The Summit of the Americas is the only forum where the 34 democratically elected Heads of State and Government of the Western Hemisphere meet to exchange ideas and opinions on the political, economic, social, and security challenges confronting the region and to develop a shared vision for the development of the hemisphere.
On June 5, 2006, Ministers of Foreign Affairs of the Americas meeting in the Dominican Republic at the thirty-sixth regular session of the OAS General Assembly formally accepted the offer of the government of Trinidad and Tobago to host the Fifth Summit of the Americas in 2009-www.fifthsummitoftheamericas.org
On September 18, 2006, at the Ministerial Summit Implementation Review Group meeting in Washington D.C., the Chair of the Summit of the Americas Process was officially passed from Argentina to Trinidad and Tobago, making this country the first CARICOM nation to host the Summit since its inception in 1994. Click here for more information on the Summit of the Americas.
The Organization of American States (OAS) brings together the nations of the Western Hemisphere to strengthen cooperation on democratic values, defend common interests and debate the major issues facing the region and the world. The OAS is the region’s principal multilateral forum for strengthening democracy, promoting human rights, and confronting shared problems such as poverty, terrorism, illegal drugs and corruption. It plays a leading role in carrying out mandates established by the hemisphere’s leaders through the Summits of the Americas. For more information, visit: www.oas.org
The Caribbean Community (CARICOM), is an organization of Caribbean nations and dependencies. Caricom’s main purposes are to promote economic integration and cooperation among its members, to ensure that the benefits of integration are equitably shared, and to coordinate foreign policy. Its major activities involve coordinating economic policies and development planning; devising and instituting special projects for the less-developed countries within its jurisdiction; operating as a regional common market for many of its members (Caricom Single Market); operating the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ), which serves as the final court of appeal for many Caricom members; and handling regional trade disputes. For more information, visit www.caricom.org
