Expressing the sense of the Senate regarding the Fifth Summit of the Americas, held in Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago, April 17, 18, and 19, 2009.

Bill Number: 
S.RES.90
Bill Status: 
Bill passed by House or Senate
Bill Location: 
Senate
Date of Last Action: 
Friday, April 3, 2009
Link to entire bill at the Library of Congress site.
Relevant Text: 

Expressing the sense of the Senate regarding the Fifth Summit of the Americas, held in Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago, April 17, 18, and 19, 2009. (Agreed to by Senate)

SRES 90 ATS

111th CONGRESS

1st Session

S. RES. 90

Expressing the sense of the Senate regarding the Fifth Summit of the Americas, held in Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago, April 17, 18, and 19, 2009.

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

March 30, 2009

Mr. KERRY (for himself, Mr. LUGAR, Mr. DODD, Mr. MENENDEZ, and Mr. NELSON of Florida) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations

March 31, 2009

Reported by Mr. KERRY, without amendment

April 3 (legislative day, April 2), 2009

Considered and agreed to

RESOLUTION

Expressing the sense of the Senate regarding the Fifth Summit of the Americas, held in Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago, April 17, 18, and 19, 2009.

Whereas the First Summit of the Americas, held in December 1994 in Miami, Florida, resulted in a comprehensive Plan of Action, issued by the region's democracies, which included initiatives on strengthening democracy, promoting human rights, combating corruption, furthering sustainable economic development, encouraging environmental conservation, and committing to access to universal basic education and health care throughout the Americas;

Whereas 3 Summits of the Americas and 2 Special Summits of the Americas have been convened since 1994, resulting in additional initiatives on sustainable development, strengthening democratic practices and good governance, the environment, economic relations, combating HIV/AIDS and other diseases, and numerous other areas of mutual interest and shared responsibility throughout the Western Hemisphere;

Whereas on July 21, 2008, the Draft Declaration of Commitment by the Summit Implementation Review Group proposed an agenda for the Fifth Summit of the Americas to discuss promoting human prosperity, energy security, environmental sustainability, public security, democratic governance, and the Summit's implementation and review process; and

Whereas on February 10, 2009, President Barack Obama stated that he would attend the Fifth Summit of the Americas to `create the kind of partnership based on respect that the people of Latin America are looking for and that will be beneficial to the United States': Now, therefore, be it

    Resolved, That it is the sense of the Senate--

      (1) to express support for the Fifth Summit of the Americas as an effective multilateral forum, convened in the spirit of cooperation and partnership for the 34 democratically elected heads of state of the region to address shared challenges and foster collaboration throughout the Western Hemisphere;

      (2) that the Fifth Summit provides the United States with an early opportunity to reinvigorate and strengthen its engagement with the countries of the Western Hemisphere, especially in--

        (A) finding common solutions to the global economic crisis;
        (B) promoting energy security; and

        (C) combating threats to public and personal security, including threats from terrorism, international narcotics cartels, and organized criminal groups;

      (3) that the United States is prepared to work with the countries of the Western Hemisphere on advancing an agenda of human prosperity, including--

        (A) encouraging multilateral development institutions to invest in micro- to medium-sized enterprises;

        (B) continuing the fight against HIV/AIDS, vector-borne, and noncommunicable diseases;

        (C) raising the standard of living of the people in the region who currently live in poverty;
        (D) eradicating child labor;

        (E) recommitting to the Millennium Development Goals; and

        (F) supporting investment in public health and education throughout the Western Hemisphere;

      (4) that the United States should use the Fifth Summit of the Americas to strengthen cooperation by working with other nations to formulate and implement a regional energy strategy to promote--

        (A) increased technology and information sharing;

        (B) regulatory harmonization;
        (C) integration; and

        (D) renewable and alternative energy sources;

      (5) to welcome civil society and nongovernmental organizations at the Fifth Summit, and to encourage their observation and active participation in the Summit's decision-making process to strengthen democratic governance, the rule of law, freedom of the press, and civil society in the Western Hemisphere; and

      (6) to set achievable and measurable goals, based on areas of consensus, and to strengthen followup mechanisms to review the implementation, reporting, and progress of Summit initiatives.