The Western Hemisphere Transport Initiative (WHTI) Executive Committee met in Montevideo, Uruguay on December 6, 2000. Representatives from Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Jamaica, Paraguay, the United States of America, Uruguay, the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC), and the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) participated in the meeting. The Asociación Latinoamericana de Integración (ALADI) and the International Civil Aviation Association (ICAO) were also represented.

The meeting began with a welcome address by Ing. Lucio Cáceres Behrens, Minister of Transport and Public Works of Uruguay. Minister Cáceres emphasized that the WHTI Executive Committee must develop a full and complete program for the Meeting of Ministers of Transport from the Western Hemisphere that will take place in Punta del Este, Uruguay, on March 15-16, 2001.

Further introductory remarks were then provided by Mr. Ted Cherrett of Canada, the present Chair of the WHTI Executive Committee, who emphasized that the principal reason for the Executive Committee meeting was to plan for the March 2001 Ministerial meeting. In this context, he then outlined the main points to be discussed by the Executive Committee, including the Proposal for a Partnership for Safer Skies in the Americas and Revision 1 of the Proposal for a Plan of Action.

He thanked Uruguay for having offered to host this Executive Committee meeting, and the USA for having hosted the Western Hemisphere Transport Ministers’ Roundtable meeting in October 2000. He also thanked ECLAC for their hard work in the ongoing development of the Proposal for a Plan of Action.

Further introductory remarks were provided by the two Executive Committee Co-Chairs, Bolivia and Jamaica. On behalf of Jamaica, Ms. Elsa-May Binns of the Ministry of Transport and Works informed the meeting of Jamaica’s intention to host a meeting in early 2001 to discuss possible activities under the WHTI’s Priority Action Area 6, "the Development of Capacity-Building Seminars". Jamaica intends to invite the participation of Costa Rica and the Organization of American States (OAS), who, along with Jamaica, were asked to lead follow-up on this Priority Action Area following the December 1998 Western Hemisphere Transport Ministerial meeting. The Executive Committee Chair will also be invited. Specifically, Jamaica proposes that capacity building could be carried out in a relatively low-cost manner among the members of the WHTI members through the establishment of personnel exchange programs.

On behalf of Bolivia, Ing. Arturo Zurita Castellón of the Vice Ministry of Transport, Communications and Civil Aeronautics emphasized work currently being carried out by his country to integrate its transportation systems with those of other countries in the Americas, beginning with projects in the four Integration Corridors that Bolivia plans to develop. He said that a principal problem faced by Bolivia was the lack of resources available to carry out these projects, but that they are trying to fill this void by way of the Concessions Law. He said that they have had problems as a result of increases in the price of fuel, as he imagined that all countries have had.

Agenda Item 3. Approval of Agenda

The agenda was approved without amendment.

The meeting discussed ECLAC’s Proposal for a Plan of Action, with a view to refining the document for presentation to Ministers at the March 2001 meeting.

José María Rubiato Elizalde of ECLAC began discussion on this issue by providing a presentation on the Proposal for a Plan of Action document, Revision 1 of which had been circulated prior to the meeting. He emphasized that the WHTI is both a "forum for cooperation", whereby members agree to work together on specific projects, and a "forum for convergence", whereby the members come together to build on the existing work of the five main sub-regions of the Americas (the Andean Community, the Caribbean, the Central American Common Market, MERCOSUR and the North American Free Trade Agreement). He then further expanded on the ideas presented in the Proposal document, particularly that future work should revolve around the following three main points:

1. the development of knowledge networks;

2. the creation of mechanisms for institutional cooperation between the sub-regions; and

3. the interconnection of main axes of regional transportation infrastructure and services.

Referring to the Proposal for a Plan of Action, ECLAC clarified that "clusters" refers to geographic groupings of firms and institutions working in related fields, whereas "centers of excellence" refers to firms and institutions that exhibit best practices.

In the following general discussion, Canada expressed the opinion that the general issue of safety should be more widely dealt with in the document, as well as that of civil aviation. Brazil emphasized that the final Plan of Action to be presented to Ministers should be less complex than the current revision of the Proposal, and should include clear and practically implemented actions, the value of which would be easily understood. Bolivia suggested that the general issue of facilitating the movement of cargo and passengers at borders should also be considered. There was also suggestion that more consideration could be given to the environment. There was general agreement that the WHTI should act as a mechanism for promoting greater communication among the sub-regional groupings in the Americas, and that efforts should be made to share information regarding existing and future sub-regional studies and other activities.

Maria Lameiro of the US Department of Transportation began discussion on this issue by providing a brief presentation on the Proposal for a Partnership for Safer Skies in the Western Hemisphere put forward by US Secretary of Transportation Rodney Slater in October 2000. She clarified that it was not the USA’s intention, by way of the proposed partnership, to create any new regional organization or bureaucratic structure. Rather, the USA is suggesting that the WHTI work with existing organizations that are active in aviation in the Americas, particularly ICAO.

As an example of the sort of activity that could be pursued under such a partnership, the USA mentioned cooperation currently underway in Central America in civil aviation matters, including the participation of the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the IDB. The USA also mentioned that they are working with the IDB to ensure that funding is available for aviation-related projects, and that an FAA official has been seconded to the Bank precisely to work on such issues. She then provided various other examples whereby the USA is cooperating with other countries as well as ICAO and other international bodies in aviation safety projects in the Americas.

