CONFÉDÉRATION PARLEMENTAIRE DES AMÉRIQUES (COPA)

BACKGROUND

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It was at the first Summit of the Americas, held in Miami in 1994, that the Heads of State and Government of 34 of the 35 countries of the hemisphere agreed to relaunch interamerican cooperation, and in particular, proposed to create by the year 2005 the Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA), extending from Alaska to Tierra del Fuego. They reaffirmed this commitment at the Second and Third Summits of the Americas, which took place in Santiago, Chile, in April 1998 and in Québec City in April 2001.

Parliaments, as key institutions of representative democracy, are directly concerned by the implementation of the regional economic integration process which, in the long term and in various ways, are liable to alter the regional and hemispheric context. These processes will have non-negligible effects on the social and economic development of the populations concerned.

It was in this context that the National Assembly of Québec invited members of the parliaments of the unitary, federal and federated states, regional parliaments and interparliamentary organizations of the hemisphere to participate in a conference, held in Québec City from September 18 to 22, 1997, on the theme of "The Americas in 2005: Democracy, Development and Prosperity". This was a first in the parliamentary history of the Americas.

Over 400 parliamentarians from 28 countries of the Americas answered the invitation to come and share their views on the issues and impacts of the economic integration process of the Americas and to reflect on the adaptation of their means of action in the face of the new hemispheric realities.

At the conclusion of the Conference, the parliamentarians agreed in the Closing Declaration to create a steering committee responsible for studying the framework for the establishment of the inter-American parliamentary dialogue on a permanent basis.

The COPA Steering Committee subsequently held two meetings: in May, 1998, in San Juan, Puerto Rico, at the invitation of the Presiding Officers of the Legislative Assembly of Puerto Rico, and in La Antigua, Guatemala, the following year, under the auspices of the Central American Parliament. At that time it was decided that the Steering Committee would take the form of an Executive Committee.

In July 2000, Puerto Rico hosted the second General Assembly, on the theme of "Building a Fair and Prosperous Community of the Americas". The Assembly adopted the Guiding Principles, which set out the mission of the organization, its objectives and its modes of operation. COPA thus became a permanent interparliamentary forum composed of a General Assembly, an Executive Committee, a Network of Women Parliamentarians and a permanent Secretariat.

Just prior to the Third Summit of the Americas in Québec City in April 2001, COPA organized a special meeting in order to adopt a common position on the strengthening of democracy and on the role that parliaments must play in the negotiations on the Free Trade Area of the Americas. The Québec City Parliamentary Declaration reaffirmed the need and the will of parliamentarians from all countries of the Americas to be involved in the economic integration processes, especially through an ongoing dialogue with the executive authorities of the hemisphere, in particular during the Summits of Heads of State and Government. The parliamentarians also committed themselves to implement a plan of action in order to strengthen democracy in the Americas.

Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, hosted the Third General Assembly of COPA from November 17 to 21, 2001. Concerned about the consequences for the populations of the eventual implementation of the Free Trade Area of the Americas, the parliamentarians were invited to take positions on various themes.

At this assembly, new Statutes were passed, thereby giving the organization a legal identity, and a financing plan. In addition, it mandated the Executive Committee to create thematic working committees. Finally, the Parliamentary Conference of the Americas became the Parliamentary Confederation of the Americas, thus confirming the more permanent nature of COPA.

The COPA Executive Committee met in Mexico City from May 1 to 3, 2002. The subjects discussed included the implementation of the new Statutes, the launching of the activities of the thematic working committees, and the modes of operation of the COPA Secretariats, located in Mexico City, Brazil and Québec.

The 4th COPA General Assembly was held in Ixtapan de la Sal, in the State of Mexico, in Mexico, from November 24 to 27, 2002. Some 278 parliamentarians from 22 countries and representing 68 parliamentary assemblies, regional parliaments and interparliamentary organizations of the hemisphere met in order to discuss parliamentary strategies for the promotion of equitable development in the Americas. It was also on this occasion that the six recently created permanent committees of COPA held their first meetings.

In the Final Declaration of the General Assembly, which incorporated the main conclusions of the permanent committees, the parliamentarians stated their wish for hemispheric integration to be equitable, and for it not to be implemented solely from an economic perspective. They also stated the need for parliamentarians to be involved in the FTAA negotiation process, in order to fill the democratic deficit. The Statutes of the Confederation were also amended in order to strengthen the powers of the Executive Committee and to create a position of parliamentary treasurer.

