RULES OF PROCEDURE OF THE 21ST PAN AMERICAN CHILD CONGRESS
Approved by resolution CD / RES 05 (88-R/13)
CHAPTER I. NATURE AND PURPOSE OF THE 21ST PAN AMERICAN CHILD CONGRESS
Article 1.
The 21st Pan American Child Congress is an intergovernmental inter-American meeting at the highest level. Its purpose is to “promote an exchange of experiences and knowledge among the nations of the Americas on subjects of concern to the Institute and to formulate relevant recommendations”.
The principal representatives of the states should be Ministers, State Secretaries, or other high-level government authorities with competence in the subject.
The 21st Pan American Child Congress, hereinafter referred to as the 21st Pan American Congress, is a “Specialized Inter-American Conference,” pursuant to Articles 122 and 123 of the OAS Charter, and is declared as such in the OAS General Assembly Resolution AG/RES. 2836 (XLIV-O/14).
The Second Pan American Forum on Children, hereinafter referred to as the Second Pan American Forum, is part of the 21st Pan American Congress, as a space for participation of children, in accordance with Resolution CD/RES.04(85-R/10).
Article 2.
Place and date
The 21st Pan American Congress will be held in Brasilia, Brazil, form 10 – 12 December 2014, and will be preceded by a private preliminary session on 9 December The Second Pan American Forum will begin on the 9 December and will complete its activities on 12 December 2014.
Article 3.
The 21st Pan American Congress, in accordance with Directing Council Resolution CD/RES 05 (88-R/13) dated September 16, 2013, will take up the following agenda:
- Violence against Children “After 25 years of the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC): Building environments of peace”
- Juvenile Justice and juvenile justice systems
- Child Sexual exploitation
CHAPTER II. PARTICIPANTS
Article 4.
Delegations
The governments of the OAS member states may appoint delegations to the 21st Pan American Congress. Delegations may be made up of: a Delegation Lead; alternate representatives; technical advisors specializing in childhood and adolescence, and adolescents from 12 to 17 years of age; other members governments may deem necessary. The appointment shall be done by the Foreign Ministries of the Member States via written communication to the OAS Secretary General, through the IIN Director General.
Article 5.
Participation of the OAS Secretary General
The OAS Secretary General, or the representative he appoints, shall participate in the 21st Pan American Congress, with voice but without vote, in accordance with Article 110 of the OAS Charter.
Article 6.
Other organs and entities of the Organization
Representatives of OAS organs or entities whose areas of competence are related to the agenda of the 21st Pan American Congress shall have the right to speak but not to vote.
Article 7.
Precedence
The order of precedence of the delegations shall be established in accordance with the name of the countries in Spanish, unless the delegations decide at the Preliminary Session to establish an alternative procedure.
Article 8.
Permanent observers Representatives of permanent observer countries to the OAS who have been duly appointed may attend the 21st Pan American Congress, with the right to speak but not to vote.
Article 9.
Other Observers
At the invitation of the IIN Director General, the following may also be appointed as observers to the 21st Pan American Congress:
a) Inter-American specialized organizations and intergovernmental regional organizations of the Americas;
b) The United Nations and its specialized agencies;
c) International or national organizations that maintain cooperative relations with the Inter-American Children’s Institute, or others, should the Directing Council of the IIN so decide;
d) Governments of states that are not members of the OAS when these governments have expressed an interest and when authorized by the Permanent Council;
e) National and international civil society organizations whose activities are related to the subject of the Congress, and which meet the requirements established for participation in the OAS rules.
Article 10.
Special Guests.
The following shall be considered as special guests:
a) Children and adolescents representing organized groups in all regions of the Americas, when they are not formal members of the country delegations; as well as adults that will accompany them to ensure their wellbeing.
b) Persons of recognized competence in the subjects to be considered at the 21st Pan-American Congress.
The invitations shall be issued by the Inter- American Children’s Institute.
