Contributions Permanent Observers
Contributions by Permanent Observer Countries
during:
2006 | 2005 |
2004 |
2003 | 2002
| 2001 |
2000 | 1999
Report
on Fundraising: Permanent Observers 2007 (February 20, 2008) (English)
Informe sobre Captación de Fondos:
Observadores Permanentes 2007 (20 de febrero 2008) (Español)
Report
on Fundraising: Permanent Observers 2006 (February 20, 2007) (English)
Informe sobre Captación de Fondos:
Observadores Permanentes 2006 (20 de febrero 2007) (Español)
Factsheet on Permanent Observer Contributions to OAS Programs
2006 CONTRIBUTIONS
Report presented to the OAS Committee on
Administrative and Budgetary Affairs (CAAP) regarding Permanent
Observers contributions in
2006
(PowerPoint
Presentation- SPANISH only)
BACKGROUND
To date,
permanent observer status has been granted to 59 states and the
European Union. Of this number, approximately 20 contribute to OAS
programs on a regular basis and an additional eight contribute
sporadically.
The permanent
observers provide assistance and cooperation for various OAS
programs in the form of cash contributions, training courses,
experts, specialized services, and the donation of equipment. The
Department of External Relations works diligently with the
technical units to raise supplementary funds from the
international community in order to be able to respond to the
mandates of the political organs of the Organization and support
the efforts of the countries of the Hemisphere to comply with
those mandates. The principal areas to which these countries
provide support are: the promotion of democracy, human rights,
demining, conflict resolution, efforts to combat drug trafficking,
and sustainable development and the environment, among others.
ORIGIN OF
FUNDS 1999-2006
In the past eight
years, the permanent observers have contributed more than US$87
million in cash to the Organization’s activities and programs. Of
this amount, more than 68 percent has been donated by the
Governments of Sweden (US$32 million), Norway (US$14 million), and
Spain (US$13 million). Another 29 percent of the contributions
have come from The Netherlands, the European Union, the United
Kingdom, Denmark, Japan, Italy, France, and Finland. In other
words, these 11 observers have contributed 97 percent of the total
amount of contributions made to the Organization since 1999.
Similarly, in the
past eight years, the Organization has received the equivalent of
over US$7 million in contributions in kind from Spain, Israel,
France, Russia, Italy, Thailand, Romania, and China, primarily in
training scholarships and in the form of equipment, computers, and
vehicles. Of that, Spain contributed 60 percent, making it the
largest in-kind donor.
Donors
In 2006, cooperation assistance from permanent observer countries
increased 64 percent, compared to 2005. The Organization received
cash contributions in that period (2006) totaling US$19,080,470
from the following permanent observers: Spain, Sweden, Norway, the
European Union, Italy, Finland, The Netherlands, France, the
United Kingdom, Japan, China, Korea, Denmark, Germany, Greece,
Turkey, Qatar, and Thailand.
Of the
contributions received in 2006, 38 percent came from Spain, 35
percent from Sweden, 9 percent from Norway, and 5 percent from the
European Union. Together, France, the United Kingdom, Japan,
China, and Korea contributed 6 percent of the total. Italy, The
Netherlands, and Finland each contributed 2 percent of the total.
Small contributions were also received from Denmark, Germany,
Greece, Turkey, Qatar, and Thailand, which, together, accounted
for 1 percent of the total.
It is important
to mention that in 2006 Spain’s contributions increased 1,244
percent, that is to say, thirteen-fold the amount of the previous
year, thanks to the establishment of the Spanish Fund for the OAS,
with initial contributions totaling over US$7 million. This was
the outcome of a special effort of the Secretary General and the
Department of External Relations, which coincided, moreover, with
the new Spanish Government’s policies designed to take this
traditional working relationship to higher levels and benefited
from the resolute support provided by the Spanish mission. The
Government of Spain also signed a cooperation agreement with the
Inter-American Court of Human Rights, witnessed by the General
Secretariat.
Sweden – the
principal donor of the past eight years – also increased its
cooperation contributions in 2006, by 44 percent compared to the
previous year, thereby supporting major initiatives promoted by
the Secretary General in response to mandates assigned by the
governing bodies. Other permanent observers that significantly
increased their cooperation in 2006 were the European Union, Korea,
Japan, Italy, France, Finland, Germany, and Turkey.
Conversely,
contributions by The Netherlands declined by 81 percent compared
to 2005, from US$1.7 million to US$0.3 million. Norway, the United
Kingdom, and Denmark also contributed less than in the previous
year. Israel, Switzerland, and Cyprus have traditionally supported
the work of the Organization by making financial contributions,
but have not done so for the past two years.
