PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad -- Ever wonder whether anything actually comes out of these presidential summits?

A new report by the Active Democracy Network says Latin American nations are slow at showing results and have suffered ''worrying setbacks'' when it comes to following up on summit mandates.

The group spent three years studying how 21 different countries in the region had complied with past summit declarations that deal with access to public information, freedom of expression, decentralization, and strength of civil society. They released a study Thursday on the eve of the Fifth Summit of the Americas titled ''The Summits must not end up empty promises'' that showed 57 percent of the countries had difficulties or setbacks in implementing mandates from past Summits.

''The results in these four areas are disappointing,'' said Francine Jacome, executive director of the Venezuelan Institute for Social Political Studies.

``We have 57 percent showing setbacks in these four areas, and these four areas are basic for democracy. And where there has been progress, there hasn't been much progress.''

Active Democracy is a network of civil society organizations in 21 nations that have joined forces for a dozen years. Its purpose is to publicize Summit commitments government's signed in the quest that they be implemented.

The group studied summit follow-up from 2006-2008.

Among the results:

• Of the 21 nations studied, 12 of them scored below zero. (The highest score was 3, and the lowest -3.

• In access to information, 13 countries showed progress.

• Overall, Uruguay showed the most progress.

• Venezuela had the most difficulties in all four topics.

• On access to information mandates, only nine or 48% of the 21 countries evaluated showed progress in establishing Freedom of Information laws.

Despite the gloomy results, Jacome is not willing to dismiss the summit process.

Summits, she said, ``are important because they put issues on the agenda.''

''The fact that they sign a declaration means we can go back and say, `At this summit in Quebec, you signed this mandate,''' she said.

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