An international summit is a high-level meeting between heads of state or government. Its purpose is to create a platform for discussion, share ideas and foster partnerships with the goal of addressing global issues.
When an international summit is organized, participants will need to decide what it will address and who should attend. Governments are the key players, but it is also important to include thought leaders and private-sector representatives to increase the value of the event.
The most successful summits are ones that produce tangible results. But achieving this requires that the attendees be prepared to take risks and agree on compromises. It may be challenging for some leaders to invest so much time and effort in a summit without seeing any immediate results, especially when they have competing priorities at home.
The Santiago Plan of Action specifies that the Organization of American States (OAS) is responsible for operating as the record-keeping mechanism and providing technical support to the Summit Follow-up Inter-agency Working Group (SIGC). Other multilateral organizations, including the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean, the Pan American Health Organization, and the World Bank play a supporting role in Summit implementation. The OAS’ Office of Summit Follow-up maintains a list of Responsible Coordinators for each issue.
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