OEA - CP- Resolución CAAP GT RTPP 317

PERMANENT COUNCIL OF THE OEA/Ser.G

ORGANIZATION OF AMERICAN STATES CAAP/GT/RTPP-317/26 22 April 2026

COMMITTEE ON ADMINISTRATIVE Original: Spanish

AND BUDGETARY AFFAIRS

Working Group to Conduct the Technical Review of the Program-Budget

REPORT OF THE CHAIR OF THE WORKING GROUP ON THE TECHNICAL REVIEW

OF THE PROGRAM-BUDGET ON THE UPDATE OF COSTS OF CONFERENCES

AND MEETINGS FUNDED BY THE OAS

The Chair of the Working Group to Conduct the Technical Review of the Program -Budget is pleased to present the Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Affairs (CAAP) with this report covering the work on the update of costs of conferences and meetings funded by the OAS.

Based on the distribution of CAAP mandates contained in document CP/CAAP-4189/26 rev. 1, the Committee entrusted the Working Group with the follow -up on this topic, in order to fulfill the mandate from the General Assembly contained in operative paragraph III.14. of the resolution “Program-Budget of the Organization for 2026”:

14. Translation and interpretation costs

a. To instruct the General Secretariat to conduct a request for information on remote interpretation services in the member states and permanent observers, in order to establish a roster of interpreters for the four official languages of the Organization, inc luding the corresponding rates. A report on the results of that process should be completed no later than December 31, 2025.

b. To request the General Secretariat to submit to the CAAP, by February 28, 2026, proposed amendments to resolution CP/RES. 982 (1797/11), taking into account the results of the process mentioned in the preceding paragraph, for the CAAP to report to the Perm anent Council no later than April 15, 2026, with a view to their consideration and adoption.

The General Secretariat submitted in due time and form the document, which was distributed

account the results of the process mentioned in the preceding paragraph, for the CAAP to report to the Perm anent Council no later than April 15, 2026, with a view to their consideration and adoption.

The General Secretariat submitted in due time and form the document, which was distributed to the delegations as (CP/CAAP-4217/26).

At its meeting of March 24, the Working Group received a presentation from the Assistant Secretary General, Ambassador Laura Gil.

The Working Group decided to acknowledge the work carried out by the General Secretariat in accordance with the mandate of the General Assembly, as well as the progress reflected in the document presented, which included a comparative analysis with other o rganizations, the compilation of quotations, and a review of recent expenditures.- 2The proposal presented reduces total daily costs by approximately US$535, while increasing interpreter remuneration by US$50. It also introduced a new modality for meetings of up to four hours, with two interpreters per language.

Regarding translation costs, these have been adjusted at three levels:

• Human translation: 17 cents per word (reduced from 19 cents). • Machine translation using artificial intelligence (AI), with full editing: 13 cents per word. • Machine translation using AI, with light editing (for non-official documents): 8 cents per word.

Most of the savings come from the optimization of translation services through the use of AI. The Secretariat indicated that, in the long term, the implementation of the DocuVera tool would allow it to improve its performance, further reduce costs, and eve ntually be used for official documents with minimal editing. However, the Secretariat currently recommends against the use of AI in the translation of official documents, owing to the risk of errors, as detected during review and quality -control processes.

The Working Group also held discussions on remote interpreting, virtual (AI -assisted) interpreting, and technology platforms. The difference between “remote” interpreting, performed by

of official documents, owing to the risk of errors, as detected during review and quality -control processes.

The Working Group also held discussions on remote interpreting, virtual (AI -assisted) interpreting, and technology platforms. The difference between “remote” interpreting, performed by human interpreters not physically present, and “virtual” interpreting, meaning AI-assisted interpreting, was clarified. The Organization is in a position to implement remote interpretation immediately in some rooms. However, AI-based interpretation is not yet feasible and is considered a medium - to long-term goal, as tests wi th various platforms have not yielded satisfactory results. The Working Group will receive additional information on the subject during the second half of 2026.

Taking into account that the proposed update of costs of conferences and meetings presented by the Office of the Assistant Secretary General, was favorably received by the delegations, the Working Group requested the Secretariat to prepare a draft resoluti on for its consideration, with a view to its submission to the CAAP and subsequent adoption by the Permanent Council.

At its meeting of April 15, 2026, the Working Group agreed on the following draft resolution and decided to transmit it to the CAAP with the recommendation that it be considered and adopted by the Permanent Council:

CAAP/GT/RTPP-315/26 rev. 1: DRAFT RESOLUTION “UPDATE OF COSTS OF CONFERENCES AND MEETINGS FUNDED BY THE OAS” (Agreed upon by the Working Group at its meeting held on April 15, 2026)- 3The Chair thanks the General Secretariat for the timely preparation of all the documentation submitted for the consideration of the member states. It also extends special recognition to the delegations for their active and constructive participation in the discussions leading to the fulfillment of the mandate entrusted to the Working Group.

Guido Pierri Alternate Representative of Argentina to the OAS Chair of the Working Group to Conduct the Technical Review of the Program-Budget