What are Canada’s duties as Host Nation?
As the Host Nation, Canada provides an Executive Secretariat to oversee the administration and development of the Conference. This Secretariat is headed by Colonel Mike Snell (retired) and was established in the spring of 2007. Colonel Snell is assisted in his administrative and policy tasks by a team of 10 policy and logistics personnel. As host, Canada has proposed the thematic agenda for the Conference and is undertaking consultations to help develop this agenda, including consultations with civil society. To this end, the Executive Director and his staff are traveling throughout the Hemisphere to meet with Member States’ representatives. Canada has also hosted three Thematic Conferences with civil society, one in Canada with Canadian experts to help craft the proposed thematic agenda, one in Costa Rica last November, and one in Barbados, in March.
