Santiago, Chile, 26 April 1999

SUMMARY

As agreed at the meeting of senior officials held on 17 December 1998 in New Orleans, U.S.A., which followed the 3rd Meeting of Transport Ministers of the Americas, the Committee Responsible for Drafting the Terms of Reference for the Executive Committee of the Western Hemisphere Transport Initiative met in Santiago, Chile.

Delegates from Argentina, Canada, Chile, the United States, Jamaica, Mexico, Nicaragua (ambassador) and Peru participated (Brazil submitted input in writing), as did regional institutions such as ECLAC, the IDB and the OAS (see list of participants in annex 1). The meeting was chaired by Mr. Andrés Wallis Garcés, Deputy Minister of Transport for Chile and current interim Chair of the WHTI.

The meeting began with approval of the following agenda:

1. Approval of the proposed work agenda.

2. Review of the Terms of Reference which are to guide the actions of the WHTI Executive Committee.

3. Proposal for membership on the WHTI Executive Committee.

4. Review of the progress made with respect to the priority tasks agreed upon in New Orleans.

5. Review of the schedule of activities.

6. Election of the interim Chair of the WHTI Executive Committee

7. Election of one or two co-Chairs of the WHTI Executive Committee.

8. Setting of a date for the next meeting of the WHTI Executive Committee.

9. Miscellaneous topics

Development of the agenda:

2. Terms of Reference to guide the actions of the WHTI Executive Committee. An extensive exchange of opinions took place on this topic. It should be noted that suggested formats for the terms of reference were received from Brazil (by fax), Canada and Chile.

A decision was made to use the Canadian proposal as a basis (see the English, Portuguese and Spanish versions in Annex 2) since it provides a structured format of suggestions which could be supplemented with input from member countries.

With respect to the Foundations and Principles, a decision was made to include a brief summary of the history of the initiative, the stated principles of the WHTI drafted at the 2nd Meeting of Ministers held in Santiago in April 1996, and its ties to the Summit of the Americas.

To this end, a decision was made (Chapter I) to declare that the Executive Committee is an organ which reports to the Meeting of Transport Ministers of the region. This is due to the fact that the Meeting of Ministers is the forum for convergence in policies and negotiation (where these exist) and that the Executive Committee is an organ for execution and implementation.

The delegates looked into ways of including all countries in the committee, and opted for the alternative of creating a sort of steering committee despite having a larger committee for preparing for ministerial meetings and reports of greater magnitude, thus reinforcing the idea that the Executive Committee is open to all who wish to participate.

Chapter II supports the suggestion that, although all may participate, a greater yet flexible structure is required to help us do our work. This structure must consist of at least the following:

1. Chile and the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) in their capacity as coordinators responsible for transport under the framework of the Summit of the Americas, Argentina as co-coordinator and ECLAC.

2. The interim Chair and two co-Chairs of the Executive Committee.

3. Representatives of the five regions described in the Profile of the Regional Transportation Systems of the Americas (Chapter 1).

4. Each of the individuals responsible for the eight (8) priority action areas recognized at the 3rd Meeting of Ministers held in New Orleans.

5. All the member countries of the Western Hemisphere Transport Initiative (34).

It is also proposed that the regional organizations have the status of observer at meetings of the Executive Committee.

In Chapter III, it was agreed that the Committee will have a Chair and two co-Chairs who must represent a block other than that represented by the Chair (see point 3) and hopefully another language, who will have access to technical and secretarial support services provided by a regional organization. These individuals will remain in their positions for a period of no more than 30 months, bearing in mind that countries which apply or are elected may have continuity in the term corresponding to the position.

With respect to the creation of other committees, it was determined that the tasks defined as priority action will be carried out. However, if the need to create task forces arises in any of these areas, this will be done.

With respect to meetings (Chapter IV), two regular meetings and possibly a third special meeting will be held, which will be convened sixty (60) days in advance.

With respect to the decision-making process (Chapter V), it is proposed that decisions be taken on the basis of consensus. However, the Summit Implementation Review Group (SIRG) will be consulted on the method adopted at the Summit of the Americas.

