Sec. 2. FINDINGS

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## SEC. 2 FINDINGS Congress makes the following findings: ####

(1)The Charter of the Organization of American States establishes that “representative democracy is an indispensable condition for the stability, peace and development of the region”. ####

(2)Article 2 of the Inter-American Democratic Charter of the Organization of American States affirms that “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”. ####

(3)Article 26 of the Inter-American Democratic Charter states that “the OAS will continue to carry out programs and activities designed to promote democratic principles and practices and strengthen a democratic culture in the Hemisphere”. ####

(4)In accordance with the OAS Charter and the Inter-American Democratic Charter, the OAS General Assembly, OAS Permanent Council, and OAS Secretariat have established a wide range of cooperative agreements with domestic and international organizations, including national legislative institutions. ####

(5)In 2004, OAS General Assembly Resolution 2044 (XXXIV-O/04) appealed for the “strengthening of legislatures, as well as inter-parliamentary cooperation on key items of the inter-American agenda, with a view, in particular, to generating initiatives to fight corruption, poverty, inequality, and social exclusion”. ####

(6)In 2005, OAS General Assembly Resolution 2095 (XXXV-O/05) called on the OAS Secretariat to “invite [. . .] the presidents or speakers of the national legislative institutions of the Americas, i.e., congresses, parliaments, or national assemblies, [. . .] to attend a special meeting of the Permanent Council [. . .] for the initiation of a dialogue on topics on the hemispheric agenda”. ####

(7)In 2014 and 2015, the OAS Secretariat expanded its engagement with elected national legislators from OAS member states by convening two meetings of presidents of national legislatures, first in Lima, Peru and subsequently in Santiago, Chile. ####

(8)However, no permanent procedures exist to facilitate the participation of elected national legislators from OAS member states in OAS activities. ####

(9)The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe

(OSCE)Parliamentary Assembly has proven successful at strengthening inter-parliamentary cooperation among its member states.