The People's Republic of China recently pledged a
generous contribution of US$100,000 to fund projects on
"Education for Children in Rural, Indigenous and Border
Regions," to be implemented by the Department of Education and
Culture, and the forthcoming publication entitled,
"Sustainable Development in the Caribbean; Contemporary
Issues, Challenges, and Opportunities" to be issued by the
Department of Sustainable Development and Environment.
At the request of the Permanent
Mission of Peru (CP/doc.4322/08), a Special Permanent Council
Meeting was held on June 26, 2008, at 10:30 a.m., in the Simón
Bolívar Room at OAS Headquarters. The purpose of this meeting
was to discuss the recently approved "Rule of Return of
Illegal Immigrants" by the European Parliament. The
Ministers of Foreign Affairs of Peru, Colombia as well as the
Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs of Paraguay addressed the
Permanent Council on this complex issue. The Permanent
Representatives of the OAS Member States also expressed their
views on the impact of this directive, followed by remarks
from the Permanent Representatives of the European Union and
Slovenia.
Ambassador
John Bruton, Permanent Observer of the
European Union to the OAS, addressed his
concern over
the apprehension of the citizens of the Americas regarding the
new directive. He noted that the regulation does not
criminalize migration, but rather seeks to help the EU
better regulate both illegal and legal migration. He concluded by
underscoring the necessity for comprehensive immigration reform in order to develop more appropriate safeguards against the exploitation
of illegal immigrants.
On
June 25, the OAS
Secretary General, José
Miguel Insulza, met with the Ambassador of Italy to the United
States, Giovanni Castellaneta. The two leaders met to discuss
areas of mutual interest between the OAS and Italy and ways in
which the Organization and Government of Italy could
strengthen its collaboration. Italy is one of the oldest
Observers to the OAS, and has been accredited the status since May 17, 1972.
The OAS Secretary General, José
Miguel Insulza, presented to the Permanent Council on June 24,
2008, the Eleventh Report of the Mission to Support the Peace
Process in Colombia (MAPP/OAS). This report gives an
assessment to the current situation in Colombia, provides
recommendations and states its conclusion about the process
thus far. The Secretary General, as well as Colombia's
Permanent Representative to the OAS thanked Member States as
well as the Permanent Observer countries who have helped
finance the Mission, and expressed their strong desire to move
ahead with the peace process.
On
June 17, the Government of
Italy pledged its support to OAS
projects in the areas of: Action Against Antipersonal Mines
and the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights. The total
282,000 Euros will go to support humanitarian demining,
education and technical equipment in the Cordillera del Condor
(between Peru and Ecuador), Colombia, and Nicaragua; in
addition, over 75,000 Euros will fund will be allocated to strengthening justice through the Inter-American
Commission on Human Rights.
On
June 12, representatives from the Government of the Federal
Republic of Germany convened at OAS Headquarters in
Washington, D.C. to sign an agreement marking German support
to the Program for the Strengthening of Electoral Management
Bodies' Institutional Capacity. The program operates through
the OAS' Department for Cooperation and Electoral Observation.
On June 1 and June 3, the Department of International Affairs
of the Secretariat for External Relations will host the Dialogue between the Heads of Delegation, the OAS Secretary
General and the Heads of Delegation of the Permanent Observer
Countries at the XXXVIII Regular Session of the OAS General
Assembly in Medellín, Colombia.
On May 22, 2008, the OAS Secretary General, José
Miguel Insulza, welcome the Prime Minister of Aruba, Nelson
Oduber to OAS Headquarters in Washington, D.C. Aruba, a
country within the Kingdom of the Netherlands, is situated
just off the coast of South America near Venezuela. Secretary General Insulza
and Prime Minister Oduber used the opportunity to discuss
developments in the Latin American region, in general, and
more specifically updates with regard to the Colombia-Ecuador
situation.
On May 13, 2008, Secretary General José
Miguel Insulza; Assistant Secretary General Albert Ramdin; the
Permanent Representative of Colombia to the OAS, Camilo Ospina;
Director of the Secretariat for External Relations, Suzanne Laporte; and, Director of the Department of International
Affairs, Irene Klinger, met with representatives from the
Permanent Observer countries to discuss their role in the
upcoming
38th General Assembly to be held in Medellín, Colombia
from June 1-3. The Permanent Observers will take part in a
dialogue with the Secretary General and Heads of Delegation of
the OAS Member States on June 1, and are invited to attended
various meetings and functions throughout the General Assembly.
On May 13, 2008, the Secretary General of the
Organization of American States, José
Miguel Insulza, met with the Permanent Observer of Russia to
the OAS, Yuri V. Ushakov. The Russian Federation has been a
Permanent Observer to the OAS since April 1, 1992.
