Media Center

Press Release

OAS Permanent Council Debates Scientific Development in the Americas and Commemorates Bicentennial of the Cadiz Constitution

The Permanent Council of the Organization of American States (OAS) today received a report on the Parks of Creativity in the Americas, an initiative to foster scientific innovation in order to achieve economic development, and also commemorated the bicentennial of the Spanish Constitution of Cadiz in 1812.

Doctor Raul Cuero, Chairman and founder of the International Park of Creativity for Young Inventors of Colombia, explained that the purpose of the parks is "to invent, register patents and create companies," adding that "the countries of Latin America need creativity." "Today innovation is always promoted, but we keep in mind that for developing countries, like those in Latin America, innovation does not suit them, rather invention, because invention is the ability to create from nothing based in nature, and innovation is to transform what another man has done," said the renowned inventor.

"I've always said that you learn in the classroom, on the internet and in libraries, but creativity is born in nature, on the streets or in the woods," said the Chairman of the Parks of Creativity for the Americas, whose headquarters are in Colombia, the United States and Israel, and which have led to scientific advances in areas as diverse as Alzheimer’s, water treatment, the study of DNA and the fight against skin cancer.

Doctor Cuero said that Latin America should take advantage of the youth of its population to significantly boost its development. He also urged authorities to strengthen the role of women within the creative process. "Women are an asset that has been misused in Latin America," he said.

The Colombian inventor also presented one of his students, Gabriela Melo, a 20 year-old Colombian who invented a biological foam with numerous applications in industrial systems, such as thermal insulation for construction, aviation, cars and furniture assembly.

The Secretary General of the OAS, José Miguel Insulza, praised the work done by the Parks of Creativity and said that “scientific and technological innovation, as well as the development of young people, are among the priorities of the organization.” He also proposed the possibility that the students of the Parks of Creativity take part in the Talent and Innovation Competition of the Americas, which rewards innovative business initiatives developed by young people, within the framework of the General Assemblies of the OAS and the Summits of Presidents of the Americas.

The Permanent Council also received a presentation from Dolores Jiménez, Alternate Representative of Mexico, on the occasion of the Bicentennial of the Constitution of Cadiz, which she described as the "constitutional seed of Latin America."

The Mexican representative recalled that 200 years ago, the Napoleonic invasions of the Iberian Peninsula caused a power vacuum in Spain, which led to the convening of the Cadiz Parliament to discuss a constitution with the participation of all the territories of the Spanish Monarchy, which by then stretched from the Iberian Peninsula to much of the Americas and the Philippines. In this sense, Jimenez said that the writing of the Constitution counted on the support of "deputies from New Spain, New Granada, Guatemalans, Cubans, Dominicans, Venezuelans, representatives of the River Plate and Filipinos, who, in brotherhood with the Spanish representatives, built on paper what is today known as a modern society based on civil liberties. "

Representative Jimenez stressed that "whites, mestizos and indigenous people" participated in the debate in the Courts of Cadiz, something unheard of at the time and that, of the 384 articles of the Constitution, 250 "were devoted to the separation of powers." In this regard, she said that the 1812 Constitution recognized the freedom of the press, the legal equality of all Americans and Spaniards and habeas corpus, as well as repealing the Inquisition.

At the same meeting, the new Chair of the Permanent Council and Representative of Mexico to the OAS, Joel Hernandez, explained the objectives he has set for the next three months faced with the changes that are going on "in hemispheric relations and in relationships worldwide.” Ambassador Hernández said that the OAS "has shown itself to be a reliable and active living organism, and able to serve the legitimate interests of states that make it up.” He also stated the need for "strict compliance with our financial obligations and to abide faithfully by the principles and tenets of the Charter of the OAS."

Ambassador Hernandez proposed that by October 31 the Council examine and discuss the proposals for implementation on the functioning of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, and recalled that during his tenure the approval of the 2013 OAS budget is expected, which will be discussed during the first half of November.

At the same meeting, the Council agreed to start internal consultations to determine a new deadline for completing the analysis of the proposed prioritization of the mandates of the OAS.

A gallery of photos of the event is available here.

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

Reference: E-351/12