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Introduction A delegation from the Canadian Section of ParlAmericas travelled to Manzanillo, Mexico, to attend a meeting of the ParlAmericas Board of Directors, which was held on February 24 and 25, 2012. From the Senate, the Honorable Michael L. MacDonald, Senator, represented Parliament as the Canadian representative to the ParlAmericas Board of Directors. From the House of Commons, Mr. Randy Hoback, M.P., chaired the Board meeting as President of ParlAmericas. Mr. Leif-Erik Aune, Association Secretary, accompanied the delegation. The purpose of the meeting was to discuss a restructuring of the ParlAmericas governance model, to plan for the 9th Plenary Assembly, and to review corporate financial statements of the organization. Meeting Opening The President of ParlAmericas Mr. Randy Hoback (Canada) welcomed the meeting participants and thanked the Congress of Mexico for supporting ParlAmericas and for hosting the meeting. Senator Adriana Gonzalez (Mexico), along with representatives of the Senate of Mexico, the Government of Mexico, the Government of the State of Colima, and the Colima State Legislature, presented welcoming remarks to the meeting participants. On motion by Mr. Victor Juliao III (Panama), seconded by Senator Michael MacDonald (Canada), the draft agenda was adopted. On motion by Ms. Linda Machuca (Ecuador), seconded by Senator Adriana Gonzalez (Mexico), the report of the 26th Executive Committee Meeting was approved. President’s Report Mr. Randy Hoback (Canada) delivered the President’s
Report for the period 8-10 September—Plenary Assembly in Paraguay The 8th Plenary Assembly was hosted by the Congress of Paraguay and Coordinated by the Honourable Alberto Grillon Coniglaro. Addressing issues of Citizen Security, the Plenary Session produced three working groups and recommendations to strengthen various capacities of parliaments by increasing their levels of engagement in matters of public policy through focused legislation. The last Plenary was also very important for the growth and development of ParlAmericas, as we implemented the name change of our organization and adopted a resolution to modify the governance structure of the Board of Directors. As a result, ParlAmericas is more transparent, more inclusive, and better placed to advance its mission and vision for parliamentary diplomacy in the Americas. 12 September—Meetings at the Congress of Peru Following the Plenary Assembly in September, I had occasion to travel to Lima, Peru, and meet with representatives of the Peruvian Congress. Peru has been active in some but not all areas of ParlAmericas in the past, and this visit provided the opportunity to engage the Congress and promote our organization. While at the Congress, I was called to testify before their External Relations and Agriculture committees, and strongly encouraged our Peruvian colleagues to deepen their level of engagement with ParlAmericas. · Admiral Carlos Tubino, Deputy chair Intelligence Committee · Foreign Affairs Committee of the Peruvian Congress (Chair: Ana Jara Velásquez) · Chair of the Special Committee on Citizen Security (Renzo Reggiardo) · Agriculture Committee (chair: José Léon Rivera) · Fermín Bustamante, President and CEO of Korimayo 14-17 November—Bilateral Visit to Venezuela by the Canadian Section The Canadian Section of ParlAmericas sent a delegation to the National Assembly of Venezuela to hold bilateral meetings with Venezuelan parliamentarians. This visit was important to advancing the ParlAmericas objective of strengthening relations with Venezuela, which is a country of influence in the Americas. In addition, Venezuela’s social policy platform presented the delegation with the opportunity to study several policy initiatives. Venezuela remains a leader in the Americas for its deep levels of regional engagement, as well as its position with other regional organizations. Ensuring strong lines of communication with such countries will better position ParlAmericas to enhance relations with the various inter-parliamentary organizations in the Americas. 28 November—New image launch with cocktail party in Ottawa On the occasion of the rebranding of ParlAmericas, the Parliament of Canada hosted a reception in Ottawa. The reception hosted members of the Diplomatic Corps and featured rums from across Central America. The practice of holding ParlAmericas receptions is one means to raise the awareness of our organization, and we have found it to be an effective and economical way to bring our activities to the attention of local missions. 