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CIDI of the OAS Receives Report on the Activities of SEDI and Elects Committee Chairs

The Inter-American Council for Integral Development (CIDI) of the Organization of American States (OAS) today received a report on the programs and activities of the Executive Secretariat for Integral Development (SEDI), and elected the Chairs of its committees, during a regular meeting held in Washington DC.

Upon opening the meeting, the new CIDI Chair and Permanent Representative of Trinidad and Tobago to the OAS, Neil Parsan, said that during his time as Chair, he would be guided by the principle that “the integral human development of individuals, families, communities and nations is multifaceted in the context of a just and peaceful society.” Moreover, he said the vision of his country for this period would focus on “specific priority areas that are crucial in actualizing a sustainable, competitive and diversified socioeconomic environment.” In that sense, he cited the need to join development with social justice, to address climate change, to promote equality of opportunities for inclusion and development and to analyze citizens’ quality of life, among other topics.

On another agenda item, the Executive Secretary for Integral Development of the OAS, Sherry Tross, presented an update on the programs and activities of SEDI. Secretary Tross summarized the activities of her Secretariat in “the axes of policy dialogue, technical cooperation, as well as capacity building and technical assistance.” Among these events, she mentioned the opening of an ethanol plan in Honduras that featured the presence of the Secretary General of the OAS, José Miguel Insulza, as well as activities in the areas of education and tourism, risk management, and climate change, among others.

At the end of today´s meeting, the CIDI elected Olga Maria Pérez Tuna, from the Mission of Guatemala, as Chair of the Committee on Migration Issues; Yadir Salazar Mejías, from the Mission of Colombia, to direct the Commission on Partnership for Development Policies; and Agustín Vasquez Gomez, of El Salvador, to head the Working Group to Strengthen CIDI and its Organs. Finally, the CIDI elected as members of the Committee of the Capital Fund for the OAS Scholarship and Training Programs the delegations of Brazil, Ecuador, United States, The Bahamas, and Haiti.

During the meeting, the representatives of Trinidad and Tobago, Bolivia, El Salvador, Jamaica, Peru, Ecuador, Mexico, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Chile Colombia and the United States took the floor.

A gallery of photos of the event is available here.

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

Reference: E-310/14