June 4, 2000

CANADIAN PRIME MINISTER OPENS OAS GENERAL
ASSEMBLY SESSION, STRESSING THE HUMAN ELEMENT

Canada’s Prime Minister Jean Chrétien inaugurated the thirtieth OAS General Assembly June 4 at Windsor, Ontario. His keynote speech focused on the need to tap into the potential of sweeping technological changes, to give it "a human face."

The Prime Minister noted that "...we must pool our wisdom toward ensuring that this explosion in the quantity of technology and information has—as its foremost objective—improving the quality of life of people".

The Canadian leader praised the OAS, citing its important work promoting democratic institutions, human rights and technical cooperation across the Americas while "ensuring that it is people that remain at the center of our the hemispheric agenda."

Elaborating on why his country remains a champion of free trade, Mr. Chrétien emphasized that poverty has been a powerful enemy of freedom, but that a growing economy, good jobs and the promise of new opportunity are the pillars of a more secure hemisphere.

In his address, OAS Secretary General César Gaviria touched on highlights of the past year’s accomplishments, insisting that the challenges encountered "cannot dampen the spirit of the more than 700 million people of this Hemisphere nor break their determination to move forward."

The Secretary General spoke about progress in such areas as democracy-building, the Free Trade Area of the Americas, the launch of a new Agency for Cooperation and Development and a new Committee on Natural Disaster Reduction.

He noted the Organization’s serious financial situation and called on the member governments to urgently deal urgently with arrears in quota payments and to empower their representatives to take appropriate decisions to modernize the Organization and move forward on new priorities.

The highest decision-making forum of the OAS, the ministers’ annual meeting will focus on key issues such as strengthening cooperation between governments and civil society, modernization

more

page2, GA-002-00

of the OAS, establishment of a fund for peace and integration, the human rights of migrant workers and their families, a draft declaration on the rights of indigenous populations and a Canadian centerpiece proposal on human security.

Before concluding their meeting on Tuesday, the ministers will elect a new Assistant Secretary General to succeed Trinidad and Tobago’s Ambassador Christopher R. Thomas who is wrapping up his second five-year term. They will also elect three members to the Inter-American Juridical Committee; three members to the Inter-American Court of Human Rights; and one member to the Administrative Tribunal, among others.

*********