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Recommendations Adopted by the Plenary Assembly Based Source: http://www.e-fipa.org/Plenaries/Ottawa2009/Ottawa_en_docs.html. Recommendations from the Working Group on the Financial and Economic Crisis 1. That countries in the Americas should make every effort to promote economic integration and cooperation across the region. This integration should include increased cooperation in trade, infrastructure development, innovation and technology, and financial services regulation. 2. That FIPA member countries should explore the possibility of harmonizing legislation concerning investment rules, conditions, and transparency across the hemisphere to ensure sustainable development and to ensure that the benefits of investment are shared by all. No country should fail to attract foreign direct investment because investment rules are more lax elsewhere. 3. That FIPA member countries should make every effort to work together towards a satisfactory conclusion to the ongoing Doha Development Round of multilateral trade negotiations at the World Trade Organization (WTO). At the same time member countries should work to strengthen trade within the region, and to eliminate tariffs and protectionist measures across the Americas. 4. That FIPA member countries should ensure that they act in a fiscally responsible manner. In the short term, temporary deficit spending can be an appropriate countercyclical policy response to economic downturns. However, based on their past experience, countries in the Americas should avoid returning to the practice of persistent annual deficits over the long term. 5. That the countercyclical policies implemented by countries in the Americas should aim to preserve salaries and employment across the region, respecting national laws while also promoting international standards for working conditions such as those contained in the conventions of the ILO. 6. That, given the importance of a strong central bank in building trust in financial markets, FIPA member countries should work to preserve the autonomy of their central banks and federal reserve agencies. 7. That FIPA member countries should be encouraged to review their legislation in an effort to strengthen institutions dealing with control and oversight of financial institutions and their products, as well as rating agencies, to avoid speculative measures, conflicts of interest and lack of transparency in decision making in capital markets. 8. That FIPA member countries should implement public policies to encourage, as part of public‐private alliances, the activation or creation of productive units that will create formal employment in a manner that promotes sustainable development. At the same time, FIPA countries should also promote policies, incentives and programs that will result in the greatest possible development of small and micro enterprises, ensuring their participation and competitiveness in internal and external markets. Recommendations from the Working Group on Food Security 1. Childhood malnutrition can have negative long‐term effects on the future development of countries. Therefore, it is recommended that greater emphasis be put on food and nutritional education programs when food aid is delivered. 2. It is imperative that the cycle of malnutrition‐hunger‐poverty be broken; food aid alone is not sufficient, and nor is it sustainable. Therefore, it is recommended that programs aimed at building capacity and creating economic opportunities for the population ‐ both individually and collectively ‐ be increasingly considered by countries that deliver food assistance. Furthermore, the purchase of local food should be promoted when food aid is delivered. 3. Food security is a complex issue which includes many factors – notably socioeconomic and cultural aspects – that require a specific and common approach. Therefore, it is recommended that a cross‐sectoral approach, based on institutional efforts to coordinate the different efforts that affect food and nutritional security, be at the centre of public policies. 4. Access to safe water, like access to safe food, should become a human right. Therefore, it is recommended that the provision of safe water be promoted. It is also recommended that minimum food safety standards be put in place, provided they do not become an undue burden for producers. 5. Governments and Parliaments have a role to play, notably by approving adequate budgets for food programs. Therefore, it is recommended that FIPA Member Parliaments establish adequate institutional frameworks, strengthen the structure of their public agencies and set short, medium and long‐term goals aimed at delivering sustainable support programs, including farm credit and crop insurance. 6. Furthermore, the Inter‐Parliamentary Forum of the Americas (FIPA) should seek the promotion and establishment of a Parliamentary Front against Hunger in each Member Parliament, which is needed to advance a development and food security policy that is both sustainable and equitable for all. 7. Action, by both governments and Parliaments, is one element of the solution; small and young farmers are also important stakeholders, and are part of the strategy to fight hunger and poverty. Therefore, it is recommended that initiatives which would empower young and small farmers as well as family farmers should always be part of governments’ strategies and programs; these measures should include extension services, adaptation, technology and innovation, with a focus on the education of rural young farmers and their families. 