Central American Integration System

* Sistema de la Integración Centroamericana (Spanish)
* (SICA)

Flag

Logo

Motto: "Dios, unión y libertad" (Spanish)

"God, Union and Liberty"

Anthem: La Granadera
The Grenadier

File:Himno de Centroamerica.ogg

States in the Central American Integration System.

Administrative center|  San Salvador, El Salvador
Official languages| Spanish
Type| Regional organization
Membership| 8 states
11 regional observers[1]
21 extraregional observers[1]
Leaders

• President pro tempore

| Johnny Briceño

• General Secretary

| Werner Isaac Vargas Torres
Legislature| Central American Parliament
Establishment

• Court of Cartago

| 20 December 1907

• ODECA

| 14 October 1951

• CACM

| 13 December 1960

• SICA

| 13 December 1991
Area

• Total

| 572,510 km2 (221,050 sq mi)
Population

• 2009 estimate

| 51,152,936

• Density

| 89.34/km2 (231.4/sq mi)
GDP (PPP)| 2010 estimate

• Total

| $506.258 billion

• Per capita

| $9,898.17
GDP (nominal)| 2010 estimate

• Total

| $266.213 billion

• Per capita

| $5,205.45

Website
www.sica.int

Template:Central America series

The Central American Integration System (Spanish: Sistema de la Integración Centroamericana, or SICA) has been the economic and political organization of Central American states since 1 February 1993.[2] On 13 December 1991, the ODECA countries (Spanish: Organización de Estados Centroamericanos) signed the Protocol of Tegucigalpa, extending earlier cooperation for regional peace, political freedom, democracy and economic development. SICA's General Secretariat is in El Salvador.

In 1991, SICA's institutional framework included Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica and Panama. Belize joined in 1998 as a full member, while the Dominican Republic became an associated state in 2004 and a full member in 2013. Mexico, Chile and Brazil became part of the organization as regional observers, and the Republic of China, Spain, Germany, Georgia and Japan became extra-regional observers. SICA has a standing invitation to participate as observers in sessions of the United Nations General Assembly,[3] and maintains offices at UN Headquarters.[4]

Four countries (Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, and Nicaragua) experiencing political, cultural and migratory integration have formed a group, the Central America Four or CA-4, which has introduced common internal borders and the same type of passport. Belize, Costa Rica, Panama and the Dominican Republic subsequently joined the CA-4 for economic integration.

## Contents

* 1 History
* 1.1 First Central American Court of Justice
* 1.2 Organization of Central American States
* 1.3 Revival
* 1.4 Expulsions and rejections
* 2 Members and observers
* 2.1 Member states
* 2.2 Regional observers
* 2.3 Extra-regional observers
* 3 Economic integration
* 3.1 Unified Central American currency
* 4 Policy integration
* 5 Headquarters
* 6 Institutions
* 6.1 Central American Parliament
* 6.2 Central American Court of Justice
* 7 Organizations
* 8 See also
* 9 Notes
* 10 References
* 11 Bibliography
* 12 External links

## History

### First Central American Court of Justice

Between 14 November and 20 December 1907, after a proposal by Mexico and the United States, five Central American nations (Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua) took part in the Central American Peace Conference in Washington, D.C. sponsored by United States Secretary of State Elihu Root. The five nations, all former Spanish colonies, had previously tried to form a political alliance. Their first attempt was the Federal Republic of Central America, and the most recent effort was the founding of the Republic of Central America 11 years earlier.

The participants concluded the conference with an agreement creating the Central American Court of Justice (Corte de Justicia Centroamericana). The court would remain in effect for ten years from the final ratification, and communication would be through the government of Costa Rica. It was composed of five judges, one from each member state. The court heard ten cases, five of which were brought by private individuals (and declared inadmissible) and three begun by the court. The court operated until April 1918 from its headquarters in Costa Rica; despite efforts beginning in March 1917 (when Nicaragua submitted a notice of termination of the agreement), it then dissolved.

