EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

CONSIDERING the general consensus within our Hemisphere in which our governments, the main organizations of civil society and the international organizations all agree on respect for democracy and human rights, as has been underscored at the two Summits of the Americas and the parellel meetings held by the organizations of civil society;

RECALLING that transparency is a substantive goal for good governance and the development of better democratic practices;

EMPHASIZING that cooperation is the most efficient means for satisfying needs and ensuring mutual benefit;

WE RECOMMEND AS FOLLOWS:

1. Establish effective and equitable mechanisms by which interested civil society organizations can access information on the FTAA process.

It is recommended that mechanisms be established to facilitate access to: (i) official documents; (ii) proposals; and (iii) other significant documents for understanding the process.

2. Create mechanisms for participation by civil society organizations at the hemispheric, subregional and national level.

These mechanisms will make it possible to promote discussions between the official participants and the organizations of civil society. This, in turn, will open the process up to more fluid dialogue and permit the opinions of the different nongovernmental actors to be included.

Promoting a global framework may provide an incentive for subregional and national participation. To this end, intergovernmental agreements should establish mechanisms for consultation prior to the signing of agreement.

This document was previously distributed in error as FTAA.soc/w/153