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Statute

United Nations of America HA-10-2-06

By Anthony J. Sanders

1. America and the Carribbean is comprised of 51 nations and small island developing states. In 2005 the United Nations of America had a population of 885,909,568, a GDP of $13.324 trillion, and per capita income of $15,038. In 2003 Official Development Assistance (ODA), not including $20 billion to Iraq from the USA which was the largest donor nation in the world contributing an estimated $19 billion. Canada and the USA contributed $21 billion. In 2006 it is hoped that the US and Canada will contribute $35 billion and administrate $10 billion to least developed nations (LDC) with particular attention to the newly elected government of Haiti. The Organization of American States is the primary regional organization administrating the Free Trade Area of the America with self determinate sub regions under the North American Free Trade Agreement, Central American Free Trade Agreement, Andean Community, Mercosur and Caribbean Community. Free trade with emerging common markets is likely to benefit only wealthy merchants and America must awaken to double the administration of official development assistance benefiting the poorest people in the least developed countries from $5.3 billion to $10 billion this 2006. The United Nations of America is the second most prosperous region thanks to the vibrant economy of the USA, that has both the largest GDP and contestably largest GNI of any nation, and relatively secure Latin American and Caribbean economy.

2. It is hoped that the idea of the United Nations of America will be considered by the United Nations in the establishment of a Permanent Observer Mission from the OAS that would represent the interests of American states and people at UN headquarters in New York City, pending the independence of Manhattan Island, United Nations of America from the United States of America whereas in 2003, the member states reviewed the hemisphere’s overall security structure in light of new threats and priorities, and reaffirmed their commitment to help preserve peace through close cooperation. In the Declaration on Security in the Americas it was determined that, Peace is a value and a principle in itself, based on democracy, justice, respect for human rights, solidarity, security, and respect for international law.

3. Conditions for human security are improved through full respect for people’s dignity, human rights, and fundamental freedoms, as well as the promotion of social and economic development, social inclusion, and education and the fight against poverty, disease, and hunger. Whereas Washington DC is responsible for the world’s most concentrated prison population, greatest income inequality in the USA and two foreign wars the leverage of the OAS is sought to enforce the proportional reduction of prison beds held by DC residents and guests by 80% over 10 years, beginning in 2006, with the establishment of no less than 500 community corrections program beds for parole and another 500 for probation annually, or the principles of the OAS shall be interpreted to justify the relocation of the headquarters of the regional organization to a culturally integral municipality in the Americas that upholds minimal standards of human rights set forth in the Cinco de Mayo in the District of Columbia HA-5-5-5.

4. The Fourth Summit of the Americas the Declaration of Mar del Plata, Argentina of 11/5/05, was focused upon Creating Jobs to Fight Poverty and Strengthen Democratic Governance to reaffirm our commitment to fight poverty, inequality, hunger, and social exclusion in order to raise the standard of living of our peoples and strengthen democratic governance in the Americas we assign the right to work, as articulated in human rights instruments, a central place on the hemispheric agenda, recognizing the essential role of the creation of decent work to achieve equal rights. Economic cooperation is essential to the common welfare and prosperity of the peoples of the continent. American States agree that equality of opportunity, the elimination of extreme poverty, equitable distribution of wealth and income and the full participation of their peoples in decisions relating to their own development are basic objectives of integral development. The approval, of the method of implementation of partnership for development activities and the determination of their level of financing, endeavors to target the most pressing needs of the Member States, especially the relatively less developed countries and those with the smaller economies.

5. In 1994 the region’s 34 democratically elected presidents and prime ministers met in Miami for the First Summit of the Americas, where they established broad political, economic and social development goals. They have continued to meet periodically since then to examine common interests and priorities. Through the ongoing Summits of the Americas process, the region’s leaders have entrusted the Organization of American States with a growing number of responsibilities to help advance the countries’ shared vision. We reaffirm our support for the mandates and commitments undertaken at the Summits of the Americas; the World Summit for Social Development (Copenhagen, 1995); the Millennium Summit of the United Nations (New York, 2000); the International Conference on Financing for Development (Monterrey, 2002); the World Summit on Sustainable Development (Johannesburg, 2002); and the High-level Plenary Meeting of the Sixtieth Session of the United Nations General Assembly (New York, 2005), as a fundamental condition for the sustainable development of our countries.