Reasons for the agreement's failure include:

* No effective system of judicial procedure
* Judges were not independent of their respective governments.

Exclusive Economic Zones of the member states of the Central American Integration System. Including EEZs, the total area of the CAIS is 2,351,224 km2.

### Organization of Central American States

At the end of World War II, interest in integrating the Central American governments began. On 14 October 1951 (33 years after the CACJ was dissolved) the governments of Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua signed a treaty creating the Organization of Central American States (Organización de Estados Centroamericanos, or ODECA) to promote regional cooperation and unity. The following year (12 December 1952), ODECA's charter was amended to create a new Central American Court of Justice (Corte Centroamericana de Justicia, or CCJ) without the time limit of its previous incarnation.

The Charter of San Salvador was ratified by all Central American governments, and on 18 August 1955 their foreign ministers attended its first meeting in Antigua Guatemala. The Declaration of Antigua Guatemala authorized subordinate organizations of ODECA to facilitate economic cooperation, better sanitation and progress in the "integral union" of the Central American nations.[5]

The Central American Common Market, the Central American Bank for Economic Integration (BCIE) and the Secretariat for Central American Economic Integration (SIECA) were established by the five Central American nations on 13 December 1960 at a conference in Managua.[6] All nations ratified the membership treaties the following year. Costa Rica joined the CACM in 1963, but Panama had not yet joined. The organization froze during the 1969 war between Honduras and El Salvador; in 1973 ODECA was suspended, and progress toward regional integration ground to a halt.

### Revival

In 1991 the integration agenda advanced with the creation of the SICA, which provided a legal framework to resolve disputes between member states. SICA was supported by the United Nations General Assembly in a resolution of 20 December 1993.[7] SICA includes seven Central America nations and the Dominican Republic, which is part of the Caribbean. Central America has several supranational institutions, such as the Central American Parliament, the Central American Bank for Economic Integration and the Central American Common Market. The Central America trade bloc is governed by the General Treaty for Economical Integration (the Guatemala Protocol), which was signed on 29 October 1993. The CACM has removed duties on most products throughout the member countries, and has unified external tariffs and increased trade within its members. The bank has five non-regional members: Argentina, Colombia, Mexico, the Republic of China and Spain.

All SICA members are also part of the Mesoamerica Project, which includes Mexico and Colombia. Haiti admitted to join SICA in 2013 as a regional observer and the Dominican Republic became a full member on 27 June 2013.[8]

### Expulsions and rejections

Guatemala, Panama, the Dominican Republic, Costa Rica appealed SICA to expel Nicaragua from SICA membership and reject admission of Russia as a SICA extra-regional observer due to Daniel Ortega regime's support for Russia during the ongoing Russo-Ukrainian war since 2014.[9][10]

## Members and observers

### Member states

Flag  | State  | Capital  | Largest City  | Code | Accession  | Population
(2018)[11][12] | Area  | Population density  | HDI (2019)

|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|

| Belize  | Belmopan | Belize City  | BZ  | 1998  | 383,071  | 22,966 km2
(8,867 sq mi)  | 16/km2
(41/sq mi)  | 0.716
| Costa Rica  | San José | CR  | Founder  | 4,999,441  | 51,180 km2
(19,760 sq mi)[13] | 95/km2
(250/sq mi)  | 0.810
| Dominican Republic  | Santo Domingo | DO  | 2013  | 10,627,141  | 48,671 km2
(18,792 sq mi)  | 219/km2
(570/sq mi)  | 0.756
| El Salvador  | San Salvador | SV  | Founder  | 6,420,746  | 21,041 km2
(8,124 sq mi)  | 302/km2
(780/sq mi)  | 0.673
| Guatemala  | Guatemala City | GT  | Founder  | 17,247,849  | 108,889 km2
(42,042 sq mi)  | 152/km2
(390/sq mi)  | 0.663
| Honduras  | Tegucigalpa | HN  | Founder  | 9,587,522  | 112,090 km2
(43,280 sq mi)  | 81/km2
(210/sq mi)  | 0.634
| Nicaragua  | Managua | NI  | Founder  | 6,465,501  | 130,370 km2
(50,340 sq mi)  | 47/km2
(120/sq mi)  | 0.660
| Panama  | Panama City | PA  | Founder  | 4,176,869  | 75,420 km2
(29,120 sq mi)  | 53/km2
(140/sq mi)  | 0.815
8 total  | 58,096,944 | 570,547 km2
(220,289 sq mi)  | 102/km2
(260/sq mi)  | 0.716

