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OAS Promotes Issues of Security, Energy and Human Development in Panama

The Assistant Secretary General of the Organization of American States (OAS), Albert Ramdin, concluded a visit to Panama on Friday, where he highlighted the important role played by the OAS in the agenda for security, energy and human development to promote peace and prosperity with social inclusion in the Americas.

During a meeting with Panama's Vice-President and Foreign Minister, Juan Carlos Varela, Assistant Secretary General Ramdin emphasized the support offered by the OAS to the hemispheric security agenda, which will be even more relevant as a result of the OAS General Assembly in El Salvador next June, where Foreign Ministers from all Member States will meet under the topic, "Citizen's Security in the Americas". Vice-President Varela stressed that citizen security is a priority for Panama and confirmed his participation in the OAS General Assembly.

The issue of citizen's security was also at the core of discussions at the Annual Conference of Business Executives (CADE), where the OAS High Ranking official called upon the Panamanian private sector to assume an active role in establishing a framework for citizen's security in order to address the problems of violence and crime, which threaten democracy, peace and prosperity in the region.

As part of his meetings in Panama related to the security agenda, the Assistant Secretary General confirmed to the Secretary General of the Nation's Attorney General's Office, Ramsés Cabrera, that the OAS will help to optimize the work of the Office of the Public Prosecutor in implementing an accusatory penal system. This comes in response to the request for cooperation by the Panamanian Government on issues of instruction and institutional strengthening related to the new system.

Panama also hosted a meeting of the Energy and Climate Partnership of the Americas (ECPA), coordinated by the OAS Department of Sustainable Development and the Secretary of Energy of Panama and supported by the State and Energy Departments of the United States. During this meeting, which gathered representatives from more than 20 countries in the Americas to exchange opinions and explore methods of cooperation on issues regarding energy and climate, Ramdin stressed the important role played by the OAS in supporting Member States to develop policies aimed at promoting energy sustainability and ensuring better access to such resources by those in more need.

Regarding human development, the OAS Assistant Secretary General; the President of the University of Panama, Gustavo García de Paredes; and the Secretary General of Virtual Educa, José María Antón, signed a Memorandum of Understanding to create opportunities for human development in OAS Member States through scholarships for a Masters Degree in Virtual Learning Environments currently offered by the University of Panama.

Ramdin agreed that an initiative such as a Masters in Virtual Environments takes advantage of information and communication technologies as a tool to promote access to higher education by a broader range of the population, therefore reducing the social and economic gaps within our countries.

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

Reference: E-615/11