Article 11.
Permanent observers, other observers, and special guests may speak in the plenary sessions of the 21st Pan American Congress, in conferences, and general activities, when invited to do so by a Member State, the President or moderator.
Article 12.
Structure and nature of the plenary sessions
The plenary sessions of the 21st Pan American Congress shall have the following structure and nature:
a) Private preliminary session;
b) Public inaugural session;
c) General plenary sessions, public in nature;
d) Plenary sessions of Delegation Leads, private in nature;
e) Closing session, public in nature.
The documents of the sessions of the 21st Pan American Congress shall be distributed in a timely manner by the IIN.
CHAPTER III. PRESIDENT
Article 13.
The 21st Pan American Congress shall have a president, who shall be elected by a simple majority of the member state delegations attending the 21st Pan American Congress, in accordance with the provisions of Article 20 of these Rules of Procedure.
Article 14.
The President shall:
a) Preside over the sessions of the 21st Pan American Congress and submit matters for discussion in accordance with the order of business;
b) Recognize delegates in the order in which they request the floor;
c) Decide on points of order that may arise in the deliberations of the 21st Pan American Congress, without prejudice to the rights of the delegations as established in Article 28 of these Rules of Procedure;
d) Put the issues under discussion to a vote and announce the results;
e) Transmit the order of business of each plenary session to the delegates as far in advance of the session as possible, through the Secretariat of the 21st Pan American Congress, under the responsibility of Office of the Director General of the IIN;
f) Convene the Delegation Leads whenever the business of the Congress so requires;
g) Take such steps as he or she considers appropriate to advance the work of the Congress and enforce the Rules of Procedure.
Article 15.
At the preliminary session, the plenary of the Delegation Leads shall elect two Vice Presidents, who shall be elected by a simple majority of the member state delegations attending the 21st Pan American Congress, who shall take the place of the President in the event of his or her absence.
CHAPTER IV. SECRETARIAT
Article 16.
The Inter-American Children’s Institute (IIN) shall provide technical and secretariat services to the 21st Pan American Congress, with the technical advice of the OAS General Secretariat and in cooperation with the Government of the host country.
Article 17.
Secretariat of the 21st Pan American Congress
The Office of the Director General of the IIN shall serve as Secretariat of the 21st Pan American Congress.
Article 18.
The Secretariat of the 21st Pan American Congress shall perform the following functions, among others:
a) Collaborate with the President in all arrangements for the proceedings of the plenary sessions;
b) Facilitate the operation of each of the different sessions or events scheduled for the 21st Pan American Congress;
c) Serve as the conservator of the documents resulting from the different events or sessions scheduled as part of the 21st Pan American Congress and the Second Pan American Forum, which shall be submitted to the delegates of the plenary for their approval;
d) In support of the President of the 21st Pan American Congress, facilitate the operation of any special committees set up;
e) Prepare the final report of the 21st Pan American Congress, in coordination with the host country.
f) Facilitate the reports of the Congress and prepare the summary to be read out by the President of the 21st Pan American Congress at the closing session.
CHAPTER V. SESSIONS OF THE CONFERENCE
Article 19.
The 21st Pan American Congress shall be formally installed after the 89th Regular Meeting of the IIN Directing Council.
In addition to the provisions of Article 12 of these Rules of Procedure, the 21st Pan American Congress shall include various sessions or events for an exchange of views among participants, such as conferences, presentations by experts, exchanges of experiences, information fairs and workshops of the Second Pan American Forum.
Article 20.
The day prior to the inaugural session, the Delegation Leads shall hold a preliminary session, which shall take place immediately following the 89th Regular Meeting of the IIN Directing Council, and shall have the following order of business:
a) Proposals for election of the President and two Vice Presidents;
b) Report on the Agenda of the 21st Pan American Congress;
c) Report on the Program of the Second Pan American Forum;
d) Report on the Rules of Procedure of the 21st Pan American Congress;
e) Agreement on the Committee on Credentials and the Style Committee, to be directed by the President of the 21st Pan American Congress;
f) Agreement on the deadline for presentation by delegations of draft resolutions;
g) Other business.
