Message from the new Executive Secretary, Ambassador Neil Parsan
It is my distinct privilege and with great humility that I am called
upon to work with member states in leading the Organization of
American States’ efforts in the area of development. As Executive
Secretary for Integral Development, I will join a dedicated and
talented team of professionals that work arduously to support member
states in advancing their development objectives; whether in the
area of education, labor, competitiveness, tourism or
sustainability, just to name a few of the region’s priority areas.
Integral development is one of the four core
pillars of this organization, but, as I have often stated, it can be
argued that because of its multifaceted nature, it is the
determinant in how we progress as a region in the other primary
areas of our focus – democracy, security and human rights. Our
member states have recognized the interdependent and mutually
reinforcing nature of these pillars and continue to assign great
importance to the organization’s efforts in development.
In the last decade, Latin America and the Caribbean made significant
economic and social progress. A new report (ECLAC,
2015)
estimates that between 1990 and 2015, the region more than halved
the proportion of people living with less than $1.25 dollar per day
--from 12.6% in 1990 to 4.6% in 2011. Additionally, today’s figures
for labor participation and unemployment are at their best levels in
20 years and, as of 2015, 93% of young people between 15 and 19
years of age have finished primary education.
Yet, important challenges still remain. Not only is our region
commonly cited as the world's
most unequal, but persisting productivity gaps, lack of access to
quality education and the challenges imposed by climate change
disproportionately affect the most vulnerable populations in our
region, which threatens to exacerbate the already alarming levels of
inequality. In addition, experts agree that the region’s economic
growth will be much slower in years to come, going from an average
5% annual growth in the last decade to 2.2% in 2015 (World
Bank, 2014).
Further intensifying this low-growth scenario is the considerable
decrease in official development assistance (ODA) channeled by
donors to Latin America and the Caribbean, which ECLAC reports went
from representing 14% of total global ODA to 7.6% between 1960 and
the current decade. This trend is expected to endure as our region
continues to transition from a group of low-income to middle-income
countries.
In this context, the organization’s focus on
regional policy dialogue and technical cooperation for development
becomes ever-more relevant. By bringing together rich national
experiences and expertise from other sectors in a true partnership
for development, the OAS is well positioned to play an important
role in helping countries face existing development challenges in a
more resource-constrained environment.
Without a doubt, partnerships for sustainable
development – whether between member states or with other actors and
regions -- are fundamental to succeeding as a region in this area.
This imperative, which has traditionally powered the work of the
OAS, has been once again recognized in the
Sustainable Development Goals approved this month, which
will guide the new global development agenda until 2030 and that
will be a constant consideration in our work.
As
I
assume the role of OAS Executive Secretary for Integral Development,,
I look forward to continue working with member states, staff and
partners to advance the work entrusted to the Organization in the
area of development, in order to contribute to tracing a path of
prosperity, sustainability and inclusion for our region.
On a personal note, I am indeed looking forward
to having all of my team at the Secretariat working as a cohesive
whole with all heads, all hearts, all hands on deck to bring a
better quality of life to all of the peoples of the Americas. It is
our responsibility as leaders to strive for this, leaving this world
a better place than we met it.
Sincerely,
Amb. Neil
Parsan
Executive Secretary for Integral Development
Organization of American States
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