Mandate: Acknowledging the concerns of some states about the transport of radioactive material, including waste, through routes close to the coasts of states or along navigable waterways of the Hemisphere and the potential health consequences for our people and the possible threat to the marine environment, and consistent with maritime rights and obligations in international law; encourage and support full compliance with existing IMO and IAEA conventions, standards and codes of practice and stress the importance of having effective liability mechanisms in place; encourage the consideration by the IAEA and the IMO and other competent international bodies to strengthen additional international measures, as necessary, which may include: the assurance of non-contamination of the marine environment; the recovery of radioactive material, including waste, in the case of accidental release; the provision of relief, rehabilitation or reconstruction, as appropriate, for affected people in the case of an accident; and invite countries shipping radioactive material, including waste, to provide timely information to potentially affected states in the Hemisphere relating to such shipments, consistent with the need to maintain and ensure the safety and security of those shipments;
|Actions – Hemispheric Level |Actions – Regional Level |Actions – National Level |Funding |Obstacles and/or Best Practices and/or Special Needs |
| | | | | |
|Timeline: |Timeline: |Timeline: | | |
Mandate: Instruct our Ministers of Transportation to explore the possibility of discussing the modernization of air services in order to meet the growing flow of people and goods that has been taking place in the Hemisphere;
|Actions – Hemispheric Level |Actions – Regional Level |Actions – National Level |Funding |Obstacles and/or Best Practices and/or Special Needs |
| | | | | |
|Timeline: |Timeline: |Timeline: | | |
Energy
Mandate: Recognize that in pursuing the regional integration of energy markets, issues such as market reform and stability, regulatory reform and trade liberalization will be addressed; support and endorse the Hemispheric Energy Initiative which promotes policies and practices to advance such integration;
|Actions – Hemispheric Level |Actions – Regional Level |Actions – National Level |Funding |Obstacles and/or Best Practices and/or Special Needs |
| | | | | |
|Timeline: |Timeline: |Timeline: | | |
8. Disaster Management
Mandate: Develop the capacity to forecast, prepare for and mitigate the potential impacts of natural and man-made hazards; promote vulnerability reduction; adopt and enforce better building codes and standards; ensure appropriate land-use practices; inventory and evaluate the vulnerability of critical facilities and infrastructure; estimate climate change variability and sea-level rise and assess their possible impacts; and in pursuit of the above, create the requisite legal framework and establish the cooperative mechanisms to access and share advances in science and technology and their application in the early warning, preparedness for and mitigation of these hazards;
|Actions – Hemispheric Level |Actions – Regional Level |Actions – National Level |Funding |Obstacles and/or Best Practices and/or Special Needs |
| | | | | |
|Timeline: |Timeline: |Timeline: | | |
Mandate: Promote the exchange of information on the vulnerability of infrastructure exposed to disasters as well as the early warning capacity, particularly in the border areas of the countries of the Americas, in order to design specific prevention measures in the fields of engineering and legislation with the aim of reducing the socio-economic impact of natural disasters;
|Actions – Hemispheric Level |Actions – Regional Level |Actions – National Level |Funding |Obstacles and/or Best Practices and/or Special Needs |
| | | | | |
|Timeline: |Timeline: |Timeline: | | |
Mandate: Establish or strengthen, where appropriate, partnerships with all relevant actors, including the private sector, technical professional associations, regional institutions, civil society, educational and research institutions and other multilateral coordinating agencies such as the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), in the development and implementation of disaster management policies and programs at the national and community levels, and promote greater awareness and effective integration of these policies and programs among national policy makers, local authorities, communities and media, and promote the insurance and reinsurance of the social and economic infrastructure as well as the decentralization of information and decision-making;
|Actions – Hemispheric Level |Actions – Regional Level |Actions – National Level |Funding |Obstacles and/or Best Practices and/or Special Needs |
| | | | | |
|Timeline: |Timeline: |Timeline: | | |
Mandate: Promote the exchange of knowledge and experiences regarding the combat against inappropriate practices in the exploitation of natural resources and unsustainable patterns of consumption, including the problems of waste management, which increase the vulnerability of the people to natural disasters;
|Actions – Hemispheric Level |Actions – Regional Level |Actions – National Level |Funding |Obstacles and/or Best Practices and/or Special Needs |
| | | | | |
|Timeline: |Timeline: |Timeline: | | |
Mandate: Promote the development of telecommunications for humanitarian assistance; actively encourage greater use and interoperability of telecommunications and other technologies and information systems that allow the observation and monitoring of different natural phenomena; use early warning systems such as remote sensing imagery, Geographic Information Systems (GIS) based data necessary to address and prevent emergencies; promote the compatibility of these systems in the planning and response to emergency operations among governments, specialized agencies, relevant international organizations, and Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs), and, in this spirit, consider signing and ratifying, ratifying, or acceding to, as soon as possible and as the case may be, the Tampere Convention on the Provision of Telecommunication Resources for Disaster Mitigation and Relief Operations;
|Actions – Hemispheric Level |Actions – Regional Level |Actions – National Level |Funding |Obstacles and/or Best Practices and/or Special Needs |
| | | | | |
|Timeline: |Timeline: |Timeline: | | |
Mandate: Establish information networks with the involvement of the Inter-American Committee on Natural Disaster Reduction (IACNDR) and other relevant regional and international organizations to exchange scientific and technological knowledge and experiences; encourage further regional and subregional action to reduce risks and improve response to natural disasters; promote joint research and development technologies and contribute to strengthen coordination of national prevention and response agencies in natural disasters; to achieve this, draw on the work of ECLAC on the improvement, up-dating and implementation of its damage assessment methodology and continue to promote natural disaster mitigation and risk reduction awareness and preparedness;
|Actions – Hemispheric Level |Actions – Regional Level |Actions – National Level |Funding |Obstacles and/or Best Practices and/or Special Needs |
| | | | | |
|Timeline: |Timeline: |Timeline: | | |
Mandate: Consider the creation of a hemispheric system for prevention and mitigation of disasters that would include, among others, a specialized database containing the best information available on the characteristics, experiences, strengths and weaknesses of national and regional agencies responsible for disaster prevention and mitigation and provide a new framework for technical cooperation and research aimed at creating a hemispheric culture of prevention and solidarity;
|Actions – Hemispheric Level |Actions – Regional Level |Actions – National Level |Funding |Obstacles and/or Best Practices and/or Special Needs |
| | | | | |
|Timeline: |Timeline: |Timeline: | | |
Mandate: Adopt and support, as appropriate, initiatives aimed at promoting capacity building at all levels, such as the transfer and development of technology for prevention – risk reduction, awareness, preparedness, mitigation – and response to natural and other disasters, as well as for the rehabilitation of affected areas;
|Actions – Hemispheric Level |Actions – Regional Level |Actions – National Level |Funding |Obstacles and/or Best Practices and/or Special Needs |
| | |Ministry of Science and Technology and subordinate agencies: |Regular budget | |
| | |Disaster Risk Management and Reduction Program. The central | | |
| | |objective of the first phase of this program is to develop a | | |
| | |coherent, feasible, and sustainable set of proposals, | | |
| | |strategies, and instruments which, from a multidisciplinary | | |
| | |and integrated scientific platform, can provide guidance to | | |
| | |the state, communities, and national institutions on means to| | |
| | |improve their disaster risk management and reduction policies| | |
| | |and programs. | | |
|Timeline: |Timeline: |Timeline: Implementation is already under way | | |
Mandate: Promote mechanisms that incorporate risk management and risk reduction methods in public and private development investments;
|Actions – Hemispheric Level |Actions – Regional Level |Actions – National Level |Funding |Obstacles and/or Best Practices and/or Special Needs |
| | | | | |
|Timeline: |Timeline: |Timeline: | | |
Mandate: Convene within a year a hemispheric meeting on disaster preparedness and mitigation with the support of the IACNDR and the participation of a wide range of government entities, regional and MDBs, private entities, NGOs and the research, scientific and technical communities, to discuss and develop cooperative efforts to facilitate implementation of Summit mandates on disaster management;
|Actions – Hemispheric Level |Actions – Regional Level |Actions – National Level |Funding |Obstacles and/or Best Practices and/or Special Needs |
| | | | | |
|Timeline: |Timeline: |Timeline: | | |
Mandate: Request the IDB to undertake a feasibility study in partnership with the OAS, the World Bank, the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB) and other relevant inter-American organizations, as well as the private sector, including insurance companies, on measures to reduce and/or pool risk in a manner that results in reduced premiums on catastrophic insurance, and mechanisms to facilitate contingent re-construction financing and the immediate release of funds to resolve urgent needs of the affected country; this study would examine the relationship between re-insurance and national and community disaster management capacities, as well as trends toward dis-investment and job losses in those economic sectors requiring costly catastrophic insurance coverage and the role such measures might play in this regard; share with the private sector experiences in the development and application of risk management tools such as risk transfer instruments, vulnerability assessment methodologies and risk reduction incentives for the private sector;
|Actions – Hemispheric Level |Actions – Regional Level |Actions – National Level |Funding |Obstacles and/or Best Practices and/or Special Needs |
| | | | | |
|Timeline: |Timeline: |Timeline: | | |
9. Environmental Foundation for Sustainable Development
Environment and Natural Resources Management
Mandate: Welcome the outcomes and endorse the areas of cooperation identified at the recent hemispheric meeting of Ministers responsible for the Environment held in Montreal; Reaffirm our commitments to implement Multilateral Environmental Agreements (MEAs) to which we are party, including through enactment and effective enforcement of any necessary domestic laws, reiterating common and differentiated responsibilities as set forth in Principle 7 of the1992 Rio Declaration on Environment and Development and taking into account the needs and concerns of small developing countries and noting, in this context, the recently concluded Global Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants; also stress the need to build synergies among MEAs to enhance their effectiveness in implementation and to strengthen international cooperation;
|Actions – Hemispheric Level |Actions – Regional Level |Actions – National Level |Funding |Obstacles and/or Best Practices and/or Special Needs |
| | | | | |
|Timeline: |Timeline: |Timeline: | | |
Mandate: Support the preparatory process for the 2002 World Summit on Sustainable Development to review progress achieved in the implementation of the outcome of the UN Conference on Environment and Development, focusing on areas where further efforts are needed to implement Agenda 21 and explore ways to reinvigorate the global commitment to sustainable development;
|Actions – Hemispheric Level |Actions – Regional Level |Actions – National Level |Funding |Obstacles and/or Best Practices and/or Special Needs |
| | | | | |
|Timeline: |Timeline: |Timeline: | | |
Mandate: Request the OAS through its General Secretariat, in coordination with other agencies, to organize a meeting at the ministerial level before the end of 2001, to be held in Bolivia on the occasion of the fifth anniversary of the Santa Cruz de la Sierra Summit of 1996, and present contributions to the Rio+10 Summit in 2002, recognizing that by its nature, sustainable development has long-term goals that require the countries of the Hemisphere to act in concert in this area;
|Actions – Hemispheric Level |Actions – Regional Level |Actions – National Level |Funding |Obstacles and/or Best Practices and/or Special Needs |
| | | | | |
|Timeline: |Timeline: |Timeline: | | |
Mandate: Request the United Nations Environment Program (UNP) and PAHO to support the convening of a regional meeting between Ministers responsible for the Environment and Ministers of Health to take stock of progress achieved, to identify priority areas for renewed emphasis and cooperative initiatives, and to explore ways of moving forward in the Americas and globally, with a view to contributing to the 2002 World Summit on Sustainable Development, recognizing the links between the environment and human health;
|Actions – Hemispheric Level |Actions – Regional Level |Actions – National Level |Funding |Obstacles and/or Best Practices and/or Special Needs |
| | | | | |
|Timeline: |Timeline: |Timeline: | | |
Mandate: Resolve, as parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, to pursue its objectives in accordance with its provisions and to address the issue of climate change as a priority for action, working constructively through international processes in order to make the necessary progress to ensure a sound and effective response to climate change; recognize the vulnerabilities in all our countries, in particular of Small Island Developing States and low-lying coastal states, and the need to support the conduct of vulnerability assessments, the development and implementation of adaptation strategies, capacity building and technology transfer;
|Actions – Hemispheric Level |Actions – Regional Level |Actions – National Level |Funding |Obstacles and/or Best Practices and/or Special Needs |
| | | | | |
|Timeline: |Timeline: |Timeline: | | |
Mandate: Promote the adoption, implementation and enforcement of national legislation, regulations, standards and policies that provide for high levels of environmental protection, recognizing the right of each country to set its own levels of environmental protection and, to this end, reinforce cooperative partnerships, placing particular emphasis on achieving cleaner air, enhancing access to safe water and sanitation services, and strengthening national and regional capacities for integrated water resources management and for waste management;
|Actions – Hemispheric Level |Actions – Regional Level |Actions – National Level |Funding |Obstacles and/or Best Practices and/or Special Needs |
| | | | | |
|Timeline: |Timeline: |Timeline: | | |
Mandate: Consult and coordinate domestically and regionally, as appropriate, with the aim of ensuring that economic, social and environmental policies are mutually supportive and contribute to sustainable development, building on existing initiatives undertaken by relevant regional and international organizations;
|Actions – Hemispheric Level |Actions – Regional Level |Actions – National Level |Funding |Obstacles and/or Best Practices and/or Special Needs |
| | | | | |
|Timeline: |Timeline: |Timeline: | | |
Mandate: Support initiatives such as the Hemispheric Round-table for Cleaner Production in furtherance of our efforts to promote partnerships among government, industry and civil society and advance, as appropriate, the Plans of Action and the Global Cleaner Production Information Network launched at the 2000 Montreal International Pollution Prevention Summit;
|Actions – Hemispheric Level |Actions – Regional Level |Actions – National Level |Funding |Obstacles and/or Best Practices and/or Special Needs |
| | | | | |
|Timeline: |Timeline: |Timeline: | | |
Mandate: Promote and support implementation of priorities for action set out in the Bahia Declaration on Chemical Safety at the national level, particularly those aimed at increasing public access to information on toxic substances and at strengthening capacity in this area;
|Actions – Hemispheric Level |Actions – Regional Level |Actions – National Level |Funding |Obstacles and/or Best Practices and/or Special Needs |
| | | | | |
|Timeline: |Timeline: |Timeline: | | |
Mandate: Promote improved environmental management at the municipal level, including through information exchange among local communities, the development of environmentally sound technology and the promotion of partnerships to facilitate, as appropriate, technology transfer, capacity building, including the strengthening of local institutions and services, and support for initiatives such as the World Bank Clean Air Initiative and IDB programs in this area;
|Actions – Hemispheric Level |Actions – Regional Level |Actions – National Level |Funding |Obstacles and/or Best Practices and/or Special Needs |
| | | | | |
|Timeline: |Timeline: |Timeline: | | |
Mandate: Advance hemispheric conservation of plants, animals and ecosystems through, as appropriate: capacity building, expanding partnership networks and information sharing systems, including the Inter-American Biodiversity Network; cooperation in the fight against illegal trade in wildlife; strengthening of cooperation arrangements for terrestrial and marine natural protected areas, including adjacent border parks and important areas for shared species; support for regional ecosystem conservation mechanisms; the development of a hemispheric strategy to support the conservation of migratory wildlife throughout the Americas, with the active engagement of civil society; and the promotion the objectives and the implementation of the Convention on Biological Diversity and the UN Convention to Combat Desertification;
|Actions – Hemispheric Level |Actions – Regional Level |Actions – National Level |Funding |Obstacles and/or Best Practices and/or Special Needs |
| | | | | |
|Timeline: |Timeline: |Timeline: | | |
Mandate: Promote the adoption of concrete and urgent actions towards the implementation of sustainable forest management; promote policies, practices, incentives and investment in support of sustainable forest management, building on existing hemispheric initiatives and cooperation, as well as support the UN Forum on Forests and its program of work;
|Actions – Hemispheric Level |Actions – Regional Level |Actions – National Level |Funding |Obstacles and/or Best Practices and/or Special Needs |
| | | | | |
|Timeline: |Timeline: |Timeline: | | |
Mandate: Reaffirm our commitment to advancing environmental stewardship in the area of energy by advancing policies, practices, transference of and access to technologies, that are economically efficient and take the environmental impacts of energy development and use into account; and endorse and support the work of the Hemispheric Energy Initiative in this area;
|Actions – Hemispheric Level |Actions – Regional Level |Actions – National Level |Funding |Obstacles and/or Best Practices and/or Special Needs |
| | | | | |
|Timeline: |Timeline: |Timeline: | | |
Mandate: Promote the development of environmentally sound exploitation and management of minerals and metals, recognizing the importance of the social and economic dimensions of the activities of the mining sector, and support the work of regional and international fora in this area;
|Actions – Hemispheric Level |Actions – Regional Level |Actions – National Level |Funding |Obstacles and/or Best Practices and/or Special Needs |
| | | | | |
|Timeline: |Timeline: |Timeline: | | |
10. Agriculture Management and Rural Development
Mandate: Promote dialogue involving government ministers, parliamentarians and civil society, in particular organizations linked to rural areas as well as the scientific and academic communities, with the objective of promoting medium and long-term national strategies toward sustainable improvement in agriculture and rural life;
|Actions – Hemispheric Level |Actions – Regional Level |Actions – National Level |Funding |Obstacles and/or Best Practices and/or Special Needs |
| | | | | |
|Timeline: |Timeline: |Timeline: | | |
Mandate: Support national efforts to strengthen rural enterprises, in particular small- and medium-sized enterprises and promote, where appropriate, a favorable environment for agri-business; encourage, in a complementary manner, the training of small- and medium-sized rural entrepreneurs as well as the modernization of training institutions in this field;
|Actions – Hemispheric Level |Actions – Regional Level |Actions – National Level |Funding |Obstacles and/or Best Practices and/or Special Needs |
| | |Development of the Agribusiness Program. The aim of this |Regular Budget | |
| | |program is to help promote productive development with social| | |
| | |equity by applying the tools provided by science, technology,| | |
| | |and innovation; promoting strategies to help ensure food | | |
| | |security; fostering and strengthening rural development, | | |
| | |primarily in the strategic areas of the country; facilitating| | |
| | |the reduction of agricultural costs through the incorporation| | |
| | |of technology and training, all with a view to expanding | | |
| | |supply and improving the quality of food products in the | | |
| | |Venezuelan diet. | | |
|Timeline: |Timeline: |Timeline: Implementation is already underway. | | |
Mandate: Encourage the development of markets in the Hemisphere for goods obtained through the sustainable use of natural resources;
|Actions – Hemispheric Level |Actions – Regional Level |Actions – National Level |Funding |Obstacles and/or Best Practices and/or Special Needs |
| | | | | |
|Timeline: |Timeline: |Timeline: | | |
Mandate: Strive to facilitate access to markets for those goods derived from alternative development programs implemented in countries engaged in the substitution of illicit crops;
|Actions – Hemispheric Level |Actions – Regional Level |Actions – National Level |Funding |Obstacles and/or Best Practices and/or Special Needs |
| | | | | |
|Timeline: |Timeline: |Timeline: | | |
Mandate: Instruct the Ministers of Agriculture, during the next meeting of the Inter-American Board of Agriculture, to promote, in cooperation with the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA), joint action by all the actors of the agricultural sector to work towards the improvement of agricultural and rural life that enables the implementation of the Plans of Action of the Summits of the Americas;
|Actions – Hemispheric Level |Actions – Regional Level |Actions – National Level |Funding |Obstacles and/or Best Practices and/or Special Needs |
| | | | | |
|Timeline: |Timeline: |Timeline: | | |
11. Labor and Employment
Mandate: In order to advance our commitment to create greater employment opportunities, improve the skills of workers and improve working conditions throughout the Hemisphere, we recognize the need to address, in the relevant hemispheric and international fora, issues of globalization related to employment and labor.
