RIO GROUP
Colombia's
Pro-Tempore Secretariat (Spanish Only)
Declarations,
Summaries and Communiqués During
Colombia's Pro-Tempore Secretariat
What is the Rio Group?
The Rio Group is a political consulting and concertation
group. The States that conform the group are permanently debating and coordinating positions on different
topics of the international agenda, that are of common interest between the States.
The adopted consensus of the Rio Group constitues the largest and
most representative form of expression of the region, in international
forums and to the actors in the international scenario.
What Countries conform the Group?
The Rio Group is made up of most the Latinamerican
Countries, these countries are also part of different subregional groups that exist. Currently these are the
members with complete
rights in the Rio Group: Mexico, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Honduras,
Nicaragua, and El
Salvador, all members of the Central American System of Integration
(SICA); Panama,
Colombia, Venezuela, Ecuador, Peru, and Bolivia, members of the Andean
Community;
Brazil, Argentina,Uruguay and Paraguay, all members of Mercosur; Chile;
Dominican
Republic; and Guyana, the country that is representing members of
the Caricom this year.
How does the Rio Group Work?
The Heads of State and Government of the Permanent
Mecanism for Political Consultation
and Consensus (Rio Group) have met annually since 1987 to strengthen
political and
economic relations between the countries of Latin America and the
Caribbean, to consolidate
the growth and development of the region, as well as to reaffirm the
cultural, geographical and historic identity of the Latin American
and Caribbean nations.
Since its constitution the Rio Group has been defined
as an informal mechanism, which lacks
of permanent headquaters and which does not generate more burocracy.
The mechanisms
functions through the coordination of Pro Tempore Secretariat, that
is rotated on an annual
basis within its members.
To guarantee and ensure its continuity, the work of
the Pro Tempore Secretariat is supported
by a Troika scheme which implicates the participation of three countries:
the country that is
uptaking the Secretariat, the predecessor country and the country
that will proceed the
Secretariat the year after.
Where does the Rio Group Act?
The Rio Group's line of action is on the mulitlateral
scenario. Eventhough the Rio Group has
acted mostly in side the United Nations, it is in full capacity to
present positions of the
member states in other forum or multilateral scene, where a there
is a need to consolidate a
regional position towards one or various topics of the international
agenda. Adicionally, the
Rio Group has established a series of dialogues, some institucionalized
and other informal,
with the a specific country of with a group of countries. These dialogues
take place once or
twice a year, parrallel to the General Assembly of the United Nations
in the month of
September. The most important of these dialogues is an institucionalized
meeting, that is held
between Ministers of Foreign Affaris with the European Union. Other
meetings with the
members of the Rio Group and other countries take place with countries
like: Japan and
Canada or with groups like Council of Cooperation of the Persian Golf.
Declarations,
Summaries and Communiqués During
Colombia's Pro-Tempore Secretariat
PLENARY
-
General Assembly 54th
1. Statement by Ambassador Andrés Franco,
Deputy Permanent Representative of
Colombia, on behalf of the Member States of the Rio Group. Fifty-Fourth
session of the
General Assembly. Informal consultations of the Plenary on the report
of the
Secretary-General, "We
the Peoples: The Role of the United Nations in the Twenty-First
Century". (New York, 23 May 2000)
-
General Assembly 55th
1. Statement by Ambassador Andrés Franco,
Deputy Permanent Representative of
Colombia, on behalf of the Member States of the Rio Group on the 10th.
Extraordinary
Emergency Session of the General Assembly. (New York, 20 October
2000)
2. Statement by Ambassador Andrés Franco,
Deputy Permanent Representative of
Colombia, on behalf of the Member States of the Rio Group on agenda
item 182: "Follow-up
to the outcome of the Millennium Summit". (New York, 21 November
2000).
3. Statement by Ambassador Alfonso Valdivieso,
Permanent Representative of Colombia, on
behalf of the Member States of the Rio Group on agenda item 37: "Implementation
of the
outcome of the World Summit for Social Development and of the special
session of the
General Assembly in this regard". (New York, 31 October 2000).
SECOND COMMITTEE
-
General Assembly 54th
1. Statement by Ambassador Andrés Franco,
Deputy Permanent Representative of
Colombia on behalf of the Rio Group to the
Preparatory Committee for the High-Level
International Intergovernmental event on Financing for Development.
(New York, 28 March
2000)
2. Additional Comments of the Rio Group on the
Draft Format and Agenda for the First
Meetings of the UN Open Ended Informal Consultative Process on Ocean
Affairs In the light
of the discussion held last 12 April 2000.
