OEA - CIDI - Resolución CECIP doc 16

TWENTY SIXTH MEETING OF THE EXECUTIVE BOARD OEA/Ser.L/XX.1.26

OF THE INTER-AMERICAN COMMITTEE ON PORTS CECIP/doc. 16/26

March 12, 2026 March 12 2026

Virtual Meeting Original: Spanish

DRAFT RULES OF PROCEDURE OF THE INTER-AMERICAN COMMITTEE ON

PORTS (CIP)

(preapproved during the third plenary session)

CHAPTER ONE NATURE, PURPOSE, COMPOSITION AND FUNCTIONS Nature and purpose

Article 1

1. The Inter-American Committee on Ports (CIP) (hereinafter “the Committee”) is a committee of the Inter-American Council on Integral Development (CIDI), established in compliance with resolution AG/RES. 1573 (XXVIII-O/98) of the General Assembly, and in accordance with Articles 93 and 77 of the Charter of the Organization of American States

(hereinafter “the Organization”) and Articles 5 and 15 of the Statute of CIDI.

2. The purpose of the Committee is to serve as a permanent Inter-American forum of the member states of the Organization, for the strengthening of hemispheric cooperation in the area of port-sector development, with the active participation and collaboration of the private sector. The Committee shall carry out its activities taking into account the priorities of the Strategic Plan for Partnership for Integral Development (hereinafter “the Strategic Plan”).

Composition Article 2 The Committee comprises all the member states of the Organization, represented by the highest-level national governmental authorities from the port sector. Functions and powers Article 3 The functions and powers of the Committee are:

ORGANIZATION OF AMERICAN STATES

Inter-American Council for Integral Development (CIDI)a. To act as the principal advisory organ of the Organization and its member states in all topics concerning port-sector development;

b. To propose and promote hemispheric cooperation policies in port-sector development, in accordance with the guidelines from the General Assembly and CIDI, as well as from the Summits of the Americas; c. To examine and propose solutions to common port-sector problems; d. To facilitate and promote the development and improvement of port-sector activities in the Hemisphere; e. To approve the triennial budget prepared by the Executive Board; f. To formulate guidelines for the preparation and presentation of partnership-fordevelopment programs, projects, and activity proposals by the member states, in accordance with the Strategic Plan, the Statute of the Development Cooperation Fund (DCF/OAS), the respective Inter-American Programs, and other pertinent instruments; g. To support the preparation for and follow-up of specialized or sectorial meetings at the ministerial level or its equivalent where port-sector matters are being considered; h. To propose strategies to attract and mobilize additional resources to finance partnership-for-development programs, projects, and activities in the port sector;

1. To promote and organize meetings of port experts to study planning, regulation, administration, operations, marketing, financing, and other technical matters related to port-sector development in the Hemisphere and disseminate their results;

j. To promote the development of joint projects among the port-sector entities of member states; k. To develop and implement technical training programs for all levels of portsector personnel of member states; l. To promote the adoption of cooperation agreements pertaining to the port sector among the governments of member states; m. To collect and disseminate information related to port-sector activities among member states, particularly on technical advancements, investments, legislation, ownership, administration, operations, security, data, human resources, and the environment; n. To generate, analyze, propose, and adopt programs, projects, and activities on

port-sector matters that are directly related to the Strategic Plan and in accordance with the Declaration of Asunción on “Inter-American Port PoliciesGuidelines”, and the “Agreement on Cooperation and Mutual Assistance among Inter-American Port Authorities”, and other pertinent documents. o. To maintain permanent contact with international and regional bodies, governmental and non-governmental, dealing with port-sector matters, such as the American Association of Port Authorities (AAPA), the International Association of Ports and Harbors (IAPH), the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD), the Central American Maritime Transport Commission (COCATRAM), the Caribbean Shipping Association (CSA), the United Nations Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC), the International Conference of Port Training, the International Maritime Organization (IMO), the International Labour Organization (ILO), the Port Managers Association of the Caribbean (PMAC) and the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), among others. p. To carry out other functions consistent with its objectives, as well as those assigned by the General Assembly or CIDI.

