Mission: To increase the outreach of the OAS with
counterpart institutions in order to promote knowledge of OAS
work and open opportunities for collaboration.
Outreach activities to institutions includes
OAS Policy Roundtables,
briefings on OAS
work, joint seminars, provision of background material on the
OAS and representation of the OAS under affiliation agreements.
The Institutional Relations section of the
Department of International Affairs and OAS Secretariat for
External Relations [Executive
Order 08-01 Rev. 1]
Advises the GS through the SER on matters
regarding relations between the Organization and POs and
multilateral organizations.
Implements policies on external
institutional relations, including relations with UN agencies,
inter-American institutions, IFIs, the private sector, and study
and research centers.
Recommends means of strengthening the ties
with specialized organizations and institutions, both regional
and international.
Assists the various areas of the OAS
in their efforts to maintain effective substantive contacts with
other intergovernmental institutions, both public and private.
UN SECRETARY-GENERAL’S RETREAT
WITH HEADS OF REGIONAL AND OTHER ORGANIZATIONS
Monday, 11 January 2010 – Tuesday, 12 January 2010
On January 11 and 12 of 2010, Jose Miguel Insulza, Secretary General
of the Organization of the American States (OAS), participated in a
High Level Retreat hosted by UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon. The
retreat was held on Long Island, New York, and included 12 heads of
regional and other organizations to address the theme "Cooperation
in Times of Crisis". SG Insulza was accompanied by Dr. Irene
Klinger, Director of the Department of International Affairs/ SER.
Participants in the informal
forum were able to discuss issues of critical concern to their
respective regions and to identify possible new avenues for
improving future cooperation in times of crises between the UN and
regional organizations.
Discussions began with an address
by Mr. Ban Ki-moon on “Global Realities and Regional Challenges”.
Regional leaders then focused on three themes in the following
panels. SG Insulza presented the opening remarks in the first
session on “Cooperating in Times of Crisis: Crisis Prevention and
Mediation”. He also intervened as a discussant in the other two
panels on “Cooperating in times of crisis: crisis management and
implementation of agreements” and “New avenues for cooperation”.
Along with SG Insulza,
participants in the High Level Retreat included the heads of the
African Union Commission (AU), Caribbean Community, Economic
Community of West African States (ECOWAS), European Commission (EC),
Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), League of Arab
States, North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), Organization of
the Islamic Conference (OIC), Organization for Security and
Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat (PIF),
Southern African Development Community (SADC), and Shanghai
Cooperation Organization (SCO). SG Insulza met bilaterally with
the UN Secretary General and with the Secretary General of the
Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), Mr. Marc
Perrin de Brichambaut and agreed to follow up with the latter for
intensified institutional cooperation during 2010. Link to
summary in Word document
Intervention by the Secretary General (Spanish) and
English
Program of the retreat
List of participants
Bios of the attendees
EUROPEAN
DEVELOPMENT DAYS
Coming Event: October 22nd to 24th, 2009
Plenary Session on Democracy and Development
The European
Development Days is a yearly event that showcases the European
Union’s continuing and enduring commitment to development. It is
hosted annually by the European Commission and the EU Presidency,
which is currently held by the Government of Sweden, one of the
Permanent Observers to the OAS. The 4th edition of the
European Development Dayswill take place in Stockholm,
Sweden, from October 22nd to the 24th, 2009. The event brings about
4,000 people and 1500 organizations from the development community
together to share ideas on how to make development aid more
effective, particularly in the fight against poverty and the
attainment of the Millennium Development Goals.
On October
23rd a Plenary Session entitled “Democracy and Development:Interregional Dialogue on Democracy Building” will be held.
Dr.
Irene Klinger-Director of the Department of International
Affairs- will participate and make a presentation on behalf of the
OAS Secretary General, Mr. Jose Miguel Insulza. Invited speakers
for this Plenary Session include the Secretary General of the
International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance
(IDEA), Vidar Helgesen, the Secretary General of the Arab League,
Amr Moussa; former Prime Minister of New Zealand, Helen Clark;
Liberia´s first female president and Africa´s first woman head of
state, Ellen Johnson’Sirleaf; the President of the European
Parliament, Jerzy Buzek; and the Chair of the African Union
Commision, Jean Ping, among others. The session will address the
topic of how development is more sustainable in countries that are
democratically governed. The promotion of democracy is indicated as
one of the objectives of the European Consensus on Development.
OAS AND IOM SIGN AGREEMENT TO STRENGTHEN COOPERATION ON MIGRATION
ISSUES On October 14, 2009, the
OAS and the International Organization for Migration (IOM) signed a
Cooperation Agreement relative to activities in the area of
migration in an effort to achieve the maximum benefits for their
Member States. The
Agreement focuses mainly on International Migration Law, Labor
Migration, Combat Human Trafficking, Human Rights of Migrants,
Democracy Strengthening and Education for Migrant Youth and
Children.
The
OAS-IOM Cooperation initiatives will foster the advancement of each
organization’s objectives and goals and may include conduction of
workshops and activities on labor migration, counter- trafficking,
migrants’ human rights and democracy strengthening; preparation of
research and projects of cooperation and information exchange on
issues of common interest for both Organizations; follow up on
migration-related resolutions of the Summits of the Americas;
organizing inter-institutional coordination meetings; attending each
other’s meetings; and exchanging information and documentation to
facilitate work on matters of mutual interest.
The
Cooperation Agreement was signed at the Hall of Heroes by the OAS
Secretary General, José Miguel Insulza and the IOM Director General
Mr. William Lacy Swing. Also present were Ambassador Luis Alfonso
Hoyos, Permanent Representative of Colombia and Chair of the
Permanent Council; Ambassador Duly Brutus, Permanent Representative
of Haiti to the OAS and Chair of the Special Committee on Migration
Issues; and Mr. Richard E. Scott, IOM Regional Representative for
North America and the Caribbean as well as several OAS officials and
Permanent Representatives of its Member States.
The World Bank Group and International Monetary Fund (IMF)
2009 Annual Meetings of the Board of Governors
Istanbul, Turkey
The Annual Meetings of the World Bank Group and the
International Monetary Fund each year bring together central
bankers, ministers of finance and development, private sector
executives, and academics to discuss issues of global concern.
This year’s meetings were held October 6-7, 2009 in Istanbul and
focused on the world economic outlook, poverty eradication,
economic development, and aid effectiveness.
During the Annual Meetings, the Boards of Governors, which for
each institution (World Bank, IMF) consists of one governor from
each of the institutions’ member countries, typically the
finance minister, central bank governor, or minister of
development, decide on major policy issues related to the future
work of the two institutions, which are subsequently implemented
by their respective Executive Boards.
Prior to the Meetings, a Program of Seminars was held in
Istanbul October 3-5 which offered participants in-depth
discussions on current issues relevant to the world economy and
financial stability.
A Civil Society Policy Forum was also held. From October 3-6,
the Forum comprised a series of policy dialogue sessions which
joined World Bank and IMF staff, civil society representatives,
government officials, and others to discuss issues being
addressed during the Annual Meetings.
The Annual Meetings are usually held for two consecutive years
at the IMF and World Bank headquarters in Washington, D.C. and
every third year in another member country. The last three
Meetings abroad were held in Singapore (2006); Dubai (2003); and
Prague (2000). The 2009 Annual Meetings will be the second time
that Turkey will host the Annual Meetings (the first time was in
1955, also in Istanbul), making Turkey the only country to host
the Annual Meetings twice. A complete list of meeting sites and
other useful information is available on the
Annual
Meetings website.
Click here for full summary in Word.
October 1, 2009
The OAS and the African Union sign
Memorandum of Understanding to cooperate on issues for the
Promotion of Democracy and Human Rights
The Commission of the
African Union (AU) and the General Secretariat of the
Organization of American States (OAS) signed a
Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) at 11:30 a.m. Thursday,
October 1, 2009 to strengthen the cooperation between both
regional organizations. The document was signed by the OAS
Secretary General, José Miguel Insulza, and the Chairperson of
the Commission of the African Union, Mr. Jean Ping.
Secretary-General Insulza emphasized the historic character
of the agreement in his remarks, stating that this was the
“first such agreement that has been signed” between the two
organizations since inter-regional cooperation took root two
years ago.
The MOU establishes a higher level of cooperation between the
two organizations specifically on issues relating to the
promotion of democracy and strengthening of democratic
institutions and processes, conflict resolution, protection of
human and peoples’ rights and social and economic development,
as well as any other areas of common interest that may be
defined in the future by the parties.
The signing of the
MOU will be followed by the visit of a delegation from the OAS
General Secretariat to the AU Headquarters in Addis Ababa,
Ethiopia, to agree on concrete steps for future cooperation,
among them the organization of the Second Joint Forum on
Democracy and Human Rights and the development of a working
plan on areas described in the MOU.
