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OAS Secretary General Says the Americas Need Institutional and Fiscal Reforms, and to Strengthen the Separation and Independence of the Branches of Government

The Secretary General of the Organization of American States (OAS), José Miguel Insulza, said today that countries in the region need to make institutional and fiscal reforms to strengthen their democracies in order to end inequality, and also noted that leaders in the Hemisphere must respect the separation of powers and understand that democracy goes beyond periodic elections.

Invited by the American Bar Association (ABA) to deliver the keynote address at the fall meeting of its Section of International Law, which is taking place in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Secretary General Insulza made an analysis of economic growth in Latin America over the last decade, a time in which 70 million people were lifted from poverty, with the rate declining from 43 per cent of the population in 2002 to 28% in 2012. “The demands have grown, because there is greater democracy and because large portions of the population are moving out of extreme poverty and exclusion and are calling for more and more opportunities.”

“Institutional and fiscal reforms for dealing with the new circumstances are essential for strengthening democracies to handle the realities of a region that, though no longer poor, remains fundamentally unfair. Politics, particularly democratic politics, is not simply a matter of values or principles; it also requires tangible results for citizens,” added Secretary General Insulza.

The OAS Secretary General said that despite the economic advances, much remains to be done to end poverty, extreme poverty and inequality, noting that minority groups such as indigenous, Afro-descendants, female headed single parent families, people with disabilities and older persons are the most affected. In this regard, he said that thanks to the growth experienced in the past decade, among the more than 600 million people that live in Latin America and the Caribbean, "there are fewer than 200 million poor people." "However, there are nearly 200 million ‘non-poor’ people in a state of vulnerability,” he added, noting that this sector of the population may fall back into poverty in a possible worsening of the economy.

At another point of his speech, the head of the OAS said that accountability is a key factor in the development of democracy. Although he recalled that democracy has stabilized in the region over the past 20-25 years, he said it is necessary to strengthen and influence the idea, already recognized in the Inter-American Democratic Charter which was approved by member states in 2001, admitting that democracy goes beyond the holding of elections.

“Unfortunately, our region’s history is peppered with examples of leaders who, having been voted into power, have then gone on to perpetuate their grip on it,” he said, and rounded his approach, emphasizing that “in a democracy, each branch of government must be accountable to another branch or branches and to society at large.”

“That is why we have separation of powers, independent judiciaries, and freedom of expression and of the press, oversight bodies, and civil society. The function of accountability is critical for ensuring that the rules that limit and regulate the actions of authorities are fulfilled. It is the best guarantee of respect for the Constitution and the rule of law,” he added.

Insulza paraphrased Argentine political scientist Guillermo O'Donnell and his analysis of the new democratic governments in Latin America that emerged after the fall of authoritarian regimes. “One of his main criticisms of the shortcomings that he perceived in the new democracies was a reluctance to accept accountability as a necessary part of the democratic order. Indeed, many of the new heads of state seemed to think that having had legitimacy bestowed on them from the ballot box, the constraints of the system were obstacles to be removed.”

The OAS leader said he did not believe that this situation is "endemic" in the Hemisphere, and recalled that the Inter-American Democratic Charter is a framework that sets limits on the excesses of power. However, he added, “in recent years there have been, in some countries, situations or attempts at subordinating certain branches of government to others, at limiting the independence of the judiciary or the electoral authorities, at curbing freedom of expression (not only by governments, but also through the concentration of media ownership or even organized crime), at limiting civil society organizations and their freedom of action.”

The Secretary General also addressed the situation in Cuba, the only OAS member state that is not active in the Organization. Recalling that the OAS General Assembly in 2009 retired the suspension of Cuba from the Organization (in place since 1962), Secretary General Insulza said that "Cuba is still absent."

In this regard, he expressed his hope that the next Summit of the Americas to be held in Panama in April 2015, "constitutes an important step" to returning to a united Hemisphere. “The Charter of the OAS that states that every country in the Americas is a member of the OAS and the Inter-American Democratic Charter that declares the commitment of every country to democracy. But in this stage of democratic development in the Americas, we believe that the road to full democracy is better achieved through dialogue and cooperation and not through sanctions and exclusion,” he said. “The strength of the OAS is based on full inclusiveness and demonstrating that we can all live and work together," said the Secretary General of the OAS.

Moreover, Secretary General Insulza said the OAS is in a process of adaptation to the 21st century. "Now we're committed to redefining our hemispheric agenda and our priorities. This is a process that began two and a half years ago, when I presented the first paper on the Strategic Vision to the Permanent Council. A year later, I presented a more complete version, and this year the General Assembly committed to the process through a resolution approved in special meeting in September.

In the context of the role of the OAS in the new millennium, the Secretary General said that in light of the new organizations and forums that have emerged in the Hemisphere, such as UNASUR, SICA, CARICOM, CELAC, MERCOSUR, the Andean Community and OECS, they have to be seen as "complementary, not competitive."

On behalf of the Steering Committee of the International Law Section of the ABA, the lawyer Marcos Rios welcomed the participation of the Secretary General Insulza at the fall meeting of the institution, and praised the role of Secretary General Insulza in promoting democratic values in the region. He also highlighted the importance of the figure of Insulza in Chile, where his name is associated with the highest offices of national policy.

A gallery of photos of the event is available here.

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

Reference: E-456/14