Fifth Summit of the Americas: Delaration of the Port of Spain

Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago - April 19, 2009

Declaration of Commitment of Port of Spain
Securing Our Citizens’ Future by Promoting Human Prosperity, Energy Security and Environmental Sustainability

Final Declaration of the Commitment of Port of Spain 4/19/2009
Available online the Final Declaration of Commitment of Port of Spain:

1. English Declaration
2. Spanish Declaration
3. French Declaration
4. Portuguese Declaration

Website: http://www.fifthsummitoftheamericas.org/home.aspx

[Extracts below]

“…….22. In order to foster innovation, increase competitiveness and promote social development, and taking note of the outcomes of the Second Meeting of Ministers and High Authorities of Science and Technology, held in Mexico City in 2008, we commit to create conditions for increasing public investment and to take measures that promote investment in the private sector, particularly in science, technology, engineering, innovation, research and development, and to encourage the strengthening of linkages among universities, science institutions, the private and public sectors, multilateral agencies, civil society and workers. We recognise that the protection and enforcement of intellectual property rights should contribute to the promotion of technological innovation and to the transfer and dissemination of technology, to the mutual advantage of producers and users of technological knowledge and in a manner conducive to social and economic welfare and to a balance of rights and obligations. Therefore, we reiterate our commitment to their protection in accordance with the Agreement on Trade-related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights of the World Trade Organisation (WTO).

23. Providing our people with adequate and timely access to safe and nutritious food is among the most immediate challenges confronting our Hemisphere and the world. We recognise the negative impact on our people of food crises when they occur, and commit to taking urgent and coordinated action, working in partnership with the relevant international and regional organisations, as appropriate, to develop and implement comprehensive policies and programmes in order to confront the challenges of food security. We reaffirm our commitment to the objective of the Millennium Declaration to halve by 2015 the proportion of people who suffer from hunger; and we recognise United Nations General Assembly Resolution 63/235, which calls for addressing these challenges.

26. We recognise that the problem of inequality of access to comprehensive health care and health services persists, especially among vulnerable groups. We therefore commit to redoubling our efforts to promote social protection and to identify and implement strategies to advance towards universal access to quality comprehensive health care, taking into account labour, environment, gender-sensitive and social security policies, as well as the Health Agenda for the Americas 2008–2017, and will seek to provide necessary resources in order to improve our health indicators…..”