Statement made by Senator, the Honourable Knowlson Gift, Minister Of Foreign Affairs of the Republic Of Trinidad And Tobago during the Dialogue of Heads of Delegation of the XXXII Regular Session Of The OAS General Assembly 

Barbados, June 04, 2002 

TOPIC: Follow-up and Development of the Inter-American Democratic Charter

Madame Chair

· Following the end of the Cold War, the OAS embarked on a new path as Member States turned toward democratic politics and market economics. A significant step in the history of the OAS was taken at the XXI regular session of the General Assembly in Santiago, Chile in 1991 with the adoption of "The Santiago Commitment to Democracy and the Renewal of the Inter-American System" and AG/Res.1080 on "Representative Democracy".

· Whilst AG/Res.1080 accorded authority to the Secretary General "to call for the immediate convocation of a meeting of the Permanent Council in the event of any occurrences giving rise to the sudden or irregular interruption of the democratic political institutional processes or of the legitimate exercise of power by the democratically-elected government in any of the Organization's Member State", it did not outline the specific steps to be taken by the OAS in such an eventuality. In that sense, the Inter-American Democratic Charter is an improvement on AG/Res. 1080, which for a decade represented the Organization's defining statement on democracy.

· With respect to the implementation of the Inter-American Democratic Charter, the principal challenge confronting us will be our ability to apply it "without distinction", for although the OAS Charter recognizes all Member States as sovereign equals, we have to acknowledge certain political realities within the Organization. We would not like to see the Democratic Charter being used as an instruments to intimidate smaller, less influential states or those states whose leaders are perceived as not acting in concert with one interest or another.

· Some among us may point out that the OAS should use the provisions of the Inter-American Democratic Charter as an early-warning mechanism, thereby preventing small problems from spiraling out of control. And, in this regard, I wish to make reference to the rationale for the drafting of the Democratic Charter, as contained in the "Declaration of Quebec City", which refers to the need for the OAS to be able to respond to the new threats to democracy.

· Through the media and our diplomatic missions in respective capitals, we are often made aware of situations in Member States but the decision to convene a meeting of the Permanent Council to discuss any deteriorating situation is one that would not be taken easily, Indeed, some Member States may not be supportive of such a step for fear that at some stage, their own systems may be held under the spotlight.

· While some among us may regard Articles 17-22 in Chapter IV as the heart and soul of the Charter, Trinidad and Tobago has consistently maintained the position that democracy and human rights are more meaningful when they are accompanied by economic and social advancement, because participation in the democratic system requires knowledge and basic educational skills.

· The turn to democratic political systems and liberalized economic systems in our hemisphere has led, in general, to an upswing in economic growth and a reduction in inflation but these have been accompanied by increased levels of poverty, increased disparities between the rich and the poor and a decreased sensed of personal security.

· It is halting progress in the areas of social and economic advancement that has led to questioning by some commentators as to whether democracy and trade liberalization are the surest path to development. Trinidad and Tobago is not questioning the importance of democracy to development however, average citizens in the Americas must not feel as though they are constantly being called upon, by those who hold high office, to sacrifice, or that sacrifices are being imposed on them by external creditors.

· For my Government, this Organization's role is of a dual nature - political and socio-economic. We recognize that a comprehensive approach usually appears daunting because there is a multiplicity of factors to take into account, but when democracy is coupled with progress on the economic and social fronts, its total result equals more than the sum of its parts.

· This Organization represents the hopes and aspirations of the governments in the hemisphere and all the peoples represented by those governments. My Government remains convinced that the OAS must strongly voice its commitment to the realization of these aspirations by implementing programs and activities that cater, in particular, to the provisions of Chapter III of the Inter-American Democratic Charter. Such a commitment would mean that we value enriching the lives of the peoples of the Americas so that they can exercise their own volitions and fully interact and influence the world in which they live. 

· I thank you