The 8th Plenary
Assembly of ParlAmericas was held in Asunción from September 8 to 10, 2011,
under the auspices of the Parliament of Paraguay. This year had a dual
signification for Paraguay, as it marked the bicentenary anniversary of that
country’s independence.
The theme for the
8th Assembly was citizen security. This theme was approached from various
angles, such as the role of human rights and development, transnational
aspects, multidimensional approaches and the gendered nature of this issue.
ParlAmerica’s
Plenary Assembly was attended by 29 parliamentarians from 13 countries,
which represented each of ParlAmericas’ sub-regions (North America, Central
America, the Caribbean and South America). Canada was represented by three
parliamentarians:
·MP Randy Hoback (Prince Albert, CPC), Head of
the Canadian delegation and ParlAmericas Interim President;
·MP Paulina Ayala (Honoré–Mercier, NDP); and
·Senator Céline Hervieux-Payette (Lib.)
Opening session
The opening
session of the 8th Plenary Assembly was held within the Parliament of Paraguay
and was attended by the President of the Republic of Paraguay,
Fernando Armindo Lugo Méndez. For the occasion, the following
dignitaries delivered opening addresses:
·Senator Jorge Oviedo Matto, President of the
Senate of Paraguay;
·Senator Alberto Grillón Conigliaro,
Representative of Paraguay on the ParlAmericas Executive Committee; and
·MP Randy Hoback, ParlAmericas Interim President.
In their
addresses, the dignitaries reminded the parliamentarians that security is a
prerequisite for achieving long-term economic and social development and that
they play a key role in meeting the challenges arising from security issues
affecting citizens of the Americas. The dignitaries raised the importance of
interparliamentary dialogue, the sharing of lessons learned and best practices,
and discussions on problems and common objectives that could help strengthen
democracy in the hemisphere. In this regard, they emphasized the key role of
ParlAmericas in promoting interparliamentary dialogue in the hemisphere.
The ceremony ended
with the declaration of the official opening of the 8th Plenary
Assembly of ParlAmericas.
First session of the Plenary Assembly
The first session
of the 8th Plenary Assembly began with the approval of the agenda and the
election of Senator Alberto Grillón Conigliaro of Paraguay as President of the
Plenary Assembly. This election was followed by the annual report by the
ParlAmericas President and the presentation of the resolutions submitted by the
Executive Committee at the Plenary Assembly for approval.
Assemblywoman
Linda Machuca Moscoso, President of the Group of Women Parliamentarians of the
Americas, was then asked to present an update on the activities of the Group of
Women Parliamentarians of the Americas, particularly the workshop “The
Political Leadership of Women: Action Plan for the Americas” that took place in
Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, from June 30 to July 1, 2011.
The President of
the Plenary Assembly then yielded the floor to the key note speaker, Kevin
Casas Zamora from the Brookings Institute, who gave a presentation on certain
proposals for dealing with citizen insecurity in Latin America and the
Caribbean.
Mr. Casas Zamora
said that establishing a comprehensive, complex program, which runs counter to
the dominant political discourse, is required to deal with the epidemic of
violence in Latin America and the Caribbean. In his view, in observing the
situation in these two regions, such a program should include the following
10 components:
·Reframing the discussion to strike a balance
between social prevention and a sense of urgency that acknowledges that a
robust use of government coercion, within the limits of the State of law, is
unavoidable in the fight against crime.
·Democratizing the discussion since security must
be everyone’s business, and ensuring that this discussion is open and
transparent.
·Improving the governability of criminal policy
by ensuring coordination within the executive branch, horizontal coordination
among the various government authorities (particularly between the police and
the judiciary), vertical coordination among the various levels of government
within the country, and coordination between the government and the other
stakeholders.
·Modernizing law enforcement institutions and
investing in information.
·Improving relations between law enforcement
institutions and the community.
·Increasing coordinated government presence in
problem areas, particularly in large Latin American cities.
·Regulating the purchase and possession of
firearms.
·Preventing teen pregnancies, given the social
vulnerability of households headed by teen mothers.
·Rethinking drug policies by ensuring that the
response to the problem is multidimensional and includes a vigorous diplomatic
dimension that allows for a real hemispheric dialogue on the subject.
·Investing in improving youth outlook since
investment in human development is the surest route to less violent, less terrorized
and safer societies.
Mr. Casas Zamora
believes that such a program should help reframe the debate on insecurity in
Latin America and the Caribbean and avoid the trap of the instant mirage of an
“iron fist” policy.
Following Mr.
Casas Zamora’s presentation, the parliamentarians attended the official
photography session of the Plenary Assembly and then returned to the Crowne
Plaza Hotel, where the other work sessions would take place.