The signing took place in the San Martin Room at OAS
Headquarters in Washington, DC, and counted with the presence
of a large AU delegation. Besides Chairperson Jean Ping, the
delegation also included the AU Commissioner on Peace and
Security, Amb. Ramtane Lamamra; the Permanent Representative
of the AU to the US, Amb. Amina Salum Ali; the newly appointed
Ambassador of the AU to the United Nations, Amb. Tete Antonio;
Deputy Legal Counsel for the AU Commission, Ms. Dejanabou
Diarra; Chief of Protocol, Mrs. Simone Abala; Senior Policy
Officer of the AU Commission Office to the US, Mrs. Louise
Bailey; Aide de Camp, Mr. Claude Alain Djaly; and Security,
Mr. Samson Wossene.
Click here for full summary in Word.
The Organization of American States (OAS) and the Ibero-American
General Secretariat (SEGIB) renewed their Cooperation
Agreement and pledged to continue working together, focusing
on issues related to political affairs, hemispheric security,
integral development, human rights, and migration.
The
previous Agreement was signed on April 30th, 2008, between
SEGIB and the Inter-American Children’s Institute (IIN), the
Specialized Organization of the OAS responsible for promoting
the study of issues relating to children and the family in the
Americas, as well as for designing technical instruments that
will contribute to solve the problems affecting them.
The new document was signed on the morning of September 24th,
2009 by the OAS Secretary General, Jose Miguel Insulza, and
the Ibero-American Secretary General, Enrique Iglesias, in the
framework of the 64th Session of the General Assembly of the
United Nations in New York.
The Agreement
opens the doors to the collaborative work of promoting the
historical, cultural, social and economic links between Ibero-American
countries.
Since June 2002, both institutions have worked together in
various programs focused on development. Among the projects
undertaken together since 2002 are the following: the
Leadership Project for Governance and Development, PROLIDER;
the trust Virtual Education; and joint initiatives to promote
the rights of children and adolescents through programs
carried out by the Inter-American Children's Institute.
The Ibero-American
General Secretariat (SEGIB) is an Inter-governmental
organization and the permanent organ for the provision of
institutional and technical support to the Ibero-American
Conference and the Ibero-American Summit Meeting of Heads of
State and Heads of Government. The SEGIB is integrated by
twenty-two countries: nineteen in Latin America and three in
the Iberian Peninsula: Spain, Portugal and Andorra.
Click here for full summary in Word.
64th Session of the United Nations General Assembly
New York
The sixty-fourth session of the United Nations General Assembly
opened at UN Headquarters in New York on Tuesday, September 15,
2009. The General Debate was held from September 23 to 26 and
September 28 to 30, 2009. The new President elected for the 64th
Session was Dr. Ali Abdessalam Treki of Libya, the country's
Secretary for African Union Affairs.
United Nations
Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon stated that the 64th General Assembly
“shows a UN rising to the challenges of today’s world”. “We are
confronting the big issues of the day –- climate change,
disarmament, the financial crisis and Millennium Development Goals,
key issues of peace and security. No nation can solve these
alone.”
Climate Change
Summit: Prior to the General Debate, the largest-ever Climate
Change Summit was convened by UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon on
September 22, gathering a record participation of 163 countries at
the senior level, including 101 heads of state and government and
laying a solid foundation for the Copenhagen Summit due to be held
in December.
Among important
announcements was Japan’s confirmation that it would pursue a 25 %
reduction against 1990 emission levels by 2020, and that it would
seek to create a national carbon market linked to an international
one. The European Union announced support for a “fast-track
adaptation funding facility”, for which it would provide €5 billion
to €7 billion between 2010 and 2012. China announced what it would
be prepared to do in the context of an international agreement, in
addition to its current efforts, while the President of the Maldives
announced his intention to make the island nation carbon-neutral by
2020.
Many
leaders rallied around a proposal for contributing $100 billion
annually to a Climate Change Fund over the next decade. The UN
Secretary-General held a dinner with 23 leaders, bringing together
those from the most vulnerable countries with those of the largest
economies in order to discuss positions and reach common ground
prior to the December 2009 Copenhagen Climate Change Conference.
More information is available on the
2009 Summit on Climate Change webpage.
Disarmament: On
Thursday, September 24, 2009, a United Nations Security Council
Summit on nuclear non-proliferation and disarmament was held, the
first time the Security Council had met to focus on the elimination
of nuclear weapons. US President Barak Obama became the first US
President to chair a summit-level meeting of the UN Security
Council.
In a
press conference after the summit, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon
stated, “Not long ago, few challenged the idea that nuclear weapons
were here to stay. That is why; nearly a year ago, I proposed a
5-point action plan for putting disarmament back on the global
agenda, including a special summit of the Security Council.
Resolution 1887, unanimously adopted by the Security Council
during its Thursday summit meeting last week, is an important step.
We continue the march for a world without nuclear weapons.”
Resolution 1887 calls for states with nuclear weapons to continue
disarming, to ratify a ban on testing them and to agree on a treaty
stopping the production of fissile material. In return, non-nuclear
weapon states should accept stronger safeguards designed to stop the
spread of nuclear weapons. The resolution, however, is non-binding.
Meeting on situation in Honduras: Two days before the
beginning of the General Debate at the 64th session of the UN
General Assembly, ousted Honduran President Manuel Zelaya returned
to Honduras and sought refuge in the Brazilian Embassy.
During the 64th
Session of the UN General Assembly the OAS Secretary General met
with several Foreign Ministers and Heads of State and Government of
OAS Member States to discuss the situation in Honduras. A meeting
took place on September 23 in the Permanent Mission of Spain to the
United Nations, hosted by the Ambassador of Spain to the United
Nations. At the meeting, it was agreed that due to President
Zelaya’s return to Honduras, negotiations would take place in
Honduras from that moment forward.
The Ambassador of
Brazil to the UN, Maria Luiza Viotti, asked the United Nations
Security Council to convene an emergency meeting on the situation of
its embassy in Honduras. According to the Government of Brazil, as
a result of their hospitality towards President Zelaya, the embassy
had become the target of intimidation by Honduran troops. Brazil
urged the Security Council to guarantee the safety of its embassy
and of President Zelaya. On Friday, September 25, 2009, the
Security Council met and condemned acts of intimidation and called
on the “de facto” Honduran authorities to respect the diplomatic
status and the inviolability of the Embassy. The Security Council
also called on all parties to remain calm and to avoid escalating
the situation or to place individuals at risk of harm.
OAS Secretary General meets with UN
Officials: OAS Secretary General Insulza met with Lynn Pascoe,
U.N. Under Secretary-General for Political Affairs and with Edmond
Mullet, U.N. Under Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations on
September 25, 2009. It was agreed that it would be useful to sign
an MOU between the OAS and the United Nations defining the areas and
type of collaborative work that could be done by both
organizations. There was interest from both parties to structure
this MOU in the near future.
With regards to the
peacekeeping operations in Haiti, the complementary role of the OAS
in providing supportive development assistance to Haiti alongside
the United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH) was
discussed. Specifically, the meeting took on the issue of the need
for the OAS and MINUSTAH to cooperate locally and to identify a
transition period for the OAS to take over all operations and
support activities in Haiti once the peacekeeping forces leave. It
was agreed that work must begin in transferring departments over to
the OAS. The possibility of annual consultations with the UN
Department of Political Affairs was considered.
OAS Secretary
General Insulza also attended a “Group of Friends of Haiti” meeting
called by US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, to discuss the
situation in Haiti and ways to help move forward the economic
development of the country.
Click here for full summary in Word.
64th Session of the
UN General Assembly: Links to Key Documents
OAS LAUNCHES NEW INITIATIVE TO STRENGTHEN SOCIAL PROTECTION IN THE
AMERICAS
On September 22,
2009, the OAS launched the Inter-American Social Protection Network.
The event took place in New York City, at the time of the 64th
United Nations General Assembly. The conference brought together
representatives of governments, international agencies, the private
sector, academia and nongovernmental organizations to define
priorities, discuss areas for cooperation, and begin to develop a
long-term agenda for expanding social protection strategies in the
region.
Through this
initiative, the OAS member states will intensify their cooperation
to fight poverty and inequality and improve the well-being of people
throughout the Americas. Chilean President Michelle Bachelet,
Colombian President Álvaro Uribe, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary
Rodham Clinton, New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, and
Inter-American Development Bank President Luis Alberto Moreno -
together with high level officials from other international
organizations- joined OAS Secretary General José Miguel Insulza to
mark the beginning of this new effort.
The initiative was a
response to a mandate received at the Fifth Summit of the Americas
where the Heads of Government and State called for the creation of
an Inter-American Social Protection Network to exchange information
on policies, experiences, programs and best practices in this area,
with the goal of supporting national efforts to reduce social
disparities, inequality and extreme poverty.