Working documents and documents arising from meetings (Chapter VI), will be treated in accordance with the draft and circulated only to the committee. Drafts may not be published nor divulged to third parties. A decision as to the distribution of documents will be taken by the committee once such documents have been approved.

The text of Chapter VII will be included in the preamble (Foundations and Principles), which will mean renumbering the chapters of the terms of reference.

Matters related to finances and financing (new Chapter VII) will be clarified once the SIRG has been consulted. The regional organizations (IDB, OAS, World Bank, etc.) will also be consulted.

The terms of reference will be approved with the consent of two-thirds (2/3) of the member countries. However, the possibility of sending a letter to the Ministers informing them of the terms of the reference but without requesting a reply will be considered.

In view of the onerous nature of the agenda, a decision was made to consolidate the information on May 17. Mexico reports that in keeping with a commitment taken on by that country, the Y2K conference will be held in Cancún, Mexico on May 14 and 15, 1999.

Chile has declared its intention to make available the position of interim Chair, a function which it has been carrying out since April 1996. It is thankful to and wishes to offer its cooperation to Canada, which is to look into applying for the position of Chair or co-Chair following consultation with its authorities, and to Jamaica, which will be doing the same with respect to one of the co-Chair positions.

The meeting was adjourned by establishing a commitment to complete the drafting of the Terms of Reference by means of joint work carried out by the parties which submitted suggestions, namely Brazil, Canada and Chile, who will exchange ideas and prepare the final draft to be submitted to the Drafting Committee for review and thereafter to all member countries.

Canada purposes that a network of contact persons be established in each of the member countries (telephone, fax, E-mail, etc.) to facilitate the work of the Executive Committee. The member countries are therefore asked to appoint a national delegate and submit that person's particulars to the office of the Chair.

Lastly, no date was set for the next meeting of the Executive Committee, the intention being to complete the drafting of the terms of reference and determine the progress made in the priority action areas.

Santiago de Chile, April 26, 1999.

ANNEX 1 LIST OF PARTICIPANTS

WHTI SANTIAGO, CHILE, APRIL 26, 1999

• PIERRE RENART TRANSPORT CANADA 613 991 65 03 613 991 64 27 renartp@tc.gc.ca

• TED CHERRETT TRANSPORT CANADA 613 991 65 00 613 991 64 22  

• ERIC PETRI SUBSECRETARIA DE TRANSP. 56 2 421 34 13 56 2 672 27 85 

• JANET BENINI US DEPT OF TRANSPORT 202 366 52 70 202 366 37 68 

• FLORIE LISER US DEPT OF TRANSPORT 202 366 58 00 202 366 74 17

• JOHN PISANI US DEPT OF TRANSPORT MARITIME ADMINISTRATION 202 366 43 57 202 366 69 88

• VERNAL S.SAVAGE MINISTRY OF TRANSPORT AND WORKS JAMAICA 876 754 25 94 876 754 25 93

• MARTIN KOUBEK US DOT NATIONAL HIGLWAY TRAFFIC SAFETY ADMINISTRATION 202 366 40 26 202 366 25 59

• PEDRO FOX ASESOR SUBSECRETARIO DE PUERTOS Y VIAS NAVEGABLES 4 361 11 34 4 361 54 11

• FDO. ANTILLON SECRETARIA DE COMUNICACIONES Y TRANSPORTES MEXICO 52 55 38 08 52 52 55 19 89 53

• STEPHEN BENDER OEA 202 458 62 95 202 458 35 60 

• COLIN STACEY TRANSPORT CANADA 613 991 64 05 613 991 64 22 STACEYC@tc.gc.ca

• EDDA CHIAPPE DIRECTOR EJECUTIVO DE LA OFICINA DE PRESUPUESTO Y

• PLANIFICACION DEL M. DE TRANSPORTES, C, V Y C 433 68 22 433 64 46 

• SERGIO AVILEZ EMBAJADOR DE NICARAGUA REPRESENTANTE DEL MINISTERIO DE TRANSP. E INFRAESTRUCTURA 56 2 231 20 34 56 2 231 20 34 

