Press Release

OAS Voluntary Group for the Follow-up to the Inter-American Democratic Charter Promotes Celebrations for the Charter's Anniversary and Day of Democracy

August 29, 2024

The Voluntary Group for the Follow-up to the Inter-American Democratic Charter (IADC) held its eighth meeting on August 26, at the OAS headquarters in Washington, D.C., where it was agreed to promote the commemorations for the anniversary of the IADC's adoption and the celebration of the International Day of Democracy.

The meeting was attended by 12 OAS member states. The meeting was led by the Chair of the Voluntary Group, Sebastián Kraljevich Chadwick, Permanent Representative of Chile to the OAS.

The only item on the agenda for this meeting was the proposals for commemorative activities to celebrate the adoption of the Inter-American Democratic Charter and the International Day of Democracy in September of this year. The delegations exchanged views and suggestions on the topics and activities to be carried out. It was proposed that information integrity be addressed as a central theme, with an expert panel and a practical course delivering tools to detect disinformation in the digital space. Ideas and activities to implement and fulfill the objectives within the different thematic axes of the Group's Work Plan were also discussed, as were the mandates from the last General Assembly.

Additionally, The Bahamas was welcomed as a new member of the Voluntary Group.

The Voluntary Group adopted the following agreements:

1. To ensure a panel with a broad diversity of voices and perspectives in regard to information integrity, the States will propose panelists with diverse approaches to the topic.
2. The Chair of the Voluntary Group, together with the Chair of the Permanent Council and the Haitian delegation, will work to find an appropriate date for the commemorative activities, which will be carried out within the framework of the Permanent Council.

The Voluntary Group for Follow-up of the Inter-American Democratic Charter was created in response to the mandate of resolution AG/RES. 3004 (LIII-O/23) STRENGTHENING DEMOCRACY , to foster dialogue, horizontal cooperation, and the exchange of best practices among its members, and to identify opportunities within the principles of the OAS Charter and the Inter-American Democratic Charter to strengthen their democracies.

Reference: E-059/24

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