OAS Secretary General meets with President of the United Nations General Assembly

June 4, 2013

The Secretary General of the Organization of American States (OAS), José Miguel Insulza, met with the President of the 67th session of the General Assembly of the United Nations (UN), Vuk Jeremic, with whom he spoke about the role of international agencies in promoting sustainable development.

At the meeting, which took place within the framework of the during the 43 OAS General Assembly, in Antigua, Guatemala, Secretary General Insulza thanked former minister Jeremic for the commitment he had shown toward supporting the activities of the OAS through his uninterrupted attendance at the last seven meetings of the hemispheric body.

In turn, President Jeremic extended an invitation for Secretary General Insulza "to provide a Latin American perspective" during the debate on sustainable development that is to take place at the UN General Assembly in New York City next September.

OAS participates in Third High Level Meeting of the Inter-Regional Dialogue on Democracy

May 27-28

The Assistant Secretary General of the Organization of American States (OAS), Ambassador Albert R. Ramdin represented the Organization in the Third High Level Meeting of the Inter-Regional Dialogue on Democracy, held in Brussels, Belgium under the theme “Upholding and Strengthening the Rule of Law in our Regions”.

The Meeting -organized by International IDEA – was attended by the leaders of the world’s major regional organizations, namely the African Union, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), the League of Arab States, the Pacific Islands Forum (PIF), the OAS and the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC), in addition to the European Commission which hosted the meeting.

“Today's Meeting of the Inter-Regional Dialogue on Democracy is an excellent example of political dialogue among regional and international organizations for democracy building processes” said European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso in his welcoming remarks.

The Meeting recognized that the Rule of Law implies that all persons, institutions and entities, public and private, including the State itself, are accountable to just, fair and equitable laws and are entitled without any discrimination to equal protection of the law. It further recognized efforts by the OAS to implement the Inter-American Democratic Charter, the continued advancement of the Inter-American Human Rights System, and the achievements of the OAS in the field of regional legal cooperation.

Ambassador Ramdin also called for regional organizations to work together and share experiences and best practices in order to support to their Member States in their efforts to draft legislation that is responsive to the needs of today’s world, as well as to help them increase their capacity to provide innovative strategies for equitable access to justice.  

The Inter-Regional Dialogue on Democracy is a platform for engagement among regional organizations on democracy and related issues based on the belief that that the individual and joint experiences of the Regional Organizations constitute a unique and valuable resource that needs to be further harnessed,  taking into account the differences in mandates, context, character and capacity among the organizations. It was officially launched at the headquarters of the OAS in Washington DC on April 15, 2011.

OAS Participates in the Alliance of Civilizations’ Group of Friends Meeting

May 13, 2013

A delegation of the OAS participated in the meeting of the Group of Friends of the Alliance of Civilizations, held at UN Headquarters in New York. In his opening remarks, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon underscored the importance of the six-year old intercultural Alliance amid a fast-changing global backdrop of demographic changes and technological advancements.

“At a time of tension, mistrust, and violence between communities, we knew that we needed a forum for listening: listening to the concerns, hopes and aspirations of people on all sides, and then, galvanizing them to work together on shared challenges,” Mr. Ban told the gathered delegates.

He added that the creation of the Alliance in 2005 through the initiative of Spain and Turkey, and under UN auspices, established a much-needed forum where civil society, governments and the private sector could learn from each other and “stand up for tolerance and inclusivity and against extremism and polarization.”

“We have created a globally recognized initiative that now attracts thousands to its annual meetings, engages millions around the world through its social media campaigns, and directly benefits young people by empowering them through youth-led projects”. However, Mr. Ban noted, the Alliance’s past successes did not exclude it from future improvements.

“How do we strengthen the Alliance’s ability to act where others do not or cannot on their own?” he asked before stating that now was “the moment to refine and enhance” the Alliance’s efforts.

In his address to the meeting, Nassir Abdulaziz Al-Nasser, the UN High Representative for the Alliance, similarly highlighted the initiative’s role in uniting cross-cultural communities despite pervasive economic and social difficulties the world over.

