The OAS works within the
host country, Washington, D.C., on promoting the image and work
of the Organization amongst the community of scholars,
policymakers, students, and businessmen and women from
throughout the world based in the US capital. The Host Country
Relations section is charged with disseminating the work of the
OAS throughout the Washington, D.C. area and determining and
maintaining relevant contacts and relations with members of the
Washington, D.C. community.
Related
Activities
April 17-19, 2009
JOINT ACTIVITIES IN PREPARATION FOR THE V
SUMMIT OF THE AMERICAS
In preparation for
the V
Summit of the Americas, to be held in Trinidad & Tobago
from April 17-19, 2008, the Department of International
Affairs (DIA) is hosting, in conjunction with the
Summits of the
Americas Secretariat, a series of events tailored to the
theme of this year's Summit: "Securing Our Citizens' Future by
Promoting Human Prosperity, Energy Security and Environmental
Sustainability."
The Department of
International Affairs will host three Lectures under the
auspice of the Lecture Series of the Americas on each of the
above topics. The first took place on October 28, 2008
and featured Roberto Rodrigues, the former Minister of
Agriculture and Co-President of the Inter-American Ethanol
Commission, speaking on: "Facing Energy Security in the
Americas through Alternative Energy Sources." Be sure to
visit our website regularly for updates on the Lecture Series
events.
DIA will also sponsor policy roundtables on
pertinent themes. The first in this series took place on
November 5 at 2:30PM and is organized jointly with the
International Labor Organization (ILO) and the
OAS
Department of Social Development and Employment. The
rountable will focus on: "Youth, Decent Work and Human
Prosperity in the Americas." Be sure to visit our website
regularly for updates on the policy roundtable events.
The Department of
International Affairs is also working closely with the Summits
of the Americas Secretariat in coordinating a series of
sub-region and regional civil society meetings in the
Caribbean, Central America and South America.
Finally, DIA will sponsor a
Model OAS General Assembly (MOAS)
Model Summit at the University of the West Indies (UWI) in
Barbados. This Model will focus on the themes and topics of
the V Summit in order to engage the youth of the Hemisphere in
the work of the OAS and in the democratic practices of its
Member States.
For more information on DIA Joint Activities
in preparation for the V Summit, read
here
December
19, 2008
On
December 19, Jane Thery, Head, OAS-USA Relations, Department
of International Affairs, participated in a panel on "The Best
America has to offer at the Summits of the Americas: Mending
Relations and Building Partnerships through Citizen Diplomacy"
organized by the Esquel Group and the Partners for the
Americas. Other panelists were Ambassador Hector Morales,
Permanent Representative of the US to the OAS, David Morris,
Director, OAS Summits of the Americas Secretariat and Stephen
Vetter, President and CEO of the Partners of the Americas. The
audience of about 35 consisted of members of the Esquel Civil
Society Task Force and invited guests. Presentations and the
discussion with audience members centered on the progress in
the Summit process to date and how to better engage civil
society as "citizen diplomats" to promote hemispheric goals.
THE
BROOKINGS INSTITUTION PRESENTS ITS REPORT "Rethinking US-Latin American Relations: A
Hemispheric Partnership for a Turbulent World" TO THE PERMANENT
REPRESENTATIVES OF THE OAS
On December
15th, The Brookings Institution presented its report
"Rethinking US-Latin American Relations: A Hemispheric
Partnership for a Turbulent World" to the Permanent
Representatives of the Organization of American States (OAS),
as well as to OAS officials, including Assistant Secretary
General Albert Ramdin; Jean Michel Arrighi, Secretary of Legal
Affairs; Irene Klinger, acting Secretary of External Relations
and Ambassador Frank Almaguer, Secretary of Finance and
Administration.
The report
was prepared by Brookings’ Partnership for the Americas
Commission, headed by Ernesto Zedillo Former President of
Mexico and Thomas R. Pickering, former U.S. Under Secretary of
State for Political Affairs.