6. The UN Economic Commission for Latin America (ECLA) -the Spanish acronym is CEPAL- was established by Economic and Social Council resolution 106(VI) of 25 FCebruary 1948 and began to function that same year. ECLAC, which is headquartered in Santiago, Chile, is one of the five regional commissions of the United Nations. The scope of the Commission's work was later broadened to include the countries of the Caribbean, and by resolution 1984/67 of 27 July 1984, the Economic Council decided to change its name to the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC); the Spanish acronym, CEPAL, remains unchanged. In June 1951 the Commission established the ECLAC subregional headquarters in Mexico City, which serves the needs of the Central American subregion, and in December 1966, the ECLAC subregional headquarters for the Caribbean was founded in Port-of-Spain, Trinidad and Tobago. In addition, ECLAC maintains country offices in Buenos Aires, Brasilia, Montevideo and Bogotá, as well as a liaison office in Washington, D.C.

7. The Inter-American Democratic Charter ratified (9/11/2001) reaffirms the principle of representative democracy for good governance. The effective exercise of representative democracy is the basis for the rule of law and of the constitutional regimes of the member states of the Organization of American States. Representative democracy is strengthened and deepened by permanent, ethical, and responsible participation of the citizenry within a legal framework conforming to the respective constitutional order. The peoples of the Americas have a right to democracy and their governments have an obligation to promote and defend it. The spiritual unity of the continent is based on respect for the cultural values of the American countries and requires their close cooperation for the high purposes of civilization. The education of peoples should be directed toward justice, freedom, and peace. Social justice and social security are bases of lasting peace.

8. The American Convention on Human Rights 11/22/69 reaffirms the intention to consolidate in this hemisphere, within the framework of democratic institutions, a system of personal liberty and social justice based on respect for the essential rights of man whereby the American States proclaim the fundamental rights of the individual without distinction as to race, nationality, creed, or sex. The Additional Protocol on the Area of Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, known as the Protocol of San Salvador reaffirms the intention to consolidate in this hemisphere, within the framework of democratic institutions, a system of personal liberty and social justice based on respect for the essential rights of man. Recognizing that the essential rights of man are not derived from one's being a national of a certain State, but are based upon attributes of the human person, for which reason they merit international protection in the form of a convention reinforcing or complementing the protection provided by the domestic law of the American States; the ideal of free human beings enjoying freedom from fear and want can only be achieved if conditions are created whereby everyone may enjoy his economic, social and cultural rights as well as his civil and political rights.

a. Everyone has the right to work, which includes the opportunity to freely choose the means for living a dignified and decent existence.

b. Everyone has the right to social security protecting them from the consequences of old age and of disability.

c. Everyone shall have the right to health, understood to mean the enjoyment of the highest level of physical, mental and social well-being.

d. Everyone shall have the right to live in a healthy environment and to have access to basic public services.

e. Everyone has the right to adequate nutrition which guarantees the possibility of enjoying the highest level of physical, emotional and intellectual development.

f. Everyone has the right to education.

g. Everyone has the right to take part in the cultural and artistic life of the community; to enjoy the benefits of scientific and technological progress; to benefit from the protection of moral and material interests deriving from any scientific, literary or artistic production of which they are the author.

9. UNDP has offices in 24 countries and supports 44 country programs in Latin America and the Caribbean. It has served the region's people through good times and bad, for over three decades, and has witnessed, indeed often supported, transitions from dictatorship to democracy. There are 41 US missions in the Americas listed by the Secretary of State USAID Bureau for Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) has 16 missions throughout the Western Hemisphere, and a development program in Cuba.

