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OAS and Civil Society Discuss Anti-Drugs Policies in the Americas, the Central Theme of the next General Assembly

The Organization of American States (OAS) today inaugurated the 10th Hemispheric Forum with Civil Society and Social Actors, "Toward a Comprehensive Anti-Drug Policy in the Americas," which will be the focus of the 43rd General Assembly of the regional body to be held from June 4 to 6 in Antigua, Guatemala.

The Chair of the Permanent Council and Permanent Representative of Panama to the OAS, Ambassador Arturo Vallarino, expressed his satisfaction at "seeing the representatives of civil society in our countries occupy the same chairs in which we debate on a daily basis the priority issues in the region and seek collective solutions to our common challenges and problems."

In relation to the central theme of the General Assembly, the Panamanian diplomat said the fight against drug trafficking has been high on the agenda of countries in recent years because drug trafficking "is associated with organized crime, which breeds corruption and insecurity to the detriment of democratic values, and affects the rule of law."

Ambassador Vallarino said that the draft Declaration of the General Assembly "calls our attention to the need to deal effectively with the challenges, risks and vulnerabilities of the drug problem in the Americas together through comprehensive strategies." In this regard, he warned that "we know that government cannot solve this issue alone," and noted that "the OAS has a long history in terms of citizen participation, and we are aware of the contributions that citizens can make to the work of the organization, raising new elements in the debate and providing expert advice in some cases."

For his part, the OAS Secretary for External Relations, Alfonso Quiñonez, highlighted the importance of civil society participation in OAS activities. "We recognize the efforts made by civil society organizations and their representatives to participate in the Hemispheric Forum each year, as well as other meetings of the organization," he said.

"The forum we are holding has two purposes. First, it gives you an opportunity to hear firsthand the vision of the government of Guatemala, as the host country, on the theme for the next General Assembly," said Ambassador Quiñonez. "Secondly, it offers a space to discuss and share experiences, ideas and best practices in the fight against drugs in order to develop recommendations to Member States, which will contribute substantially to the deliberations of governments on the draft Declaration of Antigua," he added.

Regarding the central theme of the General Assembly, Ambassador Quiñonez said: "this is a complex issue that requires a multidimensional approach, because the fight against drugs has implications for public safety, governance, health, social and economic development, as well as human rights."

The Permanent Representative of Guatemala to the OAS, Ambassador Rodrigo Vielmann, said the issue of drugs presented by his country for debate in the General Assembly "is complex, of great interest to society, and is particularly important for the President of Guatemala, Otto Pérez Molina, domestically." He further noted that "the drug problem is not new; today it is framed in a regulatory framework that dates back 50 years, derived from several United Nations conventions."

He explained that "Central America is caught in the transit between the south and the north, where drugs flow in one direction, and guns and cash flow in the opposite direction, which turns our region into a victim of a process in which our societies have seen an increase in social problems linked to drugs." The Guatemalan diplomat added, "This scenario makes clear the urgent need for a collective effort to respond to the drug problem."

For his part, the OAS Director of the Department of External Relations, Jorge Sanin, explained that the holding of the Forum with Civil Society before the General Assembly is a mandate from the OAS Permanent Council. "This conference aims to provide an opportunity for civil society to exchange ideas and develop proposals and recommendations on the main theme of the General Assembly," said Sanin.

Sanin explained that at the end of the day, the participating civil society organizations will elect three spokespeople who will present their recommendations in a special meeting of the Committee on Inter-American Summits Management and Civil Society Participation in OAS Activities (CISC), tomorrow, Friday May 10, which will be held at the OAS main building in Washington, DC.

A gallery of photos of the event is available here.

The B-roll of the event is available here.

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

Reference: E-184/13