Finally, China
and Qatar maintained the same level of cooperation assistance as
in 2005, while Thailand made its first cash contribution, which
was aimed at the underpinning the efforts of the Mission to
Support the Peace Process in Colombia (Thailand began cooperating
with OAS activities, starting in 2005 with the offer of
specialized training scholarships). The 2006 contributions
announced by Ireland during the OAS General Assembly in Santo
Domingo had not yet been received at year’s end.
Contributions in
kind totaled more than US$743,631 in 2006, when Spain was once
again the principal donor, supporting training efforts by offering
courses and scholarships equivalent to US$485,000. During the
same period, an in-kind contribution was also received from Korea,
worth approximately US$100,000, in the form of computers and other
office equipment for Panama and Nicaragua, through the Inter-American
Children’s Institute. Korea also offered scholarships worth US$50,000.
Similarly, China offered three scholarships, through the Ministry
of Education, to study Chinese and Chinese culture, worth US$5,400
and France sent an instructor to the Private International Law
course held in Rio de Janeiro (a contribution equivalent to US$3,000).
Programs that received
donations
The areas that
most benefited from contributions in kind in 2006 were: the
Department of Political Affairs (61%), the Department of
Multidimensional Security (23%), and the Inter-American Commission
on Human Rights (10%). The Executive Secretariat for Integral
Development and some smaller units in the General Secretariat also
received contributions, but in lesser amounts. It should be
pointed out that the bulk of the contributions received in the
Department of Multidimensional Security were earmarked for
demining activities in the region.
Other
activities aimed at strengthening cooperation with Permanent
Observers during 2006
The Department of
External Relations promoted the active participation and
cooperation of the 60 Permanent Observers in order to discover the
areas in which the OAS and potential donors share priorities,
creating opportunities for exchanges with the technical units and
arranging visits to senior government officials in order to
negotiate support for specific activities. The Department also
continued its efforts to increase their involvement in the life of
the Organization by means of briefings, exchanges of information,
special events, and ongoing working meetings in Washington and
during the General Assembly. A particularly successful meeting
took between the representatives of the Permanent Observers at the
General Assembly and the Ministers of Foreign Affairs of the
member states, when 11 permanent observer countries announced
financial commitments to OAS programs totaling approximately US$10
million for the second half of the year.
In the period
covered by this report, the OAS also received high-level visits by
the Americas Directors of the Ministries of Foreign Affairs and
Ministries of Cooperation and Development of permanent observer
countries; by the Spanish Defense Minister, José Antonio Alonso,
and a delegation of distinguished Spanish senators; by the
Assistant Secretary for Foreign Affairs of Italy, Donato Di Santo;
and by senior officials in the European Commission.
In addition, the
Department arranged several visits by the Secretary General to
Germany, Spain, Italy, Sweden, and the European Union, during
which he met with the highest-level government authorities. At
OAS headquarters, the Secretary General also welcomed Maud de Boer-Buquicchio,
Deputy Secretary General of the Council of Europe, who addressed
the Committee on Juridical and Political Affairs.
Finally, there
were also meetings with senior officials from permanent observer
countries in the framework of the United Nations General Assembly,
including a meeting of the Secretary General with the European
Commissioner for External Relations, Benita Ferrero Waldner.
Future
priority areas of activity
Although the
Scandinavian countries, Spain, the European Union, and The
Netherlands have proved to be the Organization’s most generous
supporters, the fact is that much of the potential for donations
from most of those countries remains untapped. Unfortunately,
many of them favor bilateral cooperation.
The OAS therefore
needs to continue its efforts to establish a closer rapport with
donor countries in order to: strengthen and increase existing
cooperation; identify new areas of common interest and additional
opportunities for cooperation; demonstrate the comparative
advantages of multilateral, versus bilateral, donations; and to
boost the image of the OAS as the foremost political forum in the
region, dedicated to promoting democracy, defending human rights,
and increasing the security and prosperity of the inhabitants of
the Americas.
To achieve those
goals, the Department of External Relations will continue its high-level
talks with the authorities responsible for cooperation in the
capitals of permanent observer countries, and with the ambassadors
of those countries accredited with the OAS, in order to achieve –
as it did with the Spanish government -- a substantial and lasting
boost to international cooperation by means of formal agreements
to support and finance projects and activities in areas of common
concern and mutual priority.
Here, too, it is
worth mentioning the important work of the Department of External
Relation in its capacity as technical secretariat to the
Fundraising Committee, which aims to improve the coordination of
fundraising efforts in keeping with the Organization’s image. To
that end, in 2006, the Department of External Affairs arranged a
series of meetings with members of the Committee in order to
exchange information regarding the needs and opportunities to
support priority projects on the inter-American agenda; to
evaluate the outcomes of activities financed by outside donors; to
review and draw up a proposed methodology for determining the
direct and indirect costs of projects; and to prepare an integral
OAS fundraising strategy. That work has, moreover, gone hand in
hand with efforts by the Projects Evaluation Committee to enhance
the relevance and quality of the projects that the Organization
generates and brings to the attention of the international
community. Better prepared projects stand a greater chance of
being approved by potential donors.
