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Summits Preparatory Meeting Analyzes Hemispheric Association for Prosperity and Lines of Dialogue for 2012 Meeting

The Summits Implementation Review Group (SIRG) held its first Regular Meeting of 2011 during which Colombia, host country to the Summit of the Americas 2012, highlighted its government’s commitment with the establishment of an association of the highest level to improve the quality of life in the continent, and shared some of the thematic lines that could be considered for the meeting of Heads of State to take place in April 2012.

At the event, the Secretary General of the Organization of American States (OAS), José Miguel Insulza, said the hemisphere is going through a stage of optimism given its recent economic growth and its recovery from the global economic crisis, and made a call to emphasize this point in the work of the SIRG. “Without a doubt our region is going through a very different stage from previous ones,” he said, and added that “in the last decade Latin America and the Caribbean grew more than in the two previous decades combined.”

Therefore, he continued, “the objective of our Summit must be to trace a positive and optimistic line for the next decade in our region.” “We are at an auspicious moment to begin the work of the Summit,” he added.

The Secretary General took the opportunity to congratulate the Chair of the SIRG, Ambassador Jaime Girón, for the work he has led until now and to recognize “the important initiatives the government of Colombia has begun at the international level and the important role it has played in recent times,” among them the recent meeting of the President of Colombia, Juan Manuel Santos, with the Presidents of Honduras and Venezuela to make inroads in finding a solution to allow the full return of Honduras to the OAS. “This is evidence of an unerring and open leadership, one that does not impose itself but makes consultations, and we know that will be the style Colombia will follow in the organization of our Summit of the Americas,” he said.

For his part, the Chair of the SIRG thanked the support he has received from the OAS General Secretariat as well as the interest and contributions from the Joint Summit Working Group (JSWG). “We continue to be motivated by the objective of preparing a Summit with results that contribute to the unity and prosperity of the hemisphere. The reflections we make today and the decisions we adopt will mark the road to Cartagena in April 2012,” he said.

Ambassador Girón also made a presentation on the preparations for the Summit, in which he reaffirmed the commitment of the government of Colombia “with the objectives that gave rise to this process, particularly with the establishment of an association for sustainable prosperity in the practice of democracy and the strengthening of democratic institutions,” which he interpreted as “an association of American nations and of their efforts to improve the quality of life of our peoples” at the highest political level.

In his presentation, Ambassador Girón said the Americas “is a continent of opportunities with a young and qualified human capital; rich in natural and energy resources; consistent economic growth; financial strength and political stability; an attractive market in size and population; and opportunities for investment and for those who wish to get involved in its project of integral development and wellbeing.” He also noted the willingness of countries to confront their difficulties, among which he mentioned high rates of poverty and social inequality; the work to prevent the impact of natural disasters; insecurity and transnational organized crime; and the lag in access and use of technology.

Finally, he highlighted the importance of producing as an outcome of the Summit “a brief and concrete declaration to send to the peoples of the Americas and the world a clear political message that presents our hemisphere as a place of opportunities determined to overcome its difficulties through shared cooperation and the joining of efforts to reach better levels of growth and prosperity.”

In her presentation on the progress achieved in the implementation of Summit mandates, the Executive Secretary of the Summits of the Americas, Sherry Tross, said that “the reports of the Member States are of vital importance to the Summits process, and represent the primary source for demonstrating that Summit mandates and commitments are being advanced through actions and initiatives both at the national and hemispheric levels that lead to real results.”

The Work Plan approved by the Member States in this first meeting defines the work of preparation and organization to be conducted in the coming year and to culminate with the VI Summit of the Americas on April 14 and 15, 2012.

A gallery of photos of the event are available here.

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

Reference: E-621/11