Background

During the VII Iberoamerican Summit of Heads of States and Governments held on November 8 and 9, 1997 at Margarita Island, the participating dignitaries subscribed the Margarita Declaration, whose III Chapter refers to the "administration of justice", and in it they pointed out that "the administration of justice, in its ethical content, must be simple, prompt, agile, close to the citizen, and equitable in its decisions.

This principle-related reference to the administration of justice by the States represented there, drove the Venezuelan Supreme Court of Justice to convoke the Iberoamerican Summit of Presidents of Supreme Courts and Tribunals of Justice, held on March 5 and 6, 1998, with the objective of making executable the principles contained both in the Margarita Declaration and in the other declaration subscribed by the Iberoamerican Heads of States and Governments, regarding administration of justice, and thus establish mechanisms that will allow the strengthening of the Judicial Power in the Iberoamerican States.

This initiative was favorably received by the 22 convoked countries, and 18 representatives assembled in the Venezuelan capital, produced important conclusions delineated in the policies and actions contained in the Caracas Declaration, which were later accepted by the Courts of the countries that did not attend this transcendental event.

In the Summit, The Judicial Power of the States promoted the strengthening of their independence before the other branches of the Public Power, and insisted upon the necessity of being more efficient, and at the same time, reiterated the basic principles that govern the jurisdictional activity as essential instruments to maintain the values inherent to the Judicial Power.

One of the fundamental decisions of the Caracas Declaration is the creation of the Follow-Up Technical Unit, composed of delegates from the Supreme Courts and Tribunals of Justice of Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Chile, Ecuador, El Salvador, Spain, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Portugal, Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic, Uruguay y Venezuela, and whose purpose is to:

• Statistically gather and process the information related with the execution by the countries participating in the Iberoamerican Summit of Presidents of Supreme Courts and Tribunals of Justice, of the policies and actions contained in the Caracas Declaration.

• Gather and act as a consultation and interchange center of the Iberoamerican legislation regulating the matters discussed during the Summit, as well as the norms of International Law that may be applicable.

• Prepare the necessary elements for the design of a data base, with the aim of establishing an international justice standard, to determine clearly and quickly both the progress, and the strengths and weaknesses of the actions agreed in the Caracas Declaration.

• Execute and follow-up on the technical meetings that may be held to evaluate the actions initiated and set the necessary remedial measures, as well as develop any other activity that might strengthen the work of the Follow-up Technical Unit of the Caracas Declaration.

On October 3, 1998, the first meeting of the Follow-up Technical Unit of the Caracas Declaration, whose general objective was to set its position in relation to the prioritary topics, as well as revise and establish the actions to be initiated by the member countries, with the purpose of calling a new meeting among Presidents of Supreme Courts and Tribunals of Justice.

Documents

• Caracas Declaration
• Acta de la Reunión de la II Comisión de Planificación - OCSA
• Acuerdo General de Cooperación entre la Secretaría General de la Organización de los Estados Americanos y la Organización de Cortes Supremas de las Américas