3. Statement by the Delegate of Colombia Second
Secretary, Mr. Mauricio Baquero, on
behalf of the Member States of the Rio Group: "Open-Ended
Informal Consultative Process
on Ocean Affairs" . (New York, 30 May 2000)
4. Statement by Ambassador Alfonso Valdivieso,
Permanent Representative of Colombia, on
behalf of the Member States of the Rio Group: "Preparatory
Committee for the High Level
International Intergovernmental Event on Financing for Development".
(New York, 31 May
2000)
-
General Assembly 55th
1. Statement by Ambassador Alfonso Valdivieso,
Permanent Representative of Colombia, on
behalf of the Member States of the Rio Group on Agenda Item 92d: "Science
and technology
for development". (New York, 6 October 2000).
2. Statement by Ambassador Alfonso Valdivieso,
Permanent Representative of Colombia, on
behalf of the Member States of the Rio Group on agenda item 92e: "Financing
of
development, including net transfer of resources between developing
and developed
countries". (New York, 6 October 2000)
3. Statement by Ambassador Alfonso Valdivieso,
Permanent Representative of Colombia, on
behalf of the Member States of the Rio Group on agenda item 96:
"Operational Activities for
development". (New York, 9 October 2000).
4. Statement by the Delegate of Colombia Second
Secretary, Mr. Mauricio Baquero, on
behalf of the Member States of the Rio Group on agenda item 95: "Environment
and
Sustainable Development". (New York, 18 October 2000).
5. Statement by Ambassador Alfonso Valdivieso,
Permanent Representative of Colombia, on
behalf of the Member States of the Rio Group on agenda item 100:
"Globalization and
Interdependence". (New York, 24 October 2000).
6. Statement by Ambassador Alfonso Valdivieso,
Permanent Representative of Colombia, on
behalf of the Member States of the Rio Group on agenda item 99: "Implementation
of the
First United Nations Decade for the Eradication of Poverty, (1997-2006)".
(New York, 24
October 2000)
7. Statement by Ambassador Alfonso Valdivieso,
Permanent Representative of Colombia, on
behalf of the Member States of the Rio Group on agenda items 92a,
92b and 92c: "Trade
and Development, Commodities and External Debt crisis and development".
(New York, 26
October 2000).
8. Statement by Ambassador Andrés Franco,
Deputy Permanent Representative of
Colombia, on behalf of the Member States of the Rio Group on agenda
item 101: "High
level
international intergovernmental consideration of financing for development".
(New York, 29
November 2000)
THIRD COMMITTEE
-
General Assembly 54th
1. Statement by Ambassador Andrés Franco,
Deputy Permanent Representative of Colombia, on behalf of the Member
States of the Rio Group: "Agenda
Item 3 a): Contribution by the Commission to the Overall Review and
Appraisal of the Outcome of the World Summit for Social Development."
(New York, February 9, 2000)
2. Statement by Ambassador Alfonso Valdivieso,
Permanent Representative of Colombia, on behalf of the Member States of the Rio Group in the Forty Fourth Session
of the Committee
of Women Social and Judicial Condition on agenda item 3: "Follow
up to the IV World Conference on Women". (New York, February 28 through March
2, 2000)
-
General Assembly 55th
1. Statement by the Honorable Alvaro Tirado Mejía,
Ambassador of Colombia in Special Mission, on behalf of the Member States of the Rio Group on agenda
items 103 and 104: "Social Development", "Follow-up
to the International Year of Older Persons". (New York,
26 September 2000).
2. Statement by Ambassador Alfonso Valdivieso,
Permanent Representative of Colombia, on
behalf of the Member States of the Rio Group on agenda item 106: "International
Drug
Control". (New York, 29 September 2000)
3. Statement by Ambassador Alfonso Valdivieso,
Permanent Representative of Colombia, on
behalf of the Member States of the Rio Group on agenda items 107 and
108: "Advancement
of women and Implementation of the Outcome of the Fourth World Conference
on Women
and of the Special Session of the General Assemble entitled: "Women
2000: Gender Equality,
Development and Peace for the Twenty-first Century". (New
York, 9 October 2000)
4. Statement by the Honorable Alvaro Tirado
Mejía, Ambassador of Colombia in Special
Mission, on behalf of the Member States of the Rio Group on agenda
item 110: "Promotion
and Protection of the Rights of Children". (New York, 11
October 2000)
FOURTH COMMITTEE
-
General Assembly 54th
1. Statement by Ambassador Andrés Franco,
Deputy Permanent Representative of
Colombia, on behalf of the Member States of the Rio Group: "22nd
Session of the
Information Committee". (New York, 3 May 2000)
-
General Assembly 55th
1. Statement of Ambassador Alfonso Valdivieso,
Permanent Representative of Colombia, on
behalf of the Member States of the Rio Group on Decolonization.
