• The Western Hemisphere Transport Initiative (WHTI) is a forum for cooperation in transportation among the Ministries Responsible for Transportation of the countries of the Summit of the Americas process.
• Membership in the WHTI is open to all member countries of the Summit of the Americas process and is entirely voluntary. The following organizations are also members of the WHTI in an advisory capacity: the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC), the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) and the Organization of American States (OAS).
• The WHTI draws its Action Program from the Priority Action Areas and any other directives mutually agreed-upon at meetings of the Ministers Responsible for Transportation of the Summit of the Americas countries. Individual countries or organizations that are members of the WHTI will lead, on a voluntary basis, the implementation of each Priority Action Area.
• The WHTI has an Executive Committee made up of representatives of the Ministries Responsible for Transportation of the Summit of the Americas countries and, as advisors with no voting rights, of ECLAC, the IDB and the OAS.

• The purpose of the Executive Committee is to plan and monitor the implementation of the Priority Action Areas identified by the Ministers Responsible for Transportation of the Summit of the Americas countries, as well as to provide a forum for cooperation and the exchange of information.
• The Executive Committee will also serve as a forum for the planning of WHTI Ministerial meetings.

• The WHTI Executive Committee will have a Chair. This position will be occupied by a WHTI member country.
• The Chair will be supported by up to two co-Chairs, as required, whose role will be to provide support to the Chair in carrying out administrative duties related to the WHTI. Ideally, the countries taking on these positions should be from sub-regions of the Western Hemisphere other than that of the Chair, in order to reflect an appropriate regional balance.
• The country occupying the position of Chair of the Executive Committee will provide a Secretariat function during its tenure, and will thus be responsible for maintaining an archive of and distributing relevant materials regarding the WHTI.
• The Chair will also be responsible for preparing a report, when and if required, for presentation to the Summit of the Americas Summit Implementation Review Group (SIRG) regarding the activities and progress of the WHTI.
• The Chair and co-Chairs will serve two-year terms. Six months before the end of the Chair’s term, the Chair will consult with all WHTI members to seek expressions of interest in the positions of Chair and co-Chair. The selection of the new Chair and co-Chairs will be based on a fair and transparent process. The endorsement for the selection of the new Chair and co-Chairs will be sought from all WHTI Ministers on the basis of consensus.

• Decisions taken by the Executive Committee regarding administrative issues, planning for Ministerial meetings, or follow-up to the Priority Action Areas identified by the Ministers Responsible for Transportation of the Summit of the Americas countries will be on the basis of consensus among countries represented at a given meeting, or among all countries further to the Chair’s written consultation with them.

• The Chair of the WHTI Executive Committee will call meetings as and when necessary, and ideally once per year.
• The purpose of these meetings will be to review progress on the Priority Action Areas identified by the Ministers Responsible for Transportation from the Summit of the Americas countries, and to promote cooperation and the exchange of information among the WHTI member countries.
• The Executive Committee will also meet well in advance of any meeting of the Ministers Responsible for Transportation of the Summit of the Americas countries, in order to develop the required agendas and meeting materials.
• Relevant documentation for Executive Committee meetings will be circulated at least three weeks in advance of these meetings.
• Meetings will be conducted in the languages of the Summit of the Americas – English, French, Portuguese and Spanish – depending on requirements and attendance.

• The approval of and any amendments to the Terms of Reference require the consensus of the Ministers Responsible for Transportation of the Summit of the Americas countries.

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