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10Th Plenary Assembly. the Report Provided an Overview of the Activities Carried out by Parlamericas Over the Past Year

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10Th Plenary Assembly. the Report Provided an Overview of the Activities Carried out by Parlamericas Over the Past Year th Plenary Assembly 10 Report San José, Costa Rica August 22 – 24, 2013 Foreign Affairs, Trade and Affaires étrangères, Commerce Development Canada et Développement Canada Table of Contents Acknowledgements . 3 1 Introduction . 4 2 Official Inauguration . .. 4 3 First Session of the Plenary Assembly . 6 3.1 Validation of the Chair ..................................................6 3.2 Acceptance of Chair and Words by the Chair ................................6 3.3 Review of the Rules of Procedure and Approval of the Agenda ..................7 3.4 Annual Report of the President ...........................................7 3.5 Resolution of the Board of Directors .......................................8 3.6 Information Regarding Elections ..........................................8 3.7 Establishment of Working Groups. 8 3.8 Keynote Address: Challenges to Realizing the Right to Food in the Hemisphere – Dr. Ricardo Rapallo ....................................................9 4 Second Session of the Plenary Assembly . 10 4.1 Elections and Confirmation of National Legislature to Host the 11th Plenary Assembly ................................................10 4.2 Presentation and Consideration of Working Group Recommendations ...........11 Working Group 1: Natural Resources Development ..........................11 Working Group 2: Food Security .........................................12 Meeting Organized by the Group of Women Parliamentarians: Connecting Women’s Rights to Food Security ..............................12 4.3 Offer to Host 2014 Annual Gathering of the Group of Women Parliamentarians ....13 4.4 Remarks by the Vice-President of the Legislative Assembly of Costa Rica, and Closing of the 10th Plenary Assembly .................................13 Appendices Appendix 1 List of Participants ...............................................14 Appendix 2 Agenda ........................................................18 Appendix 3 Annual Report of the President of ParlAmericas ........................20 Appendix 4 Resolution Adopted during the 10th Plenary Assembly. 22 Appendix 5 Keynote Address on the Right to Food ...............................24 Appendix 6 Board of Directors of ParlAmericas 2013–2014 .........................25 Appendix 7 Working Group 1: Natural Resources Development .....................26 Appendix 8 Working Group 2: Food Security ....................................29 Appendix 9 Meeting Organized by the Group of Women Parliamentarians: Connecting Women’s Rights to Food Security .........................32 2 Report • 10th Plenary Assembly of ParlAmericas • San José, Costa Rica • August 22 – 24, 2013 Acknowledgements The International Secretariat of ParlAmericas wishes to express its heartfelt thanks to the Legislative Assembly of Costa Rica. We are especially grateful to Member of the Legislative Assembly María Jeannette Ruiz Delgado; the staff at the Department of Public Relations, Press and Protocol; and the Foreign Affairs and International Trade Permanent Commission for their collaboration in organizing the 10th Plenary Assembly of ParlAmericas. We would also like to express our sincere gratitude to the expert speakers and Chairs for their invaluable contributions to the working group sessions. Delegates of the 10th Plenary Assembly—Official Photo Report writing: Lisane Thirsk Editing: LIM Consulting Associates Design and layout: Christy Hutton Design Photographs: © Legislative Assembly of Costa Rica Copyright ParlAmericas 2013 Disclaimer: This publication presents a summary of the presentations by experts participating in the 10th Plenary Assembly of ParlAmericas, as well as some interventions made by parliamentarians who attended the event. The content of this publication does not necessarily reflect the views of ParlAmericas. ParlAmericas/PA10/2013/REP/e 3 1 Introduction The 10th Plenary Assembly of ParlAmericas was held on August 22 – 24, 2013 in San José, Costa Rica, with kind support from the Legislative Assembly of Costa Rica. Under the overarching theme of economic development, this event covered the topics of food security, natural resources development, and connecting women’s rights to food security. It brought together 76 parliamentarians who participated as official delegates from 24 member countries of the Americas. Also present were observers representing institutions including the World Bank and the Organization of American States (OAS). In addition, the Plenary Assembly benefited from the participation of expert speakers based in five countries of the Americas. See Appendix 1 for the List of Participants. 