Article 21.
The agreements reached at the preliminary session shall be formally adopted at the first plenary session.
Article 22.
The sessions of the 21st Pan American Congress shall be either public or private, according to Article 12 of these Rules of Procedure.
Those meetings or events in which all members of delegations, observers, and special guests participate shall be public in nature. Persons attending as observers and special guests may speak if previously invited to do so in accordance with article 11 of the Rules of Procedure. Private meetings or events are restricted to Delegation Leads or the designated representative.
Once approved by the plenary session of the Delegation Leads, final resolutions shall be reported to the plenary of the 21st Pan American Congress by its President.
The sessions of the Credentials and Style Committees shall be private, as declared by the President of the 21st Pan American Congress.
CHAPTER VI. DISCUSSIONS AND PROCEDURES
Article 23.
The official languages of the plenary sessions of the Congress shall be English, French, Portuguese and Spanish
Article 24.
A simple majority (50% plus one) of the member state delegations attending the 21st Pan American Congress shall constitute a quorum in the plenary sessions of the Delegation Leads.
Article 25.
Proposals for new draft resolutions must be submitted in writing in the period established during the Preparatory Meeting and shall be distributed to the member states before the session where they will be discussed. However, by a majority vote of the appointed Delegation Leads, the 21st Pan American Congress may authorize discussion of a proposal that was not distributed on time at its plenary session of the Delegation Leads. In each case, a working group shall be formed to study the proposal, unless it concerns matters that should be discussed only at a plenary session of the Delegation Leads.
Article 26.
At any time during the consideration of a proposal, a motion may be made to amend it.
A motion shall be considered to be an amendment to a proposal only when it eliminates something from that proposal or changes part of it. A motion that would totally replace the original proposal, or that is not directly related to it, shall not be considered an amendment.
Article 27.
A proposal or an amendment may be withdrawn by its proponent before it has been put to a vote. Any delegation may resubmit a proposal or amendment that has been withdrawn.
Article 28.
For reconsideration of a decision taken at a plenary session of the Delegation Leads of the 21st Pan American Congress, a motion to reconsider must be approved by a majority vote of the delegations of the attending states.
Article 29.
During the discussion of a topic, any delegation may raise a point of order, which shall be decided upon immediately by the President. Any delegation may appeal this decision, in which case the appeal shall be put to a vote. The delegation raising a point of order may not speak on the substance of the matter under discussion.
Article 30.
The President or any delegation may propose the suspension of discussion. Only two delegations may speak in favor of, and two against, the suspension, which shall then be put to a vote immediately and approved or rejected by a simple majority of the delegations of the participating states.
Article 31.
The President or any delegation, when considering that a topic has been discussed sufficiently, may propose that discussion be closed. This motion may be opposed by two delegations, after which it shall be declared approved if it receives a majority vote of the delegations present at the session.
Article 32.
During any discussion, the President or any representative may propose that the session or meeting be suspended or adjourned. Such a motion shall be put to a vote immediately and without discussion, and shall be approved or rejected by a simple majority of the delegations of the participating states.
Article 33.
The following motions shall have precedence, in the order set forth below, over all other proposals or motions:
a) Suspension of the session;
b) Adjournment of the session;
c) Suspension of discussion on the topic under consideration;
d) Close of discussion on the topic under consideration.
Article 34.
During the discussion and drafting of the proposed resolutions, consideration may be given to the conclusions of the Second Pan American Forum; they shall be presented in writing to the Secretariat of the 21st Pan American Congress and distributed to the delegations sufficiently in advance.
Article 35.
