OEA - CP - Resolución CP CISC 1256

PERMANENT COUNCIL OF THE OEA/Ser.G

ORGANIZATION OF AMERICAN STATES CP/CISC-1256/26 13 March 2026

COMMITTEE ON INTER-AMERICAN SUMMITS Original: Spanish

MANAGEMENT AND CIVIL SOCIETY PARTICIPATION

IN OAS ACTIVITIES

CONCEPT NOTE

SPECIAL DIALOGUE MEETING ON STRENGTHENING CIVIL SOCIETY

PARTICIPATION IN PREPARATION FOR THE FIFTY-SIXTH REGULAR SESSION OF

THE OAS GENERAL ASSEMBLY

Date: Thursday, March 19, 2026

Time: 2:30 p.m. – 5:30 p.m.

Place: Simón Bolívar Room1 / On March 19, 2026, the CISC will hold a special meeting to share with civil society representatives the work of several permanent committees of the Permanent Council of the OAS, as well as that of the Inter-American Council for Integral Development (CIDI). This is part of an effort to strengthen civil society’s knowledge of, and engagement with, the different areas and pillars of the OAS, particularly in preparation for the fifty-sixth regular session of the OAS General Assembly.

I. Background The OAS recognizes the importance of civil society's participation in, and contribution to, the activities of its organs, agencies and entities. For more than two decades, the OAS and its member states have established mechanisms and mandates aimed at strengthening the ties between the Organization and civil society.

The importance of the participation of civil society and the promotion of collaboration to advance hemispheric goals in democracy, human rights, security, and sustainable development should also be underscored. In order to broaden the participation of civil society across the board, on October 9, 2025, an informative session was held under the leadership of the Assistant Secretary General of the OAS,

Ambassador Laura Gil. At the meeting, the work of the different secretariats of the Organization was presented, highlighting their main programs and lines of action, and offering a space to identify new opportunities for synergies and areas of collaboration with civil society.

1 . In accordance with the Guidelines for the Participation of Civil Society Organizations in OAS Activities, civilsociety organizations may follow the meeting, without taking the floor, at the following link: https://live.kudoway.com/br/1101148198542II. Rationale This special meeting of the CISC reaffirms the institutional commitment to advance toward coordination mechanisms and more effective participation of civil society in OAS processes. In the context of the preparations for the fifty-sixth regular session of the OAS General Assembly, the main forum for the participation of civil society organizations and social actors at the OAS, there is a strategic opportunity to: • Strengthen institutional coordination • Expand topics for dialogue with civil society under a crosscutting approach • Promote a more informed, substantive participation aligned with the priorities and work plans of member states • Make the work of member states and the Organization’s various political organs more visible in a more integrated way • Consolidate civil society participation that is more inclusive, coherent, and aligned with the objectives and priorities of the Organization

III. Description of the meeting

The following order of business is proposed:

1. Adoption of the order of business

2. Introduction: 2.1. Opening remarks by Ambassador Mayerlyn Cordero, Permanent Representative of the Dominican Republic and Chair of the Committee on Inter-American Summits Management and Civil Society Participation in OAS Activities (CISC) 2.2. Welcoming remarks by Ambassador Laura Gil, Assistant Secretary General of the OAS

3. Presentation of the host country of the fifty-sixth regular session of the OAS General

Assembly, by Ambassador Ana Irene Delgado, Permanent Representative of Panama.

4. Presentations on the preparatory work for the fifty-sixth regular session of the General

Assembly 4.1. Ambassador Luis Ernesto Vargas Silva, Permanent Representative of Colombia and Chair of the Permanent Council and of the Preparatory Committee of the General Assembly 4.2. Ambassador Edison Lanza, Permanent Representative of Uruguay and Chair of the Inter-American Council for Integral Development and of the Committee on Juridical and Political Affairs34.3. Ambassador Ana Irene Delgado, Permanent Representative of Panama and Chair of the Committee on Hemispheric Security 4.4. Ambassador Benoni Belli, Permanent Representative of Brazil and Chair of the Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Affairs

5. Presentations by civil society organization

6. Statements by member states

7. Conclusions by Ms. Paulina Corominas, Chief of the Office of Relations with Civil Society of the Office of the Assistant Secretary General of the OAS

8. Closing remarks by Ambassador Mayerlyn Cordero, Permanent Representative of the Dominican Republic and Chair of the CISC