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OAS Secretary General Calls for Leveraging the "New Optimism" Shared by the Americas and Africa

The Secretary General of the Organization of American States (OAS), José Miguel Insulza, highlighted the existence of a "new optimism" in the Americas and Africa, during his opening remarks today at a business forum between the two regions, called "New Commercial Partnerships for Economic Growth," co-organized by the OAS and the government of Trinidad and Tobago.

“While it is true that both regions face a number of ongoing challenges which we must tackle if we are to continue to move forward, for the first time in our history, our two continents have a chance to achieve transformative growth that is widely shared and inclusive. It is now up to our leaders in the public and private sectors to seize this opportunity," said the leader of the hemispheric institution.

The Forum comes at a timely moment, he continued, "with the significance of Africa and Latin America and the Caribbean in the world stage. We are witnessing one of the biggest historical shifts of economic power taking place before our eyes. The world’s economic prospects will increasingly depend on the fate of the South," said the OAS leader.

Secretary General Insulza stressed that the two regions are well placed to increase cooperation, given their cultural and demographic links. "South-South cooperation is not a vain concept but a reality in which projects are based on tangible country development experiences," he said. "Our region is home to 150 million afro descendants, constituting roughly 30% of the population in the Americas. We know that this diversity is a strength; it is a rich heritage that has helped us shape who we are, a heritage that continues to shape us to this day through the different languages and cultures that thrive in the Americas, drawn from every imaginable corner of the Earth."

The Assistant Secretary General of the OAS, Albert Ramdin, meanwhile, described the event as an "opportunity" and "a tangible expression of interest between the two hemispheres." "It is a day to build on the common interest in the security and well-being of our countries, our peoples and our future generations," said the Assistant Secretary General.

"The OAS traditionally participates on the political level, with the goal of democracy and peaceful societies, but as the world we live in changes and the challenges to our peoples evolve, we have renewed our efforts and commitment to also connect with the private sector," said Assistant Secretary Ramdin. “We know all too well that peace and democracy often start with people and populations who are confident in finding opportunities, who are guaranteed access to education, proper health care and basic services. Successful societies are often underpinned by stable economies. To strengthen our economies, we must continue to work with our private sector," said Ramdin.

The Assistant Secretary General concluded with a call to "be creative in our engagement" to the economic development of America and Africa. "The potential for trade between our two continents is significant. It is time to tap into it on a larger scale," he said.

Meanwhile, Sindoso Ngwenya, Secretary General of the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa, called the African continent "the new frontier" of global development, with seven of the fastest growing economies in the world. “The rate of return on investment in Africa is 30 percent, much higher than in other parts of the world," he said.

"The message I bring to our region is that we are ready for partnership, but that these partnerships can not be like the past in Africa, because our eyes are wide open, our ears are wide open, and we know what we want," said Secretary General Ngwenya. "What we want is a true partnership that allows us to industrialize, to develop our infrastructure and address the challenges that we face as a continent," he said.

The forum which is taking place today at OAS headquarters in Washington, DC, features the participation of officials, diplomats and entrepreneurs from the Americas and Africa, among them the Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago, Kamla Persad-Bissessar; the Prime Minister of Haiti, Laurent Lamothe; the Prime Minister of Namibia, Hage Geingob, who participated through a video message; the Minister of Finance of Egypt, Morsi El Sayed Hegazy; the Minister of Finance of Mozambique, Manuel Chang; and the Minister of Finance of Panama, Frank De Lima.

The event began with a moment of silence to remember the victims of the attack in Boston on Monday and the tragic explosion that occurred Wednesday in Texas.

A gallery of photos of the event is available here.

The B-roll of the event is available here.

For more information, please visit the OAS Website at www.oas.org.

Reference: E-146/13