10. Official development assistance to LDC totaled just over $5.0 billion in 2001 and $5.3 billion in 2004. Argentina also receives a $10 billion annual insurance settlement for their economic collapse that is not considered official development assistance as the result of the relative affluence of Argentinians who need social programs geared towards income equality. External debt for the region as a whole has increased substantially since 1990, from $444 billion to $750 billion, and debt service consumes about one-fifth of the region's export earnings. Most of the region returned to an average inflation rate of 8.5% in 2003, down from 12% in 2002. This 2006 it is hoped to double this contribution by accounting for remittances to families in developing nations as tax deductible expenses and collectively investing $1 billion annually in Haiti to achieve the goals of democratically elected civil government and a universal primary education.

11. The least developed countries in the Americas were ranked in 2003 as follows: a Haiti is the poorest nation in Western Hemisphere with 7.5 million people and a per capita income of only $1,700, b. Cuba is the second least developed with 11.3 million and a per capita of $2,300, c. Bolivia was the third least developed with 8.6 million and a per capita of $2,500, d. Nicaragua with 5.1 million and a per capita of $2,500, and Honduras with 6.66 million and a per capita of $2,700.

12. Multilateral donors play a very significant role across the entire region, accounting for $1.3 billion in assistance in 2001; 1. The European Commission ($507 million), 2. the International Development Association ($257 million), 3. United Nations agencies ($237 million), 4. the Inter-American Development Bank ($234 million). Bilateral donors provided $3.7 billion in 2001. The United States and Japan have been the top two bilateral donors for the last 10 years; Japan was the top donor for the six years up to 2001. 1. U.S. assistance in 2001 was just over $1.0 billion, With an annual investment of more than $850 million in the Latin America and the Caribbean region, USAID is dedicated to improving the quality of life and strengthening the democracies and economies of our neighbors in the Western Hemisphere. 2. Japan ($719 million), 3. Spain ($631 million), 4. Germany ($295 million). 5. The United Kingdom, Netherlands, and Germany are very active donors as well.

13. Today’s information and globalization age has enabled even the very poor to be conscious of their rights and of how valuable equality is. Conditional transfers of funds are one of the most interesting and important distribution policies being used today, because they protect a country’s population from economic and financial shocks while guaranteeing a minimum of security. “Conditional transfers” are programs in which the government distributes funds to the poorest sectors for a set amount of time, conditioned on the recipients’ making certain commitments in the areas of education and health. The IADB recognizes that working for the common good benefits us all and has a positive effect on the economy. Education is the best hope for finally closing Latin America and Caribbean equity gap, and also as a means of preparing people to function in life, politics, and personal and institutional relationships. For a long time, the focus has been essentially economic, centering on the relationship between people and production. People thought that boosting production, wealth and economic growth would fix everything. But then they realized that human issues were important too and projects that targeted educational and health reform were begun. However, the dynamics of inequality are heading in another direction, which has its origins in each country’s system of wealth distribution. In today’s distribution system, the rich get richer, while the poor get a little something and the very poor get nothing. Even though some studies show that growth actually improves poverty indices, the only way to wipe out extreme poverty is to change the distribution system. In May 2004 the Mexican program was one of two Latin American initiatives showcased at a World Bank conference in Shanghai on proven means of breaking the cycle of poverty in developing countries. The other one was Rio de Janeiro’s Favela–Bairro, an IDB-supported program that has turned slums into livable neighborhoods.

14. In the United States the welfare system linked to the fiscal system. There is a range of programs that kick in automatically if your income falls below certain levels, offering you a series of benefits. When your income rises, you deactivate these benefits on your own. It’s a whole system of incentives, rights and penalties that works automatically. Pursuant to an integrated American fiscal and social system collaborative programs between international donors and national governments and non governmental organizations should follow the example of Mexico’s Oportunidades program or Bolsa Família in Brazil and Chile Solidario and the United States of America that have income based fiscal protection against poverty. The IDB encourages other Latin American countries to study the Mexican model and adapt it to their particular needs as Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Honduras and Nicaragua have. The Opportunidades program started in 1997 to create a welfare system founded in the principle of co-responsibility. The State would give people cash transfers, but on condition that they assume responsibilities for a series of requirements. The co-responsibilities concern nutrition, health and education.