Both committees
have made good progress, which should be consolidated in the
coming months and which will undoubtedly result in better projects
and more funds to allow the Organization to respond adequately to
the needs of our member states and the expectations of the
political organs.
2005 CONTRIBUTIONS
Report presented to the OAS Committee on
Administrative and Budgetary Affairs (CAAP) regarding Permanent
Observers contributions in
2005 (Power
Point Presentation)
Background
To date, permanent observer status has been granted to 59 states
and the European Union. Of this number, approximately 21 contribute
to OAS programs on a regular basis and an additional seven contribute
sporadically.
The permanent observers provide assistance and
cooperation for various OAS programs in the form of cash contributions,
training courses, experts, specialized services, and the donation
of equipment. The principal areas to which these countries provide
support are: the promotion of democracy, human rights, demining,
conflict resolution, efforts against drug trafficking, and sustainable
development and the environment, among others.
Origin of funds 1999-2005
In the past seven years, the permanent observers have contributed
more than US$68 million in cash to the Organization’s activities
and programs. Of this amount, more than 55 percent has been donated
by the Governments of Sweden ($25.4 million) and Norway ($12.6
million), primarily for programs related to the promotion of democracy
and demining in the region. Another 41 percent of the contributions
have come from The Netherlands, Spain, the European Union, the
United Kingdom, Denmark, Japan, Italy, and France. In other words,
these 10 observers have contributed 96 percent of the total amount
of contributions made to the Organization since 1999.
Similarly, in the past seven years, the Organization
has received the equivalent of US$6.9 million in contributions
in kind from Spain, Israel, Korea, France, Russia, Italy, Romania,
and Thailand, primarily in training scholarships and in the form
of equipment, computers, and vehicles.
2005 Contributions
Donors
In 2005, the Organization received cash contributions totaling
about US$11.6 million from the following permanent observers:
China, Denmark, the European Union, Germany, Greece, Ireland,
Italy, Korea, the Netherlands, Norway, Qatar, Spain, Sweden, Turkey,
and the United Kingdom.
Of the contributions received in 2005, 40 percent
came from Sweden, 18 percent from Norway, 15 percent from the
Netherlands, and 8 percent from the European Union. Together the
other 12 countries contributed 19 percent of the total received
in 2005.
During the same period, an in-kind contribution was received from
Korea for the Mission to Support the Peace Process in Colombia
(MAPP OAS), in the form of computers and other office equipment
valued at approximately $US110,000. Similarly, France sent an
expert on money laundering from its Ministry of the Interior to
support the work of CICAD (contribution equivalent to US$96,000).
Programs that received donations
The areas that most benefited from the contributions were: the
Department of Democratic and Political Affairs (69%), the Department
of Multidimensional Security (15%), and the Inter-American Commission
on Human Rights (12%). The Office of Education, Science, and Technology;
the Department of Communications and External Relations; the Inter-American
Commission of Women; the Inter-American Children's Institute;
the Summits Secretariat; the Office of Legal Cooperation; the
Office of Sustainable Development and Environment; and the Executive
Secretariat for Integral Development also received contributions
but in lesser amounts (4%).
Trends
Permanent observer status was established in 1972 to
foster cooperative relations with non-member states that participated
in the Organization’s programs. In point of fact, during
the 1970s and 1980s, most of the permanent observers supported
OAS efforts primarily in the area of technical cooperation, by
providing scholarships, training courses, and experts.
However, the restoration of democracy in Latin
America in the 1990s led to a radical shift. The permanent observers
became interested in supporting the Organization’s programs
geared primarily toward the promotion of democracy, the protection
of human rights, conflict resolution, and regional security.
Likewise, global political and economic realities in the last
decade have prompted developed as well as small and emerging countries
to obtain permanent observer status since, as they are not broadly
represented in the region through their diplomatic missions, they
see the OAS as an instrument for strengthening their ties with
the OAS member states, becoming more familiar with the hemispheric
agenda, and playing a more active role in regional activities.
Some 50 percent of the permanent observers requested permanent
observer status in the last 10 years.
Priority lines of action for the future
Although the Nordic countries, the European Union,
and the Netherlands have been the most generous to the Organization,
the donations of these countries—as well as others—should
be much greater.
Measures are therefore being taken to strengthen
ties with the donor countries in order to consolidate and increase
existing cooperation and identify new areas of common interest
and additional opportunities for cooperation, as well as to demonstrate
the comparative advantages and the complementary nature of multilateral
donations in their bilateral efforts, reinforce the presence of
the OAS as the principal political forum in the region, and ensure
the quality and efficiency of OAS action, and appropriate project
implementation and reporting. The OAS will thus be seen as an
effective and reliable conduit for the Official Development Assistance
(ODA) provided by the principal and other donors.