“This is a testing time for the international community. We face urgent political challenges, from Africa to the Middle East to the Asia Pacific Region. We also face serious development challenges, from the aftermath of the economic crisis to climate change,” cautioned Mr. Al-Nasser.

“At such times, we need to pull together, showing that multilateralism can serve people in a meaningful way as stipulated in the UN Charter,” he continued.

The meeting was attended by delegations from the countries and organizations around the worlds that are part of the Group of Friends of the Alliance of Civilizations.

OAS Signs Cooperation Agreement with IICA

May 1, 2013

The Secretary General of the Organization of American States (OAS), José Miguel Insulza, and the Director General of the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA), Victor Villalobos, a cooperation agreement between the two organizations.

Following the initialing of the agreement, Secretary General Insulza said the document "will allow us to move towards a more fluid dialogue, a more coordinated exchange of experiences and information and the development of the synergies necessary to achieve our goals."

"Many times when we speak of agriculture, we speak of commodities," said Secretary General Insulza. "I would say that agricultural products require much greater economic development, much greater competitiveness, greater production with higher quality, and continuous improvement in nutritional status, and therefore we have a tremendous task ahead of us," added the leader of the hemispheric organization.

The future of agriculture in the region, said the Secretary General, depends in large part on improving conditions "in technology, irrigation, information, marketing, increasing our productivity and competitiveness and improving living conditions in rural areas." "Those are the challenges," concluded Secretary General Insulza," and I am very pleased with this agreement."

For his part, Director General Villalobos said that the agreement "strengthens this already close and complementary relationship with our mother organization.” He highlighted the commitment of IICA "to continue working in our trench, which is agriculture, the basis of nutrition." He indicated that agriculture "is part of the most important activity undertaken by human beings."

"I would like to thank the OAS, on behalf of all farmers and the staff of IICA and myself, for this relationship, and for this welcome which has made IICA what it is today, after 70 years," concluded Director General Villalobos.

UNESCO Director-General participates in OAS Lecture Series of the Americas

April 19, 2013
Washington, DC

The Director-General of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), Irina Bokova joined the Secretary General of the Organization of American States (OAS), José Miguel Insulza for a discussion on education policy in the Americas at the 51st OAS Lecture Series. , today called for a "new effort" to improve the quality of education in the Americas entitled "Promoting Human Development and Quality Education in the Americas".

In his opening remarks at the event, the Secretary General Insulza said, regarding the issues of education and human development, "we have worked intensely on them, but we must be able to evaluate our results and prepare for the next push, the next effort to substantially improve the quality of education at all levels" in the region.

Secretary General Insulza recalled that the OAS has a long history of working together with UNESCO on various issues, "including the Educational Portal of the Americas, the scientific developments in our programs of Water Resources; the use of mobile technologies, and issues related to the Haitian diaspora, among others." He acknowledged that major challenges remain to quality education in the region, but said that "this is a priority for our organization."

For her part, the Director-General of UNESCO stressed that “education today remains our foremost priority. It is the center of our fight for human rights, human dignity and human security. Education drives development and prosperity. So rights, security and prosperity, these are the overarching goals of the OAS and are also in UNESCO´s DNA.”

“The world is changing,” said the senior UN official, “the 21st century will be built on knowledge societies, that are inclusive and that harness the full power of science technology and innovation. Not investing in education jeopardizes the future of people and of nations,” she said.

Before the event, Secretary General Insulza met privately with the UNESCO Director-General at the headquarters of the OAS General Secretariat in Washington, DC. They discussed the challenges to improving the quality of education in the region, and the roles of their organizations in achieving that goal.

OAS reinforces cooperation with UNAIDS

April 17, 2013
Washington, DC

The Secretary General of the OAS met with the Executive Director of UNAIDS, Michel Sidibé to discuss the state of cooperation between both organizations, the state of democracy in the Americas and discuss possible activities that the OAS and UNAIDS may undertake in the near future to support international efforts to fight the spread of HIV and promote affordable access to treatment.

During the meeting, Executive Director Sidibé updated Secretary General Insulza on the work of UNAIDS, the main advocate for accelerated, comprehensive and coordinated global action on the HIV/AIDS epidemic.

Secretary General Jose Miguel Insulza gave an overview of the efforts that OAS has undertaken through the Inter-American Commission of Women (CIM) and the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) regarding HIV-AIDS education.

Both leaders agreed on the need to strengthen ties and identify specific areas for cooperation and develop a plan of action within the next few months, incorporating a gender perspective as a cross-cutting issue.

OAS Participates in Working Group of the United Nations Commission on International Trade Law (UNCITRAL)

April 12, 2013
New York, NY

The Organization of American States (OAS) participated in the twenty-third session of the Working Group VI (Security Interests) of the United Nations Commission on International Trade Law (UNCITRAL) held at the New York headquarters from 8 to 12 April 2013.

As part of the OAS/CIDA Cooperation Plan for 2012-2015, the Department of International Law is in charge of the OAS Secured Transactions Project aimed at implementing secured transactions reform, based on the Model Inter-American Law on Secured Transactions, its Model Registry Regulations and other international instruments on the topic.

The participation of the OAS in these meetings built on increased awareness of the crucial role played by secured transactions reform in the promotion of equitable access to credit in Latin American and Caribbean countries and to address the need for building capacity in OAS Member States to adopt and implement international instruments on the topic.

La Francophonie at the OAS Permanent Council

April 10, 2013
Washington, DC

The Permanent Representative of the Organisation Internationale de La Francophonie to the United Nations, Ambassador Filippe Savadogo addressed the Permanent Council of the OAS as part of the day-long celebration of French language and culture.

In his address, Ambassador Savadogo reflected on the importance of the cooperation between both organizations, and how joint work will create better opportunities for the progress in the region. The Ambassador expressed his gratitude on behalf of the OIF to the OAS for promoted the International month of the Francophonie.

“The IOF and the OAS shared many common goals; both organisms signed on September 27, 2012 in New York a Memorandum of Understanding to strengthen their relations. The areas of cooperation identified in the framework agreement highlight the Francophonie’s role in service of peace, democracy, strengthening the rule of law, respect for human rights and conflict prevention and human security” said Ambassador Savadogo.

The OIF Representative also emphasized in the significance of diversity and culture as key factors for development, highlighting cultural values as a vehicle to promote peace, development, promotion of democracy and human rights.

Ambassador Savadogo’s presentation was followed by a reception hosted by the Permanent Missions of Canada, Dominica, the Dominican Republic, Haiti, St. Lucia and the Permanent Observer Mission of France to the OAS.

OAS Participates in Consultation/Workshop on the African Union Diaspora Flagship Legacy Projects

March 25, 2013
Washington, DC

The OAS, represented by the Director of the Department of International Affairs, Mr. Jorge Sanín, participated in the Consultation/Workshop on the African Union Diaspora Flagship Legacy Projects co-organized by the African Union Commission and the World Bank.

The Workshop is one of many follow-up activities to the first African Global Diaspora Summit held in Sandton, South Africa on 25 May 2012, which ended with the adoption of a Declaration that would serve as the fundamental law of the African Union Diaspora Program.

Mr. Sanin spoke about the experience of the OAS working with the Haitian diaspora in the aftermath of the massive earthquake that shook Haiti on January 12, 2010, mobilizing the Haitian Diaspora. He recalled that the OAS convened the Haitian Diaspora Forum at the Headquarters of the Organization on March 22-23, 2010 in an effort to support the Diaspora as it strove to coordinate and channel its capacities and resources for the rebuilding of their homeland.

Talking about lessons learned from the Haitian Diaspora Forum, he stressed the need for re-directing remittances into investment for development, allowing Diaspora to retain their citizenship, and creating the mechanisms that allow for the validation of foreign credentials, thus allowing for an easier flow of skilled professionals who may wish to return to their home country to use their skills.

The OAS General Assembly adopted Resolution AG/RES. 2419 on June 3, 2008, calling for deeper cooperation between the African Union and the OAS, in particular on areas of common interest to “include inter alia democracy promotion”. This framework document became the Memorandum of Understanding between the General Secretariat of the Organization of American States and the Commission of the African Union signed on October 1, 2009.

President of the International Criminal Police Organization (INTERPOL)

February 26, 2013
Washington, DC

OAS Secretary General José Miguel Insulza met with the head of Interpol, Ms. Ballestrazi to explore possibilities for cooperation to build upon the existing agreement between the OAS and Interpol, dated May 2, 2000, which enables the parties to jointly benefit from closer collaboration for the prevention and suppression of crime, including but not limited to corruption, terrorism, illicit drug trafficking, illicit firearms trafficking, economic crimes, and fraud.

During the meeting, Secretary General Insulza highlighted the work of the Inter-American Committee against Terrorism (CICTE) to prevent attacks and protect the people of the Americas, as well as the Organization’s multidimensional approach to security. The Secretary for Multidimensional Security, Ambassador Adam Blackwell, was also present to further explain ongoing initiatives of the OAS.

For her part, President Ballestrazzi highlighted how Interpol approaches the challenges posed by the threat of terrorism and organized crime, and how Interpol is working on these topics around the region. And expressed a great interest in the region’s efforts to curb the flow and consumption of illegal drugs as well as the resulting violence and criminal activities, such as money laundering.

With 190 member countries, INTERPOL is the largest international police organization, and its role is to support and assist all organizations, authorities and services to prevent or combat international crime.

OAS Secretary General Participates in Meeting of the Informal Advisory Panel of the President of the 67th United Nations General Assembly

February 21-22, 2013
Paris, France

The Secretary General of the OAS), José Miguel Insulza, participated in the High Level Meeting of the Informal Advisory Panel of the President of the United Nations General Assembly, convened by the President of the General Assembly and former Minister of Foreign Affairs of Serbia, Vuk Jeremic, under the theme “The Future of the United Nations in a Challenging World”.

Other notable participants included former Swiss President and Foreign Minister Micheline Calmy-Rey, and the former Foreign Ministers of Spain, Indonesia, and Kuwait, Miguel Ángel Moratinos, Hassan Wirajuda and Mohammed Sabah Al Salem Al Sabah, respectively.

The members of the Informal Advisory Panel discussed the contemporary global challenges facing the UN as well as the role of the United Nations in setting and supporting the global development agenda, the institutional reform of the UN and budgetary matters.

United Nations Secretary-General, Ban Ki-moon Meets with OAS Secretary General and OAS Permanent Council

February 13, 2013
Washington, DC

The Secretary General of the United Nations (UN), Ban Ki-Moon paid a visit to the headquarters of the OAS to meet with OAS Secretary General José Miguel Insulza and address the Permanent Council of the OAS.

During the meeting, the two leaders discussed the political context in Latin America and the Caribbean, with special emphasis on the situation in Haiti, where the OAS, through its representative, and the UN, through the United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH), work closely. The two leaders also spoke about the role of the OAS in Colombia through the Mission to Support the Peace Process (MAPP/OEA), integration policies in the different sub-regions of the hemisphere, and issues related to hemispheric migration.

Secretary General Insulza updated Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on the progress made on the Report on the Drug Problem commissioned by the Heads of State and Government of the region at the Summit of the Americas in 2012. The UN Secretary-General showed a particular interest in the electoral processes underway in the region.

The meeting was followed by a Protocolary Meeting of the OAS Permanent Council, where he addressed the Permanent Representatives from OAS Member States, as well as OAS Officials and special guests from the diplomatic community. In his welcoming remarks, Secretary General Insulza recalled that the Americas and the United Nations have “forged deep and broad cooperation ties, an unparalleled level of collaboration that dates from its creation. Our region, a pioneer of multilateralism, did not hesitate in supporting the new international system that came into being at the San Francisco Conference in 1945. Of the 50 founding member states of the United Nations, 22 are from the Americas and are members of this Organization”.

For his part, the UN Secretary-General recognized the OAS as the world’s oldest regional organization and stressed the importance of an even deeper strategic partnership among us, declaring himself convinced “that the United Nations can play a greater role in your region — just as your region can play an ever more important role in the UN. The time is right. You have experiences to share … ideas to spread … energy to help fuel global solutions”.

The Protocolary Meeting was followed by a private luncheon for the UN Delegation, hosted by the Secretary General of the OAS.

Secretary General José Miguel Insulza meets with Incoming PAHO Director, Dr. Carissa Etienne

February 7, 2013
Washington, DC

The Secretary General of the Organization of American States José Miguel Insulza paid a visit to the headquarters of the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) to meet with its incoming Director, Dr. Carissa Etienne and wish her well as she undertakes the many challenges of her new role.

Secretary General Insulza and Director Etienne discussed the joint work of the OAS and PAHO, most notably in Group of Friends of Haiti; the use of ICTs for health improvement; drug abuse; gender issues; childhood welfare; agriculture and rural health. The Secretary General highlighted the work of the PAHO in its regional strategy for the control of non-contagious diseases.

Their meeting also included a discussion of the valuable input that PAHO has provided to the OAS for the preparation of the Report on the Drug Problem in the Americas, which the OAS is preparing in response to a mandate from the Sixth Summit of the Americas, which took place in April, 2012, in Cartagena de Indias, Colombia.

Dr. Etienne was elected Director of PAHO at the 28th Pan American Sanitary Conference in 2012; her term will run from February 1, 2013 until February 1, 2018.

“From Our Hearts to the Americas”: The OAS hosts photo exhibit showcasing the humanitarian work of the Sovereign Order of Malta in the Americas

January 23, 2013
Washington, DC

The Organization of American States (OAS) in collaboration with the Sovereign Military Hospitaller Order of St. John of Jerusalem of Rhodes and of Malta hosted a photography exhibition “From Our Hearts to the Americas”, followed by a reception on January 23rd at the Hall of the Americas at OAS Headquarters.

The OAS Secretary for External Relations, Ambassador Alfonso Quiñónez highlighted how the work of the Order of Malta has touched the lives of many people in our region and around the world in their hour of need, especially through its medical and reconstruction missions in countries like Haiti and the Dominican Republic, where natural disasters have struck recently.

Ambassador Prezemyslaw Jan Hauser, Ambassador-at-large of the Order of Malta to South America discussed some of the programs that the Order carries out all over the region to help the most vulnerable population: homeless and disabled children, HIV positive mothers and infants, and those living in poverty.

The event featured a short video presentation about the Order of Malta as well as dozens of photographs showcasing the humanitarian work of the Order in Latin America.

OAS Secretary General and the President of the World Bank discuss stronger cooperation and closer ties

January 16, 2013
Washington, DC

The Secretary General of the OAS, José Miguel Insulza met with the President of the World Bank, Dr. Jim Yong Kim at the World Bank’s headquarters to discuss the most relevant issues of the hemispheric agenda as well as to explore avenues for closer cooperation.

During their meeting, Dr. Insulza and Dr, Kim highlighted the value of the synergies that have developed when both organizations have worked together to reach common goals and expressed their desire to become more engaged in each other’s work within the scope of their respective mandates. In the past decade, cooperation between the World Bank and the OAs has centered on the Joint Summit Working Group and supporting the implementation of projects in the field of sustainable development, and the goal is to extend cooperation to other areas.

Also present at the meeting were Ambassador Hugo de Zela (Chief Staff of the Secretary General), Ambassador Alfonzo Quiñónez (Secretary for External Relations, OAS), Mr. Hasan Tuluy (Vice President, Latin America and Caribbean, World Bank) and Mr. J. Humberto Lopez (Deputy Chief of Staff, World Bank).

The World Bank Group has underpinned Latin America and the Caribbean’s development agenda. $ 6.6 billion in new loans were approved in fiscal year 2012.