COOPERATION IN ACTION

OAS-SEDI: Forging New Partnerships for Development

Washington, DC. March 2014
OAS Partnership for Development Fund (FEMCIDI) approves new programs in the area of tourism and culture. These multi-country, cooperation programs will support Member States’ efforts to reduce poverty and inequality by providing inclusive opportunities for economic growth. The new programs approved are:

· “Youth network for creative exchange and artistic production” is aimed at creating a network for the permanent exchange of goods and services, thus generating employment opportunities for youth.  The program is coordinated by Colombia, with the participation of Peru and Uruguay.
 
· “Craft Enhancement and Business Planning Training to Support Human Capacity Building in the Public and Private Sectors” seeks to strengthen the production capacity of artisans to increase the diversity and improve the quality and authentic brand marketing of crafts in participating Caribbean countries. The program is coordinated by Saint Vincent and the Grenadines and Dominica, with the participation of Antigua and Barbuda, Grenada, Jamaica, Saint Kitts & Nevis and Saint Lucia.

Washington, DC. March 2014
OAS-SEDI supports the regional competition: "Schools with a Sustainable Future" Rally. The OAS joins UNESCO and Fundación Vive con Esperanza in the Latin American and Caribbean Rally that seeks to promote a new culture for sustainable development in the Americas. The Rally calls on the participation of education institutions in Latin America and the Caribbean, who document innovations made to advance energy efficiency, water use and waste management, among other environmental projects; thus becoming models of education, scientific and technological development for the sustainability of their local community. The OAS is also the fourth jury member of the Rally, alongside UNESCO, the United Nations Environment Programme UNEP and CNN in Spanish.