### Regional observers

* Argentina
* Bolivia
* Brazil
* Canada
* Chile
* Colombia
* Ecuador
* Haiti[lower-alpha 1]
* Mexico
* Peru
* United States
* Uruguay

### Extra-regional observers

* Australia
* Egypt[lower-alpha 1]
* European Union
* France
* Georgia[lower-alpha 1]
* Germany
* Greece
* Holy See
* Italy
* Japan
* South Korea
* Morocco
* Netherlands[lower-alpha 1]
* New Zealand
* Template:Country data Sovereign Military Order of Malta
* Qatar
* Russia[lower-alpha 1]
* Serbia
* Spain
* Sweden
* Taiwan
* Turkey
* United Arab Emirates
* United Kingdom

## Economic integration

### Unified Central American currency

The Central American Bank for Economic Integration has not introduced its own common currency, and dollarization is possible. However, for formal purposes the US Dollar is sometimes referred to as "Central American Peso" pegged 1:1 to the Dollar. There are no coins or notes in this currency and it is little known outside of legal circles. Central America is increasing its regional economic development, accelerating its social, political and economic integration. The region has diversified output and price and wage flexibility; however, there is a lack of business-cycle synchronization, dissimilar levels of public-sector debt, diverging inflation rates and low levels of intra-regional trade.[14]

## Policy integration

In the parliamentary body are proposals to consider regional air travel as domestic travel, to eliminate roaming fees on telephone calls and to create a regional penitentiary (affiliated with the Central American Court of Justice) to address regional trafficking and international crimes.[15]

## Headquarters

SICA's administrative centre is located in San Salvador, El Salvador.

## Institutions

### Central American Parliament

Parlacen was born as a parliamentary body emulating the Federal Republic of Central America, with Costa Rica an observer. It evolved from the Contadora Group, a project launched during the 1980s to deal with civil wars in El Salvador, Guatemala and Nicaragua. Although the Contadora Group was dissolved in 1986, the concept of Central American integration is implicitly referenced in several countries' constitutions. The Esquipulas Peace Agreement (among other acts) agreed to the creation of a Central American Parliament composed of 20–22 directly-elected deputies from each country. Costa Rica has not ratified the agreement, and is not represented in the Parlacen. Parlacen is seen by some (including former President of Honduras Ricardo Maduro) as a white elephant.[16]

### Central American Court of Justice

The CCJ's mission is to promote peace in the region and the unity of its member states. The Court[17] has jurisdiction to hear cases:

* Between member states
* Between a member state and a non-member state accepting the court's jurisdiction
* Between states and a resident of a member state
* Concerning the integration process between SICA and member states (or persons)

The court may offer consultation to the region's supreme courts. In 2005, it ruled that Nicaraguan congressional reforms (which removed control of water, energy and telecommunications from President Enrique Bolaños) were "legally inapplicable". As of July 2005, the CCJ had made 70 resolutions since hearing its first case in 1994.

