XXXIV REGULAR MEETING
Caracas, Venezuela. November  25 to 27, 2008 . Simón Bolívar Conference Room. Av. Francisco de Miranda, Torre Europa, 5th Floor. Campo Alegre.

ANNOTATED PROVISIONAL AGENDA

The sessions of the XXXIV Regular Meeting of the Latin American Council of SELA will be held in Caracas, Venezuela, in the headquarters of the Permanent Secretariat, on Av. Francisco de Miranda, Torre Europa, Fifth Floor, Campo Alegre, Simón Bolívar Conference Room. The Preparatory Stage will take place on 25 and 26 November and the Ministerial Stage on 26 and 27 November 2008.

ITEM I. ORGANIZATION OF WORKS

An informal meeting with the Heads of Delegations will take place, prior to the opening of the Preparatory Stage, with a view to unifying criteria as regards the following issues:

  1. Election of the members of the Bureau: Consultations will be made to elect the Chairman of the Council, the First Vice Chairman, Second Vice Chairman and the Rapporteur.
  2. The Draft Organization of Works for the Meeting.
  3. the Agenda for the Preparatory Stage.

In accordance with Article 22 of the Regulations, the Latin American Council should approve the Agenda. Once the Bureau has been elected, the Latin American Council should consider the proposed Organization of Work (Part II of this document) and the Provisional Agenda (SP/CL/XXXIV.O/DT Nº 1-08/Rev. 1), during its first work session.

ITEM II. FORUM: “SMEs: A strategic vision of social and economic development. Lessons learned in 10 years of the SELA-IBERPYME Programme”

As an activity to open the Ministerial Stage, a Forum to mark the 10 years of operation of the SELA-IBERPYME Programme will be held on Wednesday in the afternoon. Participants in the forum will include renowned personalities working in such area. Representatives of the Member States will have an opportunity to hold a debate. Finally, a presentation will be made of the book: “SMEs: A strategic vision of social and economic development. Lessons learned in 10 years of the SELA-IBERPYME Programme”.

Over the last ten years, the SELA-IBERPYME Programme has conducted various activities to support micro-, small- and medium-sized enterprises in Ibero-America, providing a reference as regards best practices, successful cases, exchange of experiences, lessons learned and dissemination of information and knowledge.

This forum will underscore the importance of SMEs for social and economic development in Latin America and the Caribbean, as well as the role that the various organizations and institutions – including SELA – should play in promoting productive capacities in the region.

ITEM III. ANNUAL REPORT OF THE PERMANENT SECRETARIAT

The Permanent Secretary will submit the following document to the Latin American Council: “Thirty-Second Annual Report of the Permanent Secretariat” (SP/CL/XXXIV.O/DT Nº 3-08), detailing the activities carried out since the XXXIII Regular Meeting to date.

ITEM IV. WORK PROGRAMME FOR THE YEAR 2009

The Permanent Secretariat will submit the “Draft Work Programme for the year 2009” (SP/CL/XXXIV.O/DT Nº 4-08) for consideration of the Latin American Council. In accordance with the provisions set forth in Decision Nº 440, the Draft Work Programme comprises the projects and activities proposed for each one of the following three areas of work: (1) intra-regional relations; (2) technical and economic cooperation; and (3) extra-regional relations.

Similarly, the Permanent Secretariat will submit for consideration of the Council and due approval the following documents:

These proposals form part of a mandate received by the Permanent Secretariat from its Member States, based on the conclusions and recommendations adopted in regional meetings held during this year.

ITEM V. BUDGET OF THE PERMANENT SECRETARIAT FOR THE YEAR 2009 AND ADMINISTRATIVE MATTERS

  1. BUDGET The Permanent Secretariat will submit the “Draft Administrative Budget of the Permanent Secretariat for the year 2009” (SP/CL/XXXIV.O/DT Nº 5-08) for consideration of the Latin American Council, along with its corresponding explanatory preamble.

    In addition, the Permanent Secretariat will also inform and submit for consideration of the representatives of the Member States to this Council – in accordance with the decisions made during the Ministerial Stage of the XXXIII Regular Meeting which were ratified in the XI Special Meeting of the Latin American Council – the document “Proposal for regularization of the Member States’ debt with the Permanent Secretariat” (SP/CL/XXXIV.O/DT N° 6-08), as well as the “Proposal by the delegation of Bolivia for writing off the country’s debt with SELA. Working Paper N° 1” (SP/CL/XXXIV/Di N° 16-08).

     

  2. ADMINISTRATIVE MATTERS
    1. Audit Report on the Financial Statements of the Permanent Secretariat at 31 December 2007. The Permanent Secretariat will submit the “Audit Report on the Financial Statements of the Permanent Secretariat at 31 December 2007” (SP/CL/XXXIV.O/DT Nº 7-08) for consideration of the Latin American Council.

       

    2. Audit Proposal for the year 2008 The Permanent Secretariat will submit the “Audit Proposal for the year 2008” (SP/CL/XXXIV.O/DT Nº 8-08) for consideration of the Latin American Council.

ITEM VI. INSTITUTIONAL MATTERS

The Permanent Secretariat will submit the Latin American Council the following documents:

  1. Election of Members of the Administrative Tribunal of SELA
    The Latin American Council will proceed with the “Election of Members of the Administrative Tribunal of SELA”. Document SP/CL/XXXIV.O/DT Nº 9-08 will be submitted for that purpose.

     

  2. Draft Regulations for Elections of SELA
    The Latin American Council will discuss a new proposal of “Regulations for Elections of SELA for consideration of the Latin American Council. Revision 1”, in accordance with a decision made in the XXXIII Regular Meeting of the Latin American Council and ratified in the XI Special Meeting of the Council. Document SP/CL/XXXIV.O/DT N° 10-08 will be submitted for that purpose.

ITEM VII. OTHER MATTERS

As customary, this item is open in order to consider those initiatives that the Delegations of the Member States might propose.

PARTICIPATION OF THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTORS OF THE LATIN AMERICAN ORGANIZATION FOR FISHERIES DEVELOPMENT (OLDEPESCA) AND THE LATIN AMERICAN TECHNOLOGICAL INFORMATION NETWORK (RITLA).

In addition, during the Ministerial Stage of this XXXIV Regular Meeting of the Latin American Council, on Thursday 27 in the morning, the Permanent Secretariat has scheduled a presentation by the Executive Directors of OLDEPESCA and RITLA, who will deal with the experiences gained by these organizations in the area of regional cooperation within the framework of SELA.