The Network was also
inspired by the agreements reached by the Ministers and High
Authorities of Social Development, gathered at their First
Inter-American Meeting in July 2008, in Chile. It will also be a
substantive component of their Second Meeting, to be held in
Colombia in 2010. The Social Protection Network will mobilize
resources and prepare agencies and institutions around the region
through training workshops and technical assistance. Once it is
fully operational, in early 2010, it will develop a mechanism to
match specific country needs with successful programs and
methodologies that could be transferred from other countries.
The Inter-American
Social Protection Network will identify and promote effective and
efficient ways to expand access to food, health, education, housing,
and employment for the region’s most vulnerable communities. It
should provide a vehicle for cooperation and information-sharing on
policies, experiences, and best practices that can provide real
solutions to help reduce social disparity and lift people out of
poverty. This exchange of best practices started with lessons
learned from innovative “conditional cash transfer programs” in a
number of countries in the Americas, particularly Brazil’s “Bolsa
Familia”, Chile’s “Solidario”, Colombia’s “Familias en Acción”, and
Mexico’s “Oportunidades”. The Government of Chile is currently
working with several Caribbean nations to develop social protection
programs, while New York City adapted its program –“Opportunity
NYC”- from the Mexican model.
Click here for full summary in Word.
September 22, 2009
THE OAS AND THE CLUB DE MADRID SIGN A
COOPERATION AGREEMENT ON DEMOCRATIC TRANSITION AND
CONSOLIDATION
The former Prime Minister of New Zealand and member of the
Club de Madrid, Jennifer Mary Shipley, and the OAS Assistant
Secretary-General, Albert Ramdin, signed a cooperation
agreement (for Spanish version click
here)at a ceremony which took place at the headquarters of
the Organization of American States (OAS) in Washington D.C.
on September 22nd, 2009. The agreement sets out the
commitment of both organizations to collaborate and strengthen
efforts to achieve common objectives in the areas of
democracy, human rights, security and development. This
cooperation is to be carried out through implementation of
joint projects and the dissemination of knowledge as well as
any other relevant activity.
During the ceremony, Ambassador Albert Ramdin affirmed that
“the relationship between the OAS and the Club de Madrid has
strengthened over the couple few years” and expressed that
“the signing of this instrument is part of an OAS plan to be
much more part of the world and strengthen our relationship
with countries and with other important institutions like the
Club de Madrid”.
Former Prime Minister Jennifer Mary Shipley affirmed that it
was an “honor to have this opportunity to form a new working
relationship with the OAS.” She concluded by expressing her
hope that “the signing of these documents cement an already
well-established relationship.”
The Club de Madrid is an independent organization made up of
more than 70 former Heads of State and Government,
democratically elected, of whom 23 are from OAS Member
Countries and 36 from its Observer Countries. It was created
for the purpose of supporting and promoting democratic
transition and consolidation, as well as the culture of
democratic values. The actions of the Club de Madrid focus on
issues of worldwide interest, particularly related to the
consolidation and strengthening of democratic values, and on
preparing practical and politically viable recommendations
that can be implemented in situations of democratic transition
and consolidation, in order to contribute to strengthening the
rule of law and democratic values around the world.
Click here for full summary in Word.
The Secretary General of the
Organization of American States, Jose Miguel Insulza,
accompanied by other OAS Officials met with their counterparts
from the Council of Europe May 6-7, 2009 at the Headquarters
of the Council of Europe in Strasbourg for a Programmatic
Exchange organized by the Section on Institutional Relations
of the OAS Department of International Affairs. The OAS
delegation was represented by Irene Klinger, Director of the
Department of International Affairs; Victor Rico, Secretary
for Political Affairs; and Mercedes Kremenetsky, Executive
Secretary A.I. of the Inter-American Commission for Women.
The purpose of the Programmatic Exchange was to seek further
deepening ongoing collaboration and concrete cooperation in
the areas of substantive work.
Secretary General Insulza and the Right Honorable Terry Davis,
Secretary General of the Council of Europe met on May 7th and
the OAS Secretary General delivered a speech to the Committee
of Ministers of the Council of Europe in which he aimed to
“reflect the fact that we (OAS) are a learning institution,
that we care about inter regional collaboration, and that we
look forward to a stronger cooperative relationship between
the Council of Europe and the Organization of American
States”. The areas of substantive work agreed to continue
collaboration as well as cooperate concretely on included:
human rights, cyber security and the fight against terrorism,
international law, conflict management, combating violence
against women, and the exchange of best practices and
experiences regarding the participation and involvement of
civil society. A Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between
the two inter-governmental organizations is expected to be
signed in the near future.
A delegation of the African Union headed by H.E. Erastus J.O.
Mwencha, Deputy Chairperson, met with the OAS Secretary
General Jose Miguel Insulza and members of the Department of
International Affairs - Sherry Stephenson and Jorge Sanin - on
April 27, 2009. The purpose of the visit by the African Union
delegation was to discuss how to promote a deeper cooperative
relationship between the OAS and the African Union in areas of
common interest, given that the two organizations are very
similar in their objectives and in their areas of work. It was
agreed that steps would be taken to intensify this
cooperation, including agreement upon a Memorandum of
Understanding setting out a framework of understanding for the
undertaking of activities in areas of mutual interest and
priority.
On April 21, Ms. Irene Klinger, Director of the Department of
International Affairs addressed a group of college students
from the Naval Academy, in Annapolis, Maryland. The
presentation was about the work of the OAS and the results of
the V Summit of the Americas and its impact for the future
relations of Latin American Countries and the US. The role of
the OAS in strengthening democracy and other current issues
afecting the Americas. Other important issues discussed were
Cuba, and the effects of the economic crisis in Latin America
and the Caribbean.
Inter-American Development Bank hosts Fiftieth Annual
Meeting of Board of Governors
The Fiftieth Annual Meeting of the Board
of Governors of the Inter-American Development Bank and the
Twenty-fourth Annual Meeting of the Board of Governors of the
Inter-American Investment Corporation will be held in the city
of Medellín, Colombia, from March 27 – 31 2009. The inaugural
session will take place at the Metropolitan Theater. Seminars,
sessions, and meetings will be held at the Plaza Mayor
Exhibition Hall and Convention Center.
Secretary General of the Council of Europe meets with OAS
Secretary General, José Miguel Insulza
On March 18, 2009, OAS Secretary General, José
Miguel Insulza, received the Secretary General of the Council
of Europe, Terry Davis. The two leaders discussed ways to
increase cooperation between the intergovernmental
organizations, as well as addressed issues related to human
rights in the Americas and in Europe. Secretary General Davis
met with the OAS Secretary General following his presentation
at the XXXIV
Lecture Series of the Americas, where he spoke on: "The
Universality of Human Rights and the Work of the Council of
Europe" on March 18, 2009 in the OAS Hall of the Americas.
"Low Carbon, High Growth: Latin American Responses to
Climate Change" - December 10, 2008 - World Bank
The World Bank Group presents: "Low Carbon, High Growth: Latin American
Responses to Climate Change" on December 10, 2008 at World Bank Headquarters in
Washington, D.C. The event will feature an opening by Pamela Cox, Vice President
- Latin American and Caribbean Region, a presentation by the author, Augusto de
la Torre, Chief Economist - Latin America and the Caribbean Region and John
Nash, Lead Economist - Sustainable Development Department, Latin America and the
Caribbean Region, a discussion by Christopher Flavin, President - Worldwatch
Institute. The discussion will be moderated by Sergio Jellinek, Manager -
External Affairs, Latin America and the Caribbean Region.
Sixteenth APEC Economic Leaders’ Meeting “A New Commitment
to Asia-Pacific Development” -Lima, Peru - November 22-23,
2008
The 21 member economies of the Asia-Pacific Economic
Cooperation Forum (APEC) agreed at the 16th APEC Economic
Leaders’ Meeting held in Peru from November 22-23 to take
economic and financial measures to solve the world financial
crisis, vowing as well to boost regional economic integration
and food security, and to combat climate change and
corruption, as stated in the Declaration of Lima, issued
Sunday, November 23 by APEC leaders.
“We welcomed the monetary and fiscal stimulus provided by
APEC member economies and will take all necessary economic and
financial measures to resolve this crisis, taking the
necessary actions to offer hope to those most in need”,
indicates the Declaration.
The theme for this year's meeting, "A New Commitment to
Asia-Pacific Development," highlighted the importance of
reducing the gap between developed and developing member
economies, said the Declaration of Lima. "We are committed to
strengthening the social dimension of globalization and
ensuring that all members and all sectors of our economies can
access the skills and opportunities to participate in, and
benefit from, regional and global trade and investment," it
said.
