Media Center

Press Release

OAS Permanent Council Registered Civil Society Organizations and Received the New Representative of the Dominican Republic

The Permanent Council of the Organization of American States (OAS) today welcomed the new Permanent Representative of the Dominican Republic to the Organization, Pedro Vergés, during a regular meeting at its headquarters in Washington, DC in which it also registered six civil society organizations to participate in its activities.

Ambassador Vergés, who presented his credentials on November 1, said his country "is ready and willing to comply with all the guidelines of the Organization." The Dominican Permanent Representative stressed the historical links between his country and the Electoral Observation Missions (EOM) of the OAS, its contributions to the programs of access to public information of the Organization and its participation in the Inter-American System of Human Rights, among other issues.

In addition, Ambassador Vergés referred to the ruling 168/13 of the Constitutional Court of his country, considered by the Council on October 29 concerning the legal status of immigrants to the country and their descendants. The Dominican diplomat laid out two points of his government's position on the subject that he called "fundamental." "First, as a legitimate government that respects institutions, the government of President Danilo Medina complies with all the terms of the ruling of a court which is, as is the Constitutional Court, itself the result of a uniquely democratic process. And second, as a legitimate government that respects human rights, President Danilo Medina will do whatever is necessary to ensure that the regularization mechanism ordered by the ruling 168/13 is carried out with absolute transparency, justice, equity and most importantly, absolute respect for those affected by its decisions. "

The Dominican representative assured the members of the Permanent Council that the delegation of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) that will visit the country by invitation in the coming days will have "complete freedom to meet with whomever they want, whenever they want, and to observe as many aspects of the Dominican reality as they are interested in to draw whatever conclusions they deem necessary."

On another agenda item, the Council approved the inclusion six civil society organizations in the registry of the OAS: La Asociación Argentina de Usuarios de la Informática y las Comunicaciones (Argentina), la Fundación Contemporánea (Argentina), el Centro de Discapacitados Victimas de la Talidomida en Chile, el Instituto Centroamericano para los Estudios de la Democracia Social (Guatemala), la Asociación de Usuarios de Salud Mental San Martín de Porres (Perú) y the National Center for Persons with Disabilities (Trinidad y Tobago).
The session was chaired by the Permanent Representative of Antigua and Barbuda, Deborah-Mae Lovell, who assumed after the former Chair and Permanent Representative of Peru, Walter Albán, was appointed the Minister of Interior of his country. Several ambassadors congratulated Ambassador Lovell and expressed their best wishes to the new Minister Albán.

During the meeting, the representatives of Panama, Trinidad and Tobago (on behalf of CARICOM), Venezuela (on behalf of ALADI), Canada, the United States, Haiti, Mexico, Ecuador, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Chile, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Honduras, El Salvador, Brazil, Peru, and Colombia all took the floor.

A gallery of photos of the event is available here.

The video of the event is available here.

The audio of the event is available here.

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

Reference: E-451/13