|Actions – Hemispheric Level |Actions – Regional Level |Actions – National Level |Funding |Obstacles and/or Best Practices and/or Special Needs |
| | | | | |
|Timeline: |Timeline: |Timeline: | | |
Mandate: Reaffirm the fundamental importance of the Inter-American Conference of Ministers of Labor, welcome the progress made through its Plan of Action adopted in 1998, support the preparatory process for the Twelfth Conference in 2001 () and direct Ministers to build upon the Viña del Mar Declaration which focused on the social dimensions of globalization and the modernization of Labor Ministries, by collaborating in the examination of the labor dimension of the Summit of the Americas process, in order to identify areas of agreement and issues where further work needs to be done;
|Actions – Hemispheric Level |Actions – Regional Level |Actions – National Level |Funding |Obstacles and/or Best Practices and/or Special Needs |
| | | | | |
|Timeline: |Timeline: |Timeline: | | |
Mandate: Respect the International Labor Organization (ILO) Declaration on the Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work and its Follow-Up, adopted in 1998, adopt and implement legislation and policies that provide for the effective application of core labor standards as recognized by the ILO and consider the ratification and implementation of fundamental ILO Conventions;
|Actions – Hemispheric Level |Actions – Regional Level |Actions – National Level |Funding |Obstacles and/or Best Practices and/or Special Needs |
| | | | | |
|Timeline: |Timeline: |Timeline: | | |
Mandate: Consult and coordinate, domestically and regionally in the appropriate fora, with a view to contributing to raising the living standards and improving the working conditions of all people in the Americas; create a process for improved collaboration and coordination on the labor dimensions of the Summit of the Americas process between Labor Ministries and other appropriate ministries and key international institutions within the Americas that have a critical role to play in the improvement of labor conditions, in particular the OAS, the ILO, ECLAC, as well as the IDB and the World Bank;
|Actions – Hemispheric Level |Actions – Regional Level |Actions – National Level |Funding |Obstacles and/or Best Practices and/or Special Needs |
|Ministry of Labor – General Directorate of Sector | |Ministry of Labor – General Directorate of Sector Employment:|The budget of the Ministry of |Obstacles: |
|Employment: It is planned to develop two technical | |The National Employment System was established for the |Labor for the General Directorate |The obstacles generally pertain to the budget of the Ministry of |
|projects with SIMT-ILO to submit for financing. The | |purpose of developing opportunities for exercising the |of Employment in 2001, under the |Labor, but interinstitutional and international agreements help in |
|objective of the first is to update the National | |constitutional right to work, by providing information and |Budget Act, was Bs. 659,272,482 |effectively meeting various objectives. |
|Classification of Occupations, taking as reference | |guidance to the workforce. The System is composed of two | | |
|methodologies applied in other countries and selecting | |main units: the Venezuelan Observatory on Employment and the | |Recommendations and best practices: |
|and adapting the one most appropriate. The objective | |National Labor Intermediation Service. | |The strategic ties and alliances between different governmental and |
|of the second is to design and implement a system for | | | |international organizations contributed to the successful achievement |
|automating public services provided by the Labor | |A design proposal for the Observatory on Employment for | |of objectives, and on several occasions helped to surpass the goals |
|Migration Department of the General Employment | |Venezuela was developed within the framework of Venezuela's | |and expectations of the General Employment Directorate. |
|Directorate. | |technical cooperation agreement with Spain. It seeks to | | |
| | |consolidate a permanent network for monitoring territorial | | |
| | |and sectoral labor market dynamics for the purpose of | | |
| | |projecting short- and medium-term trends and providing | | |
| | |guidance for governmental socioeconomic and labor policies | | |
| | |and programs, as well as the business sector and the | | |
| | |workforce. | | |
| | | | | |
| | |The National Labor Intermediation Service provides service to| | |
| | |workers who have involuntarily lost their jobs, paying their | | |
| | |benefits, promoting job placement networks for the | | |
| | |unemployed, and coordinating on job creation policies with | | |
| | |national, regional, and local agencies. The National Labor | | |
| | |Intermediation Service grew from 19 public employment | | |
| | |agencies to a network of a 25 agencies, with the creation of | | |
| | |eight new employment agencies in 2001, nine of which are | | |
| | |modernized employment agencies providing service through a | | |
| | |referral information system, training vouchers, coordination | | |
| | |with social programs, support for self-employment, computer | | |
| | |equipment, physical infrastructure, and personnel training. | | |
| | |The automated Referral Information System enables the | | |
| | |unemployed and employers to obtain information from a single | | |
| | |window, with computer access to information, guidance, and | | |
| | |advice in connection with employment and training. | | |
| | | | | |
| | |The number of unemployed persons receiving placement and | | |
| | |guidance from the National Labor Intermediation Service and | | |
| | |the number of employers registered by public employment | | |
| | |agencies nationwide doubled this year, relative to previous | | |
| | |years, largely as a result of the employment agency | | |
| | |automation and modernization project, designed to provide an | | |
| | |effective, efficient and personalized public service. | | |
| | | | | |
| | |The preliminary activities included in the National | | |
| | |Employment Plan include: a) the design of an institutional | | |
| | |structure to coordinate, execute, and evaluate the country's | | |
| | |employment policies; b) the organization of an Information | | |
| | |Bank on employment projects being implemented by various | | |
| | |government agencies; and c) the creation of a Ministerial | | |
| | |Employment Experts Committee. | | |
| | | | | |
| | |A nonreimbursable technical cooperation funding agreement was| | |
| | |reached between the Ministry of Labor and the United Nations | | |
| | |Population Fund (UNPF) entitled "Training and Promotion for | | |
| | |Sexual and Reproductive Health and Gender Equality in the | | |
| | |Workplace", to create learning corners in public employment | | |
| | |agencies with information materials to provide guidance on | | |
| | |sexual and reproductive health and gender equality in the | | |
| | |workplace. These interrelated components are intimately | | |
| | |connected with the quality of life for persons seeking to | | |
| | |balance the right to work with important family | | |
| | |responsibilities. | | |
| | | | | |
| | |The Ministry of Labor entered into an institutional technical| | |
| | |cooperation agreement with the Venezuelan Corporation of | | |
| | |Guayana (CVG), through the Development and Employment Fund | | |
| | |(FONCADEL), to establish a Regional Employment and Labor | | |
| | |Intermediation System in the Region of Guayana. An automated| | |
| | |public employment agency was established for this purpose in | | |
| | |Ciudad Bolívar and the groundwork was laid for the | | |
| | |establishment of a Regional Employment Committee in the | | |
| | |region. | | |
| | | | | |
| | |The Institutional Technical Committee provided for in the | | |
| | |agreement between the Ministry of Labor and the Ministry of | | |
| | |Education, Culture, and Sports, was set up for the purpose of| | |
| | |combining efforts aimed at assisting and helping to place | | |
| | |unemployed workers throughout the country. | | |
| | | | | |
| | |The Ministry of Labor’s General Employment Directorate | | |
| | |participated as a permanent member of the National Assembly’s| | |
| | |Legislative Technical Committee for the development and | | |
| | |evaluation of the draft Social Security System Act, | | |
| | |specifically in the areas of employment, intermediation, and | | |
| | |labor training under the draft Labor Training and Employment | | |
| | |Services Act. | | |
|Timeline: The General Directorate of Employment has had|Timeline: |Timeline: The General Directorate of Employment has had this | | |
|this new perspective for approximately one year; | |new perspective for approximately one year; effective | | |
|effective execution is being developed gradually. | |execution is being developed gradually. | | |
Mandate: Develop new mechanisms to increase the effectiveness of projects and other technical assistance designed to build the capacity of smaller economies and their institutions to effectively implement labor laws and standards and to foster equality of opportunity with respect to gender, among others, in strategies to promote employment, training, life-long learning and human resource development programs with the objective of promoting access to more and better employment in the new economy;
|Actions – Hemispheric Level |Actions – Regional Level |Actions – National Level |Funding |Obstacles and/or Best Practices and/or Special Needs |
| | | | | |
|Timeline: |Timeline: |Timeline: | | |
Mandate: Strengthen the capacity of the Ministers of Labor to develop and implement effective labor and labor market policies; collaborate with employers and labor organizations to develop and generate information on labor markets; participate in dialogue, tripartite consultations and dispute resolution strategies; and adopt ongoing strategies and programs as a core element for professional development in the labor market;
|Actions – Hemispheric Level |Actions – Regional Level |Actions – National Level |Funding |Obstacles and/or Best Practices and/or Special Needs |
| | | | | |
|Timeline: |Timeline: |Timeline: | | |
Mandate: Continue to work towards the elimination of child labor, and as a priority, promote the hemispheric ratification and implementation of the ILO Worst Forms of Child Labor Convention, 1999 (No. 182), work to bring national laws, regulations and policies into conformity with this Convention, and take immediate action to eliminate the worst forms of child labor;
|Actions – Hemispheric Level |Actions – Regional Level |Actions – National Level |Funding |Obstacles and/or Best Practices and/or Special Needs |
Mandate: Promote and protect the rights of all workers, in particular those of working women, and take action to remove structural and legal barriers as well as stereotypical attitudes to gender equality at work, addressing, inter alia, gender bias in recruitment; working conditions; occupational discrimination and harassment; discrimination in social protection benefits; women’s occupational health and safety; and unequal career opportunities and pay;
|Actions – Hemispheric Level |Actions – Regional Level |Actions – National Level |Funding |Obstacles and/or Best Practices and/or Special Needs |
|Ministry of Labor - General Directorate of National | |Ministry of Labor - General Directorate of National Worker |Financing for the national-level |Obstacles: |
|Worker Protection Prosecution: | |Protection Prosecution: |activities is included in the |The national-level projects were programmed as part of the annual plan|
|In order to modernize and improve the worker public | |Policies implemented by the General Directorate of Public |Budget Act for the current fiscal |of operations for 2002, and were developed during the final quarter of|
|defense service and adapt it to the future Labor | |Prosecutors produced the following results: |year. |2001. Nonetheless, it appears that a budget cut will be made relative|
|Judicial Proceedings Act being discussed in the | |Assistance was provided to 46,639 users, including workers, | |to the amount for this year, which will leave an inadequate amount of |
|National Assembly, discussions are underway to reach | |labor organizations, unions, and social security agencies. |For the project to improve public |resources for implementation of some of the projects planned for this |
|agreement with international institutions on | |11,321 complaints were filed. Of these, 373 were resolved |defense services, it is planned to|year. |
|international technical cooperation to train labor | |through definitive rulings awarding judicial remedy; 594 |approach the appropriate | |
|prosecutors in the new oral judicial proceedings and to| |were dismissed because intervention by public prosecutors |international financing agencies | |
|assist prosecutors in their work with new computer and | |enabled workers to resolve their cases directly with their |(IDB, World Bank, etc.) under the | |
|communication technologies as required. | |employers; 1,491 were settled out of court; 3,010 are still |CIMT-ILO project. | |
| | |pending judgment, for procedural reasons; and 13,738 are | | |
|This activity will be pursued under the CIMT-ILO | |still pending judicial proceedings. | | |
|Project. | |12,983 administrative grievances were filed. Of these, 7,453| | |
| | |did not entail judicial proceedings. More than 3,800 cases | | |
| | |were abandoned by the workers, and 140 were discontinued by | | |
| | |public prosecutors. | | |
| | |Offices of worker protection prosecution were established in | | |
| | |the cities of Bobures; the state of Zulia, Puerto Cabello; | | |
| | |the state of Carabobo, Valle de la Pascua; the state of | | |
| | |Guarico, Higuerote; the state of Miranda, San Carlos; the | | |
| | |state of Cojedes, San Fernando de Apure; the state of Apure, | | |
| | |and Acarigua; the state of Portuguesa, on a priority basis. | | |
| | |Services were strengthened, as required, in such cities as: | | |
| | |La Guaira; the state of Vargas, Distrito Capital and the | | |
| | |state of Miranda; Maturín, the state of Monagas, Mérida and | | |
| | |el Vigía, the state of Mérida; Puerto la Cruz and Barcelona, | | |
| | |the state of Anzoátegui; Cabimas and Maracaibo; the state of | | |
| | |Zulia; Guacara and Valencia, the state of Carabobo; Ciudad | | |
| | |Bolívar, the state of Bolívar; Carúpano, the state of Sucre; | | |
| | |Guarenas and Charallave, the state of Miranda; Punto Fijo, | | |
| | |the state of Falcón, San Felipe, the state of Yaracuy; Puerto| | |
| | |Ordaz, and the state of Bolívar. Prosecutors Offices were | | |
| | |reactivated in San Rafael de Mojan; the state of Zulia. | | |
| | |The number of workshops and courses provided to raise the | | |
| | |professional level of personnel working in the Worker | | |
| | |Protection Prosecution Offices was increased, with such new | | |
| | |offerings as Leadership, Communication, and Motivation for | | |
| | |Success, Job Security, Evidence in Labor Cases, and the New | | |
| | |Labor Procedures Act. | | |
| | |Work is continuing to establish close relations with the | | |
| | |bodies that dispense justice in labor matters. This | | |
| | |interrelationship with the labor courts has led to an | | |
| | |increase in academic activities, refresher training on labor | | |
| | |issues, harmonization of doctrinal criteria, and higher | | |
| | |professional standards for personnel assigned to the General | | |
| | |Directorate of National Worker Protection Prosecution. | | |
| | |Mechanisms were introduced for the estimation and reporting | | |
| | |of court costs awarded as a result of the work performed by | | |
| | |the Special Labor Prosecutors, which amounted in the second | | |
| | |quarter of the year alone to 10,875,000 bolívares, all of | | |
| | |which was transferred to the National Treasury. | | |
| | |Prosecution resulted in the payment of 20,974,969,111.75 | | |
| | |bolívares in recovered worker benefits. | | |
| | |Action required at the national level: | | |
| | |To fully carry out policies outlined by the Directorate | | |
| | |General of Worker Protection Prosecution, it is planned to | | |
| | |establish Worker Protection Prosecutors Offices in the cities| | |
| | |of Dabajuro y Tucacas, the state of Falcón; El Tocuyo, the | | |
| | |state of Lara, Yaritagua, the state of Yaracuy; San Antonio | | |
| | |del Táchira, the state of Táchira, Bocoo, the state of | | |
| | |Trujillo, Punta de Mata, the state of Monagas, Ciudad Piar, | | |
| | |the state of Bolívar, Altagracia de Orituco, the state of | | |
| | |Guarico, Guanare, the state of Portuguesa, Los Puertos de | | |
| | |Altagracia, the state of Zulia y Ureña, the state of Táchira,| | |
| | |in order to provide service to all regions of the country | | |
| | |requiring it, especially those where the national government | | |
| | |is carrying out policies for economic growth and population | | |
| | |decongestion, such as development of the country's southern | | |
| | |region and the natural gas project. | | |
| | |Agreements with the country's universities are planned for | | |
| | |the development of specialized courses for labor prosecutors,| | |
| | |with a view to achieving professional excellence in this | | |
| | |field and providing the most effective and efficient services| | |
| | |to safeguard the rights and interest of workers. | | |
| | |The internship program is continuing with students in the | | |
| | |final years of their law studies at various universities in | | |
| | |the country, such as: Universidad Central de Venezuela, | | |
| | |Universidad de Carabobo, Universidad de los Andes, | | |
| | |Universidad Santa María y la Universidad Católica Andrés | | |
| | |Bello, with a view to strengthening educational policies and | | |
| | |professional training in these universities and thereby | | |
| | |ensuring competence in the next generation of labor | | |
| | |prosecutors. | | |
| | |As a contribution to the development of the Public Defenders | | |
| | |System, labor prosecutors will maintain a policy of | | |