On Saturday, Japan offered to grant loans for up to 100
billion dollars to the emerging economies through the
International Monetary Fund (IMF) in order that they can
overcome the financial crisis that restricts the credit lines
of the international banking.
Strengthening of the financial market in the region was
emphasized as a measure to advance in the regional economic
integration.
According to the Declaration, the present world financial
crisis is one of the most serious economic challenges that
economies have ever faced, so they will act decisively to
face the imminent global economic slowdown.
Established in 1989, APEC groups Australia, Brunei, Canada,
Chile, China, China's Hong Kong, Chinese Taipei, Indonesia,
Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Peru,
the Philippines, Russia, Singapore, South Korea, Thailand, the
United States and Vietnam.
OAS Assistant Secretary General meets with Kamalesh
Sharma, Secretary General of the Commonwealth Secretariat
On November 11, 2008, OAS Assistant Secretary General Albert Ramdin called on
Secretary General Kamalesh Sharma, Deputy Secretary General Mmasekgoa
Masire-Mwamba and a group of senior officials to review relations between both
organizations.
The Commonwealth and the OAS promote development,
democracy, and political stability. Both organizations are
very concerned with the state of food, fuel, and finance in
today’s global economy, especially in the wake of recent and
current events that are driving markets down and levels of
human anxiety up. A major objective of both organizations is
to mitigate the effects of environmental degradation, and they
are striving to ensure that global trade relationships are
equitable and sustainable.
They agreed that the Commonwealth and the OAS are
organizations whose interests and activities are converging,
and that it is in both organizations’ interests to define new
ways in which they could cooperate, especially on issues and
in regions where their interests and mandates intersect.
APEC LEADERS’ SUMMIT WILL GATHER MORE ATTENDANTS THAN IN
PREVIOUS YEARS
• Almost every Leader from the Asia-Pacific Region, which
represents 49% of world trade, has confirmed his/her
attendance to the APEC 2008 Summit.
• 55 Ministers of the Asia-Pacific Region, as well as 26
spouses who will have a special program of activities, will
also arrive to our country
A week prior to APEC Peru 2008 Leaders’ Week, almost all
Leaders of the Asia-Pacific Region have already confirmed
their attendance to the world event to be held in our country,
announced Vice-Admiral (r) Luis Giampietri, Chairman of APEC
Peru High-Level Commission, who presides this great event.
“The High-Level Commission has also got the confirmation of
the attendance of 26 spouses, both from Ministers and Leaders
of different APEC Member Economies, who will participate in
this Summit Week. We have up to 3,618 confirmed Delegates,
among Leaders, Ministers, Senior Officials and international
security, who will come from the Asia-Pacific Region. This is
a Summit that is gathering the most attendants throughout APEC
history”, he stressed. Therefore, so as to protect the
Leaders’ security, 687 security officers from the delegations,
who will be included into the Security Plan established by the
APEC 2008 Organizing Commission, will arrive.
With regards to delegations arriving to Peru within the
next few days, the largest one is the United States with over
900 Delegates, followed by Japan with around 500 Delegates,
and then China with around 300 Delegates.
Likewise, in order to attend 2,700 national and
international accredited media covering Leaders’ Week, the
final details of the International Media Center (IMC) at the
Ministry of Defense (MoD), located in San Borja, are being
completed. This media center is 8 thousand m2 large and has
work areas, computers, internet, TV studios and press
conference rooms, among other facilities for the media,
besides opening 24 hours from 16 – 23 November 2008.
“APEC is a unique opportunity for Peruvians. It is foreseen
that in the following years investments for up to 10 thousand
million dollars for Peru, coming from the Asia-Pacific Region
will be generated. Leaders are aware of the importance of
topics such as Corporate Social Responsibility, especially at
SMEs level. This is a subject proposed by Peru as APEC Host
Economy. Within this context, the 2nd SMEs Summit to be held
on 17 November at the Convention Center that has been
implemented in the Real Felipe Fortress in Callao, as part of
Leaders’ Week, is really important”, concluded Vice-Admiral
Luis Giampietri. APEC concentrates 49% of world trade and
represents 55% of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of the world.
On October 22, the Department of
International Affairs hosted a luncheon for institutional
partners in the Americas. The working lunch featured lively
discussions on major institutional developments, priorities in
the Hemispheric agenda, host country relations and on areas of
collaboration between the partnering institutions and the OAS.
Partners in attendance included representatives from the
following institutions: the UN Economic Commission for Latin
America and the Caribbean (ECLAC), the Inter-American
Development Bank (IDB), the International Committee of the Red
Cross (ICRC), the International Labor Organization (ILO), the
International Monetary Fund (IMF), the International
Organization for Migration (IOM), the Pan American Health
Organization (PAHO), the World Bank Group, the UN Development
Programme, the UN Information Center DC, and the UN World Food
Programme. The program also featured a guided tour of the
current exhibit at the Art Museum of the Americas featuring a
celebration of the 100th Birthday of Architect Oscar Niemeyer.
2008 Annual Fall Meetings of
The World Bank and International Monetary Fund
The 2008 Annual Meetings of the World Bank and International
Monetary Fund (IMF) were held October 10 – 12, 2008 at the
World Bank and IMF headquarters in Washington, D.C. amidst the
current, rattling global financial crisis. While necessarily
including the financial crisis in the discussions, the main
focus of this year’s meeting was meant to be on “High Food and
Oil Prices”.
The
2008 Annual Meetings addressed the impact that rising food and
oil prices are having on the world, and particularly the
impact they are having and will continue to have on developing
countries. Sessions of the 2008 Annual Meetings dealt with:
ØHigh Oil Prices: Origins and Prospects?
ØThe Shame of Hunger By Elie Wiesel, Nobel
Laureate
ØThe Food Crisis: What Happened and What Should
be Done?
ØGlobal Turbulences and Slow Down in G7 Growth:
Can Developing Countries Sustain High Growth and How
ØTurmoil in Global Financial and Commodities
Markets – Prospects and Policies
In addition to
the formal discussion panels, financial experts and government
ministers as well as leaders of many countries affected by the
current financial crisis joined in a coordinated effort to
halt a possible global financial collapse.
The world financial system is
teetering on the "brink of systemic meltdown", the head of the
International Monetary Fund (IMF) warned. At the 2008 Annual
Meetings, Dominique Strauss-Kahn said rich nations had so far
failed to restore confidence, but he endorsed a new action
plan by the G7 group. He underlined that the IMF was ready to
lend to step in and lend to countries in dire need of capital.
World Bank President Robert Zoellick made a plea to the
leaders of the world’s richest countries not to forget
developing nations, even as they hammer out ideas to steady
their own economies. “The financial crisis will only make it
more difficult for developing countries to protect their most
vulnerable people from the impact of rising food and fuel
costs.”
September 29, 2008
Annual Meeting of the Pan
American Health Organization (PAHO)
The Ministers of Health of all the countries of the Americas
will gather for the annual meeting of the Directing Council of
the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO). The opening
session will take place Monday, September 29, at 9 a.m., at
PAHO headquarters in Washington DC, with comments by PAHO
Director Mirta Roses, World Health Organization
Director-General Dr. Margaret Chan, Secretary General of the
Organization of American States José Miguel Insulza, and
President of the Inter-American Development Bank Luis Alberto
Moreno.
The purpose of the meeting is to make new policy decisions
that address the critical health problems of the region. Among
key topics to be discussed are: cervical cancer prevention,
neonatal health, adolescent and youth health, prevention and
management of diabetes and obesity, response to vector-borne
diseases, and the presentation of the Director’s Annual
Report.
A Roundtable on "Climate Change and its Impact on Public
Health: A Regional Perspective" will be held on Tuesday,
September 30th.
The Pan American Health Organization, founded in 1902,
works with all the countries of the Americas to improve the
health and quality of life of their peoples. It serves as the
Regional Office of the UN World Health Organization.
OAS Department of
Sustainable Development wins World Bank Global Development
Marketplace Award
The Department of Sustainable Development
of the Organization of American States together with the
Instituto de Derecho y Economía Ambiental
de Paraguay (IDEA) won the 2008 Global Development
Marketplace: Sustainable Agriculture for Development award.
The award ceremony took place on Friday, September 26, 2008 at
World Bank Headquarters in Washington, D.C.
The Development
Marketplace is a program that appropriates funds to help
identify and finance innovative projects that promote
development. The program is administered by the World Bank and
financed by the IFC, GEF, GTZ and the Bill and Melinda
Gates Foundation.
The 100 finalists that
participated in the competition this year were chosen from
1800 proposals. The jury, composed of professionals in the
field of development and other experts, selected the 22
projects that were given prizes. The project "Pago por
servicios ambientales y agricultura sostenible," ("Payment for
Environmental Services and Sustainable Agriculture") presented
by the OAS/DSD and the IDEA, was one of the 22 winders that
received funds of $2,000.00 for implementation.
