ParlAmericas held its 31st Meeting of
the Board of Directors in the city of Paramaribo, Suriname. Participants expressed
gratitude to the host, Ms. Jennifer Simons, Speaker of the National Assembly of
Suriname, for the hospitality shown to them in Paramaribo. Mr. Randy Hoback,
M.P. led a delegation representing the Canadian Section of ParlAmericas, which
also included the Hon. Michael L. MacDonald, accompanied by Mrs. Guyanne L.
Desforges, Association Secretary to the Canadian Section. Mr. Hoback attended the
meeting in his capacity as President of ParlAmericas, and Senator MacDonald
attended as the Canadian representative on the Board of Directors. The main
objectives of the meeting were to hear about progress on preparations for the 10th
ParlAmericas Plenary Assembly to be held in Costa Rica, to receive various
updates from Board members and Secretariat staff, to approve a long term
funding strategy for the organization, and to finalize the drafting of the new
regulations being prepared for ParlAmericas. Immediately following this
meeting, the Group of Women Parliamentarians (GofWP) held their annual
Gathering, to which all Board members were invited.
1. Meeting Opening (See
Appendix A for a complete list of participants)
Mr. Randy Hoback, President and Chair of the
meeting, opened the session. He welcomed the meeting participants and thanked
Ms. Jennifer Simons, for her warm welcome, her support and for hosting this
ParlAmericas meeting. Ms. Simons, Speaker of the National Assembly of Suriname,
is attending the Board Meeting as the Acting President of the Group of Women
Parliamentarians, since Ms. Linda Machuca was unable to participate. Ms. Simons
was therefore hosting the Group of Women Parliamentarians Gathering immediately
following this two-day meeting.
Speaker Simons welcomed Board members to Suriname,
and wished everyone a successful meeting and a good stay in her country. Mr.
Hoback then introduced all those who were present, and gave the regrets of those
who could not be in attendance.
a)Adoption of the Agenda
Mr. Hoback invited members to consider the draft
meeting agenda. The Board of Directors members agreed with the proposal, and
the agenda was adopted.
b)Approval of the Report of the 30th Board of
Directors Meeting
The meeting proceeded with the consideration of
the report of the 30th ParlAmericas Board of Directors meeting, held in Medellin, Colombia,
on February 21-22, 2013.
2. President’s Report
Mr. Hoback referred to his written report as he
updated Board of Directors members on his activities since the last meeting in
February 2013. He mentioned the ongoing conversations he is having with members
regarding participation in ParlAmericas.
3. Update on Recent Activities of Board of Directors
Members
Mr. Alberto Grillon (Paraguay) reported on his
attendance at the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) General Assembly in Quito,
Ecuador in March. He stated that there were over one thousand parliamentarians
in attendance.
Ms. Ruiz informed the members of the Arms Trade
Treaty recently adopted by the United Nations, noting that 154 countries
were in favor of the Resolution to adopt the Treaty.
She proposed that ParlAmericas use its forum to
support the Treaty, in line with the work of the organization to date on
security issues. It was agreed that the proposal be translated and circulated
to the Board and a recommendation would be presented at the Plenary Assembly in
August.
4. Update from Group of Women Parliamentarians
Gathering
Ms. Simons reported that she spoke with many
Caribbean countries at the IPU General Assembly in Quito to mobilize their
participation for the upcoming Women’s Gathering. She reported that at her last
count, there were some 60 participants registered from 22 countries. Speaker
Simons reminded members of the theme chosen: “Women in Power: Recent Changes
in the Political Arena”.
5. International Secretariat Report
Ms. Gina Hill, Director General of ParlAmericas
introduced Ms. Katie Hermon, who has joined ParlAmericas as the consultant to
the Group of Women Parliamentarians (GofWP). Ms. Hill made reference to the
activities report circulated to the Board members, and highlighted the
preparation for the GofWP Gathering and the comprehensive financial and
narrative reporting to CIDA.
Ms. Hill provided updates on the following
matters: firstly, observer status at the IPU had been granted by the Governing
Council and ParlAmericas was given a formal seat at the table at the General
Assembly that took place in Quito, Ecuador in March 2013. Secondly the World
Bank has indicated an interest in supporting the work of organizations
interested in building parliamentary capacity in budget oversight for the
Caribbean, if it is channelled through CAROSAI – the Caribbean Organization of
Supreme Audit Institutions. With the support of a consultant, a proposal will
be submitted to the World Bank. Thirdly, ongoing conversations with the OAS
regarding programming to put into effect the memorandum of understanding signed
in 2012. In particular, ParlAmericas agreed to participate in a project of
capacity-building for parliamentarians in Central America, Mexico and Belize
which brings together parliamentarians from a core region of our membership.
The project consists of national workshops in each of nine countries, and two
regional seminars. Presently, the possibility of holding one regional seminar
in conjunction with the Plenary Assembly scheduled for August in Costa Rica is
being explored.