| | |continuous consultation with workers enabling them to | | |
| | |participate in the formulation of opinions for the | | |
| | |development of draft legislation for a Public Defense Act, to| | |
| | |be discussed in the National Assembly. | | |
|Timeline: For the hemispheric-level activities, the |Timeline: |Timeline: For the national-level activities, a time frame of | | |
|anticipated time frame is six months, starting from the| |12 months is planned, in line with Fiscal Year 2002. | | |
|second half of this year. | | | | |
12. Growth with Equity
Development Financing
Mandate: Acknowledge the need for development financing, including aid from bilateral donors and lending from the MDBs on appropriate terms, and commit to support our Finance Ministers and the MDBs in promoting policies to develop and maintain access to international capital markets to finance our sustainable development efforts, recognizing that debt servicing constitutes a major constraint on investment for many countries in the Hemisphere;
|Actions – Hemispheric Level |Actions – Regional Level |Actions – National Level |Funding |Obstacles and/or Best Practices and/or Special Needs |
| | | | | |
|Timeline: |Timeline: |Timeline: | | |
Enabling Economic Environment
Mandate: Design and implement, with the cooperation of the IDB, the World Bank, other donors, as appropriate, as well as the ILO, building upon the work begun in regional and sub-regional programs after the 1998 Santiago Summit of the Americas, legislation, policies and regulations that reduce startup costs, support the creation of new financial products for lower-income groups and youth, foster the development of credit unions, community finance institutions and supporting institutions such as credit bureaus and create conditions that encourage commercial banks and other appropriate financial institutions to broaden their client base to include more micro, small- and medium-sized enterprises and strengthen the capacities of micro, small- and medium-sized enterprise development agencies;
|Actions – Hemispheric Level |Actions – Regional Level |Actions – National Level |Funding |Obstacles and/or Best Practices and/or Special Needs |
| | | | | |
|Timeline: |Timeline: |Timeline: | | |
Mandate: Provide and improve where necessary, both in rural and urban areas, access to quality information systems for micro, small- and medium-sized enterprises through the creation of non-discriminatory mechanisms with the cooperation of the IDB, the World Bank, other donors, as appropriate, as well as ECLAC, and establish programs aimed at promoting the use of computers and the Internet, based on public and private sector partnership, to gain greater access to information technology, to credit and markets and to instruments designed to assist them in all these areas;
|Actions – Hemispheric Level |Actions – Regional Level |Actions – National Level |Funding |Obstacles and/or Best Practices and/or Special Needs |
| | |Within the framework of the Infocentros project, as part of |Regular Budget | |
| | |the Program to Popularize Information and Communications | | |
| | |Technologies, approximately 30% of these Infocentros are in | | |
| | |rural areas. | | |
| | | | | |
| | |Multipurpose Service Telecenters (TSM) | | |
|Timeline: |Timeline: |Timeline: Implementation is already under way | | |
Mandate: Support and encourage, with the cooperation of the IDB and other donors as appropriate, the formation of business incubators, associative networks, joint projects, national competitiveness programs, credit unions and complementary agreements among micro, small- and medium-sized enterprises as part of a broader strategy allowing them to share best practices, to improve access to information, credit and adequate marketing systems and to break prevailing situations of isolation;
|Actions – Hemispheric Level |Actions – Regional Level |Actions – National Level |Funding |Obstacles and/or Best Practices and/or Special Needs |
| | | | | |
|Timeline: |Timeline: |Timeline: | | |
Mandate: Increase access to opportunities for sustainable entrepreneurship, productivity and employment among young people;
|Actions – Hemispheric Level |Actions – Regional Level |Actions – National Level |Funding |Obstacles and/or Best Practices and/or Special Needs |
| | | | | |
|Timeline: |Timeline: |Timeline: | | |
Mandate: Improve, as appropriate, social safety nets at the national and regional levels to stabilize individual and household income and consumption by such means as stabilization funds, micro-credit schemes, crop insurance programs, job retraining and training in vocational, entrepreneurial and business skills, with the involvement of the MDBs and development agencies as well as non-governmental and community-based organizations and to establish regional networks to share best practices and experiences;
|Actions – Hemispheric Level |Actions – Regional Level |Actions – National Level |Funding |Obstacles and/or Best Practices and/or Special Needs |
| | | | | |
|Timeline: |Timeline: |Timeline: | | |
Mandate: Promote, in cooperation with the CIM, IICA, other appropriate inter-American institutions and the World Bank, improved market access for disadvantaged entrepreneurs, particularly women, youth, persons with disabilities, indigenous and rural populations, by developing programs that generate local employment and provide training, retraining and life-long learning, particularly in new technologies, and affordable services in business management, product development, financing, production and quality control, marketing and the legal aspects of business; by establishing outreach programs to inform low-income and poor populations, particularly in rural and remote areas, of opportunities for market and technology access and by providing assistance, monitoring, mentoring , advisory and other support services to enable these groups to take advantage of such opportunities;
|Actions – Hemispheric Level |Actions – Regional Level |Actions – National Level |Funding |Obstacles and/or Best Practices and/or Special Needs |
| | | | | |
|Timeline: |Timeline: |Timeline: | | |
Migration
Mandate: Support initiatives designed to strengthen linkages among migrant communities abroad and their places of origin and promote cooperative mechanisms that simplify and speed up the transfer of migrant remittances and substantially reduce the costs of sending them;
|Actions – Hemispheric Level |Actions – Regional Level |Actions – National Level |Funding |Obstacles and/or Best Practices and/or Special Needs |
| | | | | |
|Timeline: |Timeline: |Timeline: | | |
Mandate: Support voluntary initiatives designed by communities or individuals for the use of funds in investment and productive projects benefitting the general welfare in communities of origin;
|Actions – Hemispheric Level |Actions – Regional Level |Actions – National Level |Funding |Obstacles and/or Best Practices and/or Special Needs |
| | | | | |
|Timeline: |Timeline: |Timeline: | | |
Mandate: Promote the discussion of the migration phenomenon at the hemispheric level with due regard for its multi-dimensional nature and regional differences and, in so doing, consider the inclusion of the topic of migration in discussions on trade and economic integration;
|Actions – Hemispheric Level |Actions – Regional Level |Actions – National Level |Funding |Obstacles and/or Best Practices and/or Special Needs |
| | | | | |
|Timeline: |Timeline: |Timeline: | | |
Mandate: Support programs of cooperation in immigration procedures for cross-border labor markets and the migration of workers, both in countries of origin and destination, as a means to enhance economic growth in full cognizance of the role that cooperation in education and training can play in mitigating any adverse consequences of the movement of human capital from smaller and less developed states;
|Actions – Hemispheric Level |Actions – Regional Level |Actions – National Level |Funding |Obstacles and/or Best Practices and/or Special Needs |
| | | | | |
|Timeline: |Timeline: |Timeline: | | |
Mandate: Strive to ensure that migrants have access to basic social services, consistent with each country's internal legal framework;
|Actions – Hemispheric Level |Actions – Regional Level |Actions – National Level |Funding |Obstacles and/or Best Practices and/or Special Needs |
| | | | | |
|Timeline: |Timeline: |Timeline: | | |
Mandate: Create and harmonize statistical information systems and foster the sharing of information and best practices through the use of new information and communications technologies, with the aim of promoting the modernization of migration management;
|Actions – Hemispheric Level |Actions – Regional Level |Actions – National Level |Funding |Obstacles and/or Best Practices and/or Special Needs |
| | | | | |
|Timeline: |Timeline: |Timeline: | | |
Enhancing Social Stability and Mobility
Mandate: 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;
|Actions – Hemispheric Level |Actions – Regional Level |Actions – National Level |Funding |Obstacles and/or Best Practices and/or Special Needs |
| | | | | |
|Timeline: |Timeline: |Timeline: | | |
Mandate: 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;
|Actions – Hemispheric Level |Actions – Regional Level |Actions – National Level |Funding |Obstacles and/or Best Practices and/or Special Needs |
| | | | | |
|Timeline: |Timeline: |Timeline: | | |
Mandate: Promote recognition of the social and economic contribution made by the unpaid work performed by women predominantly in the home, and consider providing innovative social safety nets in conformity with national law;
|Actions – Hemispheric Level |Actions – Regional Level |Actions – National Level |Funding |Obstacles and/or Best Practices and/or Special Needs |
| | | | | |
|Timeline: |Timeline: |Timeline: | | |
Mandate: Promote greater recognition of the economic contribution of women's activities in the subsistence and informal sectors and provide, through the international and regional MDBs and the donor community, necessary assistance to communities participating in such activities, giving greater awareness at the national level to gender issues in macro-economic planning and policy-making;
|Actions – Hemispheric Level |Actions – Regional Level |Actions – National Level |Funding |Obstacles and/or Best Practices and/or Special Needs |
| | | | | |
|Timeline: |Timeline: |Timeline: | | |
Mandate: Cooperate and promote dialogue on forced displacement, geared toward the improvement of the attention given to populations displaced by violence, taking into account the problems that these populations face; and harmonize national legislation in accordance with rules and standards of international humanitarian law, including the Geneva Convention of 1951;
|Actions – Hemispheric Level |Actions – Regional Level |Actions – National Level |Funding |Obstacles and/or Best Practices and/or Special Needs |
| | | | | |
|Timeline: |Timeline: |Timeline: | | |
Mandate: Invite the IACHR and its Special Rapporteur on Internally Displaced Persons to continue to monitor and report on situations of forced displacement with a view to promoting durable solutions aimed at addressing the root causes of such phenomena;
|Actions – Hemispheric Level |Actions – Regional Level |Actions – National Level |Funding |Obstacles and/or Best Practices and/or Special Needs |
| | | | | |
|Timeline: |Timeline: |Timeline: | | |
13. Education
Mandate: Entrust the OAS to organize, within the framework of the Inter-American Council for Integral Development (CIDI), a meeting of Ministers of Education in Uruguay, to be held before the end of 2001, with a mandate to:
• identify and set up appropriate hemispheric mechanisms to ensure the implementation of the education initiatives in this Plan of Action and to continue to promote actions on priorities identified in previous Summits based on a careful evaluation of our collective achievements in this area;
• establish time lines and benchmarks for follow-up on the implementation of our commitments in education;
• establish, in light of the fundamental importance of mobilizing resources to support sustained investment in education at all levels, a cooperative mechanism to promote the development of productive partnerships among governments and with regional and international organizations and the MDBs;
• promote the participation of and dialogue with relevant civil society organizations to strengthen partnerships between the public sector and other sectors of our societies in implementing this Plan of Action;
|Actions – Hemispheric Level |Actions – Regional Level |Actions – National Level |Funding |Obstacles and/or Best Practices and/or Special Needs |
|Ministry of Education, Culture, and Sports: | |Ministry of Education, Culture, and Sports: | | |
|At the Punta del Este meeting, Venezuela presented | |Bolivarian Schools Program | | |
|several programs that had been selected to form part of| |Rural, Indigenous, and Frontier Basic Schools Program | | |
|the Permanent Portfolio of Consolidated Programs, | |Education for Employment and Youth Development Program | | |
|including: | |“Every Enterprise a School” Program | | |
| | |Program in Support of Educational and Recreational Services | | |
|Program in Support of Educational and Recreational | |for the Blind, Persons with Impaired Vision, Persons with | | |
|Services for the Blind, Persons with Impaired Vision, | |Physical Impediments, and the Elderly | | |
|Persons with Physical Impediments, and the Elderly, | | | | |
|through the production of Braille and phonographic | | | | |
|materials. The objective of this project is to meet | | | | |
|the reading and writing needs of the blind and offer | | | | |
|them another information and reading alternative, with | | | | |
|the aim of integrating these individuals into society | | | | |
|on an equal footing with equal opportunities. | | | | |
|Timeline: |Timeline: |Timeline: | | |
Mandate: Formulate and implement policies, within the framework of a strategy for resolving social inequalities, to promote access to quality basic education for all, including early childhood and adult education, particularly to promote literacy, while providing for alternative methods that meet the needs of disadvantaged segments of the population or of those excluded from formal education systems, in particular girls, minorities, indigenous, and children with special education needs; share information and successful experiences in encouraging educational participation and addressing student retention within certain groups, especially boys -in particular in the Caribbean countries - whose drop-out rate at the secondary level is high in certain regions;
|Actions – Hemispheric Level |Actions – Regional Level |Actions – National Level |Funding |Obstacles and/or Best Practices and/or Special Needs |
|National Council on the Rights of Children and |National Council on the Rights of Children and Adolescents: |National Council on the Rights of Children and Adolescents: |Financing is expected from the |Obstacles: |
|Adolescents: |Establishment of linkages with state and municipal councils for|Elaboration and implementation of the First Symposium on |national, state and municipal |Dispersion and slowness in decision-making, which prevent the full |
|Meetings held with the Ministry of Education, Culture |the dissemination of early education, training experts in this |Early Education as a Fundamental Human Right, at which the |levels, according to need. |establishment of the Pilot Education Center for Early Education. |
|and Sport and with UNICEF to formulate a draft |field, and involving centers of higher education in the |early education curriculum was elaborated with emphasis on | | |
|curriculum for early education. An event on early |development of strategies to promote greater involvement of the|the protection and collective and varied rights of children | |Recommendations and best Practices: |
|education is scheduled to be held in June 2002 in |family in the education of children and adolescents. |and adolescents, with a view to establishing a joint plan of | |Fortunately, both governmental and non-governmental organizations have|
|Barquisimeto, organized by the World Association of | |action with state, municipal and oversight councils, in | |contributed to the implementation of the respective mandates based on |
|Early Childhood Educators and sponsored by the National| |conjunction with the coordinators of early education and | |the guidelines that were disseminated. |
|Council on the Rights of Children and Adolescents. | |special education of the Ministry of Education, Culture and | | |
| | |Sports. With this and other similar activities, an attempt | | |
| | |is being made to implement pilot projects for the development| | |
| | |of multiple intelligence with a view to ensuring that each | | |
| | |boy and girl is able to exercise his right to a service that | | |
| | |enables him to fully and integrally develop his or her | | |
| | |faculties. | | |
|Timeline: It is estimated that all of these mandates |Timeline: It is estimated that all of these mandates could be |Timeline: It is estimated that all of these mandates could be| | |
|could be implemented in the medium to long term. |implemented in the medium to long term. |implemented in the medium to long term. | | |
Mandate: Support and promote lifelong learning by:
• offering varied curricula based on the development of skills, knowledge, civic and democratic values;
• providing flexible service delivery mechanisms, including the use of information and communications technologies, to foster employability, personal growth and social commitment; and
• certifying skills acquired on the job
|Actions – Hemispheric Level |Actions – Regional Level |Actions – National Level |Funding |Obstacles and/or Best Practices and/or Special Needs |
| |Venezuela participates in regional efforts to develop |Development of the Program for Communication and Information |ICT in Education Program - Regular| |
| |educational content in electronic format for the Diversified |Technologies in Education. In its first phase, this program |Budget. | |
| |Cycle (RIVED). |has sought to promote and finance the development of |RIVED - Resources from the | |