The objective of this
project is the improve the socio-economic wellbeing of 500
homes and protect the service capacity of the ecosystem
through the implementation of a series of agro-forest
practices combined with a scheme of Payments for Environmental
Services (PES). The project will be implemented in three pilot
sites located in the San Pedro Department, that includes a
portion of the Atlántico de Alto Paraná Forest and other
delicate ecosystems.
OAS Secretary
General, José Miguel Insulza, meets with Presidents and
Foreign Ministers of the Western Hemisphere during the UN
General Assembly
During the framework of the sixty-third session of the United
Nations General Assembly, OAS Secretary General José
Miguel Insulza took the opportunity to meet with numerous
heads of state, representatives and foreign ministers from the
Americas and Europe.
Included in those
meetings were talks with Fernando Lugo, President of Paraguay,
President Evo Morales of Bolivia; as well as the Foreign
Ministers of Belize, Guatemala, Ecuador, Brazil.
Also, Secretary General Insulza attended meetings of
the Grupo de Amigos de Colombia and the Key Players of Haiti.
Additionally,
Secretary General Insulza sat down with the Secretary General
of the European Council, Terry Davis, and the Commissioner for
External Relations for the European Commission, Benita
Ferrero-Waldner. Topics of discussion between
Insulza and the various global leaders ranged across topics
impacting the hemisphere from democratic governance to trade
to public security.
Sixty-third Session of the
United Nations General Assembly
The sixty-third session of the United
Nations General Assembly will open on September 16, 2008 and
the general debate will take place from September 23, 2008 to
October 1, 2008.
Schedule of events as follows: September 16th: Formal
Opening Session September 21st: Arrival of
Heads of State and Delegations September 22nd: Special
High-Level Meeting on African Development Issues September 23rd: Opening of
General Debate, lasting until October 1st September 25th: Special
High-Level Meeting on the Millennium Development Goals October
2nd: Meeting on Almaty Program of Action for Least-Developed
UN Members
Corporación
Andina de Fomento (CAF) Twelfth Annual Conference
The Corporación
Andina de Fomento (CAF) will hold its twelfth annual
conference on trade and investment in the Americas will take
place from September 10 and 11, 2008 in Washington, DC at the
Carnegie Endowment for Democracy. OAS Secretary General José
Miguel Insulza will be present at the conference delivering
welcoming remarks and addressing the upcoming 2009 Summit of
the Americas.
OAS and UN
in seminar about relations on Colombia-Ecuador border
The Organization of
American States (OAS) and the United Nations (UN), together
with FLASCO, have jointly organized a two-day seminar under the name “Building
bridges: Policy of peace and development for the
Colombo-Ecuadorian border” from September 8th-9th, 2008, that
will take place in Quito, Ecuador. The objective of the seminar is
to reestablish trust and diplomatic relations between the
neighboring nations through public policy proposals that
produce greater understanding between border residents of
Ecuador and Colombia. The gathering will be attended by
experts and academics of both countries, among them
ex-Colombian Chancellor, María Emma Mejía.
August 22, 2008
OAS Secretary General
José Miguel Insulza meets
with UN Undersecretary General for Political Affairs,
Ambassador B. Lynn Pascoe
On August
22, OAS Secretary General Jose Miguel Insulza met with the UN
Undersecretary General for Political Affairs, Ambassador B.
Lynn Pascoe to discuss OAS-UN collaboration.
Update
on Annual Meetings and Summits of OAS Partner Institutions
and Regional Integration Secretariats
The OAS Institutional Relations section is
charged with promoting engagement with institutional partners
in order to strengthen the capacity and breadth of OAS
activities in the Hemisphere. In the months of June and July,
OAS representatives took part in the 32nd UN Economic
Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC), the
32nd Central American Integration System (SICA) and the 35th
MERCOSUR Summit. Below is a summary of these meetings.
Annual
Ministerial Substantive Review of the ECOSOC
The Annual Meeting of the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC)
was held from June 30 through July 25, 2008, in the United
Nations headquarters in New York. At this meeting the 2008
Annual Ministerial Review took place. This is a new function
of the ECOSOC mandated at the 2005 World Summit, whose purpose
is to assess the progress made towards the Millennium
Development Goals and the implementation of the other goals
and targets agreed at the major UN conferences and summits
over the past 15 years. The first Annual Ministerial Review
took place in 2007 on the theme of “The eradication of
poverty”. The theme for the 2008 Review was “Implementing the
internationally agreed goals and commitments in regard to
sustainable development”. The theme for the 2009 Review will
be “Implementing the internationally agreed goals and
commitments in regard to global public health”. The ECOSOC
annual report was presented to the Member States, which
underscores the benefits of coordinating practices and
approaches in the area of sustainable development,
particularly through using the common country assessment and
the UN Development Assistance Framework.
OAS
Assistant Secretary General Albert Ramdin meets with IICA
Director of Operations for the Caribbean Region, Trevor Murray
The OAS Secretary General met with the Director of Operations
for the Caribbean region of the Inter-American Institute for
Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA), Trevor Murray, on July 29.
The two met to discuss areas of mutual cooperation.
OAS Secretary General, José Miguel Insulza greets
participants of the Advance Program for Government Officials
about the Doha Round
On July 18, OAS Secretary General José
Miguel Insulza met and greeted participants of the Advanced
Program for Government Officials about the Doha Round.
29th
Meeting of the Conference of the Heads of Government of the
CARICOM
OAS Secretary General, Jose Miguel Insulza, and Assistant
Secretary General Albert Ramdin participated in the 29th
Meeting of the Conference of the Heads of Government of the
CARICOM from July 1-4, 2008 in Antigua.
OAS Secretary General, José Miguel Insulza, meets former
U.S. Secretary of State, Madeleine K. Albright and Supreme
Court Justice Anthony Kennedy
On June 13, OAS Secretary General José
Miguel Insulza met with former United States Secretary of
State, Madeleine K. Albright and United States Supreme Court
Justice Anthony Kennedy at OAS Headquarters in Washington,
D.C. Ambassador Albright and Justice Kennedy spent time at the
OAS that day in their roles as members of the Commission on
Legal Empowerment of the Poor, an independent commission
hosted by the United Nations Development Programme. The
Commission launched it's latest report:
"Making the Law Work for Everyone" in the framework of the
Ninth OAS Policy Roundtable on
June 13 at OAS Headquarters.
U.N.
ECOSOC Special Meeting on “The Global Food Crisis”
On May 20,
2008 a special meeting on “The Global Food Crisis” organized
by United Nations' Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) took
place at United Nations (UN) headquarters. Representatives of
U.N. member states, regional organizations and
Non-Governmental Organizations participated in the meeting.
Mr. Leo Merores, President of the ECOSOC, chaired the meeting.
The keynote speaker was Dr. Joachim von Braun,
Director-General of International Food Policy Research
Institute (IFPRI). During the meeting the representatives
highlighted the gravity and the widespread nature of the
current food crisis and its impact on the poor. The
participants recommended urgent and coordinated action by the
U.N. and the international community. The meeting was
attended by Ms. Sherry Stephenson, of the Department of
International Affairs, on behalf of the OAS.
The Fifth EU/LAC Lima Summit took place
on May 16th and 17th, 2008, in the
Museo de la Nacion in Lima, Peru. Sixty Heads of State
and Government from the European Union (EU), Latin America and
the Caribbean (LAC) met to discuss timely issues of mutual
interest hoping to deepen cooperation between their countries
to tackle these issues. José Manuel Durão Barroso, President
of the European Commission, was the top representative of the
European Commission at the summit. The topics of the Fifth
EU/LAC Summit were: i) poverty, inequality,
inclusion; and ii) sustainable development:
climate change; environment; and energy. The Fifth EU/LAC
Summit concluded with the signing of the Declaration of Lima:
“Addressing Our Peoples’ Priorities Together.” In matters of
poverty, inequality and inclusion, the signatories agreed to:
I) Formulate and implement effective social policies; II)
Promote economic growth with more equitable distributive
impact; III) Promote social participation and sense of
belonging; and IV) Implement the Lima Agenda on eradication of
poverty, inequality and exclusion. In matters of sustainable
development, the signatories agreed to: I) Promote bi-regional
cooperation on climate change; II) Promote bi-regional energy
cooperation; III) Foster environmental sustainability; IV)
Implement the Lima Agenda for sustainable development: climate
change; environment; and energy. Overall, the participants
agreed to increase mutual cooperation and resources to tackle
these issues.
