An "effort to unite the economies of the Western Hemisphere [excluding Cuba] into a single free trade arrangement," FTAA began during the Organization of American States (OAS) December 1994 Summit of the Americas in Miami. According to the OAS website, "these [FTAA] negotiations will encompass all of those areas previously negotiated and which fall within the World Trade Organization's ambit, with the goal of going beyond previously agreed multilateral liberalization within the Hemisphere, wherever possible." Similar to the World Trade Organization (WTO), FTAA decisions occur behind closed doors amongst non-elected officials. The process involves a three-tiered model of appointed international representatives: the Trade Ministers of the Western Hemisphere (who have met four times since 1994), Vice Ministers of Trade, and 9 FTAA Negotiating Groups. While the business community has direct access to these proceedings, officials have blatantly rejected the presence of any citizens' groups. Instead, they have established the Committee of Government Representatives on Civil Society Participation, a mechanism that filters all public concerns through an ineffectual government delegation. Hear more about the "nuts and bolts" of the FTAA.