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OAS HAILS GAVIRIA, IN FAREWELL AS HE CONCLUDES TEN-YEAR LEADERSHIP

In a stirring farewell, the Organization of American States Permanent Council today praised Secretary General César Gaviria, as he concluded his second and last five-year term at the helm of the hemispheric organization. The member state representatives hailed Gaviria for boosting the Organization’s reputation for promoting democracy, defending human rights and promoting conciliation in the hemisphere.

During a protocolary session of the Permanent Council, chaired by Nicaragua’s Permanent Representative Ambassador Cármen Marina Gutiérrez, the member state delegations credited Gaviria’s ten-year leadership with increasing substantially the Organization’s credibility and relevance. They described him as a champion of inter-American cooperation, citing his role in developing the landmark Inter-American Democratic Charter adopted three years ago.

According to the Permanent Council Chair, “Gaviria certainly adapted to the times and understood very well the need for change.” Among other things, she pointed to Gaviria’s initiatives to strengthen and restructure the human rights system; his unwavering commitment to fighting corruption; and his role in promoting confidence-building measures to help member states settle their border or territorial disputes.

Ecuador’s Ambassador, Marcelo Hervas, speaking on behalf of the ALADI group of countries, said, “The Secretary General took on risks in trying to bring about positive change in our hemisphere.” He noted that Gaviria thus “helped to diffuse tensions and facilitated dialogue between the parties involved, whenever problems or political crises arose in some of countries.”

Canada’s Ambassador, Paul Durand, said the Canadian government is deeply grateful to Gaviria for his contribution to the Organization and to the hemisphere. He underscored how Gaviria helped the OAS “become a more relevant, better adapted institution to meet the challenges of both this hemisphere and this new century.”

Representing the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) delegations, St. Vincent and the Grenadines Ambassador Ellsworth John asserted that, under Gaviria, the OAS has become “a force to be reckoned with on issues related to democracy and good governance.”

Meanwhile, in highlighting Gaviria’s interest in intensifying OAS efforts to strengthen security and combat terrorism in the Americas, United States Ambassador John Maisto noted the Secretary General’s initiatives to combat illegal drug consumption and production and corruption. Underscoring Gaviria’s direction and hands-on role in electoral observation missions, Maisto said, “There is no doubt OAS electoral observation missions now have a permanent place in the hemisphere.”

Reviewing Mr. Gaviria’s leadership, Ambassador Abigail Castro de Pérez of El Salvador, representing the Central American Group GRUCA), stated that “the Organization’s network of agreements with a variety of organizations has flourished, as it has implemented its Summit action plans… thereby accomplishing more with less.”

In his remarks, OAS Assistant Secretary General Luigi Einaudi touched on the hemispheric Summits process and how the international respect Gaviria enjoys helped to bring about an important role for OAS. “The Secretary General used his intelligence and his political acumen extraordinarily well to make this transformation possible,” said Einaudi.

For his part, Secretary General Gaviria expressed appreciation for the opportunity and support he received over the past ten years at the helm of the OAS. He observed that those ten years “saw the hemispheric agenda increasingly expand in scope. “Specific instruments have been created to empower the OAS in new areas,” he declared, adding, “the OAS has become a dynamic institution that quickly responds, even without resources and has learned to speedily address requests from member states.”

Citing the OAS’ role in peaceful settlement of disputes, the outgoing Secretary General said that whether disputes are between or within states, the OAS has pursued its efforts “with neutrality and has developed important mediation and good offices mechanisms.”

Among those on hand for the Permanent Council farewell to Mr. Gaviria were the U.S. Undersecretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs, Roger Noriega, and OAS Secretary General-elect Miguel Ángel Rodríguez, as well as representatives of observer states and organizations.

Reference: E-142/04