CHAPTER TWO

STRUCTURE OF THE COMMITTEE

Article 4 The Committee fulfills its objectives, performs its functions, and exercises its powers through its meetings, the Executive Board (CECIP), and the Technical Advisory Groups (TAGs), with the support of the General Secretariat of the Organization (hereinafter “the Secretariat”). All CECIP authorities, including the TAGs, are at Member State level and represented by their highest-level national port authority.

I. MEETINGS OF THE COMMITTEE Regular meetings

Article 5

1. The Committee shall hold a regular meeting at least every three (3) years, in any of the member states, in keeping with the provisions of Article 80 of these Rules of Procedure.

2. The Committee, during its regular meetings, shall consider general matters related to port-sector cooperation and, specifically, shall fulfill the following functions:

a. To determine the policies necessary to fulfill the functions provided for in Article 3 of these Rules of Procedure; b. To create and adopt a triennial plan of action for the Committee; c. To elect the members of the Executive Board;d. To establish the Technical Advisory Groups and define their responsibilities; e. To propose to CIDI amendments to the Rules of Procedure of the Committee, when appropriate; f. To consider and adopt decisions on any other matter under the sphere of responsibility of the Committee. Special meetings Article 6

1. The Committee shall hold special meetings by decision of the General Assembly, or CIDI, or if the Committee itself so decides by the affirmative vote of two thirds of its members. In the latter case, the Committee shall contribute all the resources required for the meeting and shall inform CIDI of its decision to hold a special meeting and of its agenda.

2. The special meetings of the Committee shall consider the specific matters for which they have been convened.

Place and date of the meetings Article 7

1. The regular meetings of the Committee shall be held at the place and on the date agreed upon at the conclusion of the preceding meeting, taking into account the offers presented by the member states. When there are no offers to host a meeting 90 days before the meeting is scheduled to begin, or when a meeting cannot be held at the selected place, the Committee shall meet at the headquarters of the Secretariat. Should a change of date become necessary, the Chair of the Executive Board (at Member S tate level and represented by its highest-level national port authority) shall consult on this matter with the CECIP.

2. The Executive Committee shall inform the members of the Committee of the place and date of the special meetings.

Agenda

Article 8

1. The Executive Board shall prepare a preliminary draft agenda for each regular meeting of the Committee, to be submitted for consideration by the other Committee member states, at least 100 days prior to the inauguration of the respective meeting. Simultaneously, the Secretariat shall send a copy of the preliminary draft to the permanent missions of the Organization through CIDI. The member states shall have 30 consecutive days to send their observations to the Chair of the Executive Board. On the basis of the observations received, the Executive Board shall prepare the final draft agenda, which shall be submitted to CIDI for information and distributed to the member states 45 days before the regular meeting.

2. The Chair of the Executive Board shall establish the procedures and deadlines for the preparation and distribution of the agenda for special meetings.Notice of convocation of meetings

Article 9

1. CIDI shall convene a regular meeting of the Committee once it has been informed by the Chair of the Executive Board of the agreed place and date for the meeting. For that purpose, the country that has offered to host a regular meeting must have confirmed to the Secretariat the date, city, and specific location of the meeting, and indicate that it is prepared to sign with the Secretariat the corresponding agreement for the holding of the meeting, which contains the financial obligations of the parties. The host country shall present this confirmation no later than 90 days prior to the proposed date of said meeting. If there is no confirmation within that period, CIDI shall convene the meeting at the headquarters of the Secretariat. The Secretariat shall transmit the notices to member states as soon as the convocation has been decided.

2. The resolutions convening meetings of the Committee shall indicate the source of financing which will be used to cover the costs of the meeting.

