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OAS Secretary General Participates in Inter-American Defense College Graduation

The Secretary General of the Organization of American States, José Miguel Insulza, today highlighted the importance of the “integrating role” of the armed forces of the Americas, in an address delivered during the 51st Graduation Ceremony at the Inter-American Defense College (IADC) in which he stressed that the hemisphere has evolved into one in which “peace and democracy predominate,” that faces new challenges that demand “a close collaboration” between national forces.

The chief representative of the OAS referred to the Declaration on Security in the Americas, adopted in Mexico in 2003, as “one of the main instruments of our organization.” The Declaration “established a multidimensional scope on issues of security and defense in the hemisphere,” he said. Insulza added that this had taken on particular importance due to the growing influence of transnational organized crime, “whose presence constitutes one of the greatest threats to democratic stability, institutional strengthening, the rule of law and economic development in the region.”

“These are times for cooperation between us,” emphasized the Secretary General, “and the armed forces of the region also have an integrating role, because security problems often transcend national borders and demand the solidarity of neighbors.” As an example of the benefits of this kind of solidarity, he cited the participation of several armies and personnel from 15 countries in the region in the United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti, which he called an example of “the will of our democratic governments to openly accept their regional responsibilities.”

Insulza emphasized the role the armed forces should play in the context of the return of the region to the path of democracy, and that includes “providing fundamental support for strengthening peace and cooperation between us: mutual confidence measures, transparency in information and explanation regarding the acquisition of new armaments, as well as the fulfillment of common military exercises, are proof of that,” in the framework of interaction within the hemisphere and the determination to confront new transnational challenges.

The Chair of the 51st Class, Carolina Ramirez, thanked the Secretary General for his presence and spoke of the training the new graduates have received to work “for the benefit of the wellbeing and the development of our peoples.” She underlined that the program of studies at the IADC represented a great opportunity for the graduates, but also a responsibility to “fight for an ever more secure hemisphere.”

The IADC graduated 62 students today, among them military officials, members of national police forces and civilian officials from 15 countries. The program lasted 11 months and included post-graduate courses on international governmental systems, the current international political context, the functioning of the Inter-American System, and regional security challenges. The graduation ceremony took place at the headquarters of the OAS in Washington, DC.

Over its history, more than 2,500 students have graduated from the IADC, among them the current President of Guatemala, Otto Perez Molina, and the former Presidents Michelle Bachelet, from Chile, and Lucio Gutierrez, from Ecuador.

A gallery of photos of the event is available here.

The video of the event is available here.

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

Reference: E-225/12