In his
presentation, Mauricio Cárdenas, Director of Brookings’ Latin
America Initiative explained that the key challenges faced by
the United States and its neighbors have grown across borders
and become so complex that they cannot be successfully
undertaken by any country alone, stressing the need for a true
hemispheric partnership as the best way to address these
challenges.
In this
report, the Commission makes specific policy
recommendations in five key areas: energy and climate change,
migration, trade, organized crime and drug trafficking and
U.S.-Cuba relations, based on the propositions that the
countries of the hemisphere share common interests; and that
the US should engage its neighbors on issues where such
interests are easiest to identify and can serve as the basis
for an effective partnership.
El 15 de
diciembre la Institución Brookings presentó su reporte
“Replanteando la Relación de E.U. con América Latina: Una
Alianza Hemisférica Para un Mundo Turbulento” a los
Representantes Permanentes ante la Organización de los Estados
Americanos (OEA), así como ante oficiales de la OEA, entre
ellos el Secretario General Adjunto Albert Ramdin; Jean Michel
Arrighi, Secretario de Asuntos Jurídicos; Irene Klinger,
Secretaria Interina de Relaciones Externas y el Embajador
Frank Almaguer, Secretario de Finanzas y Administración.
El reporte fue
preparado por la Comisión de Alianza para las Américas de
Brookings, encabezada por Ernesto Zedillo, expresidentes de
México y Thomas R. Pickering, ex Subsecretario de Estado para
Asuntos Políticos.
En su
presentación, Mauricio Cárdenas, Director de la Iniciativa de
América Latina de Brookings explicó que los retos clave que
enfrentan los Estados Unidos y sus vecinos han traspasado las
fronteras y han adquirido tal complejidad que no pueden ser
superados por un país solo, subrayando la necesidad de una
verdadera alianza hemisférica como la mejor forma de enfrentar
estos retos.
En este
reporte, la Comisión hace recomendaciones específicas de
política pública en cinco áreas estratégicas: energía y cambio
climático, migración, comercio, crimen organizado y
narcotráfico y relaciones E.U.-Cuba, basadas en la propuesta
de que los países del hemisferio comparten intereses comunes y
que los Estados Unidos deben trabajar con sus vecinos en los
temas en que tales intereses sean fácilmente identificables y
sirvan como base para una alianza efectiva.
On Monday, May
19, 2008 the Department of International Affairs of the
Secretariat for External Relations held a Special
Ambassadors Briefing breakfast during which the Council on
Foreign Relations’ Task Force presented the report: U’S’-Latin
America Relations: A New Direction for a New reality.
Among the attendees of this breakfast
were: General J. Thomas Hill (ret.), former member of
Congress Jim Kolbe, and Project Director, Shannon O’Neil,
presented on behalf of the Council on Foreign Relations Task
Force. Ambassadors from The Bahamas, Belize, Brazil, Canada,
Chile, Colombia, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador,
Grenada, Guatemala, Guyana, Haiti, Mexico, Nicaragua,
Paraguay, Peru, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Trinidad
and Tobago, Uruguay and the United Status participated in
the event.
On October 19, 2008, the
Organization of American States participated in the 6th
Annual George Washington University (GW) FRIENDS of
Foggy Bottom Neighborhood Block Party. The festivities
took place at the West End Corridor of the Foggy Bottom
Metro station, where more than 100 Foggy Bottom/West End
businesses and civic organizations lined the courtyard
promoting, distributing and advertising goods and
information on their respective associations. Live
music, delicious food, and more then 3,000 neighbors
helped make this event a smashing success!
OAS representatives from the
Department of International Affairs and the Staff
Association answered questions on the OAS and provided
Americas Magazine and materials on OAS programs. About
half of the people who approached the table knew
something about the OAS. After hearing about our
mission and projects, Block Party participants were very
interested in the institution.