## Organizations

Template:Supranational American Bodies

* Central American Bank for Economic Integration (Banco Centroamericano de Integración Económica, BCIE)[18]
* Central American Common Market (CACM; Mercado Común Centroamericano, MCCA)
* Central American Court of Justice (CCJ)[19][20][21]
* Central American Armed Forces Conference (Conferencia de las Fuerzas Armadas Centroamericanas, CFAC)[22][23]
* Central American Parliament (Parlamento Centroamericano, PARLACEN)
* Plenum
* Board of Parliament
* Secretariat
* President's Summit
* Comité Consultivo (CC-SICA)
* Council of Ministers of Foreign Affairs
* Executive Committee (CE-SICA)
* Vice President's Summit
* Secretariat General (SG-SICA)[24]
* Central American Educational and Cultural Cooperation (CECC)[25]

## See also

* Latin American Integration Association
* Central America-4 Border Control Agreement
* Central America-4 passport
* Mercosur
* Rules of Origin
* Market access
* Free-trade area
* Tariffs

## Notes

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 Pending observer status.

## References

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 "Estados y Organismos observadores" (in es). https://www.sica.int/pais/observador.Estados+y+Organismos+observadores&rft.atitle=&rft_id=https://www.sica.int/pais/observador&rfr_id=info:sid/en.wikibooks.org:Organization:Central_American_Integration_System">
2. ↑ "Central American Integration System". Brussels, Belgium: Union of International Associations. 2024. https://uia.org/s/or/en/1100034612
3. ↑ "United Nations list of observing international organizations". https://www.un.org/en/members/intergovorg.shtml.
4. ↑ "El Sistema De La Integracion Centroamericana \- New York". http://www.sgsica-ny.org/.El+Sistema+De+La+Integracion+Centroamericana+-+New+York&rft.atitle=&rft_id=http://www.sgsica-ny.org/&rfr_id=info:sid/en.wikibooks.org:Organization:Central_American_Integration_System">
5. ↑ "Central American Defense Council - Some Problems and Achievements". Lieutenant Colonel Laun C. Smith, JR.. http://www.airpower.maxwell.af.mil/airchronicles/aureview/1969/mar-apr/smithl.html.
6. ↑ "General Treaty on Central American Economic Integration between Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras and Nicaragua signed at Managua, on 13 December 1960". Archived from the original on 4 March 2009. https://web.archive.org/web/20090304175023/http://www.worldtradelaw.net/fta/agreements/cacmfta.pdf.
7. ↑ "The situation in Central America: Procedures for the establishment of a firm and lasting peace and progress in fashioning a region of peace, freedom, democracy and development". United Nations General Assembly. 20 December 1993. https://documents.un.org/doc/undoc/gen/n94/036/37/pdf/n9403637.pdf. Retrieved 17 March 2024.
8. ↑ "Jefes de Estado y Gobierno del SICA celebran su 41 Cumbre Ordinaria" [Heads of State and Government of the SICA celebrate their 41st Ordinary Summit] (Press release) (in Spanish). San Salvador, El Salvador: Secretaría General del Sistema de la Integración Centroamericana. 2013-06-27.Jefes+de+Estado+y+Gobierno+del+SICA+celebran+su+41+Cumbre+Ordinaria&rft.place=San+Salvador,+El+Salvador&rft.pub=Secretaría+General+del+Sistema+de+la+Integración+Centroamericana&rft.date=2013-06-27&rft_id=http://www.sica.int/busqueda/Noticias.aspx?IDItem=79131&IDCat;=21&IdEnt;=1&Idm;=1&IdmStyle;=1&rfr_id=info:sid/handwiki.org:Organization:Central+American+Integration+System" class="Z3988">`{{cite press release}}`: CS1 maint: unrecognized language (link)
9. ↑ "Four Countries Reject Ortega's Candidate for SICA Secretary General" (in en). Confidencial. 3 December 2024. https://confidencial.digital/english/four-countries-reject-ortegas-candidate-for-sica-secretary-general/.