On May 9, 2008 Iceland was been
granted the status of Permanent Observer to the Organization
of American States, pursuant to General Assembly resolution
AG/RES. 50 (I-O/71) and resolution
CP/RES.
936 (1650/08) of
the Permanent Council.
May 8, 2008
On May 8, the Government of
France announced a
contribution to the Organization of American States totaling
US$125,384.61 with the goal of supporting the work of the
Organization in strengthening democracy and human rights in
the Hemisphere. The funds will be used to aid the following
programs:
•Support for the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights on
its Activities in Haiti - Comisión
Interamericana de Derechos Humanos (CIDH) - US$60,000
•Course on Empowerment, HIV and
violence against Women in the Caribbean - Comisión
Interamericana de Mujeres (CIM) - US$23,000
•Strengthening Freedom of Expression in
the Americas - Special Rapporteaur for Freedom of Expression,
Comisión
Interamericana de Derechos Humanos (CIDH)
- US$15,000
•Working Group in charge of preparing the American Declaration
on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples - Secretariat for Juridical
Affairs - US$12,384
•Support for the Inter-American Committee Against Terrorism -
Inter-American Committee Against Terrorism (CICTE) - US$10,000
•Lecture Series of the Americas - Secretariat for External
Relations, Department of International Affairs - US$5,000
From April 28, OAS Secretary General
José
Miguel Insulza met with the Permanent Observer of
Denmark to the OAS, Friis Arne Peterson to discuss ongoing
cooperation between the Organization and the Observer country.
From June 3-5, Heads of Delegation from the OAS Member States
will participate in the XXXVIII
Regular Session of the OAS General Assembly being held in
Medellín, Colombia. On June 1, a
dialogue
will take place between the Heads of Delegation, the OAS
Secretary General and the Heads of Delegation of the Permanent
Observer countries. More information will be made available in
the coming weeks. The dialogue will revolve around the topic
of this year's General Assembly: "Youth and Democratic
Values."
April 4, 2008
On April 4, the
Korean government announced a cash
contribution to the OAS of US$100,000. The funds will support
the following projects: the MOAS in the Caribbean (US$21,000);
Project on Strengthening Access to Justice in the Americas
2008 (US$25,000); Project on Empowerment, HIV and Violence
against Women in the Caribbean (US$24,000); and support for
the activities of Paraguay Election Observers (US$30,000).
On March 25, OAS Secretary General Jose Miguel Insulza
forwarded to the Permanent Council for its approval the
request of His Excellency Ingibjorg Solrun Gisladottir,
Minister for Foreign Affairs of Iceland, to be granted the
status of Permanent Observer to the Organization of American
States. For its part, Iceland's foreign policy objectives
fully support the efforts of the OAS in strengthening
cooperation on democratic values, promoting human rights,
fostering the environment and sustainable development, as well
as advancing fair trade and confronting shared problems such
as poverty, terrorism and corruption.
March 20, 2008
On March 20,
OAS
Secretary General José
Miguel Insulza met with the Permanent Observer of
Norway,
Wegger Chr. Strommen.
The OAS hosts Ministers of Foreign Affairs for Meeting
of Consultations
On March 5, the OAS Permanent Missions and some Permanent
Observers met to discuss the situation between Colombia and
Ecuador that took place on March 1, 2008. On March 17, the
Missions and Observers reconvened to receive the report of the
report of the Commission headed by the Secretary General
regarding these events.
On March 13, the People's Republic of
China announced a
US$58,000 contribution to the OAS, to be distributed in the
following manner:
- US$23,000 for the Model OAS General Assembly (MOAS):
Promotion of Democracy among the youth of the Caribbean to
compliment the US$19,000 that the Chinese government already
donated this year to this activity.
- US$20,000 for the
Lecture Series of the Americas; and
- US$15,000 for the Inter-American Commission for Women (CIM)
to design a webpage for the Follow-up Mechanism to the
Inter-American Convention on the Prevention, Punishment and
Eradication of Violence Against Women (MESECVI)
March 5, 2008
The Permanent Observers participate in the Special Meeting
to treat the Situation between Colombia and Ecuador
On March 5, the Permanent
Observers participated along with delegations from the OAS
Member States in the Special Meeting convened by the OAS
Permanent Council seeking to resolve the situation between
Colombia and Ecuador that took place on March 1, 2008. The
Permanent Observers engaged in dialogue with the OAS
representatives, actively seeking to help the OAS delegations
seek a resolution to this matter.
On February
19, OAS Assistant Secretary General Albert Ramdin met with
Gerhard Enver Schrömbgens, Director for Latin American and
Caribbean in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of
Germany.