• VLADIMIR RADOVIC REPRESENTANTE RESIDENTE DEL BANCO INTERAMERICANO DE DESARROLLO EN CHILE 56 2 231 79 86 56 2 232 34 94 

• JOSE Mª RUBIATO CEPAL 56 2 210 22 84 56 2 208 02 52 

• ANDRES WALLIS G. SUBSECRETARIO DE TRANSPORTES 56 2 697 38 38 56 2 671 19 78 awallis@mtt.cl

ANEXO 2 BORRADOR DE LOS TERMINOS DE REFERENCIA

Anexo 2.1 Borrador en Español

TÉRMINOS DE REFERENCIA

para el

GRUPO DE TRABAJO SOBRE

INICIATIVA DE TRANSPORTE PARA EL HEMISFERIO OCCIDENTAL

- sugerencias -

[Este documento sugiere un posible formato de los términos de referencia para el Grupo de Trabajo sobre la Iniciativa de Transporte para el Hemisferio Occidental (GT-ITHO).

El formato que se presenta ha sido extraído en gran parte del "Reglamento de la Conferencia de Ministros de Transportes, Comunicaciones y Obras Públicas de América del Sur". En la preparación de esta propuesta también se han tenido en cuenta términos de referencia de otras organizaciones, en particular los incluidos en las "Normas de Procedimiento del Consejo Interamericano de Desarrollo Integral (CIDI)".

Gran parte del contenido de este documento se ha extraído del "Informe en materia de transportes, II Cumbre de las Américas" presentado por Chile en la reunión del Grupo de Revisión de la Implementación de la Cumbre que tuvo lugar en Santo Domingo, República Dominicana, del 8 al 9 de marzo de 1999.]

FUNDAMENTOS Y PRINCIPIOS

[Esta sección hará una reseña histórica de la evolución de la ITHO. También describirá los principios de base de la ITHO y de sus áreas de actividades.]

CAPÍTULO I

Objetivos

1. El GT-ITHO es un foro regional para la consulta, coordinación y concentración de esfuerzos en el área del transporte y un foro para la concertación de políticas en este sector...

1. Etc.

CAPÍTULO II

Miembros del Grupo de Trabajo sobre la Iniciativa de Transporte para el Hemisferio Occidental (GT-ITHO).

[Esta sección hará referencia a los países y organizaciones que son miembros del GT-ITHO.]

1. La posibilidad de ser miembro del GT-ITHO "estará abierta a todos los países de América".

1. La posibilidad de ser miembro del GT-ITHO también estará abierta a los cinco grupos regionales de países americanos definidos en el Capítulo I del documento Perfil de los Sistemas regionales de Transporte de las Américas, preparado por la Comisión Económica para América Latina y el Caribe (CEPAL)), concretamente el Tratado de Libre Comercio América del Norte (TLCAN), el Mercado Común Centroamericano (MCCA),la Secretaría de la Comunidad del Caribe (CARICOM), la Comunidad Andina y el Mercado Común del Cono Sur (MERCOSUR) .

1. La posibilidad de ser miembro del GT-ITHO también estará a otras organizaciones representativas de países de la Región de las Américas, como el Banco Interamericano de Desarrollo (BID), la Organización de los Estados Americanos (OEA), la Comisión Económica para América Latina y el Caribe (CEPAL) y la Asociación de los Estados del Caribe (AEC), etc.

1. Etc.

CAPÍTULO III

Organismos del GT-ITHO

[El propósito de esta sección es definir los organismos que se crearán para dirigir y administrar el GT-ITHO.]

1. La estructura organizacional del Grupo de Trabajo deberá ofrecer apoyo administrativo flexible y racional en todo momento, inspirándose en los servicios de asistencia técnica y apoyo secretarial de otros organismos regionales o internacionales.

El Comité Ejecutivo:

1. Se creará un Comité Ejecutivo cuya función será dirigir y administrar las actividades diarias del GT-ITHO.

1. Constituirán el Comité Ejecutivo un Presidente y dos Copresidentes.

La Presidencia:

1. El Presidente del GT-ITHO será elegido por los miembros, y ocupará el puesto por un período de____ años.

1. Puede ser Copresidente cualquier representante de un país, agrupación u organismo regional americano.

1. Los copresidentes serán elegidos al mismo tiempo que el Presidente y, generalmente, ocuparán el cargo por el mismo período.