The final report of the 21st Pan American Congress shall include the conclusions and agreements; the presentations made during the preliminary session; the presentations made in the course of the 21st Pan American Congress; the documents arising from the Second Pan American Forum, of the Forum for the Civil Society prior to the XXI Pan-American Child Congress and the complete text of the resolutions approved. The original text of this final report shall be published in electronic format and distributed among the official delegations. The IIN and the authorities of the host country of the 21st Pan American Congress shall publish all documentation included in the final report on the web page.
Article 36.
All the resolutions and decisions adopted by the 21st Pan American Congress should have the support of the OAS Program-Budget and other resources to guarantee their implementation.
CHAPTER VII. VOTING
Article 37.
Each delegation shall have the right to one vote; in the case of a tie, the President of the 21st Pan American Congress shall have the deciding vote.
Article 38.
At plenary sessions of the Delegation Leads of the member states, decisions shall be taken by the vote of a simple majority of the states attending the 21st Pan American Congress.
Article 39.
In the Committee on Credentials and the Style Committee, decisions shall be taken by a majority of the delegations present.
Article 40.
Votes shall be taken by a show of hands; however, any Delegation Lead may request a roll-call vote, which shall begin in the order of precedence of the delegations established in Article 7 of the Rules of Procedure.
No representative may interrupt the voting except for a point of order relating to the manner in which it is being conducted. The voting shall conclude when the President has announced the results.
Article 41.
Once discussion is closed, the proposals presented, together with any amendments thereto, shall be put to a vote immediately.
Proposals shall be voted upon in the order in which they have been presented.
Article 42.
An amendment shall be submitted for discussion and put to a vote before the proposal that it is intended to modify is put to a vote.
Article 43.
When several amendments to a proposal are presented, the vote shall be taken first on the one that departs furthest from the original text. The other amendments shall be voted upon in like order. In case of doubt in this regard, they shall be considered in the order of their presentation.
Article 44.
When the adoption of an amendment necessarily implies the exclusion of another, the latter shall not be put to a vote. If one or more amendments are adopted, the proposal as amended shall be put to a vote.
CHAPTER VIII. COMMITTEES
Article 45.
A Committee on Credentials and a Style Committee shall be established.
Article 46.
The Committee on Credentials shall be made up of delegates appointed at the preliminary session. This Committee shall examine the credentials of the delegations and submit a report thereon to the 21st Pan American Congress.
Article 47.
The Style Committee shall be made up of delegates appointed at the first plenary session, each representing one of the four official languages. This Committee shall receive the draft resolutions of the 21st Pan American Congress before they are submitted at a plenary session for consideration, and shall introduce any changes in the form it deems necessary. Should the Style Committee find that a draft contains defects of form that it cannot correct without altering the substance, it shall raise this question with the relevant group at the plenary session.
Article 48.
In addition to the sessions established in Article 12 of these Rules of Procedure, the 21st Pan American Congress shall include conferences, presentations by experts on the experience of their states with respect to the relevant topics.
Once the work of each relevant topic has been completed, the observations or recommendations shall be incorporated into a single document, under the responsibility of the Secretariat; that document shall be presented by the President of the Congress in plenary session.
The conclusions of the Second Pan American Forum shall also be reported at a plenary session of the 21st Pan American Congress.
CHAPTER IX. SECOND PAN AMERICAN FORUM
Article 49.
The Second Pan American Forum is part of the 21st Pan American Congress and constitutes a space for the participation of children and adolescents who are members of the official delegations of the member states.
Article 50.
The conclusions reached at the different workshops and committees of the Second Pan American Forum shall be submitted to the Secretariat of the 21st Pan American Congress, so that they can be included in its final report and distributed to the Delegation Leads, for their reference.
Article 51.
A committee shall be set up to draft the document of conclusions and to elect the two adolescents to present these conclusions to the plenary session of the 21st Pan American Congress.
Article 52.
The children and adolescents who are official participants in the Second Pan American Forum shall democratically elect two representatives who will present the conclusions of the Forum at the 21st Pan American Congress.