On February
14, OAS Secretary General José Miguel Insulza and Dante
Caputo, Undersecretary for Political Affairs, met with
French Foreign and European Affairs Minister, Bernard Koucher,
and Foreign Affairs and Human Rights Secretary, Rama Yade, in
Paris to discuss issues pertaining to the Americas. On the
agenda for the meeting included discussions regarding the
ongoing process of a humanitarian agreement with the FARC, the
situation in Haiti, human rights and the efforts to combat
drug trafficking.
Breakfast between the Secretary General and Permanent
Observers:" Assessing the Americas"
On February 4, OAS Secretary General José Miguel Insulza met
with more than 40 representatives from the Permanent
Observer countries in a breakfast organized by the
Department of International Affairs. The breakfast was an
opportunity for the Secretary General to assess the
situation in the Americas as well as express gratitude on
behalf of the Organization of American States to the
Permanent Observer countries for their continued support to
OAS programs. The Secretary General spoke at the breakfast
with the underlying theme of continued cooperation between
the Permanent Observers and the OAS. He gave an overview of
the situation in the Americas and addressed issues of
economic growth and challenges affecting the region.
Additionally, the Secretary General spoke of poverty and
inequality, organized crime, drugs and human trafficking,
political change, issues regarding regional integration,
free markets and constitutional reforms of Bolivia and Ecuador.
The breakfast also provided a forum for open dialogue
between the Secretary General and the participating
representatives on concerns and issues impacting the
hemisphere.
On
January 22, Ambassador Zhou Wenzhong, Permanent Observer of
China to the OAS, presented OAS Secretary General José
Miguel Insulza a donation of US$105,000 to finance a program
run by the Justice Studies Center of the Americas and to
upgrade resources of several OAS offices. Of that donation,
$80,000 will
go toward the purchasing of office equipment and $25,000
will help fund the Judicial Information System for the
Americas Project.
On November 26, the Permanent Representative of Spain to the
OAS opened a photography exhibition to be displayed in the
OAS historic headquarters in Washington, D.C.
OAS Secretary General,
José Miguel Insulza, attended the inauguration of Spain's
new
mission to the OAS. Minister of Foreign
Affairs Miguel Angel Moratinos unveiled a commemorative
plaque.
NORWEGIAN CONTRIBUTION SUPPORTS OAS DEMINING PROGRAMS IN THE
AMERICAS
A contribution of US$785,791 made by the Government of
Norway will help support the work of the
Office of Humanitarian Mine Action of the Organization
of American States (OAS). The contribution coincides with
the 10th Anniversary of the Convention on the Prohibition of
the Use, Stockpiling, Production and Transfer of Anti-Personnel
Mines and on their Destruction, commemorated in Oslo last
month.
Of the total funds, US$100,000 will be allocated to the
victim assistance programs in Colombia and Peru. The
remaining amount will provide support to Nicaragua’s
demining effort and enable Central American countries to
export their experience.
Click here to see the entire text of the press release.
October
12, 2007
His
Majesty, the King of Spain, has decided to honor Irene
Klinger, Director of the Department of International Affairs,
for her outstanding work in the international arena.
Mrs. Klinger was given this award at a ceremony today on the
occasion of the anniversary of the Discovery of the Americas,
which took place after the 11:30 protocolary session in the
Patio tropical.
On October 12, Sweden's Permanent Observer to the OAS,
Ambassador Jonas Hafstrom, made his first official visit to
the Organization. At this time, Ambassador Hafstrom met with
Secretary General José
Miguel Insulza,
to discuss a range of issues of mutual interest between
Sweden and the Organization. Sweden has held been a
Permanent Observer to the OAS since 1996.
On October 1st,
the Korean government
announced a contribution of $20,000 to support
the Promotion of Democracy Among the Youth of the Americas
through the Model OAS General Assembly, as well as a
$20,000
contribution to support the Referendum in the Republic of
Costa Rica over the ratification of the “Dominican
Republic-Central America Free Trade” (DR-CAFTA) to be held
on October 7, 2007. Mrs. Klinger, Director of the
Department of International Affairs of the OAS, welcomed these contributions and
commended the Korean delegation for their support to OAS
activities.
Ambassador Alexandros Mallias, Permanent Observer of
Greece,
delivers a US$30,000 check to Secretary General José Miguel
Insulza to support fight against trafficking in human
beings.
Place: OAS Headquarters; Washington, D.C.
OAS Secretary General José Miguel Insulza meets with
Permanent Observer of China to the OAS, Ambassador Zhou
Wenzhong, on the occasion of Shangai World Exhibition.