| |Venezuela has hosted regional fora on the use of information |educational content in electronic format for basic education |participating countries, | |
| |and communications technologies in education, such as the |and ongoing teacher training. |nonreimbursable technical | |
| |Workshop on Information and Communication Technology |Support for programs to develop educational content in |cooperation and loans from the | |
| |Applications for Teacher Refresher Courses, with emphasis on |electronic format for diversified education. |Inter-American Development Bank, | |
| |rural and marginal urban areas. | |and subsidies from UNESCO. | |
| | | |Workshop - Community of Andean | |
| | | |Nations-Republic of France, | |
| | | |designed for rural and marginal | |
| | | |urban communities. | |
|Timeline: |Timeline: Implementation already underway |Timeline: Implementation already underway | | |
Mandate: Strengthen education systems by:
• encouraging the participation of all sectors of society in order to obtain a consensus on policies that are viable and that guarantee the appropriate and continuous distribution of resources;
• decentralizing their decision-making and promoting the participation of civil society, especially parents; and
• promoting transparent school management in the interest of securing an adequate and stable allocation of resources so that educational institutions can play a leading role as agents for change;
|Actions – Hemispheric Level |Actions – Regional Level |Actions – National Level |Funding |Obstacles and/or Best Practices and/or Special Needs |
| | | | | |
|Timeline: |Timeline: |Timeline: | | |
Mandate: Enhance the performance of teachers by:
• improving their conditions of service; and
• raising the profile of the profession by providing, in addition to solid initial preparation, opportunities for ongoing professional development, and by designing accessible, flexible, dynamic and relevant training strategies using, among other means, new information and communications technologies;
|Actions – Hemispheric Level |Actions – Regional Level |Actions – National Level |Funding |Obstacles and/or Best Practices and/or Special Needs |
| |Venezuela participates in regional efforts to develop |Development of the Program for Communication and Information |ICT in Education Program - Regular| |
| |educational content in electronic format for the Diversified |Technologies in Education. In its first phase, this program |Budget. | |
| |Cycle (RIVED). |has sought to promote and finance the development of |RIVED - Resources from the | |
| |Venezuela has hosted regional fora on the use of information |educational content in electronic format for basic education |participating countries, | |
| |and communications technologies in education, such as the |and ongoing teacher training. |nonreimbursable technical | |
| |Workshop on Information and Communication Technology |Support for programs to develop educational content in |cooperation and loans from the | |
| |Applications for Teacher Refresher Courses, with emphasis on |electronic format for diversified education. |Inter-American Development Bank, | |
| |rural and marginal urban areas. | |and subsidies from UNESCO. | |
| | | |Workshop - Community of Andean | |
| | | |Nations-Republic of France, | |
| | | |designed for rural and marginal | |
| | | |urban communities. | |
|Timeline: |Timeline: Implementation already underway |Timeline: Implementation already underway | | |
Mandate: Support ongoing regional projects for comparable indicators and educational assessment resulting from the Santiago Summit, including cooperation initiatives based on performance assessment programs regarding educational processes and achievement, taking into consideration studies in pedagogy and assessment practices previously developed by countries; develop comparable indicators to assess the services provided by each country to people with special education needs and promote the exchange of information on policies, strategies and best practices in the Americas;
|Actions – Hemispheric Level |Actions – Regional Level |Actions – National Level |Funding |Obstacles and/or Best Practices and/or Special Needs |
| | | | | |
|Timeline: |Timeline: |Timeline: | | |
Mandate: Strive to ensure that secondary education is more responsive to evolving labor market requirements by promoting the diversification of programs and experimentation with new, more flexible teaching methods with emphasis on science and technology, including the use of new information and communications technologies, and by supporting the establishment of mechanisms for the recognition and certification of acquired skills; and to this end, promote the exchange of information and best practices and support cooperation projects;
|Actions – Hemispheric Level |Actions – Regional Level |Actions – National Level |Funding |Obstacles and/or Best Practices and/or Special Needs |
| |Venezuela participates in regional efforts to develop |Development of the Program for Communication and Information |ICT in Education Program - Regular| |
| |educational content in electronic format for the Diversified |Technologies in Education. In its first phase, this program |Budget. | |
| |Cycle (RIVED). |has sought to promote and finance the development of |RIVED - Resources from the | |
| |Venezuela has hosted regional fora on the use of information |educational content in electronic format for basic education |participating countries, | |
| |and communications technologies in education, such as the |and ongoing teacher training. |nonreimbursable technical | |
| |Workshop on Information and Communication Technology |Support for programs to develop educational content in |cooperation and loans from the | |
| |Applications for Teacher Refresher Courses, with emphasis on |electronic format for diversified education. |Inter-American Development Bank, | |
| |rural and marginal urban areas. | |and subsidies from UNESCO. | |
| | | |Workshop - Community of Andean | |
| | | |Nations-Republic of France, | |
| | | |designed for rural and marginal | |
| | | |urban communities. | |
|Timeline: |Timeline: Implementation already underway |Timeline: Implementation already underway | | |
Mandate: Promote more effective dialogue between society and institutions of higher education, and facilitate access for all to these institutions by balancing growing demand with higher quality standards and public funding with greater commitment from the private sector; support hemispheric cooperation for research in science and technology aimed at the solution of specific problems in the region and the transfer of knowledge;
|Actions – Hemispheric Level |Actions – Regional Level |Actions – National Level |Funding |Obstacles and/or Best Practices and/or Special Needs |
| | | | | |
|Timeline: |Timeline: |Timeline: | | |
Mandate: Support the mobility, between countries of the Hemisphere, of students, teachers and administrators at institutions of higher education and of teachers and administrators at the elementary and secondary levels, in order to provide them with new opportunities to take part in the new knowledge-based society, to increase their knowledge of other cultures and languages, and to enable them to access information on post-secondary studies and learning opportunities offered across the Hemisphere, through new or existing hemispheric networks, such as the educational Web site set up after the Santiago Summit; continue to support initiatives in this field such as those carried out by the IDB and the OAS;
|Actions – Hemispheric Level |Actions – Regional Level |Actions – National Level |Funding |Obstacles and/or Best Practices and/or Special Needs |
|Ministry of Science and Technology and subordinate | |Ministry of Science and Technology and subordinate Agencies: |Each country participating in the |Consultations are underway to obtain financing from international |
|Agencies: | |Action taken in this area includes a regional human resource |program contributes US$10,000. |agencies in order to increase the number of exchanges. |
|Inclusion of an exchange mechanism in the Human | |training initiative developed using the mechanism |Venezuela has a contribution of | |
|Resources area of the G-3, as well as the level of the | |"Hemispheric System for Postgraduate Exchanges" (SHIP). The |US$100,000. In addition, UNESCO | |
|Ibero-American Summit for the strengthening of human | |objective is to facilitate fourth-level professor and student|has contributed US$25,000 for | |
|talent. | |exchanges between universities and research institutes in the|international funds and Venezuela | |
| | |Americans, with the particularity that exchanges are |has strengthened it with | |
| | |conducted in the form of short-term internships for a maximum|US$25,000. | |
| | |period of one academic year and a minimum of one month, in | | |
| | |such areas as basic sciences, health sciences, agricultural | | |
| | |sciences, marine sciences, engineering and technology. | | |
| | | | | |
| | |The use of this mechanism is intended to help improve | | |
| | |academic structures and considerably increase both the number| | |
| | |and quality of high-level professors among the countries of | | |
| | |Latin America and the Caribbean. In order for this to occur,| | |
| | |the best postgraduate infrastructure of each country will be | | |
| | |used in the areas identified through student and professor | | |
| | |exchanges, which will result in more effective use of | | |
| | |available resources. | | |
| | | | | |
| | |One of the aspects of this proposal to be considered in | | |
| | |particular is its contribution to regional integration, in | | |
| | |that all countries have an equal stake in the benefits it | | |
| | |provides in terms of access for a greater number of students | | |
| | |and professors from each country to facilities offered by | | |
| | |training and research centers. | | |
|Timeline: The SHIP program is operational. Exchanges |Timeline: |Timeline: The SHIP program is operational. Exchanges have | | |
|have been initiated for five students and professors, | |been initiated for five students and professors, and 20 | | |
|and 20 requests are being processed. | |requests are being processed. | | |
Mandate: Promote access by teachers, students and administrators to new information and communications technologies applied to education, through training geared toward new teaching approaches, support for development of networks and sustained strengthening of information clearinghouses, in order to reduce the knowledge gap and the digital divide within and between societies in the Hemisphere;
|Actions – Hemispheric Level |Actions – Regional Level |Actions – National Level |Funding |Obstacles and/or Best Practices and/or Special Needs |
| | | | | |
|Timeline: |Timeline: |Timeline: | | |
Science and Technology
Mandate: Promote the popularization of science and technology necessary to advance the establishment and consolidation of a scientific culture in the region; and stimulate the development of science and technology for regional connectivity through information and communications technologies essential for building knowledge-based societies;
|Actions – Hemispheric Level |Actions – Regional Level |Actions – National Level |Funding |Obstacles and/or Best Practices and/or Special Needs |
| | |Ministry of Science and Technology and subordinate agencies: |Regular Budget | |
| | |Creation of the Science Popularization Program | | |
|Timeline: |Timeline: |Timeline: Implementation is already under way | | |
Mandate: Support the development of high-level human capital for the development of science and technology research and innovation that would encourage the strengthening of the agricultural, industrial, commercial and business sectors as well as the sustainability of the environment;
|Actions – Hemispheric Level |Actions – Regional Level |Actions – National Level |Funding |Obstacles and/or Best Practices and/or Special Needs |
| | | | | |
|Timeline: |Timeline: |Timeline: | | |
Mandate: Promote, with the support of existing cooperation mechanisms, the development of the regional program of science and technology indicators;
|Actions – Hemispheric Level |Actions – Regional Level |Actions – National Level |Funding |Obstacles and/or Best Practices and/or Special Needs |
| | | | | |
|Timeline: |Timeline: |Timeline: | | |
Mandate: Endeavor to implement and follow up on the scientific and technological activities mentioned above, counting on the support of hemispheric cooperation and coordination mechanisms related to this field;
|Actions – Hemispheric Level |Actions – Regional Level |Actions – National Level |Funding |Obstacles and/or Best Practices and/or Special Needs |
| | | | | |
|Timeline: |Timeline: |Timeline: | | |
14. Health
Health Sector Reform
Mandate: Reaffirm their commitment to an equity-oriented health sector reform process, emphasizing their concerns for essential public health functions, quality of care, equal access to health services and health coverage, especially in the fields of disease prevention and health promotion, and improving the use of resources and administration of health services; promote the continued use of scientifically validated, agreed-upon, common indicators for assessing effectiveness, equity and efficiency of health systems;
|Actions – Hemispheric Level |Actions – Regional Level |Actions – National Level |Funding |Obstacles and/or Best Practices and/or Special Needs |
|Ministry of Health and Social Development, Out-Patient | |Ministry of Health and Social Development, Out-Patient and |Extraordinary Investment Plan |Obstacles: |
|and Comprehensive Care Program Network: Joint | |Comprehensive Care Program Network: |(PEI) |Dispersion of resources on account of inadequacies in the coordination|
|activities in frontier areas for the control of | |Draft legislation on an Organic Health Law; |Annual National Operational Plan |mechanisms; |
|transmissible diseases (Epidemiological monitoring). | |Organic Law for the Protection of Children and Adolescents |(POAN) 2002 (institutional |Slowness of administrative processes an obstacle to timely |
| | |(Implementation of the provisions relating to comprehensive |financing) |disbursement of resources. |
| | |health care); |Bolivar Plan 2000 | |
| | |Law on Violence against Women and the Family (falling under |Inter-Governmental |Recommendations and best practices: |
| | |those articles related to comprehensive health care); |Decentralization Fund (FIDES) |Adoption of a new approach to care that reorganizes all services and |
| | |Resolution establishing the comprehensive healthcare model; |Special Loans (World Bank, IDB) |workers, by establishing quality-of-life public social networks at the|
| | |Implementation, development and consolidation of | |regional, state and national levels that provide reliable, adequate, |
| | |comprehensive care as a health policy; | |equitable, timely and comprehensive solutions to quality-of-life |
| | |Strategic social plan; | |needs, while ensuring lifelong development and maintaining the |
| | |Pharmaceutical Services Program (SEFAR). Supply of medicines | |autonomous potential of individuals and communities, with |
| | |to hospital and out-patient networks. Community-based | |clearly-defined responsibilities to their territories as well as |
| | |pharmacies; | |responsibility to the society for protecting the quality of life |
| | |Strengthening of the Health Services Network; | |through citizen participation and social empowerment. |
| | |Activities carried out with CONAPI for introduction of | | |
| | |community-based rehabilitation services; | |Main actions: |
| | |Provision of comprehensive health care from the out-patient | |Training plan in the management and implementation of the |
| | |network to children in day care centers, multi-family homes | |Comprehensive Health Care Model, with facilitators at the central and |
| | |and community kitchens. Simplified medicine program; | |regional levels; |
| | |Proposal for the promotion of health and community | |Elaboration of conceptual, methodological and instrumental approaches |
| | |participation through grassroots organizations: social clubs;| |to the problem of domestic and sexual violence through the provision |
| | |Establishment of the National Commission on Complementary | |of out-patient network services. Establishment of linkages for |
| | |Therapies (CONATEC). | |interventions involving the different social support and institutional|
| | | | |networks; |
| | | | |Technical assistance in monitoring and follow-up of comprehensive care|
| | | | |activities; |
| | | | |Implementation of the Indigenous Comprehensive Healthcare Plan in the |
| | | | |states of Amazonas and Delta Amacuro, and among other indigenous |
| | | | |populations. |
|Timeline: Implementation is underway |Timeline: |Timeline: Implementation is underway | | |
|Ministry of Health and Social Development, Department |Ministry of Health and Social Development, Department of |Ministry of Health and Social Development, Department of |Funding from the regular budget of|OVERALL ACHIEVEMENTS OF THE MSDS IN 2001 |
|of Population Health, Division of Planning and Budget: |Population Health, Division of Planning and Budget: |Population Health, Division of Planning and Budget: |the MSDS and support and financial| |
|In order to ensure fulfillment of the goals subscribed |Attendance and participation in the following meetings: |Elaboration of draft organic law on health to guarantee all |assistance from the following |1. Malaria Control: 1) Through courses and workshops, a campaign was |
|to by the Venezuelan Government and international | |persons the right to health, which is enshrined in the |international organizations; |begun for the national dissemination of updated information on the |
|organizations, as contained in the Political |Meeting of Ministers of Andean Countries for the Prevention and|Constitution as a fundamental social right and a part of the | |detection, diagnosis and timely treatment (DDT) of malaria, and the |