(New York, 25 September
2000)
2. Statement by Ambassador Alfonso Valdivieso,
Permanent Representative of Colombia, on behalf of the Member States of the Rio Group on agenda item 86:
"Comprehensive review of
the whole question of peacekeeping operations in all their aspects"(New
York, 9 November
2000)
3. Statement by Ambassador Alfonso Valdivieso,
Permanent Representative of Colombia, on
behalf of the Member States of the Rio Group on agenda item 87: "Questions
Relating to
Information". (New York, 13 November 2000)
FIFTH COMMITTEE
-
General Assembly 55th
1. Statement by Ambassador Alfonso Valdivieso, Permanent Representative
of Colombia, on
behalf of the Member States of the Rio Group on agenda item 125: "Scale
of assessments for the apportionment of the expenses of the United Nations".
(New York, 2 October 2000)
2. Statement by Ambassador Alfonso Valdivieso,
Permanent Representative of Colombia, on
behalf of the Member States of the Rio Group on agenda item 169: "Scale
of assessments for
the apportionement of the expenses of the United Nations peacekeeping
operations". (New
York, 6 October 2000).
3. Statement of the Delegate of Colombia, on
behalf of the Member States of the Rio Group
on agenda item 124:United
Nations Common System (New York, November 2000)
4. Statement of the Delegate of Colombia, on
behalf of the Member States of the Rio Group
on agenda item 118: Programme
Planning (New York, 6 November 2000)
5. Statement by Ambassador Alfonso Valdivieso,
Permanent Representative of Colombia, on
behalf of the Member States of the Rio Group on agenda item 117: "Report
of the Panel on
United Nations Peace Operations". (New York, 29 November
2000).
SIXTH COMMITTEE
-
General Assembly 54th
1. Statement of the Delegate of Colombia on behalf
of the Member States of the Rio Group
on the Special Committee on the Charter of the United Nations and
on the strengthening
of
the role of the organization. (New York, April 10, 2000)
-
General Assembly 55th
1. Statement by Ambassador Alfonso Valdivieso,
Permanent Representative of Colombia, on
behalf of the Member States of the Rio Group on agenda item 163: "Report
of the Special
Committee on the Charter of the United Nations and on the Strengthening
of the Role of the
Organization". (New York, 12 October 2000).
2. Statement by the Honorable Alvaro Tirado
Mejía, Ambassador of Colombia in Special
Mission, on behalf of the Member States of the Rio Group on agenda
item 162:
"Establishment
of the International Criminal Court". (New York, 18 October
2000)
3. Statement by Ambassador Alfonso Valdivieso,
Permanent Representative of Colombia, on
behalf of the Member States of the Rio Group on agenda item 159: "Report
of the
International Law Commission on the work of its Fifty Second Session".
(New York, 2
November 2000)
4. Statement by Ambassador Alfonso Valdivieso,
Permanent Representative of Colombia, on
behalf of the Member States of the Rio Group on agenda item 164: "Measures
to Eliminate
International Terrorism". (New York, 13 November 2000).
5. Statement by Ambassador Alfonso Valdivieso,
Permanent Representative of Colombia, on
behalf of the Member States of the Rio Group on agenda item 157: "Jurisdictional
Immunities
of States and their Property". (New York, November 2, 2000)
OTHER INTERVENTIONS
1. Cartagena de Indias Declaration, the Rio Group
2000: "Commitment
for the Millennium".
(Cartagena de Indias, 14 June 2000)
2. Declaration of Heads of State and Government
of the Rio Group on the
Peace Process in
Colombia. (Cartagena de Indias, 16 June 2000)
3. Decision of Heads of State and Government
of the Rio Group on the Petroleum
Market.
(Cartagena de Indias, 16 June 2000)
4. Decision of Heads of State and Government
of the Rio Group on
International Trade.
(Cartagena de Indias, 16 June 2000)
5. Cartagena Commitment to Democracy.
(Cartagena de Indias, 16 June 2000)
6. XIV Summit of Heads of State and Government
of the Rio Group: Outcome
of the
Summit. (Cartagena de Indias, June 15 and 16, 2000).
7."Issue
paper on Humanitarian Intervention" submitted by the Permanent
Representatives to
the United Nations for the consideration of the Ministers for Foreign
Affairs of the Rio Group.