Alicia Bárcena of Mexico
appointed Executive Secretary of ECLAC
United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon announced on
May 13th, 2008 the appointment of Alicia Bárcena Ibarra of
Mexico as Executive Secretary of the Economic Commission for
Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC). On July 1st she
replaced Executive Secretary José Luis Machinea. Prior to
this appointment, Bárcena served as the Under Secretary
General for Management, before that as the Chief de Cabinet to
former Secretary-General Kofi Annan, and earlier in her career,
as Deputy Executive Secretary of ECLAC where she was able to
increase interagency collaboration to provide a regional
perspective on the Millennium Development Goals and on
Financing for Sustainable Development.
On April 25,
2008, a “Programmatic Exchange” was held between OAS staff and
UNICEF Country Representatives in the Americas. During the
meeting staff members of these institutions shared information
on areas of common work and they identified potential areas
for collaboration. The program began with remarks from Ms.
Suzanne Laporte, Secretary of the OAS Secretariat for External
Relations, who voiced her belief in partnerships between
institutions working on common issues in the Western
Hemisphere. Ms. Irene Klinger, Director of the Department of
International Affairs, gave an overview of the OAS, focusing
the four pillars of its work: promotion of democracy; human
rights; multidimensional security; and integral development.
Mr. Nils Kastberg, Regional Director of UNICEF, spoke on
behalf of the UNICEF representatives and pointed out the
numerous common areas of work in which the two institutions
were engaged. The participants suggested exploring some form
of framework agreement to enhance synergies and to facilitate
the sharing of best practices between the OAS and UNICEF.
On April 10, OAS
Secretary General, Jose Miguel Insulza will participate as a
briefer at the hearing of the U.S. House of Representatives
Subcommittee on Western Hemisphere about: "Crisis in the
Andes: The Border Dispute Between Colombia and Ecuador, and
Implications for the Region."
OAS Secretary General, Jose Miguel Insulza, delivers speech
at the 2008 Inter-American Development Bank Annual Meeting
On Monday, April 7, Secretary General, José
Miguel Insulza, delivered remarks to the participants of the
2008 Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) Annual Meeting.
Insulza discussed issues regarding the effectiveness of
macroeconomic reform and its impact on long-term economic
growth. The Secretary General noted the influence of
ineffective reforms on the proliferation of poverty and
inequality, highlighting the need to address the root causes
of these issues, such as institutional shortcomings and poor governance.
49th Annual Meeting of the IADB Board of
Governors
The 49th Annual Meeting of
the Inter-American Development Bank (IADB) Board of
Governors was held from April 3rd through 8th,
2008, in Miami, Florida. Governors of the IADB, who are
finance ministers, central bank presidents and high ranking
financial officials of the 47 member countries, were joined
by approximate 6,000 other participants, including OAS
Secretary General Jose Miguel Insulza. In his opening
remarks the President of the IADB, Luis Moreno highlighted
the power of partnerships to improve people’s lives.
President Moreno also announced a $2.million grant from the
Multilateral Investment Fund of the IADB to further the
Partnership in Opportunities for Employment through
technology in the Americas, which is a program headed by
Microsoft and the Organization of American States. The
issues addressed during the individual sessions of the
annual meeting were: infrastructure finance, philanthropic
capitalism, youth leadership, climate change, renewable
energy sources, microfinance, and U.S. foreign policy
towards Latin America. Distinguished speakers from all
spheres addressed the issues. Among the most notable
speakers were Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates, U.S. Commerce
Secretary Carlos Gutierrez, Emilio Azcárraga, Chairman
Televisa Group, Roberto Kriete, Chairman and CEO, TACA
Group, and Anna Escobedo Cabral, United States Treasurer.
The 2009 IADB Annual Meeting will be hosted in Medellin,
Colombia; this meeting will commemorate the 50th
anniversary of the founding of the IADB.
OAS Assistant Secretary General, Albert Ramdin, meets with
U.S. Congressman Jim Oberstar (D-MN)
The Assistant Secretary General of the
OAS, Albert Ramdin, met with United States Congressman Jim
Oberstar (D-MN) in his Congressional offices to exchange
views on the current political, social, and economic
conditions of the Hemisphere, the situation in Haiti as well
as a number of issues of common interest. Ramdin briefed the
Congressmen on the situation and Haiti and they exchanged
dialogue on the upcoming Coast Guard authorization Bill
which will include the training and donation of a number of
U.S. vessels to Haiti. Congressman Oberstar is the Chairman
of the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, which
has jurisdiction over the nation's surface transportation,
international maritime commerce, and the Economic
Development Administration among other issues.
On
February 11, 2008, a “Programmatic Exchange” between staff
of the Organization of American States and the World Bank
was held in Washington, DC at the World Bank headquarters.
The purpose of the discussion was to share information on
issues of common interest and to identify potential areas
for collaboration. The three programmatic areas of focus
covered in the exchange were: crime and violence,
governance and climate change. After extensive discussions
on ongoing work and future projects, the participants
recommended: (i) that Inter-institutional policy roundtable
discussions could be organized on major reports prepared by
the OAS and the World Bank; and (ii) Representatives of the
Department of International Affairs of the OAS and the
External Affairs Unit in the Latin American and the
Caribbean Region of the World Bank could meet on a periodic
basis (perhaps bi-annual) to review the effectiveness of
collaboration in the three areas above and facilitate future
exchanges which could include more thematic areas.
OAS Secretary General, Jose Miguel Insulza, meets with Marc Perrin de
Brichambaut of the Organization for Security and Cooperation
in Europe (OSCE)
The Secretary General of the OAS, José
Miguel Insulza,
met with Marc Perrin de Brichambaut of the OSCE,
during a courtesy visit
by the OSCE representative to Washington, D.C. The Secretary
General and Mr. Perrin de Brichambaut discussed areas of
mutual interest and common issues related to the operations
of the respective organizations. The meeting ended with a
discussion of the need for greater cooperation and
information sharing between the OAS and the OSCE.
The Secretary General of the Organization of American States
(OAS),
José Miguel Insulza, asserted today that certain countries
in Latin America and the Caribbean are undergoing a series of
political challenges which are closely related to the lack of
strong public institutions and inadequate economic and fiscal
policies.
Speaking at a forum of the World Affairs Council in Los
Angeles, California, Secretary General Insulza noted that
although significant progress has been achieved in recent
years, the principal threat to democracy in the region today
is that democratically elected governments may not have the
power and conditions needed to rule effectively. “This has to
do with the rule of law and also with strengthening of
political institutions and systems of representation, and, in
particular, with the existence of permanent and genuinely
respected institutions.”
Click here to see the entire text of the press release.
October
1, 2007
OAS Secretary General, Jose Miguel Insulza, visits with the
President of the World Bank, Robert Zoellick
On October
1st, the OAS Secretary General, Jose Miguel
Insulza,
paid a courtesy visit to Mr. Robert Zoellick, new President
of the World Bank. The idea was to exchange views on the
region and to identify potential areas for collaboration.
Participants for the Bank were, in addition to Mr. Zoellick,
Mr.Makhtar Diop, Director Strategy & Operations, LAC, and
Mr. Auguste Tano Kouame, Assistant to the President. Ms.
Irene Klinger, Director of the Department of External
Relations and
Ms. Paloma Adams, Advisor, accompanied the
Secretary General in this meeting.
The
meeting included an exchange of views on the situation in
the region and some initial identification of potential
areas of collaboration in crime; governance & the rule of
law; climate Change – e.g. designing creative mechanisms to
help countries adapt to climate change (carbon offsetting
funds, technology transfer, innovative financial schemes),
aid for Trade; and increased work with the Caribbean and
reaching out to Central America (through IFC in the latter).
OAS Secretary General, Jose Miguel Insulza, meets with the
President of Haiti, Rene Preval
The Secretary General of the OAS, José
Miguel Insulza, met with the President of Haiti, Rene Preval
to ask for
the prolongation by a year of the Minustah in
Haiti.
Place: General Assembly UN New York
OAS Secretary General meets
with the Secretary General of ALADI
The Secretary General of the OAS, José
Miguel Insulza, met today with the Secretary General of
ALADI, Didier Opertti to discuss areas of mutual
cooperation.
The OAS and UN Sign Agreement
to Combat Malnutrition in the Region
The Secretary General of the OAS, José
Miguel Insulza, signed a cooperation agreement today with UN
World Food Programme Regional Director, Pedro Medrano,
aiming to combat malnutrition in the Hemisphere.
Assistant
Secretary General, Albert Ramdin, participates in Guyana at
Bio-Energy Conference
AT BIO-ENERGY CONFERENCE
IN GUYANA, OAS ASSISTANT SECRETARY GENERAL IDENTIFIES “GREAT
PROMISE” IN NEW INITIATIVE (OAS press release)
“We are perhaps seeing the emergence of a new
sustainable energy order in our hemisphere,” Assistant
Secretary General
Albert Ramdin of the Organization of American States
(OAS) declared
at an international conference on bio-energy, citing the
“great promise” which he said a new sustainable energy
initiative holds for achieving a new development ethos in the
Hemisphere.