8. Furthermore, empowering farmers also results in a better relationship with local markets. Therefore, it is recommended that efforts be pursued by various agencies and governments involved in economic development. These efforts include the development of local co‐ops and farmer associations through local and/or regional agricultural processing designed to enable producers to participate in the value chain. 9. The right to food is an important but not always well‐understood concept despite wide acceptance of the notion as a basic human right. Therefore it is recommended that this concept be explained better to all populations and include relevant concepts and information prepared by such groups as the Food and Agriculture Organization. In ensuring the right to safe food, it is important to recognize the impacts of climate change on agricultural production, the need for sustainable food production and the requirement to use scarce water resources responsibly. 10. Trade remains an important component of economic development. It is recommended that the World Trade Organization objectives of reducing trade barriers and increasing market access be the main focus of all countries. 11. There is evidence of a significant relationship among political unrest, food prices and food security. Similarly, there is evidence of a link between the current energy crisis and the current competition for land and water. As a result, it is recommended that food security at the country and regional levels be assured and that fair competition in the development of bio‐fuel, based on “basic grains,” be pursued. Furthermore, it is recommended that investment in research and development and in second‐generation bio‐fuels be pursued. 12. Reduced market volatility could be achieved by a humanitarian minimum reserve and by safeguard mechanisms to minimize speculative behaviour affecting various markets. In order to prevent excessive speculation, it is recommended that stronger regulatory mechanisms be implemented by all countries. 13. There is a need to improve and increase access, by the operators of small and medium-sized farms, to appropriate price information about their commodities. Therefore, it is recommended that countries find ways to improve their agricultural product price systems and increase their access to market information through the use of information and communication technologies, such as cellular phones. 14. It is recommended that the FIPA work with member Parliaments to ensure that all technical cooperation and available resources are used better, including horizontal collaboration among the countries of the Americas. Recommendations from the Working Group on International Migrations and Human Rights 1. That FIPA member parliaments promote greater dialogue with the executive branches of their States with the aim of harmonizing the legislation with a comprehensive public immigration policy characterized by being dignified, legal, orderly, safe and respectful of human rights. 2. That FIPA member parliaments strengthen political dialogue among legislative branches to determine the specific realities and needs of each region, and to seek proposals for joint solutions between countries of origin, transit and destination that promote flows that are dignified, legal, orderly, safe and respectful of human rights. 3. That FIPA member parliaments promote actions that: a. Combat human trafficking; b. Promote peace and reduce violence in border regions; c. Condemn and prevent xenophobia and discrimination against migrants; d. Establish minimum standards for the protection and health of migrants in detention and the deportation of migrants, and ensure family unity, consular protection and due process; e. Strengthen the integration of migrants into host communities; f. Call upon all countries in the international system to sign, accede to and comply with treaties on human rights and human mobility. 4. That FIPA member parliaments, through FIPA, request that the Inter‐American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) and the International Organization for Migration (IOM) support the legislative branches of the region in organizing activities to promote the existing legal instruments on human rights and migration. 5. That FIPA member parliaments organize, through FIPA and with support from the International Organization for Migration (IOM), regional training workshops on the issue of human trafficking in order to promote best practices and legislation against it. Recommendations from the Fifth Meeting of the Group of Women Parliamentarians 1. That legislative measures be implemented to ensure equal representation of men and women in the Parliaments of the Americas. 2. That women parliamentarians in the Americas participate fully in the legislative process, moving beyond social and educational issues to deal with matters involving the economy, defence, security, etc. 3. That the Parliaments of the Americas work together to ensure that persons who commit crimes such as rape, sexual abuse, criminal acts of family violence, etc., face sanctions when they cross borders. 4. That women parliamentarians take responsibility for ensuring the participation of women in their regions, and for establishing solidarity networks. 5. Recognizing the importance of the congress of parliamentarians “Towards a Gender‐Sensitive Legislative Agenda for Development in the Americas,” held by the Group of Women Parliamentarians of the Americas in Bogotá, Colombia on November 20‐21, 2008, the Plenary Assembly: a) Endorses the recommendation adopted by parliamentarians gathered at the congress “Towards a Gender‐Sensitive Legislative Agenda for Development in the Americas” annexed to the present recommendation; and b) Encourages FIPA Member Parliaments to report on progress made in the implementation of these recommendations at the next Plenary Meeting of FIPA.
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