1. En la medida de lo posible, uno de los copresidentes representará una agrupación u organismo americano y el otro será representante de un país perteneciente a una región de las Américas que no sea la representada por el Presidente (Por ejemplo si el Presidente es de un país del MERCOSUR, el Copresidente no lo será).

Otros comités:

1. Se podrán crear comités ad-hoc dentro del GT-ITHO para ejercer funciones específicas o alcanzar determinadas metas.

1. Deberá establecerse un cronograma para el logro de ciertos objetivos o el ejercicio ciertas funciones.

1. Cada uno de estos comités deberá tener su propio presidente y vicepresidentes responsables de la administración.

1. Deberá crearse un comité para cada proyecto específico del GT-ITHO, con sus correspondientes presidentes y vicepresidentes.

1. Etc

CAPÍTULO IV

Reuniones

1. Las reuniones del GT-ITHO se llevarán a cabo de manera regular, y deberán ser abiertas a todos los miembros de la organización.

1. El Presidente deberá convocar dichas reuniones con no menos de _____ meses anticipación a la fecha prevista para su realización. Se deberán hacer esfuerzos para asegurar que las reuniones se realicen en las fechas más convenientes para la mayoría de los miembros.

1. La asistencia a estas reuniones no será obligatoria.

1. El presidente deberá buscar, entre los miembros del GT-ITHO, un anfitrión para las próximas reuniones.

1. El país anfitrión deberá brindar instalaciones adecuadas para la reunión, así como también servicios de interpretación simultánea en español, francés, inglés y portugués, según las necesidades de los participantes.

1. Etc.

CAPÍTULO V

Proceso de decisión

1. Etc.

CAPÍTULO VI

Documentos de trabajo y documentos emergentes de la reuniones

1. El Presidente del GT-ITHO deberá hacer circular entre los miembros los documentos necesarios para la toma de decisiones con no menos de cuatro semanas de anticipación a la fecha de la reunión. Esta documentación deberá ser sometida al Presidente del GT-ITHO por el país u organismo que la produce cinco semanas antes de la fecha de la reunión.

1. El Presidente del GT-ITHO será responsable de distribuir las actas y toda otra documentación emanada de las reuniones.

1. La documentación producida en las reuniones deberá hacerse circular entre todos los miembros, incluidos los que no hubieran asistido, en las cuatro semanas posteriores a la reunión.

1. Etc.

CAPÍTULO VII

Relaciones con otros foros e instituciones

1. El GT-ITHO reconoce la necesidad de evitar, en la medida de lo posible, que sus esfuerzos dupliquen los ya realizados por otras agrupaciones u organizaciones.

1. En consecuencia, como se estableciera en los Capítulos II y III, se han previsto disposiciones para que otras agrupaciones u organizaciones representativas de países americanos puedan incorporarse.

1. Para llevar a cabo actividades en nombre del GT-ITHO, los miembros y presidentes de comités deberán consultar a las agrupaciones y organizaciones activas en la Región de las Américas.

1. Etc.

CAPÍTULO VIII

Financiación

CAPÍTULO IX

Modificación de los Términos de Referencia

Anexo 2.2 Borrador en Inglés

Suggested Possible Format for

TERMS OF REFERENCE

for the

WESTERN HEMISPHERIC TRANSPORT INITIATIVE

WORKING GROUP

FOUNDATIONS AND PRINCIPLES

CHAPTER I

Objectives

The WHTI-WG is a regional forum for consultation, coordination and joint effort in the area of transportation, and a forum for convergence in transportation policies...

CHAPTER II

Membership in the Western Hemispheric Transport Initiative Working Group

[This section would describe which countries and organizations make up the membership of the WHTI-WG.]

Membership in the WHTI-WG shall "be open to all countries in the Americas".

Membership in the WHTI-WG shall also be open to each of the five regional groups representing the countries of the Americas as defined in Chapter 1 of the document entitled Profile of the Regional Transportation Systems of the Americas, prepared by the Economic Commission for Latin America and Caribbean (ECLAC), namely the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), the Central American Common Market (MCCA), the Caribbean Community Secretariat (CARICOM), the Andean Community and the Southern Cone Common Market (MERCOSUR).