In February 2003, the executive committee of the Confederation met on Isla Margarita in Venezuela, where members adopted the new by-laws on thematic committee work.

From August 27 to 29, 2003 , the National Congress of Ecuador, in cooperation with the Andean Parliament, organized a meeting of the Committee on the FTAA, Economy, Trade, Labor, and Migration, the theme of which was the role of parliamentarians regarding the Free Trade Area of the Americas . This was the first time that a meeting of a COPA committee took place outside the framework of the general assemblies. The final declaration drafted on the occasion urged COPA to develop a strategy for attendance at and active participation in international FTAA negotiation forums.

The Vth General Assembly of COPA took place from November 23 to 27, 2003 , in Caracas , Venezuela . It brought together nearly 180 parliamentarians from some 20 countries to review progress on FTAA negotiations and debate plans to create a Parliament of the Americas .

At the event, parliamentarians proposed amendments to the organization’s statutes. They also adopted a recommendation expressing the wish for parliamentarians to be directly involved in the FTAA negotiation process, particularly through the work of the Tripartite Committee made up of the Organization of American States (OAS), the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), and the United Nations Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (UNECLAC). It was decided that Ms. Maria José Maninha, a member of the Brazil House of Deputies and senior vice president of COPA, would take over as president within 90 days of the general assembly, and that Mr. Guillermo Landázuri Carillo, president of the National Congress of Ecuador, would succeed her as senior vice president.

In March 2004, the Executive Committee of COPA met in Brasilia , the Brazilian capital. COPA president Ms. Maria José Maninha outlined her action plan in which she committed to holding the next General Assembly in Foz do Iguaçu in Brazil in May 2005. The Executive Committee adopted a resolution on the political situation in Haiti and on organizing election observation missions by COPA.

Lastly, members of the Executive Committee of COPA met on September 24 and 25, 2004, in San Juan , Puerto Rico to review the president’s activity report and organize the 6th General Assembly. The latest edition of COPA Magazine was also launched at the event.

The Executive Committee of COPA met in Havana , Cuba , March 4 to 6, 2005 . The members approved the COPA report on the good offices mission to Haiti , which took place November 12 to 15, 2004 . As well, the committee discussed the organization and program for the 6th COPA General Assembly.

The VI^th COPA General Assembly was held in Foz do Iguaçu , Brazil , from May 6 to 11, 2005 . Some 200 parliamentarians from 25 countries came together, primarily to discuss the impacts of migration with respect to hemispheric integration, Haiti ’s political situation, and the protection of cultural diversity. During the assembly, Mr. Guillermo Landázuri, deputy of the National Congress of Ecuador, acceded to the presidency of COPA. On a motion by the Committee on Democracy and Peace, the General Assembly participants adopted the By-laws of COPA Electoral Observation Missions.

The Executive Committee of COPA met twice over the course of 2005–2006. The first meeting took place in Quito , Ecuador , on August 18 and 19, 2005, during which the COPA president presented his strategic plan for 2005–2006. Moreover, two resolutions addressing the political situations in Haiti and Bolivia and calling for COPA to send electoral observation missions to the two countries were adopted. The parliamentarians also took part in a seminar on migrations and economic development.

The COPA Executive Committee met again in Mexico City , Mexico , on March 2, 2006 . Committee members received an update on the COPA election observation mission that traveled to Bolivia for the first round of the general elections there on December 18, 2005 , and discussed where to send election observation missions in 2006. Three recommendations were adopted during the meeting concerning respect for human rights, ratification of the UNESCO convention on cultural diversity, and initiation of an official dialog with the Inter-Parliamentary Forum of the Americas (FIPA) for the purpose of merging the two inter-American interparliamentary organizations.

The VII^th General Assembly of the organization was held in Quito, Ecuador, from May 29 to June 3, 2006, under the theme “Trade agreements and economic development in the Americas .” Parliamentarians also discussed political crisis situations in the Americas ; COPA election observation missions; and legislation on education, the protection of cultural diversity, and reproductive health. Mr. Carlos Jiménez Macías, a member of the Congress of the United States of Mexico, succeeded Mr. Landázuri as president of COPA.

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