OAS General Assembly to focus on Development with Social Inclusion

Every year, Ministers of Foreign Affairs from OAS Member States gather at the General Assembly - the supreme organ of the Organization - to discuss priority issues for the Americas and agree on strategies to move the region forward.  This year’s OAS General Assembly, to be held in Paraguay, June 3 to 5, will focus on “Development with Social Inclusion”.  

Announcing the Assembly theme at OAS headquarters, Paraguay's Foreign Minister Eladio Loizaga stressed that “development with Social Inclusion is a cross-cutting topic for all of Latin America and the Caribbean” He further stated that countries.  “need to revitalize efforts to obtain concrete and effective results without  delay and, to do so, we want to focus on areas such as the eradication of poverty; inequality reduction and social exclusion; access to education and ensuring overall health” he further added that the region must “dare to dream about eradicating poverty by the year 2020”.  

Minister Loizaga explained that the GA would provide an opportunity to “reflect on the effective role that the OAS must play to implement these priorities and the cooperation that the private sector can provide”. He noted the particular urgency of promoting the social inclusion of vulnerable groups, and of “ensuring their fair, equitable and non-discriminatory access to the benefits of development”.  

OAS Secretary General, José Miguel Insulza, commended Paraguay for its careful selection, highlighting that in spite of advances made, the region “is limited by poverty and inequality.” He indicated that beyond pursuing an economic growth approach, poverty should be tackled from the standpoint of inclusion, “inequality and poverty are not only monetary, but also concern public services to which our citizens have access to, such as the quality of education - so different for some and for others within the same society; the quality of health systems; and the environment, because we know that environmental degradation in the poorest areas of our cities is very serious”.  

For her part, Executive Secretary for Integral Development, Sherry Tross noted that “The focus on development and social inclusion by the General Assembly provides yet another important opportunity for the OAS’s leadership in driving an integrated development agenda that jointly emphasizes growth, sustainability and inclusion to ensure maximum benefit for the region’s citizens.”

For further information about OAS General Assembly 2014, please visit: http://www.mre.gov.py/44agoea/

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