Membership in the WHTI-WG shall also be open to other organizations representing the countries of the Americas Region, including the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), the Organization of American States (OAS), the Economic Commission for Latin American and the Caribbean (ECLAC), the Association of Caribbean States (ACS), etc.

CHAPTER III

Institutions of the WHTI-WG

The institutional structure of the Working Group shall offer flexible and streamlined administrative support at all times, drawing on the services of regional or international agencies for technical assistance and certain secretarial support functions.

The Executive Committee:

An Executive Committee shall be formed for the purpose of providing leadership and administration for the day-to-day functioning of the WHTI-WG.

The Executive Committee shall be made up of a Chair, and two co-Chairs.

Chairmanship:

The Chair of the WHTI-WG shall be elected by the membership, and will serve for periods of __ years.

The Chair or co-Chair may be a representative of any country, regional grouping or institution of the Americas.

The co-Chairs shall be elected at the same time as the Chair, and serve for the same period, concurrently.

Ideally, one of the co-Chairs will represent a regional group or organization from the Americas and the other will represent a country from a regional area of the Americas other than that where the Chair’s country is located (For example, if the Chair is from a country within MERCOSUR, the co-Chair would not be).

Other Committees:

Committees may be created within the WHTI-WG, on an ad hoc basis, to execute specific functions or achieve specific goals.

A time frame shall be defined for the achievement of goals or execution of functions.

Each such committee should have its own Chair and co-Chairs, who shall be responsible for its administration.

A committee shall be formed for any specific project being executed under the WHTI-WG, with a Chair and co-Chairs.

CHAPTER IV

Meetings

WHTI-WG meetings should take place on a regular basis, and should be open to the full membership of the organization.

Such meetings shall be called by the Chair, no later than __ months before the date on which they are scheduled to take place. Efforts shall be made to ensure that meetings occur on dates that are of the greatest convenience to the greatest number of members.

Attendance at these meetings shall be entirely optional.

The Chair shall seek, from among the members of the WHTI-WG, hosts for forthcoming meetings.

The host country shall ensure the provision of an adequate meeting facility, as well as simultaneous interpretation services between Spanish, Portuguese, French and English, depending on attendance.

CHAPTER V

Decision-Making

1. Etc.

CHAPTER VI

Working Documents and Documents Arising from Meetings

Documentation required for decision-making shall be circulated by the WHTI-WG Chair no later than four weeks before the meeting date. This documentation shall be submitted to the WHTI-WG Chair by the country or organization from which they originate at least five weeks before the meeting date.

The WHTI-WG Chair shall be responsible for distributing minutes as well as any other documentation emanating from meetings.

Documentation emanating from the meeting shall be circulated to all members, including those not in attendance, no later than four weeks after the meeting date.

Etc.

CHAPTER VII

Relations with other Fora and Institutions

The WHTI-WG recognizes the need to avoid, whenever possible, the duplication of its efforts with those of other groups and organizations.

Thus, as outlined in Chapters II and III, it has made provisions to provide membership to any other group or organization representing the countries of the Americas Region.

In executing activities on behalf of the WHTI-WG, members and committee Chairs shall consult with the various groups and organizations active in the Americas Region.

CHAPTER VIII

Financing

CHAPTER IX

Amendment of the Terms of Reference

Anexo 2.3 Borrador en Portugués

Possível formato sugerido para os

TERMOS DE REFERÊNCIA

para o

GRUPO DE TRABALHO DA Iniciativa de Transportes do Hemisfério Oeste

FUNDAÇÕES E PRINCÍPIOS

CAPÍTULO I

Objetivos

O WHTI-WG é um foro regional de consulta, coordenação e esforço conjunto na área de transporte, bem como um foro para convergência na área de políticas de transporte...

CAPÍTULO II

Afiliação ao Grupo de Trabalho da Iniciativa de Transportes do Hemisfério Oeste

A afiliação ao WHTI-WG deverá "ser aberta a todos os países das Américas".

A afiliação ao WHTI-WG também deverá ser aberta a cada um dos cinco grupos regionais representando os países das Américas, definidos no Capítulo 1 do documento titulado Profile of the Regional Transportation Systems of the Americas (Perfil dos Sistemas Regionais de Transporte das Américas), preparado pela Comissão Econômica para a América Latina e o Caribe (CEPAL), especificamente o Acordo de Livre Comércio da América do Norte (NAFTA), o Mercado Comum Centro-Americano (MCCA), a Comunidade do Caribe (CARICOM), a Comunidade Andina e o Mercado Comum do Sul (MERCOSUL).