2 Official Inauguration The official inauguration of the 10th Plenary Assembly was held in the Salón de Expresidentes de la República at the Legislative Assembly of Costa Rica. Welcoming Words by María Jeannette Ruiz Delgado, Member of the Legislative Assembly of Costa Rica Jeannette Ruiz, member of the Board of Directors of ParlAmericas, welcomed the delegates, saying that it was an honour and privilege to see such diverse parliamentary representation in her country. She noted that Costa Rica has strong roots in parliamentary participation and hemispheric dialogue and that these were also the goals of the 10th Plenary Assembly. Discussions over the next few days would reinforce democratic processes and allow parliamentarians to better serve the people of the Americas. Before concluding her remarks, Jeannette Ruiz explained the significance of the room in which the inaugural session was being María Jeannette Ruiz Delgado held, noting that it featured portraits of all of the former presidents (Costa Rica) of the Republic of Costa Rica. Video Message from the President of ParlAmericas, Randy Hoback, Member of Parliament of Canada Randy Hoback sent a video message to the Plenary Assembly as health reasons prevented him from attending in person. In the video, he expressed his deep gratitude to the hosts and organizers of the plenary. Randy Hoback stated that this year’s Plenary Assembly marked an important milestone for ParlAmericas, as it has served for over a decade as a forum for parliamentarians from across the hemisphere to engage in open and frank discussions about issues and practices of great importance to the Americas. Welcoming Words by the Acting President of the Foreign Affairs and International Trade Permanent Commission of the Legislative Assembly of Costa Rica, Ileana Brenes Jiménez, Member of the Legislative Assembly of Costa Rica Ileana Brenes welcomed her fellow parliamentarians and other guests to the inaugural session of the 10th Plenary Assembly. She highlighted the importance of the topics to be addressed. 4 Report • 10th Plenary Assembly of ParlAmericas • San José, Costa Rica • August 22 – 24, 2013 She emphasized that women are largely responsible for the production of food around the world, yet they lack secure access—physical and economic—to food. She noted that women are disproportionately affected by poverty and food insecurity, both of which are linked to the environment and natural resources. Ileana Brenes stated that as a woman and member of Congress, she hoped to look to the future knowing that she is doing all she can to improve conditions for all women and their families, thereby ensuring that progress is made towards a safe, egalitarian society. She closed her remarks by wishing the delegates success in the days to come. Welcoming Words by the Secretary-Treasurer of ParlAmericas, Germán Alcides Blanco Álvarez, Vice- President of the Chamber of Representatives of Colombia Germán Blanco greeted his fellow panelists and parliamentarians. He recounted how, 12 years ago, a group Ileana Brenes Jiménez (Costa Rica) of visionaries decided to create a space for parliamentarians of the Americas to gather. They did so with a twofold purpose: to strengthen the cooperative ties among parliaments in the region, and to provide parliamentarians with knowledge and skills to address issues of common concern. The Inter-Parliamentary Forum of the Americas (FIPA) was thus born, and it is now known as ParlAmericas. Germán Blanco noted that the number of registered parliamentarians at the 10th Plenary Assembly was one of the highest in the previous five years. He thanked the Legislative Assembly of Costa Rica for the support that made this possible. Welcoming Words by Carlos Ricardo Benavides Jiménez, Minister of the Presidency of Costa Rica Carlos Benavides welcomed the delegates on behalf of the government and people of Costa Rica. He noted the shared concerns regarding the pressing problems—such as human insecurity, poverty, resource depletion, and climate change—to be addressed at the Plenary Assembly, and their potential to reverse advances in social development. He stressed the challenges faced by rural women in the region, and the gap between recognition and guarantee of their rights. He expressed his desire that these concerns and the Carlos Ricardo Benavides commitment to resolving them would guide Jiménez (Costa Rica) the reflections of the 10th Plenary Assembly. Welcoming Words by Luis Fernando Mendoza Jiménez, President of the Legislative Assembly of Costa Rica Luis Fernando Mendoza welcomed participants and expressed his gratitude to Jeannette Ruiz for her commitment to supporting the parliamentarians gathering in Costa Rica to share and reflect on problems facing the region. Luis Fernando Mendoza Jiménez (Costa Rica) ParlAmericas/PA10/2013/REP/e 5 In his remarks, he indicated that the legislative branch was an instrument for development and that parliaments
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