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ADDENDUM WILL STRENGTHEN OAS AND SICA COOPERATION

A two-day consultation between the Organization of American States (OAS) and the Central American Integration System (SICA) is laying the basis for deeper cooperation, through an addendum to a 1994 general cooperation agreement between the secretariats.

“The central elements of this addendum will be a reviewable cooperation program and a joint management mechanism between the [SICA] General Secretariat and ourselves so that we can monitor progress in the collaboration,” explained OAS Assistant Secretary General Albert R. Ramdin, who chaired today’s formal opening of consultations. “It will not stand on its own. We want to see much delivered within the next two years and beyond. We will manage, monitor and evaluate the relationship,” he stressed.

OAS Secretary General José Miguel Insulza, meanwhile, welcomed SICA Secretary General Aníbal Quiñonez and a delegation to the OAS headquarters as the OAS-SICA consultations formally got underway Tuesday morning to consider a wide-ranging agenda that includes work on the addendum that will set out specific cooperation programs and terms.

“We work on a lot of common issues, and therefore in many areas drawing up a common agenda is an easy undertaking,” Insulza remarked, adding that this meeting is especially timely as the OAS puts high premium on developing good relations and strengthening relations with other organizations. He also underscored the importance of closer cooperation with other integration organizations of the Americas, describing the hemisphere as “a region of regions” with sub-regions having their own special characteristics.

“Central America, as a region, has a lot that it can teach us,” added Secretary General Insulza, who also held a separate meeting with the SICA Secretary General. Insulza noted as well that the Central America region enjoys an “exemplary” relationship with the OAS.

The SICA Secretary General, for his part, emphasized the importance of this new phase of cooperation between his institution and the hemispheric OAS. According to Secretary General Quiñonez, the latest initiative for stepped-up OAS-SICA cooperation stems from the emphasis that the heads of state and government place on integration. They have acknowledged that “the things that unite us are much more than those that separate us, and are much more important,” said Quiñonez, who also outlined the evolution of SICA itself, and the “authentic integration process” that it represents.

He cited SICA’s collaboration with other institutions in the hemisphere, including the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), and remarked how the Caribbean and Central American regions “have much in common.”

The technical part of the OAS-SICA meeting had started Monday and involved comprehensive participation from the OAS technical units, explained the OAS Assistant Secretary General. He said that while the meeting is part of ongoing initiatives between the two organizations, it also has a historic aspect in being the first time since 1994 that the two general secretariats are meeting to work out a concrete program of collaboration.

The OAS’ Assistant Secretary General also explained that the addendum expected from this meeting would be signed by year-end. “It is a very pleasant occasion to start this collaboration with such a constructive and friendly environment,” he stated. Ramdin noted that while there are many areas in which the OAS and SICA are already collaborating, the present consultation “is an opportunity to basically link everything together under one roof.”

He also referred to the strengthening of relations between SICA and CARICOM as a natural partnership, and noted how the OAS is committed to contributing as required to the process of strengthening relations between CARICOM and SICA.

Honduras’ Permanent Representative to the OAS, Ambassador Carlos Sosa Coello, who is also Pro Tempore Chair of SICA in Washington, said he was excited about the meeting “because the fact that there are many integration efforts should not be reason for competition among the different efforts for hemispheric integration, for Central American integration, or for the integration of the Caribbean.”

Citing the strong cooperation between SICA and the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), Ambassador Sosa described the Caribbean as a “pluri-state region” with common history, culture, way of life, music, dance and art, among other elements. He also argued against the assumption that certain integration initiatives render others irrelevant. “That’s not the case,” he stressed. “Integration efforts should be incorporated into every agenda and with as many players as possible.”

The SICA delegation included Dante Ramírez, special advisor to the Secretary General; Carlos Roberto Pérez, economic affairs advisor; and Claudia Castro, regional security expert.

Among other OAS officials involved in the meeting with SICA were Secretary for Multidimensional Security Alexandre Addor-Neto; Secretary for Political Affairs Dante Caputo, represented by Director of Department of State Modernization and Governance Pablo Zúñiga; Executive Secretary for Integral Development Alfonso Quiñónez; and Carlos Echeverría, Advisor to the OAS Assistant Secretary General, who will follow-up from the OAS side, with Carlos Roberto Pérez doing so from the SICA side.

Reference: E-400/08