That new development focus spells less poverty, greater
prosperity, greater social equity and a cleaner environment
for all, the OAS Assistant Secretary General argued as he
addressed international experts and officials during the
opening of the High-Level Seminar on Expanding Bio-Energy
Opportunities in the Caribbean, in Georgetown, Guyana, on
Monday (Click
here for the entire text)
SECRETARY GENERAL INSULZA PARTICIPATES
IN THE OPENING OF THE FOURTH MINISTERIAL MEETING ON
AGRICULTURE AND RURAL LIFE ORGANIZED BY THE IICA
INAUGURATING
AGRICULTURE MINISTERIAL, OAS SECRETARY GENERAL URGES OPENING
UP OF INTERNATIONAL AGRICULTURAL TRADE (OAS Press Release)
Guatemalan President Oscar Berger and
Organization of American States
(OAS) Secretary
General
José Miguel Insulza opened the Fourth Ministerial Meeting
on Agriculture, in the city of Antigua, Guatemala, yesterday,
amidst concerns over major challenges facing agriculture in
the Americas and the rest of the world, triggered by climate
change and energy-related scientific discoveries in
agriculture.
Click here to see the entire text of the press release
Luncheon for International and Inter-American Institutions at
the XXXVII OAS General Assembly in Panama
On June 4,
2007, a meeting of representatives of International and
Inter-American Institutions took place in Panama City during
the celebration of the XXXVII OAS General Assembly. During the
meeting the Secretary General of the OAS, Jose Miguel Insulza,
invited the Heads and high level representatives of
institutions to participate in a working luncheon in the
framework of the OAS General Assembly. The purpose of the
luncheon was to exchange ideas on major hemispheric challenges
and renew the multilateral commitment of partner institutions
to work on issues of concern in the Americas, with particular
emphasis on the commitments agreed upon the Summits of the
Americas Process.
June 4, 2007
The
Secretary General of the OAS meets with the Secretary
General of the Association of Caribbean States
The Secretary General of the OAS, José
Miguel Insulza, met today with the Secretary General of the
Association of Caribbean States, Rubén Silié, to discuss
issues relating to the Western Hemisphere. Photo Gallery
June 3, 2007
UN Secretary General participates in the XXXVII OAS
General Assembly
The
OAS Secretary General meets with the UN Secretary General
before the start of the OAS XXXVII General Assembly
The OAS Secretary General, José Miguel
Inzulza, met with the UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon
before the start of the XXXVII OAS General Assembly in
Panama City, Panama. More on the XXXVII General Assembly Photo Gallery
June 3, 2007
The
President of Panama Welcomes the OAS Secretary General, the
UN Secretary General, and the Region's Foreign Ministers
At the presidential palace in Panama
City, the President of Panama welcomed the OAS Secretary
General, the UN Secretary General, and the region's foreign
ministers to start the XXXVII OAS General Assembly in Panama
City. More on the XXXVII General Assembly Photo
Gallery
May 4, 2007
OAS Secretary General
and the President of the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB)
close the "Vanguardia 2007" Conference in Washington, D.C.
The OAS Secretary General, José Miguel Insulza, and
the President of the Inter-American Development Bank, Luis
Alberto Moreno, closed the Vanguardia Latina 2007 Conference
today. The three-day conference, hosted by the IDB, brought
together government authorities, press, academics, artists
and 250 universities to discuss the role of youth in
development in the Americas. Photo Gallery
April 13, 2007
The Organization of American
States (OAS) and the Organization for Economic Co-operation
and Development (OECD) sign an agreement to strengthen
cooperation on issues related to state modernization and the
fight against corruption.
Photo Gallery
March 18, 2007
The Inter-American Development Bank helps with
Implementation of Corruption Convention
The Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) signed an
memorandum of understanding to help implement the OAS
Inter-American Convention Against Corruption. The IDB and
OAS agreed to establish a legal framework in order to
facilitate joint efforts in implementing the Convention, as
well as the Follow-up of the Implementation of the
Inter-American Convention Against Corruption (MESICIC).
Memorandum of Understanding
(.pdf) IDB Press Release
March 14, 2007
The Director of the Pan American Health Organization
Presents the Institution's Annual Report at a Regular
Meeting of the Permanent Council
The Director of the Pan American Health Organization, Mirta Roses Periago, presents the Pan American Health
Organization's Annual Report before a regular meeting of the
OAS Permanent Council. Photo Gallery
PAHO Annual Report
March 14, 2007
OAS
Secretary General meets at Pan American Health Organization
The Secretary General of the OAS, José
Miguel Insulza, participated in a working breakfast meeting
at the Pan American Health Organization today to discuss
strategies related to curbing violence in Latin America and
the Caribbean
Photo Gallery
March 5, 2007
The Secretaries General of the
United Nations, Ban Ki-moon, and the Organization of American
States, José Miguel Insulza, meet at UN headquarters in New
York.
Place:
United Nations Headquarters; New York City, NY
Photo Gallery
February 20, 2007
OAS
Secretary General
meets with Representatives from the African Union
Secretary General of the OAS, José
Miguel Insulza, received a visit from representatives from
the African Union. Place: OAS Headquarters; Washington,
D.C. Photo Gallery
February
5, 2007
OAS
Secretary General
meets with the President of the Central American Bank for Economic
Integration
The
Secretary General of the OAS, José
Miguel Insulza met with the President of the Central
American Bank for Economic Integration, Harry Brautigam.
Place: OAS Headquarters; Washington, D.C.
Photo Gallery
December
14, 2006
OAS AND UN STRENGTHEN TIES TO PROMOTE DEVELOPMENT
AND BETTER GOVERNANCE IN THE AMERICAS
The
Organization of American States (OAS) signed an agreement
with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) that
seeks to strengthen international cooperation in eradicating
poverty and promoting political, economic and social development
in the hemisphere.
OAS Secretary General José Miguel Insulza underscored
the benefits that can be achieved by strengthening relations
with other international institutions in order to work
toward common goals. Insulza noted the importance of the
framework agreement with the UNDP and said it “should
enable us to undertake intense efforts at a singular moment
in Latin America,” referring to the significant
poverty levels that still exist in the region.
The agreement will lay the groundwork for both organizations
to advance programs, projects and cooperation activities
for development. This marks the first time that the two
international entities commit to work together to face
the problems of the region, implementing projects in support
of institutional strengthening in the member states.
During a brief ceremony in the OAS Secretary General’s
office, the UNDP Regional Director for Latin America and
the Caribbean, Rebeca Grynspan, said this commitment will
pave the way for the organizations to develop several
concrete activities, with the shared priority of serving
the region.
The UNDP representative noted that “what is important
is to provide a unified voice in the understanding of
this Latin America,” adding that the region “will
probably benefit more from our agreement than from separate
actions carried out by the institutions that serve it.”
December 14, 2006
UNIVERSAL CIVIL REGISTRATION INITIATIVE TOUTED AT OAS
In any society, individuals
who do not have an identity are much more vulnerable to
abuse. That view was expressed by the Secretary General
of the Organization of American States (OAS), José Miguel
Insulza, as he accentuated the importance of moving forward
on an initiative to promote universal civil registration
in the countries of Latin America and the Caribbean.
Insulza told member state ambassadors during a Permanent
Council meeting that this issue has implications for democracy,
as a legal identity is vital if citizens are to exercise
their rights and assume their responsibilities in a democratic
society.
The Secretary General told the Permanent Council meeting—chaired
by Trinidad and Tobago’s Ambassador Marina Valere—that
identity is an important part of the rights that protect
citizens from abuses such as human trafficking and other
crimes to which they fall victim.
“That is why we have been working so assiduously
on this matter,” said Insulza, who referred to a
cooperative approach under the terms of a memorandum of
understanding signed last August by the OAS, the Inter-American
Development Bank (IDB) and the United Nations Children’s
Fund (UNICEF). The parties to the agreement undertake
to cooperate on a citizen registration program, recognizing
that a significant number of individuals in the region
are not included in official civil registries.
Insulza argued that in a democratic society, people must
have an identity, a name and a legal status. Stressing
the importance of the memorandum of understanding, the
Secretary General noted that nearly 15% of children under
five years of age in the countries of Latin America and
the Caribbean are not registered. The OAS “can now
embark on projects in a number of countries,” Insulza
said. “We have had discussions with some Caribbean
Community (CARICOM) governments about tackling these citizen
registration projects in greater depth.”
Others who addressed the Permanent Council Wednesday included
the UNICEF Executive Director, Ann Veneman, and the Chief
of the Office of the Presidency of the IDB, Jamal Khokhar.
Both reiterated the arguments presented by Insulza, emphasizing
the need for universal civil registration in order to
protect the rights of unregistered citizens and bring
them into the official systems in their respective countries.