The Block Party is organized by
“FRIENDS”, a community group started at the request of
local residents to promote dialogue between GW and its
neighbors. “FRIENDS” facilitates mutual understanding
through open public meetings held the first Tuesday of
each month. The group is dedicated to building stronger,
positive relationships through communication,
cooperation, and collaboration. For more information on
the group see:
http://neighborhood.gwu.edu/discovergw/friends.cfm
October 15, 2008
NRDC LATINO OUTREACH INITIATIVE HOLDS RECEPTION AT OAS
HEADQUARTERS
To celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month in October,
La Onda Verde, NRDC's Latino outreach initiative, held a
reception at the Organization of American States in
Washington, D.C. The event, co-hosted by OAS and Poder
Enterprise magazine, featured an impressive array of
speakers from the International Monetary Fund, UN-Energy,
NRDC and National Public Radio. They discussed global
warming and emphasized the importance of expanding renewable
energy work in Latin America and all Hispanic communities.
NRDC Executive Director Peter Lehner presented a new
partnership with OAS called "Relighting the Americas," which
will work to help Latinos give up incandescent light bulbs
and start using more eco-friendly compact fluorescents. NRDC
and La Onda Verde look forward to continued collaboration
with Latino leaders in California and with the international
leaders who attended this event, including the Chilean and
Costa Rican ambassadors to the United States.
Read more about
our BioGems initiatives in Latin America
here.
September 17, 2008
TENTH OAS POLICY ROUNDTABLE: "OPPORTUNITIES AND CHALLENGES
IN THE WESTERN HEMISPHERE: PERSPECTIVES FROM THE UNITED STATES
CONGRESS"
On September 17, the Department of International Affairs
hosted the Tenth OAS Policy Roundtable: "Opportunities and
Challenges in the Western Hemisphere: Perspectives from the
United States Congress" featuring US Senators Mel Martinez
(R-FL) and Robert Menendez (D-NJ). The Roundtable took place from
9:30am-11:00am at the OAS Headquarters in Washington, D.C.
NINTH OAS POLICY ROUNDTABLE AND REPORT LAUNCH: "MAKING THE
LAW WORK FOR EVERYONE"
On June 13, the Department of International Affairs will host
the Ninth OAS Policy Roundtable and Report Launch: "Making the
Law Work for Everyone" by the UN Commission on Legal
Empowerment of the Poor. The Roundtable will take place from
10:00am-11:30am at the OAS Headquarters in Washington, D.C.
Hemispheric Forum: “THE CONSEQUENCES OF THE
DECENTRALIZATION PROCESS
AND THE CHALLENGES TO DEMOCRATIC GOVERNANCE”
Thursday, February
28th, 2008
9:00 am – 5:00 pm
Rubén Dario Room (8th Floor)(OAS GSB)
1889 F Street N.W. Washington, D.C. 20006 Program
January 31, 2008
OAS POLICY ROUNDTABLE #6 AND BOOK LAUNCH:
saving the americas: the dangerous decline of latin america
and what the u.s. must do
- by andres oppenheimer January 31, 2008 2:45 pm-4:15 pm Hall of the Americas, OAS Main Building (17th Street and
Constitution Ave.)
Invitation
May 8, 2007
OAS Policy Roundtable #
4:
Building a Consensus on Trade Policy in
an Era of Globalization May 8, 2007
10:00 – 11:30 a.m. Hall of the Americas, OAS Main Building
(17th Street and Constitution Ave.)
Program
Press release
Photo gallery
OAS Policy Roundtable:
International Law: The U.S. Perspective
Tuesday, March 6, 2007 at 2:45 pm - 3:45 pm in the Ruben
Dario Room, 8th floor, Organization of American States (1889
‘F’ Street, NW, Washington, D.C. ) Program
March 6, 2007
Secretary General José Miguel Insulza welcomed the Mayor
of Washington, D.C., Adrian Fenty, to OAS headquarters.