15. Oportunidades covered 150 thousand families in 1997. By the year 2000 it had reached 2 million families. It now serves 5 million households. This is the largest social program in Mexico’s history - 30 billion pesos (about $2.7 billion) a year. The Mexican Oportunidades program has grown from 300,000 families in 1997 to 5 million in 2004, covering virtually the entire population threatened by hunger. The closely monitored and meticulously evaluated initiative has quickly shown impressive improvements in beneficiary families’ food consumption, infant weight and height growth, use of preventive medical services, prenatal care and contraception, school enrollment and retention and a reduction of the incidence of child labor. Oportunidades helped Mexico reduce poverty levels even during the economic doldrums of 2000–2002. According to the UN Economic Commission on Latin America and the Caribbean’s indicators, in that period extreme poverty dropped from 15.2 percent to 12.6 percent of the population. The program started by using census and household survey data to identify the rural areas with the highest levels of indigence and worst living conditions. Once priority communities were pinpointed, house-by-house polls ascertained which families should receive aid through use of a points system based on criteria such as income and education levels, occupation, housing conditions, land and cattle ownership and access to clean water and electricity. As a final filter, the lists of potential beneficiaries were presented in community meetings so neighbors could validate the candidates. Several firewalls guard against political manipulation and corruption. Oportunidades staff does not handle money. The tasks of stuffing, sorting and delivering cash envelopes to beneficiaries is outsourced to commercial banks, a state-owned regulating agency and the telegraph company. A family with young children will receive the equivalent of about US$15 a month. There are larger incentives to keep children in school, including aid for supplies and uniforms, and amounts increase as students pass to upper grades. The stipends have ceilings (no family can receive more than US$150 a month) so there is no reward for having more and more children. Families can remain in the program for three years, as long as they fulfill their co-responsibilities. Those who fail may be suspended or even dropped from the roster. After three years, families can re-enroll, provided they still meet the program’s criteria. With a core staff of around 630 people, Oportunidades spends only about 6 cents out of every peso on administrative expenses. Up to 12,000 people are employed as temporary workers to conduct house-by-house surveys and to input data during enrollment periods. Part of the clerical work is done by university students who must meet a required number of hours of social work before they graduate.

16. Emphasis on evaluation has gradually spread to other Mexican social programs, including some that had not been examined in decades. As a result, some programs have been shut down and others have been streamlined. Nowadays all of the Ministry of Social Development (SEDESOL) programs are subject to evaluation. As a consequence to the evaluation, the program’s operating budget has risen from 600 million pesos in 1997 to 30,000 million in 2004, making Oportunidades the largest social program in Mexico’s history. Jovenes con Oportunidades was started in 2003. This year’s graduates will have two years of savings. Currently there are some 40 thousand people with accounts. Eventually there will be 1 million. Jovenes con Oportunidades works this way: starting in the 9^th grade, savings accounts are opened for students. As they meet the co-responsibility requirements, deposits are made in their name. When they graduate, they can access those savings. When you obtain your diploma, you have five options: 1. you can use the money immediately to continue studying and build up your human capital. 2. You can use the money to exercise your income-generation capabilities, employing it as collateral for a loan to start a business or invest in a productive project. 3. You can use the money to buy health insurance for you and your family, an option linked to social protection. 4. The money can also be used as down payment for a housing loan. 6. Finally, if you simply want the money, you’ll have to save for a couple of years Oportunidades HA-7-1-05