29 November—Meeting to discuss Strategic Plan implementation ParlAmericas contracted Mr. Michael Rathier, of Montreal, Canada, to work with ParlAmericas to develop its new governance model, as part of a greater Strategic Plan. In November, I met with Mr. Rathier to discuss the next steps of implementing ParlAmericas’ Strategic Plan. Mr. Rathier and I discussed both the governance model of our organization as well as funding strategies to secure the financial sustainability of ParlAmericas. As you may know, much of ParlAmericas’ budget is paid from funding through the Canadian International Development Agency, but this funding agreement is scheduled to end in 2014. 9-10 February—Signature of OAS Memorandum of Understanding and meetings in Washington At the OAS General Assembly in San Salvador last June, I met with the Secretary General of the OAS, Mr. Jose Miguel Insulza. At this meeting, we followed up on previous discussions held between Mr. Insulza and our honourable colleagues Senator Grillon and Mr. Juliao on enhanced relations between ParlAmericas and the OAS. Earlier in February, we concluded over six months of work and preparation by signing a Memorandum of Understanding with the OAS. This MOU defines an enhanced relationship between the OAS and ParlAmericas, and should facilitate our participation in major events in the future. Moreover, it is a concrete step forward for ParlAmericas and OAS relations. 13 February—Emerging Leaders in the Americas Program Study Tour As part of its Americas Strategy, the Government of Canada endorses a program to bring young leaders from across Latin America and the Caribbean together to visit Canada and strengthen their linkages with Parliament and with one another. The goal of the Emerging Leaders in the Americas Program is to support the development of human capital and a next generation of Leaders in the Americas while strengthening the linkages between Canadian post-secondary institutions and the ones in Latin America and the Caribbean. Earlier this month, I met with the most recent group of Study Tour participants and had an excellent exchange, while encouraging them to be as active as possible in the public affairs of their countries. Members discussed ParlAmericas activities, as well as other parliamentary organizations in the Americas region, and considered different avenues for engaging parliamentary organizations in the Americas. Members also discussed ways to engage ParlAmericas member countries and encourage increased activity in ParlAmericas. Group of Women’s Report Ms. Linda Machuca (Panama) presented a report on the ParlAmericas Group of Women Parliamentarians. Ms. Machuca advised that the next meeting of the Group of Women Parliamentarians would be held in Valparaiso, Chile, on May 9 & 10, 2012.
Ms. Machuca advised that the Congress of Chile had approved the dates for the next meeting of the Board of Directors, to be held in Valparaiso, Chile, on May 7 & 8, 2012. Ms. Machuca also advised that the Congress of Chile had received a request by ParlAmericas to change the meeting dates to May 11 & 12, 2012.
Ms. Machuca presented to the Board of Directors a draft resolution and manifesto. It was agreed that the Members of the Board would study the submission and propose a process for consideration by the 9th Plenary Assembly in Panama City. Update on Recent Activities of Board of Directors Members Mr. German Blanco (Colombia) advised the Members of the Board of Directors that internal discussions had been held at the Congress of Colombia on how to improve parliamentary participation in ParlAmericas. Mr. Blanco further advised that many opportunities for engagement in the area of public safety and that ParlAmericas would be well advised to engage other regional parliamentary organizations in this regard. Director General’s Report Ms. Viviane Rossini, Program Coordinator (ParlAmericas Technical Secretariat) presented the Director General’s Report. 