Working group sessions
On September 8 and
9, 2011, the parliamentarians were invited to attend one of three concurrent
sessions, according to their areas of interest. The three working groups
focussed on specific aspects of citizen security in the Americas. The first
group looked at the role of human rights and development in citizen security.
The second group focussed on transnational aspects of citizen security. The
third group discussed multidimensional approaches to citizen security. In
addition to these three groups, the Group of Women Parliamentarians of the Americas
met twice in conjunction with the other meetings to discuss the gendered nature
of citizen security. A summary of the discussions that took place in each group
is presented below.
The sessions ended
with the finalization of the resolutions that had to be submitted during the
second session of the Plenary Assembly scheduled on September 10, 2011. The
recommendations from the working group sessions are presented in Appendix A.
Group 1: The Role of Human Rights and
Development in Citizen Security
The working group was chaired by Colombian
deputy Germán Alcides Blanco Alvarez. The objectives of this working group were
the following:
·identify the root causes of crime, violence and
citizen insecurity;
·examine various current approaches to prevention,
law enforcement, rehabilitation and reintegration;
·develop approaches to eradicate family violence;
·promote a coordinated approach to development
and security;
·evaluate the concept of citizen protection;
·evaluate the concept of food security;
·study the steps needed to address extreme
poverty, inequality and social exclusion; and
·manage to incorporate a gendered approach in the
group’s proceedings.
In order to achieve these objectives, the
Working Group heard the presentations of two experts: Carmelo Caballero, lawyer
and university professor from Paraguay; and Juan Faroppa Fontana, lawyer and
university professor from Uruguay.
Group 2: Transnational Aspects of Citizen
Security
The working group
was chaired by Mexican senator Rogelio Rueda. The objectives of this working
group were the following:
·review regional initiatives and current best
practices;
·determine the importance of regional cooperation
for developing long-term policies in order to discuss transnational aspects of
security;
·focus on what happens to victims of
transnational crime;
·examine rural and urban points of view; and
·manage to incorporate a gendered approach in the
group’s proceedings.
In order to
achieve these objectives, the Working Group heard the presentations of two experts:
Eric Olson, senior associate at the Mexico Institute of the Woodrow Wilson
International Center for Scholars in Washington, DC; and Alejandra Mohor,
Crime Prevention Coordinator, Centre for Citizen Security Studies, University
of Chile.
Group 3: Multidimensional Approaches to
Citizen Security
The working group
was chaired by Haitian senator Edmonde Supplice Beauzile. The objectives of
this working group were the following:
·study opportunities for cooperation with all
stakeholders, including representatives from civil society, the private sector
and the media;
·develop prevention, rescue and assistance
approaches in response to natural disasters;
·promote the duty of governments to develop
public policies;
·assess the impact of resource extraction;
·discuss the impact of climate change;
·identify the impact of public policy; and
·manage to incorporate a gendered approach in the
group’s proceedings.
In order to
achieve these objectives, the Working Group heard the presentations of two
experts: Marco Antonio Rodriguez Corrales, Independent consultant on disaster
prevention, mitigation, and assistance; and Gustavo Beliz, government
modernization expert, Inter-American Development Bank.
Group of Women Parliamentarians of the
Americas
The Group of Women
Parliamentarians of the Americas met twice in conjunction with the other
meetings to discuss citizen security with consideration to gender differences.
The session was chaired by Ecuadorian assemblywoman Linda Machuca Moscoso,
President of the Group of Women Parliamentarians of the Americas. The
objectives of this working group were the following:
·determine what is meant by a gendered approach
to citizen security;
·incorporate the concept of femicide;
·identify the 20th-century challenges to
protecting women from all forms of violence;
·study the issue of human trafficking, focussing
specifically on women and girls;
·analyze the impact of this issue on the region;
·recognize the limits of the justice system and
the fight against impunity; and
·review the best options for designing spaces for
international response based on the planned program for the hemisphere.
In order to
achieve these objectives, the working group heard a presentation by Teresa
Ulloa Ziáurriz, Regional Director of the Coalition Against Trafficking in Women
for Latin America and the Caribbean.
Special session of the
Plenary Assembly
On September 9,
2011, the Plenary Assembly held a special session for the presentation and
adoption of the ParlAmericas strategic plan for 2011–2014. Consultant Michel
Rathier presented the strategic plan, whose objectives are as follows:
·address key challenges regarding sustainability,
governance and relevance for future years;
·lay the groundwork for a renewed, updated
mandate and complete a new vision for the future;
·expand the geographic scope and membership of
ParlAmericas to reach all sovereign states and states governing dependent
territories in the region;
·ensure the long-term sustainability of
ParlAmericas through new funding strategies, and adapt its organizational
processes and structures to the realities of its new environment.
The
parliamentarians then debated the resolution establishing the changes proposed
by the strategic plan. The resolution called for a change to the ParlAmericas
governance structure and the creation of a Board of Directors representing a
greater number of countries, a president appointed by this Board of Directors,
two vice-president positions (also appointed by the Board of Directors), and a
secretary-treasurer position. In addition to the Board of Directors, a limited
executive committee would be created and would include a president, two
vice-presidents and a secretary-treasurer. It also provides for the creation of
five standing committees.
Following
extensive debate, the resolution was adopted with amendments. Thus, the
president and the vice-presidents would be elected by the Plenary Assembly, not
appointed by the members elected to the Board of Directors (the position of
second vice-president would be reserved for the president of the Group of Women
Parliamentarians of the Americas). The position of secretary-treasurer would be
elected by the Board of Directors (requiring 2/3 of votes). The outgoing
president, a representative of the country hosting the following plenary assembly,
and the ParlAmericas Director General would also sit on the Board of Directors,
but as non‑voting members. Lastly, the number of regional representatives
was increased to three per region for a total of 12.
Lastly, the
President explained the new election procedures based on the text of the
adopted resolution and asked those countries interested in running for a seat
on the new Board of Directors to apply by the end of the day.
Second session of the Plenary Assembly
The
second session began with a series of elections to appoint countries that would represent
each of the four ParlAmericas sub-regions on the Board of Directors: North
America, Central America, the Caribbean and South America.
The
session continued with a presentation of the recommendations from the various
working groups (see Appendix A). These recommendations were fully received and
adopted by the Assembly without amendments.
The Assembly then continued with the
announcement of the election results. The new members of the Board of Directors
elected during the 8th Plenary Assembly were:
·Mexico, representing
North America
·El Salvador,
representing Central America
·Costa Rica,
representing Central America
·Honduras, representing
Central America
·Cuba, representing the
Caribbean
·Paraguay, representing
South America
·Chile, representing
South America
Randy
Hoback was acclaimed as the new ParlAmericas President. Victor Juliao, Member
of the National Assembly of Panama, was elected First
Vice-President, also by acclamation. Given her re-election as President of the
Group of Women Parliamentarians of the Americas, Ecuador Assemblywoman Linda Machuca
Moscoso became the de facto Second Vice-President.
The
second session of the Plenary Assembly ended with the selection of the country
that will host the 9th Plenary Assembly. It was agreed that Panama will host
the 9th Plenary Assembly in fall 2012.
Meetings held
in conjunction with the Plenary Assembly
The Canadian
delegates to the 8th Plenary Assembly of ParlAmericas used their visit to
Paraguay as an opportunity to meet with Canadian officials working in that
country and with others working to promote Canada’s interests there.
On the evening of
September 8, the three Canadian delegates attended a dinner with the following
guests:
·Juan Speratti
Canadian
Honorary Consul in Paraguay
·Celsy Benavidez Campos
Coordinator
of the Canada Fund in Paraguay
·Carlos Ruffinelli
Deputy
Director, Canadian Studies Centre in Paraguay
·Madeleine Genest
Principal of the Nursing School, Universidad Católica Nuestra Señora de la Asunción
·Héctor Torres Báez
Member of the
Canada-Paraguay Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors
During this
meeting, discussions focussed on current Canada-Paraguay relations, what could
be done to strengthen them, and specific projects in Paraguay providing
business opportunities for Canadian entrepreneurs.
On September 9, in
conjunction with the working group sessions of the Plenary Assembly, Randy
Hoback and the Association Secretary met with an official from Rio Tinto Alcan
to discuss an investment project of over US$3.5 billion to build an
aluminum smelter in Paraguay. The project is expected to create more than 14,000 permanent
jobs for over 50 years and account for 4% of Paraguay’s GDP once the
smelter is operational. According to the Rio Tinto Alcan official, the aluminum
smelter is scheduled to come on line in 2017.
Conclusion
Although
there were fewer parliamentarians attending the 8th Plenary Assembly than past
assemblies, those in attendance praised the quality of the discussions and the
recommendations that came out of the meetings during the final days. At the end
of the various sessions, they were able to come up with relevant resolutions
that were approved by the Assembly without amendments.
The
8th Plenary Assembly of ParlAmericas represented renewal in light of the major
amendments adopted regarding the organization’s governance and its strategic vision
for the future.
The success of the
8th Plenary Meeting is due in part to the work and dedication of the organizers
on site in Paraguay. The Canadian Section would also like to acknowledge the
support provided by the Secretariat of the Association as well as the Technical
Secretariat of ParlAmericas.
The Canadian
section would also like to acknowledge the support of the Association advisor
and the other analysts from the Library of Parliament who assisted in drafting
support documents and for their assistance and availability to the Canadian
delegation on site in Paraguay.
Respectfully submitted,
Randy Hoback, M.P., Chair
Canadian Section
of ParlAmericas