	Country	Population	GDP in billions	Per capita	ODA in mil 2003	ODA in mil 2006	Con.
	North America	534,742,078	8,429	$15,755			1994
1	Canada	32,805,041	1,023	$31,500	-2,000	-4,000	1982
2	United States	295,734,134	8,070	$27,300[1]	-19,000	-31,000	1992
3	Mexico	106,202,903	1,006	$9,600	1,166	1,166	2004
	Central America	41,135,205	183.268	$4,463			2005
4	Belize	279,457	1.778	$6,500		50	1981
5	Guatemala	14,655,189	59.47	$4,200	250	1,000	1993
6	El Salvador	6,704,932	32.35	$4,900	125	500	2000
7	Honduras	6,975,204	18.79	$2,800	557.8	750	1999
8	Nicaragua	5,465,100	12.34	$2,300	541.8	750	1995
9	Costa Rica	4,016,173	37.97	$9,600			1949
10	Panama	3,039,150	20.57	$6,900	197.1	200	1994
	South America	371,271,037	2,883.575	$7,766
	Andean Community	118,476,651	653.44	$5,491			1969
11	Columbia	42,954,279	281.1	$6,600	0	100	1991
12	Ecuador	13,363,593	49.51	$3,700	216	500	1998
13	Peru	27,925,628	155.3	$5,600	491	500	2000
14	Bolivia	8,857,870	22.33	$2,600	681	1,000	1995
15	Venezuela	25,375,281	145.2	$5,800	74	250	1999
	Other Southern States	252,794,386	2,230.135	$8,815
16	Argentina	39,537,943	483.5	$12,400	10,000	1	1853
17	Uruguay	3,415,920	49.27	$14,500		1	1996
18	Paraguay	6,347,884	29.93	$4,800	250	250	1992
19	Brazil	186,112,794	1,492	$8,100	30	50	1988
20	French Guiana	195,506	1.551	$8,300		19
21	Suriname	438,144	1.885	$4,300	43	50	1992
22	Guyana	765,283	2.899	$3,800	84	85	1996
23	Chile	15,980,912	169.1	$10,700	0	0	2000
	Caribbean Community	38,761,248	227.805	$5,841
	Independent	33,369,903	137.244	$4,151
24	Cuba	11,346,670	33.92	$3,000	68.2	100	1992
25	Dominican Republic	8,950,034	55.68	$6,300	239.6	250	2002
26	Dominica	69,029	0.384	$5,500	22.8	23	1984
27	Grenada	89,502	0.440	$5,000	8.3	9	1973
28	Haiti	8,121,622	12.05	$1,500	150	1,500	1987
29	Jamaica	2,731,832	11.13	$4,100	16	250	1999
30	Saint Kitts & Nevis	38,958	0.338	$8,800	8	12	1983
31	Saint Lucia	166,312	0.866	$5,400	51.8	52	1978
32	Saint Vincent	117,534	0.342	$2,900		12.5	1979
33	Antigua & Barbuda	68,722	0.750	$11,000	2.3	3	1981
34	Trinidad & Tobago	1,088,644	11.48	$10,500	24	25	2000
35	Bahamas	301,790	5.295	$17,700	9.8	-13	1973
36	Barbados	279,254	4.569	$16,400	9.1	1	1966
	British Dependencies	185,856	5.043	$27,259
37	Anguilla	13,254	0.112	$7,500	9	10
38	Falkland Islands	2,967	0.075	$25,000		0
39	Cayman Islands	44,270	1.391	$32,300		0
40	British Virgin Islands	22,643	0.872	$38,500		0	1976
41	Montserrat	9,341	0.029	$3,400	40.9	50
42	Saint Helena	7,460	0.018	$2,500	12.6	13
43	Turks & Caicos	20,556	0.216	$11,500	4.1	1
44	Bermuda	65,365	2.33	$36,000		0
	US Dependencies	4,025,340	71.45	$17,751
45	Puerto Rico	3,916,632	68.95	$17,700		0	1952
46	Virgin Islands	108,708	2.5	$17,200		1
	Dutch Dependency	71,566	1.94	$28,000
47	Aruba	71,566	1.94	$28,000	26	0
	French Dependencies	888,625	9.6783	$10,886
48	Guadalupe	448,713	3.513	$7,900		5
49	Saint Pierre	7,012	0.0483	$7,000	60	70
50	Martinique	432,900	6.117	$14,400		0
	Dutch and French	219,958	2.45	$11,400
51	Netherlands Antilles	219,958	2.45	$11,400	101	101
	Total	885,909,568	13,324	$15,038	-21,000 15,320	-35,000 10,000	2003

Sanders, Tony J. Hospitals & Asylums. United Nations of America (UNA). Articles 401-466. 46 pp. www.title24uscode.org/UNA.doc

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[1] The GDP of the USA is disputed and estimates range between $6.4 Trillion by the Census in 2000 and $11.1 Trillion by the CIA. The Bureau of Economic Analysis has arrived at a figure in compromise called disposable income of $8.070 trillion HA-1-1-06.