|Declarations and Plans of Action relating to the Social|Control of Dengue Fever, Guayaquil, Ecuador, 7 and 8 June 2001.|right to life, within the framework of a democratic, |- European Economic Community: |creation and upgrading of new centers for the diagnosis and control of|
|Sector, the MSDS has participated in regular and/or |Summit on Social Debt and Latin American Integration, Caracas, |decentralized, participatory and social State based on the |Projects financed include Support |the disease; 2) Reduction of the incidence of malaria by 24% compared |
|extraordinary meetings of Preparatory Committees, |Venezuela, 10 to 13 July 2001; |rule of law and justice, which advocates as higher values |for the Health System in |with the year 2000 (7,084 fewer cases); 3) This reduction corresponded|
|Interim and Development Committees, Ministerial |III Meeting of Ministers of Health of Ibero-America, held in |life, liberty, equality, solidarity and individual and social|Venezuela, Agreement No. |to an impact of less than one case per 1,000 inhabitants, compared |
|Conferences, International Conferences, World Summits |Havana, Cuba, from 25 to 26 October 2001; |responsibility. |VEN/B7-3010/IB/95/56; Support for |with the previous year when 60 cases per 1,000 inhabitants were |
|and Regional and Sub-Regional Follow-up Commissions, |III Conference of Ibero-American Ministers and Senior Officials| |the hospital sector of Caracas, |reported. |
|that were held on the theme of endemic, transmissible |Responsible for Children and Adolescents, held in Lima, Peru, |This law governs health and related policies, services and |Agreement No.VEN/B7-310/97101; | |
|and non-transmissible diseases, childhood, women, the |on 29 and 30 October 2001; |activities throughout the national territory, implemented |Program of support for the |II) Control of Chagas Disease: With the participation of the MSDS, |
|elderly, poverty, population, social development, |XI Ibero-American Summit of Heads of State and Government, |individually or collectively, of an ongoing or ad hoc nature,|Emergency Plan for the Training of|universities, PAHO and research institutes specializing in the |
|health, and social integration. Of particular note in |Lima, Peru, 23 and 24 November 2001; |by natural or legal persons under public or private law; as |Unemployed Youth, Agreement No. |serological diagnosis of the disease, it was possible to standardize a|
|2000 was its participation in the following meetings: |XXIII Meeting of Health Ministers of the Andean Area (REMSAA), |well as establishes the principles, objectives, functions and|VEN/B7-310-IB/96/005; |set of national guidelines for laboratory diagnosis; |
|Meeting on the International Covenant on Rights; Rio |Quito, Ecuador, 21 and 22 November 2001; |organization of the National Public Health System. |- German Cooperation Agency (GTZ);| |
|Group Summit; Working Meeting with members of the |III Summit of Heads of State and/or Government of the | |Project for Reform of the Health |1II). Control of Dengue Fever: Increase in activities for the |
|health and social protection teams of the World Bank; |Association of Caribbean States, Margarita, Venezuela, 11 and |It also promotes the establishment of a National Public |and Social Development Sector; |control, elimination and treatment of breeding grounds (larvae phase) |
|35th Session of the Sub-Committee on Planning and |12 December 2001; |Health System, defined as an integral set of policies, plans |- Inter-American Development Bank:|of aedes aegypti in the national territory, under the guidance of the |
|Programming of the Executive Committee of PAHO; 19th | |and actions, financial resources from public sources and |Program for the Strengthening and |MSDS. Theoretical and practical workshops in the prevention of dengue|
|Sub-Committee on Women, Health and Development of the |ANDEAN HEALTH ORGANIZATION – HIPÓLITO UNANUE AGREEMENT |institutions, service networks and public healthcare services|Modernization of the Health |fever, and in the use and maintenance of fumigation equipment. Use of |
|Executive Committee of PAHO, 2001 Symposium: “Gender | |operating at the national, state and municipal levels, |Sector, Program of Support for |posters and informational material on the prevention of dengue fever. |
|Violence, Health and Rights in the Americas, VI |During the year 2001, a regular exchange was maintained and |including all those institutions, networks and services that |Civil Society Initiatives (PAIS); |Resumption of insect controls at the country’s ports and international|
|Conference of the Ibero-American Inter-Governmental |various activities, mainly cooperation activities, were carried|receive State funding. |- World Bank: Health Services |airports. |
|Network for Technical Cooperation (RIICOTEC), special |out to combat the outbreak of dengue fever and the anthrax | |Project for the Metropolitan Zone | |
|session of the United Nations General Assembly on |virus alert, through: |The National Public Health System is a part of the Social |of Caracas; |IV). Control of Intestinal Parasites: 1) Delivery of 100% of the |
|HIV/AIDS, 43rd Directing Council of PAHO, 53rd Session | |Security System, which guarantees and manages the Health |-United Nations System: PAHO/WHO: |antihelminth (Albendazol) to the regions, based on public school |
|of the Regional Committee of WHO for the Americas, |The VII Meeting of Experts on the Harmonization of Legislation |Services System and the Health Restoration and Rehabilitation|Treaties of Cooperation between |enrolment levels; 2) Supply of multi-purpose antihelminth to 4,546,230|
|Third Summit of Heads of States, 54th World Assembly on|on Pharmaceutical Products, Lima, November 14 –16; |System of the Social Security and Health Benefits Regime |Countries (TCC), Virtual Library |children of pre-school and school age, in day-care centers and public |
|Health, United Nations General Assembly on AIDS, and |First Video Conference on “Infectious agents of potential use |governing Workers and their Working Environment. |in Health and Environment and |multi-family homes, representing 95.0% of the target group. |
|Regional Meeting of Ministers and Experts Responsible |in biological warfare” of the Andean Network for | |elaboration of core documents for | |
|for Social Policy. |Epidemiological Monitoring, Andean Health Organization, |Health is conceived as the individual and collective |technical and financial |V). Control of Yellow Fever in 2001: Inspection of focal points in |
| |Hipolito /UNANUE Agreement, October 25, 2001; |expression of the quality of life and well-being and a |assistance; |forests in the three epizootic regions of the country and |
| |First Andean Forum on Epidemiological and Health Monitoring in |product of social determinants. It covers the entire range |- United Nations Population Fund |determination that the virus has not spread. Increase in |
| |Frontier Areas |of biological, psychological, material, social and cultural |(UNFPA): Mainstreaming of the |epidemiological monitoring and training for decision-making; transfer |
| |Virtual Meeting of National Institutes of Health of the Andean |conditions whose determinants are, inter alia, food, |gender perspective in |of serological samples to personnel in the 10 states inspected. |
| |Sub-Region (INS Network), 19.07.01 |housing, basic sanitation, environment, work, income, |comprehensive healthcare, | |
| |XXIII Virtual Meeting of the Andean Epidemiological Monitoring |education, transport and access to essential goods and |VEN00/P01, VEN/99/002 State policy|VI). Control of Equine Encephalitis: There were no outbreaks of this|
| |Network of the ORAS-CONHU, 27-04-01, on the theme of |services. Its realization defines the condition of being and|on AIDS, VEN/99/003 Production of |disease in the country, thanks to the increase in epidemiological |
| |“Epidemiological Monitoring Information Systems”; |remaining healthy, with each person exercising to the fullest|Information Resources, VEN/99/004 |monitoring and the training of personnel in the States where the |
| |Meeting in Antigua, Guatemala, to review document WHA 54.2, |his potential capacity throughout each stage of life. It is |Living Positive and UN/AIDS. |disease is found in the taking and transfer of serological samples. |
| |entitled “Draft Global Strategy for Nutrition of Nursing |achieved through the collective, inter-sectoral and | | |
| |Infants and Small Children” by the countries of Latin America |participatory effort of all, aimed at achieving and defending| |VII). Control of Hylesia metabus (Palometa Peluda): Control for the |
| |(22-24 May). |equal material and social life opportunities, in order to | |third consecutive year of the problem of Palmeta Peluda infestation in|
| | |improve the social and economic well-being of the entire | |the states of Sucre, Monagas and Delta Amacuro. |
| |TREATY OF AMAZONIAN COOPERATION |population. | | |
| |Participation by Venezuela in the Special Commission on Health | | |VIII). Control of Risks to the Environment: 1) Construction of a |
| |of the Amazon Region (CESAM), which held its V Ordinary Meeting|The 2001-2007 Strategic Social Plan was also formulated and | |laboratory for the testing of water quality on the island of |
| |in June 2001 to combat malaria and promote epidemiological |is being implemented. The plan is an instrument for planning| |Margarita, with funding from FIDES in the amount of 300,000 dollars; |
| |monitoring in the Amazon. |and seeks to respond to the social needs of all persons and | |2). Elaboration of laws with an environmental health component and |
| | |communities, by promoting the universality of rights and | |with direct participation in the National Assembly; 3) Regulation of |
| |Other agreements and technical cooperation programs include: |providing equal opportunities for achieving better living | |the use of beaches and river resorts jointly with the Ministry of the |
| |Brazil: TCC/WHO – PAHO for strengthening of diagnostic |conditions, which are essential for achieving full autonomy | |Environment and Natural Resources; 4) Strengthening of the |
| |monitoring and control of yellow fever, improvement in |as human beings and citizens under the following guidelines: | |inter-sectoral approach to health programs and environmental quality. |
| |production processes for anti-rabies vaccines and synthesis and|1. Respond to social needs, filling gaps and combating | | |
| |control of snake-bite serum. |inequities; 2. Adopt a strategy for the promotion of the | |IX). Improvement and Expansion of Healthcare Coverage and Access to |
| |Colombia: III Program of Technical and Scientific Cooperation |quality of life as one that requires collective effort and a | |Medicines: |
| |between Colombia and Venezuela in the Epidemiological |capacity to provide solutions to problems; 3. Adoption of a | |The National Program on Sexually Transmitted Infections (STI) and |
| |Monitoring of Equine Encephalitis in frontier regions TCC/PAHO |new approach to healthcare based on comprehensive, | |HIV/AIDS and the regional coordinators of the program are receiving |
| |and harmonization of health regulations, through PAHO and the |appropriate and equitable solutions to social needs; 4. | |resources and training to strengthen their ability to respond to the |
| |ORAS-CONHUI. |Development of new public institutions capable of maintaining| |problem. The National AIDS and STI Program reports that for the first|
| |Guyana: Resumption of activities first proposed at the Meeting |changes and ensuring their success. | |quarter of 2001, nearly 11,000 persons living with HIV-AIDS regularly |
| |of the High Level Bi-National Commission (COBAN) of the health | | |received anti-retroviral drugs (5,292 persons from the MSDS, 3,500 |
| |sectors of Venezuela and Guyana, held in Georgetown, in | | |from the Venezuelan Institute of Social Security, and the remainder |
| |November 1999, in the areas of: malaria, epidemiology, | | |from the Ministry of Defense, private institutions and NGOs). |
| |tuberculosis, training in programs to control tuberculosis, | | |Financing of 65% of the cost of medicines for 898,258 patients |
| |AIDS, leishmaniasis and rabies. | | |receiving care through the national out-patient network thanks to an |
| |Chile: Solidarity and Social Investment Fund (FOSIS) to provide| | |investment of 4.8 billion bolivars and the supply of essential |
| |technical assistance | | |medicines for priority illnesses, with an investment of 8.1 billion; |
| |Cuba: Signing of eight agreements with various Cuban | | |Free universal supply of medicines to 45,000 persons suffering from |
| |enterprises that produce medical equipment, vaccines and | | |arterial hypertension through an investment of 106 million and timely |
| |medicines. | | |treatment for 600 patients who suffered heart attacks through supply |
| |Nicaragua: TCC: Chemical analysis of pesticide residues in | | |of the medicine ESTREPTOQUINASA, which represents a 100% increase in |
| |foods. | | |the number of persons receiving care compared with the year 2000, with|
| |Aruba: TCC: Improved diagnosis of food-borne diseases and viral| | |an investment of 140 million bolivars; |
| |pathologies in public health. | | |Comprehensive care for patients with diabetes mellitus and supply of |
| |Dominican Republic: Awaiting response to proposal on costs and | | |anti-diabetic packets to 12,725 persons, representing an increase of |
| |requirements for analysis of the potency of anti-rabies | | |50.8% over the year 2000 with an investment of 1.10 billion; |
| |vaccines for human use in CRL and for veterinarian use in cell | | |Care for 4,868 cancer patients, through the supply of anti-neoplastic |
| |cultivation. | | |medicines (an increase of 111.56%), with an investment of 1.6 billion |
| |Guatemala: Identification of areas of cooperation: evaluation | | |bolivars; |
| |of natural products, training in the epidemiological management| | |Strengthening of the program and network targeted to adolescents. The|
| |of food-borne diseases, AIDS and detection of pesticide | | |standard- setting instruments of the adolescent program were revised |
| |residues. | | |and updated with the agreement of the Adolescent, University and |
| |Mexico: The following areas of cooperation were identified for| | |Regional Coordinators Chapter of the Society of Pediatricians and |
| |2002: exchange of information on indigenous health, expert | | |Child Care and PAHO-WHO. Its publication is expected this year under |
| |support, and graduate scholarship for studies on HIV/AIDS. | | |the titles: “Guidelines for Comprehensive Adolescent Healthcare” and |
| |Spain: Project on comprehensive waste disposal management in | | |“Programmatic Bases for the Health and Development of Adolescents”. |
| |health establishments. | | |Strengthening of work being done in networks: activities are being |
| |Bulgaria: Under evaluation by the Ministry of Health and Social| | |coordinated with other governmental institutions such as SENIFA and |
| |Development are the areas of interest submitted, specifically | | |the National Council on the Rights of Children and Adolescents. We |
| |the supply of ambulances, rescue equipment and wheel chairs. | | |also participated jointly with other governmental and non-governmental|
| |France: Submission of 8 cooperation projects by Venezuela to | | |organizations in the Network for the Prevention of Child and Juvenile |
| |improve hospital management, information use and research, and | | |Sexual Abuse and Care for Victims. Supply of contraceptives; these |
| |the agreement with the Ecole Pratique des Hautes Etudes of | | |are being distributed with the support of SUMED-SEFAR and consist of |
| |Paris for the exchange of teachers and students in training and| | |different types of oral and injectable hormonal contraceptives, |
| |instruction programs and in research projects. | | |including emergency contraceptives distributed throughout the country,|
| | | | |thereby strengthening the family planning services. |
| | | | | |
| | | | |x. Strengthening of networks for a better quality of life: |
| | | | |Comprehensive care for children aimed at reducing infant mortality and|
| | | | |morbidity rates; |
| | | | |Increase in the national coverage of care for pregnant women, from 27%|
| | | | |in 2000 to 52% in 2001, thereby ensuring an improvement in the health |
| | | | |conditions for mother and child, as well as a reduction in anemia in |
| | | | |pregnant women, through the supply of iron and folic acid; |
| | | | |10% reduction in the mortality rate from pulmonary underdevelopment in|
| | | | |premature babies by improving the care provided to premature babies |
| | | | |and supplying specific medicines in 11 neonatal intensive care units |
| | | | |throughout the country; |
| | | | |Encouraging the exclusive use of maternal breastfeeding and |
| | | | |incorporation of 10 hospitals into the “Children Friendly Hospital” |
| | | | |program, bringing the total number of hospitals affiliated with the |
| | | | |program to 18, with an investment of 150 million; |
| | | | |Reduction in the mortality rate due to diarrhoeal illnesses, |
| | | | |pneumonia, and malnutrition in children under the age of one year, by |
| | | | |strengthening comprehensive child healthcare strategies, encouraging |
| | | | |maternal breast-feeding, oral rehydration, timely treatment of acute |
| | | | |respiratory infections, improved delivery care and supply of |
| | | | |nutritional supplements; |
| | | | |Free universal access to vaccines to protect the population of |
| | | | |children under the age of 5 years (2,804,865 children) from |
| | | | |preventable infectious diseases. Some 17.5 billion was invested, an |
| | | | |increase of 41% over the year 2000, thus ensuring protection against |
| | | | |poliomyelitis, measles, whooping cough, diphtheria, tetanus, German |
| | | | |measles, tuberculosis, hepatitis and meningitis; |
| | | | |Increase in the coverage of surgical treatment for congenital heart |
| | | | |defects in children by equipping 5 centers for infant cardiovascular |
| | | | |surgery and supplying equipment for surgery. Some 700 operations were|
| | | | |carried out, with an investment of 6.1 billion bolivars and a |
| | | | |significant increase in installed capacity to ensure that this problem|
| | | | |can be addressed in the years head; |
| | | | |Supply of inputs and medicines for emergency hospital services in an |
| | | | |amount of 18 billion bolivars in order to guarantee free care; |
| | | | |Equipment and supplies to the network of public health laboratories to|
| | | | |improve diagnostic capacity for illnesses such as dengue fever, AIDS, |
| | | | |and malaria with an investment of 4 billion bolivars. |
| | | | | |
| | | | |10.2. Better care for vulnerable groups |
| | | | |10.2.1. Comprehensive care for children under the age of 7 years |
| | | | |(care, food, recreation and early education) for 213,118 children, in |
| | | | |19,000 homes and multi-family day-care centers, creating indirect |
| | | | |employment for 25,565 day-care providers. Comprehensive care for 4,300|
| | | | |indigenous children in the states of Bolívar and Zulia through the |
| | | | |creation of 51 multi-family homes which are directly managed by |
| | | | |community-based indigenous associations; construction and operation of|
| | | | |9 thatched huts to provide care for 540 indigenous children with high |
| | | | |indicators of malnutrition. Creation of 41 cooperatives of mothers |
| | | | |providing day-care services, with more than 350 members. Training of |
| | | | |350 day-care providers in early education in the state of Sucre and |
| | | | |incorporation of 30 teachers into the program, “At Home Teachers” of |
| | | | |the Ministry of Education, Culture and Sports. |
| | | | |10.2.2 Improvement of comprehensive health care for older adults, |
| | | | |through 54 geriatric care centers nationwide, an increase from 8 to 15|
| | | | |old-folks homes, more than 20 group homes, creation of 3 cooperatives,|
| | | | |introduction of a free 800 telephone hotline of the National Institute|
| | | | |of Geriatrics and Gerontology (INAGER) to handle emergencies for this |
| | | | |population group. In total, care was provided to 65, 000 adults. |
| | | | |10.2.3. Support for organized communities in 20 states, through the |
| | | | |financing of 143 projects at a cost of 29.4 billion, thereby |
| | | | |generating 7,188 direct jobs and benefiting 782,290 persons through |
| | | | |the Social Investment Fund of Venezuela (FONVIS). |
| | | | |10.2.4. Strengthening of healthcare programs for women through the |
| | | | |establishment of 9 regional institutes, the inauguration of 42 |
| | | | |state-run homes for women and of the first shelter for battered women,|
| | | | |as well as the activation of the 800 women’s hotline to handle |
| | | | |emergencies and provide counseling. |
| | | | |10.2.5. Care for indigenous populations through the formulation of |
| | | | |comprehensive plans for the state of Delta Amacuro and for the |
| | | | |Yanomami and Yukpa-Barí peoples; conclusion of direct agreements with |
| | | | |indigenous communities to establish 51 multi-family homes providing |
| | | | |care for 4,500 children; construction of 15 thatched huts in the |
| | | | |municipality of Mara Y Páez in the state of Zulia, together with the |
| | | | |organization of 16 cooperatives to provide care for children, the |
| | | | |creation of community kitchens and comprehensive healthcare programs. |
| | | | |10.2.6. Incorporation of 500 Bolivarian schools into programs for |
| | | | |information on and prevention of sexually transmitted diseases and |
| | | | |HIV/AIDS, with a view to training 10,000 teachers and 100,000 pupils |
| | | | |and their families in the prevention of sexually transmitted diseases.|
| | | | |XI. Strengthening of the National Public Health System |
| | | | |Strengthening of the installed capacity of the public health system |
| | | | |through the physical rehabilitation and renovation of the |
| | | | |technological stock of the healthcare system. |
| | | | |Equipping of 1,033 out-patient units and rehabilitation of a further |
| | | | |368, at a total cost of 37.1 billion bolivars, representing 22.2% of |
| | | | |the total national network of 4,648 out-patient units; |
| | | | |Equipment of 51 hospitals, with an investment of 51.5 billion |
| | | | |bolivars. |
| | | | | |
| | | | |Improved remuneration for male and female workers in the health |
| | | | |sector: |
| | | | |Increase of 16.5% for medical personnel in the year 2001; |
| | | | |Increase of approximately 60% in the wages of workers in the various |
| | | | |fields of the health sector (5 sectors) by bringing their remuneration|
| | | | |into line with that of medical personnel; |
| | | | |Improvement in contractual conditions of workers and laborers in the |
| | | | |health care system, as well as the payment of debts contracted in |
| | | | |previous years, in the amount of approximately 100 billion bolivars. |
| | | | | |
| | | | |Lastly, with reference to the proposal for the establishment of a |
| | | | |virtual library in health and the environment, as a thematic library |
| | | | |in the environment section of the Virtual Health Library, a number of |
| | | | |meetings and discussions were held in 2001 and a training workshop for|
| | | | |technical and information personnel has been scheduled for February |
| | | | |2002 to be organized by each of the library centers. It is now |
| | | | |necessary to establish the committee that will be responsible for |
| | | | |implementing this initiative. |
|Timeline: Implementation of this mandate is fully under|Timeline: Implementation of this mandate is fully under way. |Timeline: Implementation of this mandate is fully under way. | | |
|way. | | | | |
Mandate: Strengthen and promote development of domestic standards of practice, accreditation and licensing procedures, codes of ethics, and education and training programs for health personnel; improve the mix of health personnel in the provision of health services to better respond to national health priorities;
|Actions – Hemispheric Level |Actions – Regional Level |Actions – National Level |Funding |Obstacles and/or Best Practices and/or Special Needs |
| | | | | |
|Timeline: |Timeline: |Timeline: | | |
Mandate: Intensify efforts and share and promote best practices to:
• reduce maternal and infant morbidity and mortality;
• provide quality reproductive health care and services for women, men and adolescents; and
• carry out commitments made at the Cairo International Conference on Population and Development and its five-year follow-up in New York;
|Actions – Hemispheric Level |Actions – Regional Level |Actions – National Level |Funding |Obstacles and/or Best Practices and/or Special Needs |
|Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, Ministry of Health |Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, Ministry of Health and Social|Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, Ministry of Health and |These are identified in the |Obstacles: |
|and Social Development, Department of Population |Development, Department of Population Health, National |Social Development, Department of Population Health, National|policies and plans, programs and |Expenditures on maternal and child healthcare represent a heavy burden|
|Health, National Maternal/Child Health Program, |Maternal/Child Health Program, Committee for the Control and |Maternal/Child Health Program, Committee for the Control and |projects in the respective areas |on the budgets and in many cases a barrier to improving the quality of|
|Committee for the Control and Prevention of |Prevention of Maternal/Child Mortality: |Prevention of Maternal/Child Mortality: |of the MSDS and international |healthcare services provided. |
|Maternal/Child Mortality: |Attendance at meeting held in Washington D.C., in October 2000,|Elaboration of the Plan of Action to reduce infant and |cooperation. PAHO/WHO | |
|In order to be able to define appropriate strategies, |on monitoring maternal mortality in the Americas, PAHO/WHO; |maternal deaths throughout the country, based on appropriate | |Recommendations and best practices: |
|we established a relationship between the goals of the |Attendance at the presentation of the manual on the management |strategies aimed at the control and prevention of maternal | |Operational state plans were established in 24 federal entities and |
|World Health Assembly, the World Summits on Social |of pregnancy and delivery complications. Pre-publication |and child morbidity and mortality and at improving the | |the infant mortality rate reduced to 17.7 x 1000 nvr and maternal |
|Development and Children, and other international |version, November 2001; |quality of care in health establishments; introduction of a | |mortality to 60.1 x 100,000 nvr, with the medium and short-term |
|events related to population and women, among others; |Attendance at the meeting on a regional consensus strategy for |system of epidemiological monitoring of maternal and child | |expansion nationwide of neonatal and perinatal services. |
|we found overlapping goals, namely: to reduce the |Latin America and Caribbean for the reduction of maternal |deaths with mandatory weekly notification and investigation | | |
|mortality rate for infants under the age of 1 year; to |mortality over the next decade (2001-2010), PAHO/WHO |of deaths; design and guarantee the implementation of | | |
|reduce by 50% the rate of serious, moderate and acute | |information, education and community communication | | |
|malnutrition among 5-year-olds; provide universal | |components; guarantee the food and nutritional security of | | |
|access to drinking water and sanitary waste disposal; | |the target population; prioritization of social networks and | | |
|ensure that all women feed their children exclusively | |programs; evaluation of state plans; support for financing | | |
|on breast milk for 6 months and continue breast-feeding| |plans. | | |
|them up to the age of two years with the addition of a | |The Ministry is currently integrating into the integral | | |
|safe and properly administered infant food supplement; | |development for vulnerable populations component of its | | |
|and reduce the incidence of infectious/contagious and | |2001-2002 National Plan and Strategic Guideline: a guaranteed| | |
|immuno/preventable diseases in 5-year-old children. | |right to health and social development for vulnerable groups | | |
| | |by removing the determinants of biological, psychological and| | |
|Based on the above and considering that 80% of the | |social risks for the maternal and child population. | | |
|goals of the Summit on Children are related to the | | | | |
|prevention of social and health problems among the | |Timeline: The approach over the next decade is based on the | | |
|maternal and child populations, it was considered | |analysis done over the past 40 years, with the reduction of | | |
|useful to request the inclusion of the following | |maternal and child mortality being identified as a public | | |
|inter-sectoral themes in the poverty, health and | |health priority within the Ministry of Health and Social | | |
|sustainable development agenda, since these are common | |Development’s plans as a policy of State. | | |
|factors of development: | | | | |
| | |Ministry of Health and Social Development, Department of | | |
|Reduce mother and child morbidity and mortality rates; | |Population Health, National Sexual and Reproductive Health | | |
|Increase the indices of maternal breast-feeding; | |Program: | | |
|Sexual and reproductive health in normal situations and| |Implementation of the Plan of Action of the IV International | | |
|situations of disaster. | |Conference on Population and Development (1994); |It is being financed by the |Obstacles: |
| | |Elaboration and partial implementation of the National Plan |Ministry of Health and Social |Approach characterized by an attitude of dependency, a preoccupation |
| | |for Teenage Pregnancy Prevention and Care (1995, 1999); |Development with contributions |with medical aspects and a general fragmentation of programs in the |
| | |Establishment of the National Sexual and Reproductive Health |from PAHO. We are also discussing|area; |
| | |Program, with emphasis on gender and rights (MSDS, 2000) |possible support from UNFPA within|Resistance at the central level to implementation of the program; |
| | |Updating of normative instruments of the teenage program, as |the framework of the country |Predominance of the maternal/child approach. |
| | |contained in the documents, entitled “Guidelines for |program. | |
| | |comprehensive health care for teenagers” and “Programmatic | |Positive results include: |
| | |bases for teenage health and growth”. | |Even though the pace of development is slow, implementation of the |
| | | | |program is under way; |
| | | | |Mainstreaming of sexual and reproductive health into State policy; |
| | | | |Distribution of 6 different types of contraceptives, including |
| | | | |injectable and emergency contraceptives. |
| | | | | |
| | | | |Recommendations: |
| | | | |Place emphasis on guaranteeing sexual and reproductive rights as basic|
| | | | |human rights. |
| | | | | |
| | | | | |
| | | | | |
| | | | | |
| | | | | |
|Timeline: The approach over the next decade is based on|Timeline: The approach over the next decade is based on the |Timeline: Work has already begun but implementation is over | | |
|the analysis done over the past 40 years, with the |analysis done over the past 40 years, with the reduction of |the medium term. | | |
|reduction of maternal and child mortality being |maternal and child mortality being identified as a public | | | |
|identified as a public health priority within the |health priority within the Ministry of Health and Social | | | |
|Ministry of Health and Social Development’s plans as a |Development’s plans as a policy of State. | | | |
|policy of State. | | | | |
Mandate: Develop processes to evaluate the efficacy of alternative health practices and medicinal products to ensure public safety and share this experience and knowledge with other countries in the Americas;
|Actions – Hemispheric Level |Actions – Regional Level |Actions – National Level |Funding |Obstacles and/or Best Practices and/or Special Needs |
| | | | | |
|Timeline: |Timeline: |Timeline: | | |
Communicable Diseases
Mandate: Commit, at the highest level, to combat HIV/AIDS and its consequences, recognizing that this disease is a major threat to the security of our people; in particular seek to increase resources for prevention, education and access to care and treatment as well as research; adopt a multi-sectoral and gender sensitive approach to education, to prevention and to controlling the spread of HIV/AIDS and Sexually Transmitted Diseases (STDs) by developing participatory programs especially with high risk populations, and by fostering partnerships with civil society including the mass media, the business sector and voluntary organizations; promote the use of ongoing horizontal mechanisms of cooperation to secure the safety of blood; increase national access to treatment of HIV/AIDS-related illnesses through measures striving to ensure the provision and affordability of drugs, including reliable distribution and delivery systems and appropriate financing mechanisms consistent with national laws and international agreements acceded to; continue dialogue with the pharmaceutical industry and the private sector in general to encourage the availability of affordable antiretrovirals and other drugs for HIV/AIDS treatment, and promote strategies to facilitate the sharing of drug pricing information including, where appropriate, that available in national data banks; promote and protect the human rights of all persons living with HIV/AIDS, without gender or age discrimination; utilize the June 2001 UN General Assembly Special Session on AIDS as a platform to generate support for hemispheric and national HIV/AIDS programs;
|Actions – Hemispheric Level |Actions – Regional Level |Actions – National Level |Funding |Obstacles and/or Best Practices and/or Special Needs |
|Ministry of Health and Social Development, Department |Ministry of Health and Social Development, Department of |Ministry of Health and Social Development, Department of |Financing has been provided by the|Obstacles: |
|of Population Health, |Population Health, |Population Health, |Government of Venezuela, which has|Outdated HIV-AIDS health equipment, lack of information on the part of|
|National AIDS/SDI Program: Participation in the special|National AIDS/SDI Program: |National AIDS/SDI Program: The budget of the HIV/AIDS Program|increased the budgetary allocation|health personnel about the rights of persons living with HIV/AIDS. |
|session of the United Nations General Assembly; |Assistance to the Regional Headquarters of the Hipolito Unanue |was increased to provide care and treatment for all persons |to the National AIDS Program by | |
|technical support in the preparatory sessions for the |Agreement to improve epidemiological reporting on HIV/AIDS and |requiring it. A national project is being implemented with |some 800% from one billion in 1998|Recommendations and best practices: |
|elaboration of the final document on the Global Fund to|to study strategies for making treatment available at |NGO assistance aimed at AIDS prevention and protection of the|to 50 billion in 2002. |*Retraining of health sector personnel; |
|fight HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria; signing of |affordable prices; |rights of persons living with HIV/AIDS. The program is | |*Protection of human rights of persons living with HIV/AIDS in the |
|commitment by the Minister. |Regional Forum System for Follow-up of the Establishment of the|financed by the Ministry of Health and Social Development. | |community; |
| |AIDS/TBC and Malaria Global Fund. | | |*Commitment by the National Government to the fight against HIV/AIDS; |
| | | | |*Recognition of health a social right in the new Bolivarian |
| | | | |Constitution of Venezuela |
|Timeline: All these projects are already underway and |Timeline: All these projects are already underway and it is now|Timeline: All these projects are already underway and it is | | |
|it is now necessary to maintain and increase budgetary |necessary to maintain and increase budgetary allocations. |now necessary to maintain and increase budgetary allocations.| | |
|allocations. | | | | |
Mandate: Enhance programs at the hemispheric, national and local levels to prevent, control and treat communicable diseases such as tuberculosis, dengue, malaria and Chagas;
|Actions – Hemispheric Level |Actions – Regional Level |Actions – National Level |Funding |Obstacles and/or Best Practices and/or Special Needs |
| | | | | |
|Timeline: |Timeline: |Timeline: | | |
Mandate: Promote healthy childhood development through: prenatal care, expanded immunization programs, control of respiratory and diarrheal diseases by conducting programs such as the Integrated Management of Childhood Illnesses, health education, physical fitness, access to safe and nutritious foods, and the promotion of breast-feeding;
|Actions – Hemispheric Level |Actions – Regional Level |Actions – National Level |Funding |Obstacles and/or Best Practices and/or Special Needs |
| | | | | |
|Timeline: |Timeline: |Timeline: | | |
Non-Communicable Diseases
Mandate: Implement community-based health care, prevention and promotion programs to reduce health risks and non-communicable diseases such as cardiovascular disease and including hypertension, cancer, diabetes, mental illness as well as the impact of violence and accidents on health;
|Actions – Hemispheric Level |Actions – Regional Level |Actions – National Level |Funding |Obstacles and/or Best Practices and/or Special Needs |
|Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, Ministry of Health |Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, Ministry of Health and Social|Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, Ministry of Health and |Training workshops for health and |Obstacles: |
|and Social Development, Department of Population |Development, Department of Population Health, National |Social Development, Department of Population Health, National|education personnel in program |Difficulty in carrying out planned activities due to the limited |
|Health, National Cardiovascular Program: |Cardiovascular Program: |Cardiovascular Program: |implementation; |inter-institutional support provided. Limited financial resources. |
|Participation in management meeting on the Pan-American|Strategic alliances with regional public health coordinators |Development of a program framework for action in the Program |Information and education | |
|Project “Series of Initiatives for the Multifactorial |who have been engaged in community-based activities that have |on Cardiovascular and Diabetes-Related Illnesses and actions |communication campaigns; |Recommendations and best practices: |
|Reduction of Non-Transmissible Diseases”, with a view |been evaluated and proven successful with a view to exchanging |in the area of chronic degenerative and non-transmissible |Travel expenses for monitoring, |Partial implementation of the project in some regions |
|to facilitating the inclusion of Venezuela in the |experiences and requesting support for other regions that have |diseases, including: |follow-up and evaluation of the | |
|international network in order to contribute to the |not yet begun the process; |Restructuring of the national epidemiological information and|process. |Contributing factors: |
|reduction of non-transmissible diseases in the American|Regional health and education agreements that have been |monitoring system for non-transmissible diseases (NTD); | |Greater decision-making autonomy in undertaking activities; |
|continent. |concluded to facilitate program implementation. |Strengthening of elements for the protection and prevention |Sources of financing: |External financial support. |
| |Integration of the program of care for persons suffering from |of risk factors for non-transmissible diseases (NTD) among |Institutional: Regular budget and | |
|Participation in the Latin American Diabetes |kidney-related disorders into the comprehensive adult care |the general population, the school-age population, and the |extrabudgetary resources (Public | |
|Association (ALAD) covering: |program being developed as part of the network of regional |at-risk population; |Health Department (DGSP), Health | |
|Disaster management guidelines; 2. Cost reduction. |out-patient services; |Establishment of clubs as a form of social organization at |Project, Social Unity Fund (FUS). | |
| |Establishment of a health care network for kidney-related |the institutional and community levels; |International: PAHO | |
|Part the Kidney-Related Disorders Program being |disorders within out-patient facilities and the system of |Strengthening of the first level health care system with the | | |
|implemented in collaboration with the Latin American |kidney-related services in regional hospitals. |introduction of the system of comprehensive health care in | | |
|Society of Nephrology and Hypertension and with support| |100% of health establishments, involving: | | |
|from the Pan American Health Organization: | |The training of health personnel providing services in that | | |
|Establishment of the Renal Health Sub-Committee to | |field; | | |
|Advise and Develop the New Model of Renal Health | |The improvement of services to increase their effective | | |
| | |output capacity; | | |
| | |Development of primary rehabilitation programs targeted to | | |
| | |the healthy population and to the at-risk population for | | |
| | |non-transmissible diseases; | | |
| | |Development of secondary rehabilitation programs targeted to | | |
| | |at-risk individuals. | | |
| | | | | |
| | |Symposiums with the participation of: | | |
| | |The Ministry of Education, Culture and Sport on the | | |
| | |comprehensive health education project; | | |
| | |Scientific societies and representatives of governmental and | | |
| | |non-governmental institutions to determine by consensus which| | |
| | |activities are to be carried out in fulfillment of the goals | | |
| | |set; | | |
| | |National public health program coordinators to conclude | | |
| | |agreements on comprehensive health initiatives; | | |
| | |Senior managers of institutions to organize the Strategic | | |
| | |Social Plan 2002-2007, within a multidisciplinary and | | |
| | |intra/inter-institutional framework. | | |
|Timeline: Some regions already have programs in place |Timeline: Some regions already have programs in place for the |Timeline: Six years for the national level. | | |
|for the promotion, prevention and provision of basic |promotion, prevention and provision of basic comprehensive | | | |
|comprehensive health care at the community level (the |health care at the community level (the states of Monagas, | | | |
|states of Monagas, Lara, Cojedes, Barinas, Yaracuy and |Lara, Cojedes, Barinas, Yaracuy and Miranda) | | | |
|Miranda) | | | | |
Mandate: Participate actively in the negotiation of a proposed Framework Convention on Tobacco Control; develop and adopt policies and programs to reduce the consumption of tobacco products, especially as it affects children; share best practices and lessons learned in the development of programs designed to raise public awareness, particularly for adolescents, about the health risks associated with tobacco, alcohol and drugs;
|Actions – Hemispheric Level |Actions – Regional Level |Actions – National Level |Funding |Obstacles and/or Best Practices and/or Special Needs |
| | | | | |
|Timeline: |Timeline: |Timeline: | | |
Connectivity
Mandate: Provide sound, scientific and technical information to health workers and the public, utilizing innovations such as the Virtual Health Library of the Americas; encourage the use of tele-health as a means to connect remote populations and to provide health services and information to under-served groups, as a complement to the provision of existing health care services;
|Actions – Hemispheric Level |Actions – Regional Level |Actions – National Level |Funding |Obstacles and/or Best Practices and/or Special Needs |
| |Ministry of Health and Social Development, Office of |Ministry of Health and Social Development, Office of | |A CD is attached containing the progress made by the Office of |
| |Information and Communication Technologies: |Information and Communication Technologies: | |Information and Communication Technologies (OTIC/MSDS) |
| |Strengthen the information system platform by providing access |Interconnection of MSDS data networks: central level, member | | |
| |to disaggregated data for departments, districts, |organizations: SUMED-SEFAR, Department of Health Engineering,| | |
| |municipalities, parishes and/or establishments (out-patient); |14 Regional Health and Social Development Departments in the | | |
| |Permit regional departments to evaluate their coverage and |states of: Anzoátegui, Aragua, Bolívar, Carabobo, Falcón, | | |
| |yield based on the supply of services and the demand for them; |Mérida, Monagas, Sucre, Táchira, Trujillo, Yaracuy and Zulia.| | |
| |Supply of planning tools to exploit, monitor and follow-up |Provide the technological resources to facilitate integration| | |
| |activities and epidemiological situations of each |of activities conducted by all MSDS personnel; | | |
| |establishment; |Facilitate the process of obtaining information required by | | |
| |Weekly updating of data through the RAS and electronic mail |decision-making personnel to ensure timely and correct | | |
| |providing data broken down by parish or establishment. |evaluation and monitoring of social programs; | | |
| | |Effective consolidation and integration of information | | |
| |Ministry of Health and Social Development, Office of |disseminated in this ministry and its various units and used | | |
| |Information and Communication Technologies: |as an input of SISMAI; | | |
| |Promotion and strengthening of the process of |Expand the store of information of the Ministry of Health and| | |
| |interconnectivity; |Social Development and facilitate the gradual automation of | | |
| |Development of a joint plan for elaboration of a standard |the processes carried out by this institution. | | |
| |connectivity platform based on the study of the existing | | | |
| |platform (inventory of hardware and software). |Ministry of Health and Social Development, Office of | | |
| | |Information and Communication Technologies: | | |
| | |SISMAI (Health Information System for the Comprehensive | | |
| | |Healthcare Model) | | |
| | |Development, training, implementation and support for a | | |
| | |Health Information System for the Comprehensive Healthcare | | |
| | |Model (SISMAI); | | |
| | |Implementation of SISMAI improves the quality of reporting | | |
| | |and control services at the epidemiological and health | | |
| | |program levels by strengthening the formal structure of the | | |
| | |country with the addition of a versatile and unique tool for | | |
| | |follow-up of national epidemiological and health service | | |
| | |conditions; | | |
| | |Based on service planning and through SISMAI, it is possible | | |
| | |to monitor efficiency, coverage and user access to the | | |
| | |services provided; | | |
| | |Weekly up-dating of data through the RAS and electronic mail | | |
| | |including data from states; | | |
| | | | | |
| | |Ministry of Health and Social Development, Office of | | |
| | |Information and Communication Technologies: | | |
| | |Establishment by ministerial decision dated 31 January 2002 | | |
| | |of the National Council on Health Information Technologies | | |
| | |(CONATIS); | | |
| | |The creation of CONATIS is an attempt to strengthen inter- | | |
| | |and intra-institutional relations with regional health | | |
| | |departments and departments of member organizations as well | | |
| | |as to create a framework of reference to facilitate the | | |
| | |integration of all health sector technology users and thus | | |
| | |the duscussion, creation and promotion of policies for the | | |
| | |standardization and development of technologies that are | | |
| | |consistent with the lead role of the MSDS; | | |
| | |Organization of regular national meetings to measure the | | |
| | |progress of working groups with a view to evaluating the | | |
| | |feasibility of the various processes and the impact of the | | |
| | |process of connectivity on each of them. | | |
| | | | | |
| | |Ministry of Health and Social Development, Office of | | |
| | |Information and Communication Technologies: | | |
| | |Training Plan in technological tools 2001 | | |
| | |Phase 1 – end-user training: | | |
| | |Windows 2000 Professional operating system: 400 persons: | | |
| | |Office 2000 Professional: 400 persons; | | |
| | |Internet navigation: 400 persons | | |
| | |Messaging and collaboration in notes R5: 400 persons | | |
| | |Project management and control: 100 persons. | | |
| | |Production of content: 20 persons. | | |
| | | | | |
| | |Phase II – Training of technical personnel: | | |
| | | | | |
| | |Administration of Windows 2000 platform; | | |
| | |Administration of Unix platform | | |
| | |Administration of Lotus platform | | |
| | |Administration of ORACLE database | | |
|Timeline: |Timeline: |Timeline: | | |
15. Gender Equality
Mandate: Endorse the Inter-American Program on the Promotion of Women's Human Rights and Gender Equity and Equality approved at the First Meeting of Ministers or of the Highest Ranking Authorities Responsible for the Advancement of Women, held in April 2000, by the CIM; endorse as well the Regional Programme of Action for the Women in Latin America and the Caribbean 1995-2000 and the further actions and initiatives adopted at the Twenty-Third Special Session of the UN General Assembly (Beijing +5) to implement the Beijing Declaration and its Platform for Action; and integrate a gender perspective into the programs, actions and agendas of national and international events, to ensure that women's experiences and gender equality are an integral dimension of the design, implementation and evaluation of government and inter-American policies and programs in all spheres;
|Actions – Hemispheric Level |Actions – Regional Level |Actions – National Level |Funding |Obstacles and/or Best Practices and/or Special Needs |
| | | | | |
|Timeline: |Timeline: |Timeline: | | |
Mandate: Strengthen national machineries and other government bodies responsible for the advancement of women and for the promotion and protection of the human rights of women; provide them with the necessary human and financial resources, including through exploring innovative funding schemes so that gender is integrated into all policies, programs and projects; and support both the fundamental role that women's organizations have played and will continue to play in advancing gender equality and the joint efforts between governments and the private sector which contribute to respect and understanding of the human rights of women;
|Actions – Hemispheric Level |Actions – Regional Level |Actions – National Level |Funding |Obstacles and/or Best Practices and/or Special Needs |
|Our delegates at the Third Plenary Session of the CIM, | |National Institute for Women (Inamujer): |4 billion bolívares are provided |Obstacles: |
|held on 16 November 2000, supported the resolution | |Contributions to the Social Security Act for the inclusion of|by the Ministry of Health and |The main obstacle we are encountering is that, the provisions of the |
|approved to urge all Principal Delegates to that agency| |housewives as beneficiaries of the Social Security System. |Social Development (MSDS) for the |National Constitution notwithstanding, a gender perspective has still |
|to continue their efforts to implement the objectives | |Programs to disseminate information on the rights of women: |implementation of our policies. |not been incorporated in the design of public policy in all agencies |
|of the Inter-American Program on the Promotion of Human| |publication of the Bolivarian Constitution of Venezuela and | |of the Venezuelan State. |
|Rights for Women and Gender Equity and Equality and to | |the Equal Opportunity Act. | | |
|present reports containing measures adopted to attain | |The National Institute of Women compiled proposals from the | |Recommendations and best practices: |
|those goals as well as the results obtained from their | |Venezuelan Women's Movement as part of the Constitutional | |We urge all OAS member states to incorporate a gender perspective and |
|application. | |process. Thanks to this effort, the Constitution of 1999 is | |nonsexist language in their constitutions, as Venezuela has done. We |
| | |characterized by a gender perspective and the use of | |appeal to the governments of the member states to express an open |
| | |nonsexist language. | |willingness to implement a gender perspective in public policy, as the|
| | |The preparation of draft legislation on responsible paternity| |Venezuelan government has done. We also wish to stress the need to |
| | |and stable domestic partnership. | |train public officials to internalize a gender perspective in their |
| | | | |work. |
|Timeline: Ongoing |Timeline: |Timeline: Ongoing | | |
Mandate: Promote gender equity and equality and women's human rights by strengthening and fostering women's full and equal participation in political life in their countries and in decision-making at all levels;
|Actions – Hemispheric Level |Actions – Regional Level |Actions – National Level |Funding |Obstacles and/or Best Practices and/or Special Needs |
| | | | | |
|Timeline: |Timeline: |Timeline: | | |
Mandate: Reinforce the role of the CIM as the technical advisor to the Summit Implementation Review Group (SIRG) on all aspects of gender equity and equality and recognize the importance of the CIM in follow-up to relevant Summit recommendations; provide for an appropriate level of resources to the CIM to carry out its role as the principal hemispheric policy-generating forum for the advancement of the human rights of women and particularly of gender equality; promote the support and participation of the IDB, the World Bank and ECLAC in the implementation of and follow-up to this Plan of Action;
|Actions – Hemispheric Level |Actions – Regional Level |Actions – National Level |Funding |Obstacles and/or Best Practices and/or Special Needs |