Ms. Viviane Rossini, Program Manager, was then
invited to give a brief overview of the major activities undertaken since the
last meeting of February 2013 and focusing on the workshop held in Bogota,
Colombia, on Parliaments and Extractive Industries, which brought together 17
parliamentarians and six experts from eight countries in Spanish-speaking South
America. It was mentioned that a report is already available on the Web site.
Ms. Rossini then provided the Board of Directors
with a financial presentation reporting the actual figures for the first half
of the fiscal year and invited questions. Regarding membership dues, she
mentioned that dues notices are sent out stating that the deadline for payment
is May 31st; however, many member parliaments often pay later in the
year due to their internal financial cycles.
6. Financing Strategy
Mr. Randy Hoback reminded members that one of the
key priorities of the Strategic Plan is to seek out and secure sustainable core
funding for the organization. Following the meeting in Medellin, Mr. Michel
Rathier, consultant to ParlAmericas, had developed a Funding Strategy document
for the Board’s approval. The President reviewed the document, had circulated
it and he was in agreement that it was the best way forward. Mr. Rathier was
then invited to facilitate the discussion which covered a number of issues
including the following:
·Support for the proposal that ParlAmericas seek
International Organization Status as an organization headquartered in Canada;
·Support for the proposal that the priority be
placed on securing funds to contract a dedicated Business Development Director;
·The need to have varied sources of funding
including from the private sector and foundations;
·The recognition that we must have comprehensive
Guidelines in place that address concerns such as conflict of interest.
The Board of Directors approved, unanimously, the
Funding Strategy document.
7. 10th Plenary Assembly Preparations
Ms. Hill informed the Board of Directors that
Costa Rica was not in a position to host the Plenary Assembly. Ms. Ruiz explained
to members that they could however coordinate support on items that don’t
require an outlay of financial resources, such as securing a hotel discount or
seeking space with the Assembly. Ms Hill explained that given that the Plenary
Assembly would have to be coordinated and entirely paid by the Secretariat,
Costa Rica nevertheless seemed like the most appropriate place to hold the
annual meeting. Issues taken into account included the central position of the
country to travel; a relatively high level of security and that it offers a
high level of professionalism in the service industry.
It was agreed that the 10th Plenary
Assembly would take place in San Jose, Costa Rica, from August 22-24, 2013 with
the Board of Directors meeting taking place on August 21, and working lunch
following the Plenary on August 24th, 2013.
The Board then turned to the draft agenda for the Plenary
Assembly with two Working Group topics as discussed at the Board Meeting in
Medellin. Other topic suggestions were made including arms trade treaty;
cyber-crime; human trafficking; environmental disasters; the lack of economic
growth and standardizing technology. Recognizing that the Secretariat had
begun identifying expert speakers for the topics discussed in Medellin, it was
agreed to retain the existing topics, namely:
1)Economic Development - Natural Resource
Development (including environment and energy): German Blanco (Colombia)
2)Food Security: Hugh Buchanan (Jamaica)
The Board members were invited to review the
document outlining which Board seats would be up for election, at their
convenience.
Organizational Governance
The Chair introduced the session to review the
final version of the regulations, reminding members that Mr. Michel Rathier is
still working with ParlAmericas as a consultant (and is recognized as a
non-voting associate) on key items related to the Strategic Plan adopted by the
Plenary Assembly in 2011, including the drafting of new regulations for the
organization.
There was some debate with the suggestion to change
to the composition of the Board of Directors before securing funding for the
organization. It was agreed that a committee be struck to examine the question
of membership, considering demographics and population, and develop a proposal
for the Board members. It was resolved that Michel Rathier in consultation
with Ignacio Urrutia (South America), Michael L. MacDonald (North America),
Maria Jeannette Ruiz (Central America) and Hugh Buchanan (Caribbean), report
back to the Board members with suggested revisions at the August meeting in
Costa Rica.
In reviewing the remaining sections of the
Regulations, minor changes were made and the Board of Directors approved and
recognized the completion of the Regulations.
Future Meetings and Close of Meeting
Mr. Hoback advised that the 32nd Board
of Directors meeting will take place in San José, Costa Rica immediately prior
to the Plenary Assembly on August 21, and at a working lunch following the
Plenary on August 24. Board members are invited to stay on for the 10th
Plenary Assembly to take place on August 22 to 24, 2013.
The Chair then thanked Speaker Simons and her team
for her warm and hospitable welcome to the members of the Board. He thanked
the interpreters for their excellent work, as well as the International
Secretariat staff for their on-going support and everyone for their
participation.
There being no further
discussion, Mr. Hoback adjourned the meeting.
Respectfully
submitted,
Mr. Randy Hoback, M.P.
Chair,
Canadian Section of ParlAmericas