A afiliação ao WHTI-WG também deverá ser aberta a outras organizações representando os países da região das Américas, incluindo o Banco Interamericano de Desenvolvimento (BID), a Organização dos Estados Americanos (OEA), a Comissão Econômica para a América Latina e o Caribe (CEPAL), a Associação dos Estados do Caribe (AEC), etc.

Etc.

CAPÍTULO III

Instituições do WHTI-WG

A estrutura institucional do Grupo de Trabalho deverá oferecer apoio administrativo dinâmico e versátil a todo momento, utilizando os serviços de agências regionais ou internacionais para obter auxílio técnico e certas funções de apoio de escritório.

O Comitê Executivo:

Um Comitê Executivo deverá ser constituído a fim de liderar e administrar as atividades do dia-a-dia do WHTI-WG.

O Comitê Executivo deverá ser constituído por um Presidente e dois Co-presidentes.

Presidência:

O Presidente do WHTI-WG deverá ser eleito pelos seus integrantes e terá um mandato de ___ anos.

O Presidente ou Co-presidente pode ser um representante de qualquer país, grupo regional ou instituição das Américas.

Os Co-presidentes deverão ser eleitos ao mesmo tempo que o Presidente, servindo seus mandatos no mesmo período, simultaneamente.

Idealmente, um dos Co-presidentes representará um grupo regional ou organização das Américas e o outro representará um país ou região das Américas que não seja o domicílio do Presidente (por exemplo, caso o Presidente seja de um país integrante do MERCOSUL, o Co-presidente não seria).

Outros comitês:

Comitês poderão ser criados dentro do WHTI-WG, como necessário, para executar funções específicas ou realizar metas específicas.

Um cronograma deverá ser definido para a realização de metas ou para a execução das funções.

Cada um desses comitês deverá ter seu próprio Presidente e Co-presidentes, os quais serão responsáveis por sua administração.

Um comitê deverá ser formado para qualquer projeto específico sendo executado sob o WHTI-WG, com um Presidente e Co-presidentes.

CAPÍTULO IV

Reuniões

As reuniões do WHTI-WG deveriam ser realizadas regularmente e deveriam ser abertas a todos os integrantes da organização.

Tais reuniões deverão ser convocadas pelo Presidente o mais tardar __ meses antes da data na qual estiverem programadas para ocorrer. Esforços deverão ser realizados para assegurar que as reuniões ocorram em datas que sejam as mais convenientes possíveis para o maior número de integrantes.

A participação nessas reuniões deverá ser inteiramente opcional.

O Presidente deverá procurar, entre os integrantes do WHTI-WG, anfitriões para reuniões futuras.

O país anfitrião deverá assegurar o fornecimento de instalações adequadas para a reunião, bem como serviços de interpretação simultânea entre as línguas espanhola, portuguesa, francesa e inglesa, dependendo dos participantes.

1. Etc.

A documentação necessária para o processo decisório deverá ser circulada pelo Presidente do WHTI-WG o mais tardar quatro semanas antes da data da reunião. Esta documentação deverá ser enviada ao Presidente do WHTI-WG pelo país ou organização do qual originou-se, no mínimo cinco semanas antes da data da reunião.

O Presidente do WHTI-WG será responsável pela distribuição de minutas, bem como de qualquer documentação elaborada nas reuniões.

Os documentos elaborados nas reuniões deverão ser enviados para todos os integrantes, incluindo os ausentes, o mais tardar quatro semanas após a data da reunião.

O WHTI-WG reconhece a necessidade de evitar, sempre que possível, a duplicação dos seus esforços com os de outros grupos e organizações.

Portanto, como descrito nos Capítulos II e III, adotou providências para possibilitar que qualquer outro grupo ou organização representando os países da região das Américas se afilie.

Ao realizar atividades em nome do WHTI-WG, os integrantes e Presidentes de comitês devem consultar os vários grupos e organizações ativos na região das Américas.

Etc.