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Forty-Fourth Regular Session of OAS General Assembly Concludes with Adoption of Declaration of Asunción: "Development with Social Inclusion"

The member countries of the Organization of American States (OAS), gathered in Asunción, Paraguay, at the forty-fourth regular session of the OAS General Assembly, today pledged "their efforts to eradicating hunger and poverty, in particular extreme poverty, combating inequity, inequality, discrimination, and social exclusion, and increasing equitable access to health services, as well as to quality and inclusive education” in the Americas.

The "Declaration of Asunción: Development with Social Inclusion," approved unanimously by the member states, calls on governments to “strengthen the capacity of the countries to withstand external shocks so that the progress made in the region in terms of eliminating hunger and poverty, especially extreme poverty, is sustainable.”

The complete text of the Declaration of Asunción in available here.

The final declaration of the Assembly session also encourages the OAS General Secretariat to incorporate, as appropriate, the results of the post-2015 development agenda in its programs, projects, and activities.

The text also recognizes that “social inclusion, equality of opportunity, equity and social justice are critical to democracy.”

Question of the Malvinas Islands

The General Assembly adopted by acclamation a "Declaration on the Question of the Malvinas Islands,” on a proposal by Argentina, which reiterates the need for the Governments of the Argentine Republic and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland to resume, as soon as possible, negotiations on the dispute over sovereignty, so as to find a peaceful solution to this prolonged controversy. In the resolution the General Assembly decides “to continue to examine the question of the Malvinas Islands at its subsequent sessions until a definitive settlement has been reached thereon.”

The Minister of Foreign Relations, International Commerce and Worship of Argentina, Héctor Timerman, recalled that, back in 1948, at the first OAS meeting, Foreign Minister Juan Gramuglia requested the Hemisphere's support for the cause of the Malvinas. “Gramuglia spoke of the loyalty and solidarity of the Latin American countries. He also spoke of the need to place the law above the use of force. What today is the OAS was the first international forum to express solidarity with Argentina over the colonialist outrage of which we were and are victims,” said Minister Timerman.

After the voting, the Argentine foreign minister thanked the OAS member countries for their support, saying “they have answered us once more, as in 1948, with solidarity and loyalty.” For his part, the Secretary General of the OAS, José Miguel Insulza, emphasized that, for decades, the hemispheric institution has been appealing for a resumption of negotiations on the Malvinas Islands, “an appeal that is made by all the American peoples.”

The British Ambassador to Paraguay, Jeremy Hobbs, explained his Government's position on the situation of the Malvinas Islands. Ambassador Hobbs said “there cannot and will not be negotiations on the sovereignty of the islands unless, and until, their residents express the wish for them.”

Minister Timerman replied: “I thank the United Kingdom for being so clear in its position, because once more it is demonstrating that it violates the resolutions of the United Nations and mocks those of us here, of the American Hemisphere, and those of us who defend the natural resources of the American Hemisphere as the property of its peoples, and who say we are not a source of natural resources for foreign powers outside the region.” The head of the Argentine diplomatic corps added: “I ask the United Kingdom and the European Union to also allow us to go to the European Union and set out all the problems our countries have and sit at the table and have them listen to us, and we listen to the United Kingdom.”

Election of members of committees and commissions

At the fourth plenary session, elections were held for officers of organs, agencies, and entities of the institution. Elected as members of the Inter-American Juridical Committee were João Clemente Baena Soares (Brazil), reelected; Joel Antonio Hernández García (Mexico); and Ruth Stella Correa Palacio (Colombia).
Elected to membership in the Justice Studies Center of the Americas were Santiago Pereira Campos (Uruguay) and Pedro Bohomoletz de Abreu Dallari (Brazil), reelected, and George M. Thomson (Canada).

Reelected to the OAS Administrative Tribunal was Suzie D´Auvergne (Saint Lucia).

Reelected to the Board of External Auditors to Examine the Accounts of the General Secretariat was Christopher H. Flaggs (United States).

Reports and General Assembly in 2015

The General Assembly also heard presentations by the President of the Inter-American Court of Human Rights, the President of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, the President of the Inter-American Commission of Women (CIM), and the Chair of the OAS Board of External Auditors.

The supreme body of the multilateral institution also decided, by acclamation, that Haiti would host the 2015 edition of the Assembly session. The Minister of Foreign Affairs and Worship of that Caribbean country, Duly Brutus, said that "hosting all the member states of our regional organization, the observers, and the civil society organizations will be a new opportunity for our country to express its determination to continue its active participation in strengthening the OAS.”

A gallery of photos of the event is available here.

The B-Roll of the event is available here.

The full video of the event is available here.

The audio of the event is available here.

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

Reference: E-240/14