10. ↑ "El SICA, el Caballo de Troya de Ortega para expandir presencia de Rusia en Centroamérica" (in es). Expediente Público. 24 April 2023. https://www.expedientepublico.org/el-sica-el-caballo-de-troya-de-ortega/.El+SICA,+el+Caballo+de+Troya+de+Ortega+para+expandir+presencia+de+Rusia+en+Centroamérica&rft.atitle=&rft.date=24+April+2023&rft.pub=Expediente+Público&rft_id=https://www.expedientepublico.org/el-sica-el-caballo-de-troya-de-ortega/&rfr_id=info:sid/en.wikibooks.org:Organization:Central_American_Integration_System">
11. ↑ ""World Population prospects – Population division"". United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division. https://population.un.org/wpp/.
12. ↑ ""Overall total population" – World Population Prospects: The 2019 Revision" (xslx). United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division. https://population.un.org/wpp/Download/Files/1_Indicators (Standard)/EXCEL_FILES/1_Population/WPP2019_POP_F01_1_TOTAL_POPULATION_BOTH_SEXES.xlsx.
13. ↑ Instituto Geográfico Nacional del Registro Nacional (2 July 2021). "Actualización en el Cálculo de las Áreas Continental e Insular de Costa Rica" (in es). https://files.snitcr.go.cr/boletines/ACTUALIZACION_DE_LAS_AREAS_CONTINENTAL_E_INSULAR_DE_COSTA_RICA_02_07_2021.pdf.
14. ↑ Bulmer-Thomas, Victor and A. Douglas Kincaid. Central America 2020: Towards a New Regional Development Model. USAID. EU Commission. 2000
15. ↑ Digital, El 19. "El 19 Digital - Portal de Noticias de Nicaragua". http://www.el19digital.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=36949&Itemid=12.El+19+Digital+-+Portal+de+Noticias+de+Nicaragua&rft.atitle=&rft.aulast=Digital&rft.aufirst=El+19&rft.au=Digital, El+19&rft_id=http://www.el19digital.com/index.php?option=com_content&task;=view&id;=36949&Itemid;=12&rfr_id=info:sid/en.wikibooks.org:Organization:Central_American_Integration_System">
16. ↑ European Parliament Directorate General for External Policies (22 November 2004). "Information Note on Central America". https://www.europarl.europa.eu/meetdocs/2004_2009/documents/nt/548/548071/548071en.pdf.
17. ↑ Iustel (1 January 2018). "Revista General de Derecho Europeo - Sumario N.º 44 ENERO 2018". https://www.iustel.com/v2/revistas/detalle_revista.asp?id=13.Revista+General+de+Derecho+Europeo+-+Sumario+N.º+44+ENERO+2018&rft.atitle=&rft.aulast=Iustel&rft.au=Iustel&rft.date=1+January+2018&rft_id=https://www.iustel.com/v2/revistas/detalle_revista.asp?id=13&rfr_id=info:sid/en.wikibooks.org:Organization:Central_American_Integration_System">
18. ↑ "Central American Bank for Economic Integration". http://www.bcie.org/english/index.php.
19. ↑ Official website of the CCJ (Spanish language)
20. ↑ "History of the CACJ from WorldCourts". http://www.worldcourts.com/cacj/eng/timeline.htm.
21. ↑ "CACJ history page from PICT". http://www.pict-pcti.org/courts/CACJ.html.
22. ↑ http://www..resdal.org/ebook/AtlasRESDAL2010-eng/print/page72.pdf (Spanish language)
23. ↑ "Conferencia de las Fuerzas Armadas Centroamericanas". https://www.conferenciafac.org/.Conferencia+de+las+Fuerzas+Armadas+Centroamericanas&rft.atitle=&rft_id=https://www.conferenciafac.org/&rfr_id=info:sid/en.wikibooks.org:Organization:Central_American_Integration_System">
24. ↑ "The EU's relations with Central America". The EU's Official Website. http://ec.europa.eu/comm/external_relations/ca/index.htm.
25. ↑ "Inicio | Coordinación Educativa y Cultural Centroamericana (CECC SICA)". https://ceccsica.info/.Inicio+|+Coordinación+Educativa+y+Cultural+Centroamericana+(CECC+SICA)&rft.atitle=&rft_id=https://ceccsica.info/&rfr_id=info:sid/en.wikibooks.org:Organization:Central_American_Integration_System">

## Bibliography

* Hudson, Manley O. (June 1943). "Chapter 3. The Central American Court of Justice". The Permanent Court of International Justice 1920-1942 (A Treatise). New York: The Macmillan Company. pp 42–70 Sections 39-62.
* Ishmael, Odeen (July 2007). Guyana Journal (2007-07): Advancing Integration Between Caricom and Central America
* Kimitch, Rebecca (15 July 2005). Commission Studies Impeachment, Tico Times.