Member state delegations, meanwhile, expressed support
for the initiative, which was put before the Permanent
Council by the delegations of Peru and Mexico.
December
4, 2006 - Washington, DC
José Miguel
Insulza, Secretary General of the Organization of
American States Remarks at the 30th Miami Conference on
the Caribbean Basin
Ladies and gentlemen,
It gives me great pleasure to open this Caribbean/Central
American Action’s 30th Miami Conference on the Caribbean
Basin. This means that for three decades you have been
committed to advocacy on behalf of the countries of the
Caribbean and Central America. This Conference gives us,
therefore, an occasion to reflect on what we have done
over the past decades and what we are doing now, and the
continuing challenges that we have before us. More
October 30, 2006
The Director of External Relations holds luncheon at the Museum of the
Americas for External Relations and Washington office
directors of multilateral institutions
The
OAS Director of External Relations, Irene Klinger, held a
luncheon at the OAS Museum of the Americas for External
Relations and Washington office directors of multilateral
institutions. The purpose of the event was to explore ways
to cooperate to increase our impact on achieving our common
goals in the Western Hemisphere. The group agreed to promote
participation in each institutions' events, discuss
organizing a conference on hemispheric issues and meet
regularly to follow-up on joint initiatives. Photo
Gallery
October 19, 2006
The Secretary General of the Organization of American States
(OAS), José Miguel Insulza, meets with Jacques Diouf, Director-General
of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.
OAS Secretary General José Miguel Insulza meets with the
Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund, Rodrigo
de Rato. Place: Miranda Room, OAS Building - Washington,
DC
In a meeting this morning at the headquarters of the Organization
of American States, OAS Secretary General José Miguel Insulza
and the Managing Director of the International Monetary
Fund (IMF), Rodrigo de Rato, talked about political and
economic issues relevant to the countries of the hemisphere.
Insulza and de Rato, accompanied by members of their staffs,
examined the electoral processes taking place in 13 nations
of the region during a one-year period, and discussed the
positive economic situation in the Americas.
Photo Gallery
September 25,
2006
Insulza Stresses Regional Cooperation to Face Health
Priorities
The
Secretary General of the Organization of American
States (OAS),
José Miguel Insulza, today addressed the Directing
Council of the Pan American Health Organization
(PAHO), stressing the need for close cooperation among
regional organizations to establish a stronger link between
health priorities in the Americas and the region’s
political agenda.
“Political action, particularly the negotiation
and the search for consensus, is a vital element to forge
the type of governance needed to strengthen democracy
in the hemisphere,” Insulza said at the opening
session of the annual gathering of health ministers from
PAHO member countries. In that regard, the OAS Secretary
General said that governance requires capable institutions
that can, together with the private sector and civil society,
formulate and implement public policies needed to reach
all sectors of the population, including the most disadvantaged.
Insulza emphasized that one priority on the OAS agenda
is support for persons with disabilities, including prevention
and rehabilitation. This issue was considered by the Heads
of State and Government during the
Fourth Summit of the Americas, held last November.
In response to a Summit mandate, the OAS
General Assembly entrusted the OAS
Permanent Council with drafting a plan of action for
the Decade of the Americas for Persons with Disabilities.
This effort will seek the support of PAHO and other regional
organizations, Insulza indicated.
The Secretary General also recalled the recent strategic
cooperation agreement signed at the OAS between the Inter-American
Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture
(IICA) and PAHO, aimed at improving health and prosperity
in rural communities of the member states. These two institutions,
Insulza noted, “have spearheaded our cooperation
on the topic of avian influenza and other recent experiences
related to natural catastrophes and the fight against
drugs, which point us in the same direction of generating
a culture of cooperation,” Insulza said.
Others participating in the opening session included PAHO
Director Mirta Roses; the Acting Director-General of the
World Health Organization
(WHO), Anders Nordstrom; the U.S. Secretary of Health
and Human Services, Mike Leavitt; and the Acting Commissioner
of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Andrew von Eschenbach.
During today’s meeting of the PAHO Directing Council,
Insulza also moderated a panel discussion that focused
on strategic alliances to improve coordination among the
health, labor, education, and environmental sectors in
countries of the region.
Photo Gallery
September 20-22, 2006
OAS Secretary General at the United
Nations - UN, New York
OAS Secretary General José Miguel Insulza was invited
to participate in a meeting of the United Nations Security
Council, to debate policies of cooperation and joint collaboration
among the UN and regional organizations.
Let's take partnership with Regional bodies
to new label of clarity,
Practicality, Seriousness, Secretary -
General tells Security Council
Following is the text of UN Secretary-General
Kofi Annan’s remarks to the ministerial meeting
of the Security Council on cooperation between the United
Nations and regional organizations, in New York, today,
:
Many of the regional and subregional
partners themselves are stronger. Our interaction
is more intense, substantial and meaningful. This year
alone, our political and operational cooperation has included:
And ongoing partnerships with ECOWAS
in West Africa, NATO in Afghanistan and Kosovo, and the
Organization of American States in support of Haiti’s
electoral process.
The
Inter-American Development Bank, The Organization Of American
States and Unicef launch initiative to grant official identity
to millions of unregistered children.
OAS Reaffirms Cooperation between the General Secretariats
of the United Nations, CARICOM, and the Central American
Integration System
The General Secretariat of the OAS and the Secretariats
of the United Nations, CARICOM, and the Central American
Integration System reaffirmed their cooperation at the XXXVI
General Assembly in Dominican Republic. The OAS and UN
furthermore strengthened that commitment by designing
programs of mutual cooperation between the OAS and UN, and
reporting on such cooperative programs. More on the XXXVI
General Assembly Report on Cooperation with Institutions
Report on OAS and UN Collaboration Programs
May 4, 2006
UN Secretary General Meets With Jose Miguel Insulza
The Secretary General
of the Organization of American States (OAS), Jose Miguel
Insulza, held a private meeting today with United Nations
(UN) Secretary General Kofi Annan at OAS headquarters.
Insulza briefed the UN Secretary General on the current
political situation in the Americas, outlining the Organization’s
role in recent democratically held elections in the region.
Annan expressed his appreciation for the OAS role during
the electoral process in Haiti. The OAS, in collaboration
with the United Nations, supported Haiti’s Provisional
Electoral Council in carrying out a massive voter registration
drive.
Annan and Insulza agreed to continue working together in
that country to strengthen democracy and to build stronger
institutions.
Photo Gallery
April 12, 2006
Regional Institutions Put Development Center
Stage at OAS FORUM.
INSULZA STRESSES IMPORTANCE OF REGIONAL INTEGRATION
December 9, 2005
MONTEVIDEO, Uruguay - The Secretary General
of the Organization of the American States (OAS), José Miguel
Insulza, said regional integration is an issue the OAS has
followed for many years and one which it considers especially
important.
During the Summit of Mercosur Heads of State, which he attended
as a guest, Insulza hailed the work that key organizations
have carried out since the 1960s to pave the way in the
hemisphere for processes of integration. In his remarks,
he announced that in the coming months he would convene
a meeting of all the regional and subregional organizations
to explore this effort in depth.
Following is a partial transcript of the Secretary General’s
speech:
“For many years, first in the 1960s with ALALC, in the 1980s
with ALADI and more recently – very significantly, in terms
of achieving this major goal of integration – with the creation
of regional integration entities such as Mercosur, the Andean
Community, the System of Central American Integration and
CARICOM, valuable elements have been brought to this process,
notwithstanding obstacles and difficulties. I want to report
that the OAS intends, in the coming months, to convoke all
the subregional and regional integration organizations in
order to delve deeply and see how these processes can be
articulated and advanced. This morning’s debate was enriching,
because Mercosur is a phenomenon that goes beyond the issue
of economic integration, and it also captures the political
and cultural imagination of an important number of citizens
of the hemisphere.
“I consider especially important the points raised by the
leaders of the Mercosur countries, in particular those of
Presidents Tabaré Vázquez and Ricardo Lagos, regarding specific
issues in which it is necessary to plan so that integration
is not only a verbal process but one that is productive
and fruitful in such areas as the circulation of goods and
services, macroeconomic coordination, the circulation of
persons, financial instruments, physical and energy integration,
science and technology, labor rights in social legislation,
and so many other areas that they detailed substantively
in their interventions.
“We are at a good moment and on the right track to reflect,
within the framework of our integration agreements, on how
to continually make these processes more real, in different
areas, to achieve a more effective integration in our hemisphere.
I want to express my appreciation for the invitation and
to emphasize the quality of the debate and the guidelines
for action that have been delivered to all the international
organizations that take an interest in this issue.”
The
2008 Annual Meetings addressed the impact that rising food and
oil prices are having on the world, and particularly the
impact they are having and will continue to have on developing
countries. Sessions of the 2008 Annual Meetings dealt with:
