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OAS Permanent Council Receives the President of Paraguay, Federico Franco

The Permanent Council of the Organization of American States (OAS) today received, in a protocolary meeting, the President of the Republic of Paraguay, Federico Franco, who spoke about the economic and social progress achieved by his country and expressed his gratitude for the support and cooperation provided by the hemispheric organization during the transition process in the country.

In his address, President Franco reiterated his commitment to upholding and defending the principles of democracy, self-determination and respect for human rights and to ensuring the continuity of the democratic process in the country "through the transfer of power that will occur after the general elections that will be observed by the organization that welcomes me today.”

"From the highest position in the Republic I have the satisfaction of leading a government composed of fellow citizens, who have weathered difficult conditions, and have turned the adversity imposed upon them into an opportunity, which has allowed for the design and implementation of public policies clearly and unequivocally aimed at improving education, health care and infrastructure, to carry out an effective fight against poverty," said the Paraguayan President as he recounted the achievements in the areas of investment, sustainable growth, macroeconomic stability , social inclusion, tax equity, and human rights, among other areas.

"We hope that the next government will follow our example and continue the social programs initiated in previous years, so that they become state policies that benefit all Paraguayans," said President Franco and added that his country "has become one of the countries with the largest number of agreements signed and complied with in terms of friendly settlements,” and affirmed that these instruments "reflect the political will of our government to seek and find satisfactory solutions for all parties, within the framework of the Inter-American Convention on Human Rights."

In welcoming President Franco, the OAS Secretary General, José Miguel Insulza, acknowledged the work "he has done since taking over the presidency of Paraguay, in a particularly complex period of the history of his country." "Your task has not been easy; nevertheless, you have remained firm in your purpose, aware of the unequivocal commitment you made to democracy and to the Paraguayan people, beyond the challenges presented," he said.

In his address, the head of the hemispheric organization referred to the elections that will take place on April 21 and highlighted the will "to implement an electoral process that will allow progress in strengthening democracy in your country." He also noted that the OAS is contributing to this process through an Electoral Observation and Political Accompaniment Mission led by former President of Costa Rica and Nobel Peace Prize Winner, Óscar Arias.

Secretary General Insulza mentioned the Paraguayan government’s effort to respond to the social and economic demands of its people, "to achieve growth with social equity, prioritizing the basic needs of health, education, social inclusion and reform," and lauded the progress made in the area of ​​women's rights. "I take this opportunity to reiterate to you and the Paraguayan people our firm willingness to collaborate in all of these efforts," he said.

Finally he said that the organization he leads "is committed to the democratic progress of its Member States, which are what ultimately represent the strengthening of the institution." The situation experienced in Paraguay, he said, as well as the "discussions in the OAS itself, following the institutional crisis, have served to strengthen our commitment to democracy and, above all, to deepen the analysis on how to improve the preventive implementation of our Inter-American instruments."

For his part, the Chair of the Permanent Council and Representative of Panama to the OAS, Ambassador Arturo Vallarino, acknowledged "the efficient work" that President Franco has done since assuming the presidency of his country, and confirmed that the organization "is constantly committed to and vigilant of the democratic gains of its Member States." In this regard, he referred to the Electoral Observation Mission that has already been deployed in the country and noted the efforts being made to ensure respect for human rights, transparency, inclusiveness and the free exercise of the vote in the elections of April 21.

"We must highlight the significance for young Paraguayans of the strong investment in public education made during your short tenure at the head of the government of the country. The national goals designed by you and your team of government in order to build a new Paraguay respond to the noblest aspirations of building a just society and to realize the development and benefit of the people. All of this deserves our recognition," he concluded.

In front of the Permanent Council, President Franco thanked the OAS "for all the support it has given to our country in a historic way in these past 10 months, during which Paraguay has gone through a very delicate stage in its history." The Paraguayan President added that, "in its capacity as the oldest and most prestigious Inter-American institution, the OAS has demonstrated its wisdom and moderation."

With regard to this month’s general elections, the Paraguayan President recalled that his country "is not unfamiliar with transparent electoral processes, with broad participation by observers from international organizations that we ourselves require as a guarantee." "On April 21, all Paraguayans without distinction will attend the polls to cast their vote, certain that at the end of the day democracy will be the main winner, showing that in Paraguay sovereignty resides and will always reside in the Paraguayan people, "he said.

President Franco concluded his presentation to the Council recalling the promise he made from his first day as Constitutional President of the Republic of Paraguay, "to hand over the government to whomever is elected to succeed me, next August 15, 2013, as provided for in the Constitution that I have sworn to uphold."

A gallery of photos of the event is available here.

The video of the event will be available here.

The B-roll of the event is available here.

The audio of the event is available here.

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

Reference: E-125/13