A. Participation in the meetings of the Committee

Delegations Article 10 The delegations of the member states shall comprise representatives, advisors, and other members accredited by the governments. Each delegation shall have a principal representative or head of delegation, who may delegate his or her powers to any other member of the delegation. Credentials Article 11 For each regular or special meeting of the Committee, the members of each delegation and the Permanent Observers to the Organization shall be accredited by their respective

or head of delegation, who may delegate his or her powers to any other member of the delegation. Credentials Article 11 For each regular or special meeting of the Committee, the members of each delegation and the Permanent Observers to the Organization shall be accredited by their respective governments by means of a communication through their Permanent Mission to the OAS addressed to the CIP Secretariat. Precedence Article 12 The order of precedence of the delegations shall be established at the start of each meeting of the Committee following the alphabetical order in Spanish commencing with the country which is the Chair.Bodies and agencies of the Inter-American System Article 13 The representatives of the bodies and agencies of the Inter-American System may attend the meetings of the Committee and its subcommittees with the right to speak. Permanent Observers Article 14 Permanent Observers to the Organization may attend the meetings of the Committee and its subcommittees. They may also speak provided that the Chair of the meeting in question so decides. Other observers Article 15

1. Observers to the Committee meetings may also be sent by:

a. Governments of the member states of the United Nations or its specialized agencies that have expressed an interest in attending, subject to prior authorization by the Chair of the Executive Board, in consultation with the Vice Chairs of said Board; b. Inter-American governmental entities and agencies of a regional or subregional nature that are not included among the bodies and agencies of the Organization, subject to prior authorization by the Chair of the Executive Board, in consultation with the Vice Chairs of said Board; c. Specialized agencies related to the United Nations or other international organizations, when so provided in their current agreements with the pertinent bodies of the Organization or, in the absence of such agreements, subject to prior authorization by the Chair of the Executive Board, in

consultation with the Vice Chairs of said Board.

2. The observers referred to in this article may speak at the meetings of the Committee or its subcommittees when invited to do so by the respective Chair.

3. For the purposes of this article, the Secretariat shall send out the appropriate communications.

Special guests Article 16

1. Subject to prior authorization by the Chair of the Executive Board and with the consent of the host country, national and international governmental organizations or entities, and persons of recognized standing in the matters to be considered may attend the meetings of the Committee as special guests, provided they express an interest in doing so.2. The special guests referred to in this article may speak in the meetings of the Committee when invited to do so by the respective Chair.

3. Requests to attend the meetings of the Committee as special guests must be presented to the Chair of the Executive Board directly or through the Secretariat, at least 15 days prior to the start of the meeting.

4. For the purposes of this article, the Secretariat shall extend the corresponding invitations.

The Secretariat Article 17 The Secretary General of the Organization and the Executive Secretary for Integral Development participate with voice but without vote at the meetings of the Committee and its subsidiary bodies.

B. Officers of the Meetings of the Committee

Chair and Vice Chairs Article 18

1. At the first plenary session of each meeting, the Committee shall elect a Chair and two Vice Chairs, from among the heads of delegations of the member states represented at the meeting. The election shall require the affirmative vote of more than half of the delegations accredited to the meeting.

2. The Chair and the Vice Chairs of the meeting shall be in their personal capacity and shall hold office until the close of the meeting.

Substitution of the Chair Article 19 In the event of the temporary or permanent absence of the Chair of the meeting, he or she

shall be replaced by the First Vice Chair, who will have the same powers and duties as the Chair, and, in the absence of the First Vice Chair, by the Second Vice Chair. Article 20 In the absence of the Chair and the two Vice Chairs of the meeting, the Committee shall be temporarily chaired by the principal representative of the member State that is first in the order of precedence established in Article 12 of these Rules of Procedure. Powers of the Chair Article 21The Chair of the meeting shall convene the plenary sessions; establish their order of business; open and adjourn the plenary sessions; direct the debate; grant the floor to the delegations in the order of their requests; put to a vote the points under discussion and announce the results; rule on points of order in compliance with Article 35; install the subcommittees; perform any other tasks the Committee may assign him or her; and, in general, observe and enforce the provisions of these Rules of Procedure.

