The purpose of our work in
this area is to work with the US administration in promoting and
advocating the work of the OAS throughout the Hemisphere.
Through the office of Host Country Relations, we will provide
information to the General Secretariat on activities of the US
administration of importance to the Member States, organize
briefings on OAS issues for members of the US administration and
their staff, prepare informational materials on the OAS targeted
to the interests of the US administration and promote outreach
efforts for increased engagement between officials of the US
government and the OAS.
Related
Activities
April 17-19, 2009
JOINT ACTIVITIES IN PREPARATION FOR THE V
SUMMIT OF THE AMERICAS
In preparation for
the V
Summit of the Americas, to be held in Trinidad & Tobago
from April 17-19, 2008, the Department of International
Affairs (DIA) is hosting, in conjunction with the
Summits of the
Americas Secretariat, a series of events tailored to the
theme of this year's Summit: "Securing Our Citizens' Future by
Promoting Human Prosperity, Energy Security and Environmental
Sustainability."
The Department of
International Affairs will host three Lectures under the
auspice of the Lecture Series of the Americas on each of the
above topics. The first took place on October 28, 2008
and featured Roberto Rodrigues, the former Minister of
Agriculture and Co-President of the Inter-American Ethanol
Commission, speaking on: "Facing Energy Security in the
Americas through Alternative Energy Sources." Be sure to
visit our website regularly for updates on the Lecture Series
events.
DIA will also sponsor policy roundtables on
pertinent themes. The first in this series took place on
November 5 at 2:30PM and is organized jointly with the
International Labor Organization (ILO) and the
OAS
Department of Social Development and Employment. The
rountable will focus on: "Youth, Decent Work and Human
Prosperity in the Americas." Be sure to visit our website
regularly for updates on the policy roundtable events.
The Department of
International Affairs is also working closely with the Summits
of the Americas Secretariat in coordinating a series of
sub-region and regional civil society meetings in the
Caribbean, Central America and South America.
Finally, DIA will sponsor a
Model OAS General Assembly (MOAS)
Model Summit at the University of the West Indies (UWI) in
Barbados. This Model will focus on the themes and topics of
the V Summit in order to engage the youth of the Hemisphere in
the work of the OAS and in the democratic practices of its
Member States.
For more information on DIA Joint Activities
in preparation for the V Summit, read
here
July
16, 2008
OAS
Representatives take part in the Congressional Hispanic
Leadership Institute's Second Annual Future Leaders
Conference
On July 16, the Congressional
Hispanic Leadership Institute (CHLI) hosted the Second
Annual Future Leaders Conference in the main building of the
Organization of American States (OAS). More than 250
students and interns attended the conference. Timely issues
such as poverty reduction and governance in the Americas
were addressed by notable speakers from the public and
private sector.
The
conference opened with remarks from Octavio A. Hinojosa,
Executive Director of CHLI and Representative Lincoln Diaz
Balart, Chairman of CHLI. Both speakers recognized the
interest of these young professionals in addressing current
issues and encouraged them to remain involved locally to
tackle global issues.
United
States Ambassador to the OAS, Hector Morales, spoke about
the importance in securing democracy and governance in the
Hemisphere to ensure stability in the entire region.
Ambassador Morales outlined the role and importance of
international organizations, such as the OAS, in attaining
these objectives.
The
Honorable Anna Escobedo Cabral, U.S. Treasurer, and Mr. Jose
Cardenas, Acting Assistant Administrator for Latin America
and the Caribbean, U. S. Agency for International
Development (USAID), were the main speakers in the first
panel, “Promoting Economic Development in the Americas.”
Both speakers emphasized the need to bring economic
development to the neighboring countries in the South and
the Caribbean as a means to bring security and democratic
governance in the Western Hemisphere.
Jose
Miguel Insulza, Secretary General of the OAS, spoke about
the responsibility of the OAS in protecting human rights,
reducing poverty, strengthening multidimensional security
and promoting democracy and governance in the Western
Hemisphere. Insulza highlighted the role of the organization
in securing transparency in the electoral processes in the
region. The Secretary General mentioned that for the first
time in history all the governments in the Western
hemisphere were democratically elected.
During
the second panel, “A Survey of the Political Landscape of
the Americas” Hemispheric issues ranging from global warming
to the economy to regional integration were discussed by the
Honorable Ambassador Arturo Sarukhan of Mexico, Congressman
Eliot Engel, Chairman, Subcommittee on the Western
Hemisphere, and Ms. Wendy Martinez, Specialist, OAS
Secretariat for Political Affairs.
After a
brief interlude, the third and final panel, “Public-Private
Partnerships in the Americas,” consisted of Mr. Hector
Romero from Banco Azteca/Grupo Salinas in Mexico, Mr. Fabian
Koss from the Inter-American Development Bank, Ms. Valarie
Mendoza representing the Young Americas Business Trust, and
Mr. Miguel A. Porrúa from the Executive Secretariat for
Integral Development. The topics discussed centered on the
growing influence of the youth in the Americas and the world
and the need of companies to harness and nurture that power.
With
over 40 internship programs participating, the conference
was a great success that not only helped to connect the
professional youth in D.C. with each other, but also to
bring the voice of the youth on hemispheric issues into the
political dialogue.
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.
RESULTS REPORT OF THE XXXVIII OAS GENERAL ASSEMBLY:
On June 9, the Department of International Affairs of the
Secretariat for External Relations hosted a Results Report
of the XXXVIII OAS General Assembly for the Foreign Ministers
of the Americas. The Results Report featured the OAS
Secretary General, Assistant Secretary General and Ambassador Camilo Ospina, the Permanent Representative of Colombia to the
OAS. The Results Report took place from 4:00pm-5:30pm in
the Hall of the Americas at OAS Headquarters in Washington,
D.C.
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.
XXVII
Lecture Series of the Americas Bill Richardson,
Governor of New Mexico and Former Presidential Candidate Tuesday, April
1, 2008 - 3:00pm
Organization of American States, Hall of the Americas
17th Street & Constitution Ave., NW. ,Washington, DC
20006 For more information
on the Lecture Series
May 8, 2007
OAS Policy Roundtable #
4:
Building a Consensus on Trade Policy in
an Era of Globalization May 8, 2007
10:00 – 11:30 a.m. Hall of the Americas, OAS Main Building
(17th Street and Constitution Ave.)
Program
Press release
Photo gallery
March 6, 2007
OAS Policy Roundtable:
International Law: The U.S. Perspective
Tuesday, March 6, 2007 at 2:45 pm - 3:45 pm in the Ruben
Dario Room, 8th floor, Organization of American States (1889
‘F’ Street, NW, Washington, D.C. ) Program