Assistant Secretary General, Albert R. Ramdin, meets with the
Alternate Permanent Observer of China to
the OAS, Ambassador Wei Quiang at OAS Headquarters in
Washington, D.C.
Hours before the inauguration of the
37th annual General
Assembly in Panama City, Panama, member state heads of delegation met with the
Permanent Observers.
OAS Secretary General
José Miguel Insulza met with
Spain's Secretary of State for Ibero-America, Trinidad
Jiménez, under the auspice of the Twentieth Lecture Series
of the Americas.
OAS Secretary General
José Miguel Insulza participated in a forum
entitled "Diálogos sobre Incidencia de los organismos
políticos regionales en la gobernabilidad y seguridad jurídica
en Iberoamérica" at the Instituto Internacional in Madrid,
Spain as part of a cycle of dialogues put forth by Obra
Social "la Caixa" and New York University's King Juan Carlos
I of Spain Center. Place: Instituto Internacional;
Madrid, Spain
A luncheon was hosted by Dr. Chong
Keon Kim, Chairman of the Korea-Central America & Caribbean
Economic Council, in the Aranjuez Private Banquet Room of the Taberna del Alabardero
Restaurant. Ambassador Albert Ramdin as well as other OAS
Permanent Representatives and officials participated in this
event. The purpose of this luncheon was to discuss matters of
mutual interest in regards to the Hemisphere and to provide an
opportunity for Dr. Kim to continue his personal relationship
with the OAS.
May 10, 2007
OAS Assistant Secretary General Albert Ramdin met with
diplomats from the Netherlands at OAS Headquarters in
Washington, D.C.
Secretary
General José Miguel Insulza received a courtesy visit from
Ambassador Dominique Struye de Swielande, Permanent Observer
of Belgium to the OAS.
Place: OAS Building - Washington, DC
Ambassador João de Vallera of Portugal
presented his credentials to be Portugal's Permanent Observer
to the OAS to Secretary General José Miguel Insulza at OAS
Headquarters in Washington, D.C.
OAS Assistant Secretary General Albert R. Ramdin received the
Permanent Observer of the United Kingdom, Ambassador Alan
Charlton.
Place: OAS Building - Washington, DC
OAS Secretary General José
Miguel Insulza received a courtesy visit from Egypt's
Assistant Minister of Foreign Affairs for the Americas, Hatem Seif El-Nasr.
The Government of the People’s Republic of China announced
today a total contribution of US$77,000 to support the
following OAS programs: 1) The Promotion of Democracy Among
the Youth of the Hemisphere through the Model OAS General
Assembly (MOAS); 2)
The Lecture Series of the Americas; and 3)
The Reduction of Natural Disasters Risk Project.
March 29, 2007
On Thursday, March 29, the Secretary
General of the OAS, José Miguel Insulza welcomed at OAS
Headquarters the Chinese delegation headed by the Deputy Mayor
of Shanghai, Yang Xiong.
The World Exposition Shanghai China 2010 is a large scale,
global, non-commercial Expo and the motto is “Better City,
Better Life.” The Expo aims to promote the exchange of ideas
and development of the world economy, culture, science and
technology, to allow exhibitors to publicize and display their
achievements and improve international relationships.
Accordingly, the World Expo, with its more than 150-year
history is regarded as the Olympic Games of the economy,
science and technology of the world. The first World Expo took
place in London in 1851. The Chinese delegation that visited
the OAS also comprised other members of the Organizing
Committee, including Hua Junduo , Zhou Hanmin, Xu Bo, Dai
Minmin, Si Yan and Bob.H.Dong.
On Wednesday, March 28, the Permanent
Observer of China to the OAS, Ambassador Zhou Wenzhong, hosted
a luncheon in honor of the Deputy Mayor of Shanghai and
Chairman of
the World Expo 2010. Ambassador Albert Ramdin, Assistant
Secretary General of the OAS and the Director of the
Department of External Relations, Irene Klinger, attended the
luncheon on behalf of the OAS, among other OAS officials.
On March 27th the Governments of Turkey and the Federal
Republic of Germany announced that they will make new cash
contributions to OAS activities. The Turkish contribution of
US$15,000 will support a study on public security to be
carried out by the Department of Public Security, Secretariat
for Multidimensional Security. The German contribution of
US$15,300 will support a seminar on electoral processes, which
will take place on June 2, in Panama, prior to the XXXVII OAS
General Assembly. This seminar is being organized by the
Department for the Promotion of Democracy, Secretarial for
Political Affairs.
March 27, 2007
The Director General for Bilateral
Political Affairs in Turkey's Ministry of Foreign Affairs,
Vefahan Ocak met with OAS Assistant Secretary General
Albert R. Ramdin at OAS headquarters.