C. Sessions

Article 22 Each meeting of the Committee shall include an informal preliminary session with the heads of delegation of the member states, an inaugural session, the number of plenary sessions required, and a closing session. In the case of a special meeting, the inaugural session may be omitted. Preliminary session of the heads of delegations Article 23 The Chair of the Executive Board shall convoke an informal preliminary session of the heads of delegation of the member states, prior to the inaugural session, to agree on the organization of the work of the Committee meeting. Plenary sessions Article 24 The first plenary session shall decide the following:

1. Election of the Chair and Vice Chairs of the meeting;

2. Composition of the Style Subcommittee;

3. Final agenda of the meeting;

4. Appointment of the subcommittees and working groups;

5. The deadline for the presentation of proposals;

6. Duration of the meeting;

7. Other matters.

Open and closed sessions Article 25

1. The plenary sessions of the Committee and the sessions of its subcommittees shall be open, unless in session it is decided otherwise.2. The sessions of the working groups shall be closed, unless said groups decide otherwise.

D. Subcommittees and Working Groups

Subcommittees and Working Groups Article 26 At each meeting, the Committee may set up subcommittees and working groups, which shall elect their own officers. The subcommittees may in turn establish any working groups they deem necessary for examination of the topics submitted to them for consideration. The recommendations that they adopt or conclusions they reach shall be presented to the plenary sessions of the meetings in a report approved by the respective subcommittee or working group. Any member of a subcommittee or working group may request that his or her position be recorded in the relevant report. The Committee shall take note of these reports and shall approve the pertinent decisions at a plenary session. Article 27 All delegations may be members of the subcommittees and working groups established during a meeting of the Committee. However, to facilitate their work, the subcommittees and working groups shall be installed with representatives of those delegations that have requested membership thereon, without the need for additional personnel. Article 28 The working groups may continue to function between meetings of the Committee. Style subcommittee Article 29 At each meeting, a Style Subcommittee made up of four delegations, each of which represents one of the four official languages of the Organization, shall be established, unless the member states decide to conduct the meeting in fewer languages. Article 30

1. The Style Subcommittee shall meet during or after the Committee meeting at the headquarters of the Secretariat.

2. The Style Subcommittee shall receive the resolutions, declarations, and agreements approved by the Committee, correct any defects of form, and ensure equivalency among the texts in each of the languages used in the meeting. Should the subcommittee note any defects of form that cannot be corrected, it shall submit the matter to the Chair of the meeting for decision. If the meeting has ended, the Executive Board shall decide on the matter.

E. Debate

QuorumArticle 31

among the texts in each of the languages used in the meeting. Should the subcommittee note any defects of form that cannot be corrected, it shall submit the matter to the Chair of the meeting for decision. If the meeting has ended, the Executive Board shall decide on the matter.

E. Debate

QuorumArticle 31 The presence of more than half of the delegations of the member states accredited to the meeting shall constitute a quorum for the plenary sessions of the Committee meetings. Article 32 For sessions of the subcommittees and working groups formed to meet during the Committee meetings, one third of the delegations listed as members shall constitute a quorum. However, for the purpose of adopting a decision, at least more than half of said delegations must be present in the corresponding session. Proposals Article 33 Proposals submitted to the Committee for its consideration must be presented in writing to the Secretariat, which shall forward copies of those proposals to the representatives at least 24 hours prior to the session in which the matter will be discussed. However, the Committee may, by a two-thirds majority vote of the member states present in the corresponding session, authorize a proposal to be discussed whenever the urgency of the matter has prevented the prior procedure from being followed. Withdrawal of proposals Article 34 A proposal may be withdrawn by its proponent before the original text or any amendment thereto has been put to a vote. Any other delegation may introduce a proposal that has been withdrawn. Points of order Article 35 During the discussion of a matter, any delegation may raise a point of order regarding the application of these Rules of Procedure, which shall be ruled upon immediately by the Chair. When raising a point of order, a delegation may not go into the substance of the matter under discussion. The ruling of the Chair may be appealed. The appeal shall be put to a vote immediately and shall be declared approved if it receives the vote of two thirds of the delegations present. Suspension of debate Article 36 The Chair or any delegation may request that the debate be suspended. Only two delegations may speak in favor of, and two against, a motion to suspend the debate. It shall then

immediately and shall be declared approved if it receives the vote of two thirds of the delegations present. Suspension of debate Article 36 The Chair or any delegation may request that the debate be suspended. Only two delegations may speak in favor of, and two against, a motion to suspend the debate. It shall then be put to a vote immediately and shall be declared approved if it receives the vote of two thirds of the delegations present. Closure of debateArticle 37 The Chair or any delegation, when it considers that a matter has been sufficiently discussed, may propose that the debate be closed. This motion may be opposed by two delegations and shall be declared approved if it receives the vote of two thirds of the delegations present. Suspension or adjournment of the meeting Article 38 During the discussion of a matter, the Chair or any delegation may propose that the meeting be suspended or adjourned. Such a motion shall be put to a vote immediately without discussion and shall be declared approved if it receives the vote of two thirds of the members present. Order of procedural motions Article 39 The following motions shall have precedence over all other proposals or motions, in the order set forth below:

1. Suspension of the meeting;

2. Adjournment of the meeting;

3. Suspension of debate on the topic under consideration;

4. Closure of debate on the topic under consideration.

Reconsideration of decisions Article 40 In order to reconsider a decision made by the Committee or one of its subcommittees, the relevant motion must be approved by a two-thirds vote of the delegations which form part of those bodies.

F. Voting Right to vote

Article 41 Each member state has the right to one vote. Adoption of decisions Article 42The Committee shall adopt its decisions in plenary sessions, in the form of resolutions, declarations, or agreements. The Secretariat shall distribute them immediately after they have been adopted. Majority required Article 43

1. Having established the quorum called for in Articles 31 and 32, in the absence of agreement in the deliberations, the proposals shall be put to a vote. The adoption of decisions in

declarations, or agreements. The Secretariat shall distribute them immediately after they have been adopted. Majority required Article 43

1. Having established the quorum called for in Articles 31 and 32, in the absence of agreement in the deliberations, the proposals shall be put to a vote. The adoption of decisions in the plenary sessions of the Committee (whether ordinary or extraordinary) and the adoption of recommendations in the sessions of its subcommittees shall be made by the affirmative vote of more than half of the member states present, unless specifically provided otherwise in these Rules of Procedure.

2. The decisions that have budgetary implications for the Committee shall require the approval of two thirds of the member states accredited to the meeting of the Committee.

3. The working groups shall adopt recommendations, preferably, without recourse to a vote. If a vote is necessary, the recommendation shall be adopted by the affirmative vote of more than half of the members present.

Voting procedure Article 44

1. Votes shall be taken by a show of hands, but any delegation may request a rollcall vote, which shall be taken in the order of precedence established in Article 12.

2. In roll-call votes, the name of each member state shall be called and the delegations shall register their votes in favor or against, or their abstention.

3. Votes shall be by secret ballot only in the case of elections. However, if it is so agreed, the Committee may adopt a different procedure.

Voting on proposals Article 45

1. After debate is closed, decisions shall be made on the proposals presented, together with any proposed amendments.

2. Where a vote is required and once the Chair has announced the start of the voting, no delegation may interrupt it, except for a point of order relating to the manner in which the voting is being conducted.

3. The process of voting and vote counting shall end when the Chair announces the

result. Article 46Proposals shall be voted on in the order in which they are presented, except when the Committee, by a two-thirds vote of the members present, decides otherwise. Article 47 Amendments shall be submitted for discussion and put to a vote before the voting on the proposal they are intended to modify. A proposal that would totally replace the original proposal, or that is not directly related to it, shall not be considered as an amendment. Article 48 When several amendments to a proposal are presented, the vote shall be taken first on the one that departs furthest from the original text. The other amendments shall be voted upon in like order. In case of doubt in this regard, they shall be voted upon in the order of their presentation. Article 49 When the adoption of one amendment necessarily implies the exclusion of another, the latter shall not be put to a vote. If one or more amendments are adopted, the complete proposal as amended shall be put to a vote. Voting by parts Article 50 Any delegation may request that a proposal or amendment be put to a vote in parts, in which case it must indicate the specific parts or sections. If any delegation opposes such a request, the motion to deny it shall be put to a vote and a two-thirds majority of the members present shall be required for approval. Only two delegations may speak in favor of, and two against, a request for voting by parts. When voting by parts is accepted, any proposal or amendment thus approved must be put to a final vote as a whole. If all the operative parts of a proposal or amendment have been rejected, it shall be considered to have been rejected as a whole. Explanation of vote Article 51 Before the voting process has begun, or after it has ended, any delegation may ask for the floor to explain its vote, except in the case of secret ballots.

G. Documents Summaries of the sessions

Article 52 The Secretariat shall prepare summaries of the Committee plenary sessions and of the subcommittee sessions, as well as of the working group sessions if those groups so request.Article 53

1. During subcommittee sessions, delegations may request to have the opinions they expressed in a session recorded in the corresponding summary. They may also request to have statements that they made appended to the summary.

2. There shall be no summaries of discussions of the closed sessions of the Committee, or of the closed subcommittee sessions, but the Secretariat shall record the names of the representatives present and the decisions adopted at those sessions.

Final report Article 54 The summaries referred to in Article 52, as well as the resolutions, declarations, and agreements adopted at each meeting of the Committee, and any other relevant documentation distributed during the meeting, shall be included in a final report that the Committee shall submit to CIDI in the four official languages of the Organization.

II. THE EXECUTIVE BOARD Composition, constitution and term of office of its members

Article 55

1. The Executive Board (CECIP) shall comprise a chair, a first vice chair, a second vice chair , and the chairs of the technical advisory groups (TAGs) mentioned in article 67, as well as their vice chairs, all of whom shall be elected by the member states during a regular meeting of the Committee and shall serve for three (3) years, acting on representation of their respective countries.

2. The election of the members of the Executive Board, insofar as possible, shall follow the criteria of rotation and equitable geographic representation.

3. The Chair of the regular meeting of the Committee where the election took place, before its closing, shall install the Executive Board.

Appointment of representatives to the Executive Board Article 56 Each member state of the Executive Board shall designate a principal representative and

an alternate representative, both of whom shall be specialists in port-sector matters. The names of the representatives shall be communicated in writing to the General Secretariat. Functions of the Executive Board Article 57The Executive Board, as the organ responsible for executing the Committee's policies, shall have the following functions: a. To carry out the tasks assigned to it by the Committee and follow-up on the decisions adopted by the Committee; b. To plan and coordinate Inter-American activities of the port sector, taking into account the Strategic Plan; c. To prepare the triennial budget for the Committee, and to make yearly adjustments in accordance with existing resources in the CIP “Special Port Program” Specific Fund; d. To set the dates of the regular and special meetings of the Committee and to prepare a list of possible topics for the meetings, which are to be presented to the CIP at least six months in advance of the meeting in question; e. To prepare the preliminary draft agendas for the Committee meetings and submit them for consideration to the governments of the member states through the Secretariat; f. To propose to the Committee the amendments that, in its opinion, should be made to these Rules of Procedure; g. To ensure compliance with the CIP mandates by formulating, executing