From summit to summit.

• Author: Foxley, Alejandro
• Position: Evaluating OAS summit meetings - Inter-American System

What is the Summit of the Americas? Why convoke it? Above all else, the Summit is a time for the leaders of the community of American nations to get together on the basis of certain common principles. In the midst of this encounter, leaders have cast aside old misgivings, overcome suspicions, and strengthened points of agreement.

Since the first Summit of the Americas was held in Miami in 1994, the governments of the region have expanded previously existing accords and embarked on a series of initiatives to combat corruption, terrorism, narcotics trafficking, and money laundering; they have adopted confidence-building measures to increase mutual security; and in relation to trade and economic integration, they have drafted several technical and political agreements, launching negotiations to create the Free Trade Area of the Americas by 2005.

Since the fall of the Berlin Wall, the countries of the Americas have been in the process of restructuring their international relations and giving top priority to multilateral approaches. The agreements contained in the Action Plan of the first Summit of the Americas have contributed, in varying degrees, to significant changes in the political framework of the Hemisphere. The region's governments have been working jointly, putting on the negotiating table a range of issues that demonstrate their willingness to settle important affairs in peoples' lives.

We are experiencing a time of less ideological controversy, which affects the substance of national as well as international political agendas. Negotiations are made easier and political agreements can be more meaningful. Furthermore, the complex range of challenges that we face is now more evident, making it possible to address problems in a comprehensive and realistic fashion. In this context, we are coming to understand that our work is gradual and accomplished by degrees.

Fired by this new multilateralist energy in the Hemisphere, the OAS has initiated a process of reforming its own agenda, modernizing its management structures, and responding more efficiently to the needs of its members states. The member states have amended OAS legal documents so that they better support the work of promoting and strengthening democracy and have tailored the framework for cooperation to the current demands of social development in our countries. These endeavors have been complemented by the secretary general's suggestions for reforming the agenda of the...