2012 ParlAmericas Work Plan Members discussed the requirement by the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) to receive an annual ParlAmericas work plan, as part of the ParlAmericas-CIDA funding agreement. Members reviewed a budget comparison and forecast for ParlAmericas. Mr. Hoback encouraged Members of the Board of Directors to maintain vigilant executive oversight of all matters pertaining to ParlAmericas financing. Members discussed strategic communications with parliaments of the Americas. Members recognized the financial and administrative needs of effective communication called for the support of parliamentary leaders. Members agreed that ParlAmericas’ strength comes from establishing linkages with parliamentarians and with the Speakers and Presidents of parliaments in the region. Annual Meeting of ParlAmericas Corporation Board of Directors, and Executive Members Members of the Board of Directors resolved into the ParlAmericas Corporation Board of Directors, and Executive Members reviewed the annual financial statements of the Corporation. Board Development The Board of Directors invited Mr. Jean-Paul Ruszkowski (Parliamentary Centre) to give a presentation and facilitate discussion on developing the Board of Directors. Members discussed the topics of governance, ethics and transparency. Mr. Ruszkowski expressed a desire for Parliamentary Centre, as a non-governmental agency with mandate to support the work of parliament, to complement the work of ParlAmericas. Mr. Ruszkowski facilitated a discussion on strengthening the credibility of parliamentarians among their constituents. Ms. Machuca suggested that the Board of Directors develop a ParlAmericas code of ethics. Members agreed that the Board of Directors should maintain oversight of which organizations are approached or engaged by ParlAmericas, and that any partnerships or other agreements reflect ParlAmericas’ ethics and values. 9th Plenary Assembly Preparations Mr. Hoback expressed gratitude on behalf of the Board of Directors to Mr. Juliao and to the National Assembly of Panama for hosting the upcoming 9th Plenary Assembly, to be held in Panama City from August 30 to September 2, 2012. Mr. Juliao expressed excitement at the upcoming Plenary Assembly and advised that government representatives have expressed support. Mr. Juliao advised that material and logistic preparations were underway, and confidently expected that all preparations would be successfully finalized in the coming months. Mr Juliao also advised that the National Assembly of Panama would provide full support to ensure the best possible Plenary experience. Mr. Juliao advised that, although commitment by the National Assembly presidency had been expressed privately, the President of the National Assembly had yet to issue formal communication and invitations to ParlAmericas member countries to attend the Plenary Assembly. Mr. Hoback agreed to prepare and transmit formal correspondence to the President of the National Assembly of Panama, requesting that action be taken without delay to extend invitations to ParlAmericas member countries. Members reviewed a draft agenda for the 9th Plenary Assembly. Members unanimously agreed to modify the agenda by adding opening remarks by Ms. Machuca during the opening plenary session on August 31, 2012. Members unanimously agreed to adopt the amended agenda, with the exception of working group themes, which the Board of Directors wished to continue elaborating. Members discussed the themes of the Plenary Assembly, and agreed that the working groups should deal broadly with economic development and prosperity, energy and the environment, security, and gender. Standing Committees Mr. Hoback asked that Members of the Board of Directors volunteer for membership in the newly created standing committees of the Board. Members volunteered and the committee memberships are as follows: · Fundraising oMr. Randy Hoback (Canada), Chair oMr. German Blanco (Colombia) oSenator Alberto Grillon (Paraguay) oSenator Michael MacDonald (Canada) oMr. Victor Juliao (Panama)
· Membership oMs. Maria Jeannette Ruiz Delgado (Costa Rica), Chair oMr. German Blanco (Colombia) oMr. Victor Juliao (Panama) oSenator Alberto Grillon (Paraguay)¸ · Plenary Assembly oMr. Victor Juliao (Panama), Chair oMr. Ignacio Urrutia (Chile) oSenator Adriana Gonzalez (Mexico) · Candidacy oMs. Linda Machuca (Ecuador), Chair oMr. Ignacio Urrutia (Chile) · Projects and Programs oMr. Ignacio Urrutia (Chile), Chair oSenator Adriana Gonzalez (Mexico) oMs. Linda Machuca (Ecuador) oMs. Maria Jeannette Ruiz Delgado (Costa Rica) oSenator Michael MacDonald (Canada) · Governance oMr. German Blanco (Colombia), Chair oMr. Randy Hoback (Canada) oSenator Adriana Gonzalez (Mexico) Members of the Board agreed that committee members shall coordinate and, in consultation with the ParlAmericas Technical Secretariat, draft terms of reference for the committees. Other Items There being no other items, Mr. Hoback congratulated the Members of the Board of Directors on a productive meeting, and adjourned the meeting. Respectfully submitted,
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