## External links

* Official website
* Central American Parliament
* Central American Economic Integration System
* BCIE / CABEI
* Decisions of the CACJ in English (1908-1917)
* Market Access Map (A free tool developed by International Trade Centre, which identify customs tariffs, tariff rate quotas, trade remedies, regulatory requirements and preferential regimes applicable to products, including Central American Integration System)
* Rules of Origin Facilitator (A free tool jointly developed by International Trade Centre, World Trade Organization and World Customs Organization which enables traders to find specific criteria and general origin requirements applicable to their products, understand and comply with them in order to be eligible for preferential tariffs. The tool is very useful for traders who want to gain benefit from Central American Integration System)

* v
* t
* e

Pan-Americanism

History|

* Spanish American wars of independence
* Decolonization of the Americas
* Latin American integration
* North American integration
* Patria Grande
* Simón Bolívar
* José de San Martín
* Lucas Alamán
* Inter-American Commission of Women
* United States involvement in regime change in Latin America

Organizations|

* Amazon Cooperation Treaty Organization (ACTO)
* Andean Community of Nations (CAN)
* Association of Caribbean States (ACS)
* Bolivarian Alliance for the Americas (ALBA)
* Caribbean Community (CARICOM)
* Central American Integration System (SICA)
* Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC)
* Contadora group
* Contadora support group
* Forum for the Progress and Development of South America (PROSUR)
* Latin American Economic System (SELA)
* Latin American Integration Association (ALADI)
* Lima Group (LG)
* Mercosur
* Organization of American States (OAS)
* Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS)
* Organization of Ibero-American States (OEI)
* Pacific Alliance
* Petrocaribe
* Rio Group
* Union of South American Nations (UNASUR)
* United Nations Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC, CEPAL)

Projects|

* Andean passport
* CARICOM passport
* CARICOM Single Market and Economy
* CARIPASS
* Central America-4 Border Control Agreement
* Central America-4 passport
* Eastern Caribbean Currency Union
* Initiative for the Integration of the Regional Infrastructure of South America (IIRSA)
* Interoceanic Highway
* SUCRE

Institutions|

* Andean Parliament
* Bank of the South
* Caribbean Court of Justice
* Caribbean Development Bank
* Central American Parliament
* Development Bank of Latin America
* Inter-American Development Bank
* Latin American Parliament
* Mercosur Parliament
* South American Parliament

Free trade areas|

* Caribbean Free Trade Association (CARIFTA)
* CARIFORUM
* Dominican Republic–Central America Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA-DR)
* Economic Partnership Agreements
* Free Trade Area of the Americas
* G3 Free Trade Agreement
* North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA)

* v
* t
* e

Regional organizations

Bodies|

* African Union
* Arab League
* Asia Cooperation Dialogue
* APEC
* OCS
* ASEAN
* BIMSTEC
* Caribbean Community
* Central American Integration System
* Commonwealth of Independent States
* Commonwealth of Nations
* Community of Latin American and Caribbean States
* Council of Europe
* East African Community
* ECOWAS
* Economic Cooperation Organization
* Eurasian Economic Union
* European Union
* GUAM
* Gulf Cooperation Council
* IORA
* Latin American Parliament
* Melanesian Spearhead Group
* Mercosur
* NATO
* Nordic Council
* OAS
* PIF
* Polynesian Leaders Group
* Prosur
* RCEP
* SCO
* SAARC
* TAKM
* Trilateral Cooperation Secretariat
* Turkic Council
* Union of South American Nations
* V4
* West Nordic Council

Topics|

* Regional integration
* Regional organizations by population
* Regionalism (international relations)

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