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OAS SECRETARY GENERAL CALLS FOR COOPERATION ON SECURITY IN THE AMERICAS AT OPENING OF MINISTERIAL MEETING IN DOMINICANA

Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. The Secretary General of the Organization of American States (OAS), José Miguel Insulza, called Wednesday for closer cooperation among authorities in the hemisphere to fight crime and violence, during his speech at the opening ceremony of the Second Meeting of Ministers Responsible for Public Security in the Americas (MISPA II), which will take place today and tomorrow in Santo Domingo.

“We have only one goal, and that is to have a region where the levels of crime and violence are comparable to those in the world’s most developed countries. And we can only succeed if we walk together,” Secretary General Insulza said.

The head of the OAS took part in an event chaired by the Vice-President of the Dominican Republic, Rafael Alburquerque. Also participating was the Secretary of State of the Interior and Police of the host country, Franklin Almeyda. The meeting, with participation of almost all OAS State Members, takes place at the headquarters of the Dominican Ministry of Foreign Relations.

During his speech, Secretary General Insulza expressed his “convictions that the security of our citizens is not a utopia or an impossible dream, but something that is increasingly demanding more work from our governments and security forces and police.”

The OAS Secretary General, who expressed his gratitude to the Dominican Republic for hosting the meeting and to all national and international representatives for “the support given” to MISPA II, highlighted that the meeting is only the second step on a long road towards greater coordination in matters of security in a region that has the world’s highest crime rates.

“We are only at the beginning. We have started walking a path, and we see this meeting as a chance to take great steps forward,” he added.

Secretary Almeyda showed his full support for the goals of the meeting and called all in attendance to do the same. “Governments have to become involved with the OAS, adopt public policies easily recognizable and with clearly defined indicators, so that we can measure criminality rates, elaborate public policies and launch great efforts.”

“We need to be in agreement to do it all together. And reaching an agreement is one of the goals of this meeting of public security,” added Secretary Almeyda.

The Second Meeting of Ministers Responsible for Public Security in the Americas will address issues such as the prevention of violence, public policies, the fight against organized crime and the exchange of experiences related to police intelligence. Besides representatives from almost all OAS Member States, the meeting also will feature presentations of representatives of INTERPOL, the Inter-American Development Bank (IADB) and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), among others.

One of the top objectives of the meeting is the approval of the creation of a “School of Higher Learning on Public Safety,” which would offer training and education related to management of public safety to high-level police and civil officials in the hemisphere. The proposal for the School is based on a study of feasibility about the best ways of strengthening training and education of personnel charged with matters of public security in the region, a study that will be presented on the second day of the meeting.

Reference: E-363/09