| | | | | |
|Timeline: |Timeline: |Timeline: | | |
Mandate: Promote the use of information and communications technologies as a mechanism to address inequalities between men and women and ensure women's equality of access to these new technologies and to the requisite training; to this end, ensure that government connectivity programs and programming at local, national and regional levels, integrate a gender perspective representative of the diversity of women within various groups, including indigenous peoples and rural and ethnic minorities;
|Actions – Hemispheric Level |Actions – Regional Level |Actions – National Level |Funding |Obstacles and/or Best Practices and/or Special Needs |
| | | | | |
|Timeline: |Timeline: |Timeline: | | |
Mandate: Strengthen systems for collecting and processing statistical data disaggregated by sex, and adopt the use of gender indicators that will contribute to a baseline analysis of the status of women and to the implementation of public policies at the national and regional levels, and that make it possible to improve the monitoring and assessment of regional and international agreements;
|Actions – Hemispheric Level |Actions – Regional Level |Actions – National Level |Funding |Obstacles and/or Best Practices and/or Special Needs |
| | | | | |
|Timeline: |Timeline: |Timeline: | | |
16. Indigenous Peoples
Mandate: Make their best efforts, in accordance with national legislation, to encourage donor agencies, the private sector, other governments, regional and international organizations as well as MDBs to support hemispheric and national conferences in order to exchange experiences among indigenous peoples and their organizations in implementing activities to promote their sustainable cultural, economic and social development, and in such other areas as may be identified by indigenous peoples;
|Actions – Hemispheric Level |Actions – Regional Level |Actions – National Level |Funding |Obstacles and/or Best Practices and/or Special Needs |
| | | | | |
|Timeline: |Timeline: |Timeline: | | |
Mandate: Acknowledge the value that the world views, uses, customs and traditions of indigenous peoples can make to policies and programs related to the management of lands and natural resources, sustainable development and biodiversity; on this basis, develop corresponding strategies and methods to consider and respect indigenous peoples' cultural practices and protect their traditional knowledge in accordance with the principles and objectives of the Convention on Biological Diversity;
|Actions – Hemispheric Level |Actions – Regional Level |Actions – National Level |Funding |Obstacles and/or Best Practices and/or Special Needs |
| | | | | |
|Timeline: |Timeline: |Timeline: | | |
Mandate: Increase the availability and accessibility of educational services in consultation with indigenous peoples, especially women, children and youth, in accordance with their values, customs, traditions and organizational structures, by promoting linguistic and cultural diversity in education and training programs for indigenous communities; promote national and regional strategies for indigenous women, children and youth; similarly, encourage international exchange programs and public and private sector internships in order to promote equal opportunity, raise the average school-leaving age, maximize individual and collective achievement, and promote lifelong learning for all indigenous people;
|Actions – Hemispheric Level |Actions – Regional Level |Actions – National Level |Funding |Obstacles and/or Best Practices and/or Special Needs |
| | | | | |
|Timeline: |Timeline: |Timeline: | | |
Mandate: Promote and accommodate, as appropriate, the particular cultural, linguistic and developmental needs of indigenous peoples, in urban and rural contexts, into the development and implementation of educational initiatives and strategies, with special attention to building institutional capacity, connectivity and linkages, including through national focal points, with other indigenous peoples of the Hemisphere;
|Actions – Hemispheric Level |Actions – Regional Level |Actions – National Level |Funding |Obstacles and/or Best Practices and/or Special Needs |
| | | | | |
|Timeline: |Timeline: |Timeline: | | |
Mandate: Promote and enhance, in all sectors of society, and especially in the area of education, the understanding of the contribution made by indigenous peoples in shaping the national identity of the countries in which they live;
|Actions – Hemispheric Level |Actions – Regional Level |Actions – National Level |Funding |Obstacles and/or Best Practices and/or Special Needs |
| | | | | |
|Timeline: |Timeline: |Timeline: | | |
Mandate: Develop strategies, measures, and mechanisms aimed at ensuring the effective participation of indigenous peoples in the design, implementation and evaluation of comprehensive health plans, policies, systems and programs that recognize the value of developing holistic communities that take into consideration cultural, economic and social realities and circumstances;
|Actions – Hemispheric Level |Actions – Regional Level |Actions – National Level |Funding |Obstacles and/or Best Practices and/or Special Needs |
| | | | | |
|Timeline: |Timeline: |Timeline: | | |
Mandate: Support the Health of Indigenous Peoples Initiative, promoted by PAHO, in assisting states and in consultation with indigenous peoples, to formulate integrated public policies and health systems that foster the health of indigenous peoples, in designing and implementing inter-cultural frameworks and models of care specifically aimed at addressing the health needs and priorities of these peoples, and in improving information collection, analysis and dissemination on the health and social conditions of these peoples, with particular emphasis on children;
|Actions – Hemispheric Level |Actions – Regional Level |Actions – National Level |Funding |Obstacles and/or Best Practices and/or Special Needs |
| | | | | |
|Timeline: |Timeline: |Timeline: | | |
Mandate: Reduce the digital, communications and information gaps between the national average and indigenous peoples and communities, through relevant connectivity and communications programs and projects that provide services in the fields of political, economic and social development, including the use of indigenous peoples information networks;
|Actions – Hemispheric Level |Actions – Regional Level |Actions – National Level |Funding |Obstacles and/or Best Practices and/or Special Needs |
| | | | | |
|Timeline: |Timeline: |Timeline: | | |
Mandate: Promote the collection and publication of national statistics to generate information on the ethnic composition and socio-economic characteristics of indigenous populations in order to define and evaluate the most appropriate policies to address needs;
|Actions – Hemispheric Level |Actions – Regional Level |Actions – National Level |Funding |Obstacles and/or Best Practices and/or Special Needs |
| | | | | |
|Timeline: |Timeline: |Timeline: | | |
Mandate: Support the process of reform of the Inter-American Indian Institute, based on extensive consultations among states and indigenous peoples of the Hemisphere, and further develop processes to ensure broad and full participation of indigenous peoples throughout the inter-American system, including in the discussions on the Proposed American Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples;
|Actions – Hemispheric Level |Actions – Regional Level |Actions – National Level |Funding |Obstacles and/or Best Practices and/or Special Needs |
| | | | | |
|Timeline: |Timeline: |Timeline: | | |
17. Cultural Diversity
Mandate: Enhance partnerships and exchanges of information, including through the use of information and communications technologies, by holding a series of seminars among experts, government officials and representatives of civil society on the importance of the linguistic and cultural diversity of the Hemisphere to promote a better acceptance, understanding, appreciation and respect among the peoples of the region;
|Actions – Hemispheric Level |Actions – Regional Level |Actions – National Level |Funding |Obstacles and/or Best Practices and/or Special Needs |
| | | | | |
|Timeline: |Timeline: |Timeline: | | |
Mandate: Encourage the convocation of a meeting at the ministerial or highest appropriate level, with the support of the CIDI, to discuss cultural diversity with a view to deepening hemispheric cooperation on this issue;
|Actions – Hemispheric Level |Actions – Regional Level |Actions – National Level |Funding |Obstacles and/or Best Practices and/or Special Needs |
| | | | | |
|Timeline: |Timeline: |Timeline: | | |
Mandate: Create an environment to foster awareness and understanding of cultural and linguistic diversity of countries in the Americas, through a variety of means, including the use of new communications technologies as well as the Internet; support, by means of broad collaboration, new media projects which promote inter-cultural dialogue through the production and distribution of cultural products created for television, film, the recording industry, the publishing industry and the electronic media; enrich the diversity of cultural content of these industries, inter alia through the preservation and restoration of cultural property and through the return of illegally acquired cultural property in accordance with our international obligations;
|Actions – Hemispheric Level |Actions – Regional Level |Actions – National Level |Funding |Obstacles and/or Best Practices and/or Special Needs |
| | | | | |
|Timeline: |Timeline: |Timeline: | | |
Mandate: Promote social cohesion, mutual respect and development by:
• recognizing the contribution of physical education and fair, drug-free sport; and
• supporting initiatives which: preserve and enhance traditional and indigenous sport, strengthen the role of women in sport, and increase opportunities for children and youth, persons with disabilities and minorities to participate in and benefit from sport and other physical activities;
|Actions – Hemispheric Level |Actions – Regional Level |Actions – National Level |Funding |Obstacles and/or Best Practices and/or Special Needs |
| | | | | |
|Timeline: |Timeline: |Timeline: | | |
Mandate: Commit to active cooperation among diverse institutions, at both the national and international levels, to eradicate the illicit traffic in cultural property further to the 1970 United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) Convention on the Means of Prohibiting and Preventing the Illicit Import, Export and Transfer of Ownership of Cultural Property; also, promote joint action with civil society organizations to implement and support policies, plans and programs that will strengthen and promote research, recovery, study, conservation, maintenance, restoration, access to and appreciation of cultural heritage and cultural property through proper care, preservation and use;
|Actions – Hemispheric Level |Actions – Regional Level |Actions – National Level |Funding |Obstacles and/or Best Practices and/or Special Needs |
| | | | | |
|Timeline: |Timeline: |Timeline: | | |
18. Children and Youth
Mandate: Implement and support the commitments contained in the Agenda for War-Affected Children agreed to by 132 states at the International Conference on War-Affected Children held in Winnipeg, Canada, in September 2000, including fostering the active participation of children and adolescents in policy, dialogue and programming for children and adolescents affected by armed conflict and also encouraging the establishment of a network for them; consider additional ways to monitor, report on and advocate the protection, rights and welfare of children affected by armed conflict in the Hemisphere in conjunction with the IACHR's Rapporteur for Children's Rights;
|Actions – Hemispheric Level |Actions – Regional Level |Actions – National Level |Funding |Obstacles and/or Best Practices and/or Special Needs |
| | | | | |
|Timeline: |Timeline: |Timeline: | | |
Mandate: Promote actions to establish, strengthen and implement public policies to ensure the well-being and integral development of children and adolescents, and promote the convening of conferences, seminars and other national or multilateral activities dedicated to children and adolescents, especially throughout 2001 in the context of the Inter-American Year of the Child and the Adolescent;
|Actions – Hemispheric Level |Actions – Regional Level |Actions – National Level |Funding |Obstacles and/or Best Practices and/or Special Needs |
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Mandate: Ensure that every child in conflict with the law is treated in a manner consistent with his/her best interests, in accordance with our obligations under the Convention on the Rights of the Child and other relevant international human rights instruments, including the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights; bear in mind the United Nations Standard Minimum Rules for the Administration of Juvenile Justice; and provide training opportunities, as appropriate, including gender-sensitivity and human rights instruction, to those involved in the administration of justice;
|Actions – Hemispheric Level |Actions – Regional Level |Actions – National Level |Funding |Obstacles and/or Best Practices and/or Special Needs |
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Mandate: Identify, share and promote best practices and approaches, particularly community-based approaches aimed at supporting families, meeting the needs of children and adolescents at risk and protecting them from physical or mental abuse, injury or violence, discrimination, neglect, maltreatment, and exploitation, including sexual abuse, commercial exploitation and the worst forms of child labor as expressed in ILO Convention 182; in accordance with national legislation, develop national policies and models for rehabilitation or judicial systems for minors, incorporating initiatives for crime prevention, safeguarding the due process of law, and allowing access to institutions and programs for rehabilitation and reintegration of child and adolescent offenders into society and their families;
|Actions – Hemispheric Level |Actions – Regional Level |Actions – National Level |Funding |Obstacles and/or Best Practices and/or Special Needs |
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Mandate: Endorse and seek cooperative means to advance the recommendations contained in the Kingston Consensus of the Fifth Ministerial Meeting on Children and Social Policy, held in Jamaica in October 2000, which represents the region's contribution to the UN Special Session for Children to be held in September 2001;
|Actions – Hemispheric Level |Actions – Regional Level |Actions – National Level |Funding |Obstacles and/or Best Practices and/or Special Needs |
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Mandate: Encourage cooperation to reduce cases of international abduction of children by one of their parents; consider signing and ratifying, ratifying, or acceding to, as soon as possible and as the case may be, The Hague Convention of 25 October 1980 on Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction, The Hague Convention of 29 May 1993 on Protection of Children and Co-operation in respect of Inter-country Adoption, and the 1989 Inter-American Convention on the International Return of Children; and comply with their obligations under these Conventions in order to prevent and remedy cases of international parental child abduction;
|Actions – Hemispheric Level |Actions – Regional Level |Actions – National Level |Funding |Obstacles and/or Best Practices and/or Special Needs |
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Mandate: In order to protect and promote children's rights, develop and implement inter-sectoral policies and programs, which may include the promotion of civil registration of all children, and allocate appropriate resources to undertake these tasks; establish and support cooperation amongst states as well as with civil society and young people to ensure effective implementation and monitoring of children's rights, including country-appropriate indicators of the health, development, and well-being of children, and through sharing best practices on reporting through national reports by States Parties to the Convention on the Rights of the Child;
|Actions – Hemispheric Level |Actions – Regional Level |Actions – National Level |Funding |Obstacles and/or Best Practices and/or Special Needs |
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|Timeline: |Timeline: |Timeline: | | |
Mandate: Promote consultation, participation and representation of young people in all matters affecting them by providing access to reliable information and opportunities for them to express their views and contribute to discussions in local, national, regional and international fora and events;
|Actions – Hemispheric Level |Actions – Regional Level |Actions – National Level |Funding |Obstacles and/or Best Practices and/or Special Needs |
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Mandate: Reinforce the role of PAHO, the IACI, and the IACHR as technical advisors to the SIRG, on all aspects of children's issues, and recognize the importance of these institutions in follow-up of relevant Summit recommendations.
|Actions – Hemispheric Level |Actions – Regional Level |Actions – National Level |Funding |Obstacles and/or Best Practices and/or Special Needs |
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19. Connectivity
Mandate: Support implementation of "Connecting the Americas" (Statement on Connectivity) by promoting partnerships, knowledge sharing and capacity building to help identify, adapt and implement the innovative application of ICTs in the Americas. The ICA mandate is to help support the development of domestic and regional connectivity strategies; adapt and implement proven models; and promote the exchange of information and expertise.
|Actions – Hemispheric Level |Actions – Regional Level |Actions – National Level |Funding |Obstacles and/or Best Practices and/or Special Needs |
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