E-064/00
March 27, 2000

IN CANADA, STUDENTS OPEN MODEL OAS ASSEMBLY

 

Opening the 20^th annual Model Assembly of the Organization of American States (OAS) in Edmonton, Canada, today, Assistant Secretary General Ambassador Christopher Thomas has welcomed the engagement of the hemisphere's youth as a progressive move. He urged them to use the responsibility entrusted to them "with great care, deliberate judgement and above all discretion."

Surveying major hemispheric issues the OAS has been tackling, Ambassador Thomas reminded the students they were "the ones who would chart the destiny of the Americas into this century and beyond."

In his welcome, Canada's Foreign Minister Lloyd Axworthy pointed to the diplomacy and consensus-building skills the students would acquire as they learn "how to strike compromise between nations."

Some 700 students from all over the hemispheres are gathering at the University of Alberta for the weeklong deliberations of the Model Assembly, which ends Friday. It marks the first time a "regular" session of the Model is being held outside of Washington, D.C.

Ambassador Peter M. Boehm, Canada's Permanent Representative to the OAS, delivered the keynote address at the opening session, which was also addressed by Dr. Roderick Fraser, President of the University of Alberta.

Student delegations are debating pressing OAS agenda issues. They are working on a historic "Declaration of the Inter-American Dialogue of Young Political Leaders for the Next Millennium" to submit to the OAS General Assembly in Windsor, Canada, in June and to next year's Summit of the Americas, also in Canada. The "Declaration" is an exercise for young people to reflect on the problems facing their region; create a hemispheric listing of critical issues from a youth perspective; and provide them an opportunity to develop strategies to help inform change in the hemisphere.

Democracy, human rights, hemispheric security and threats to press freedom are among top agenda items before the Model Assembly. "In the five committees, the Model OAS agenda has exactly the same topics as the real OAS General Assembly held last year in Guatemala," noted Nancy Irigoyen, OAS coordinator of the program.

Participants represent 15 Canadian universities and 8 U.S. universities and others are attending from Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras and Trinidad and Tobago.

Before wrapping up their session, the participants will elect officers for next year's Model Assembly.

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