As a possible next step, the USA suggested the establishment of an ad hoc committee to further develop the WHTI aviation partnership proposal, as well as to consider possible concrete activities that could be carried out under it. She also suggested that the WHTI aviation activity could draw from the experience of the APEC Group of Experts on Aviation Safety and Assistance (GEASA), which in 1997 developed a series of recommendations for Transport Ministers, and later worked to implement those recommendations. Finally, she suggested that the WHTI could review the idea of holding a Western Hemisphere Civil Aviation Conference.

Brazil re-emphasized the need to avoid duplication with the activities already being carried out by ICAO and the Latin American Civil Aviation Commission (LACAC), and stressed the need to identify the value of coordination on civil aviation under the WHTI, given the existence of ICAO and LACAC. Thus, they said, any WHTI aviation initiative would need to begin with the identification of activities already being carried out in the region. Brazil also emphasized the importance of appropriate training in the region. In general, there was also agreement on the importance of the issue of financing with respect to carrying out work in the civil aviation sector in the Americas.

The Executive Committee agreed that an ad hoc committee would be created, on a temporary basis, with the goal of defining how the WHTI could work on issues related to aviation safety, keeping in mind work already being done in the region on this issue, especially by ICAO and LACAC. This committee will also consider the possible role of the IDB. The committee will present its findings to the Ministers in March 2001, along with recommendations for future follow-up. The USA agreed to lead this committee, and Brazil, Canada, Paraguay, and ICAO will participate.

Agenda Item 6. Meeting of Ministers of Transport from the Western Hemisphere, Punta del Este, March 15-16, 2001

Uruguay provided a brief presentation on some of the practical considerations of the planned program.

There was a general discussion of the relation between the March 2001 Transport Ministers’ meeting and the Summit of the Americas Leaders’ Meeting that will take place in Quebec City, Canada, on April 20-22, 2001. Uruguay pointed out that the final Statement and other documentation from the Leaders’ meeting will be developed largely in advance by Ministries of Foreign Affairs, and that the WHTI has only a limited capacity to influence the content of these. Canada mentioned that, based on consultation with their own Foreign Ministry, reference to transportation in the documentation resulting from the Quebec Summit is expected to be limited.

Discussion then turned to the general organization of the Ministerial meeting, and the themes that would be discussed at it. Uruguay pointed out that they foresaw that the meeting would last for approximately 1.5 days, i.e. all of March 15 and half of March 16.

With respect to themes for discussion, there was agreement that the Ministers should spend some time going over the WHTI’s achievements to date since the December 1998 New Orleans Ministerial meeting. It was suggested that there could be a general discussion of major transportation activities or studies being carried within the sub-regions of the Hemisphere. Uruguay suggested that some consideration could be given to Ministers’ expectations with respect to the future development of transportation in the region and its role in future growth and integration. While it was felt that attention should be paid to ensuring regional balance with respect to the selection of Ministers to lead discussions on different topics, there was also concern raised that there should not be too many presentations.

It was generally agreed that the following items should be included in the program:

1. Introduction by the Host

2. Presentation by the Chair of the WHTI’s progress since December 1998

3. Presentation by ECLAC of the Action Plan

4. Presentation of major transportation-related studies carried out in the Americas in recent times

5. Discussion of specific issues led by particular Ministers (i.e. aviation safety, etc.)

Jamaica asked that there be specific focus on the environment in maritime transport, particularly the movement of hazardous goods and nuclear materials by sea, and the dumping of wastes by cruise ships. The Chair asked that Jamaica further develop this idea and submit it to him at a later date.

January 22, 2001 – Draft Program and outline of Joint Statement circulated to all WHTI members for input.

February 23, 2001 - Draft Joint Statement circulated to all members for approval

March 14, 2001 - Meeting of WHTI Executive Committee in Punta del Este, Uruguay, to finalize draft Joint Statement

Finally, there was discussion of the issue of an overall theme for the March Ministerial. Argentina suggested that the theme be related to the advent of the 21^st Century. Bolivia suggested that all countries be asked to submit ideas for a possible theme.

7.1 Hemispheric Conference on Vulnerability Reduction of Trade Corridors to Socio-Natural Disasters

The Chair circulated information about the Hemispheric Conference on Vulnerability Reduction of Trade Corridors to Socio-Natural Disasters, which will take place in Mendoza, Argentina on March 26-28, 2001, organized by the Organization of American States’ Unit for Sustainable Development and the Government of Mendoza. He asked that all WHTI members distribute this information to the appropriate authorities within their governments and organizations, and that they consider participating in the conference. In particular, the OAS is seeking volunteers to participate as moderators for the various sessions related to transportation. Anyone seeking more information regarding the conference is asked to contact Mr. Stephen Bender of the OAS, by telephone at (1-202) 458-6295, by fax at (1-202) 458-3560, or by email at sbender@oas.org. Information regarding the conference is also available on the WHTI web site at http://www.transport-americas.org, under the "Events" section.

7.2 Next Meeting

It was agreed that the WHTI Executive Committee will meet again on March 14, 2001 in Punta del Este, Uruguay, in order to discuss final details regarding the Ministerial meeting and finalize related documentation. During the intervening period, the Chair will communicate regularly with all WHTI members regarding the Ministerial meeting.

The Chair brought the meeting to a close, thanking Uruguay for their hospitality and all participants for their cooperation in advancing the work of the WHTI.

© 2000 Executive Committee of the Western Hemisphere Transport Initiative, and, Office of Summit Follow-Up, Organization of American States.
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