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Speeches

LUIGI R. EINAUDI, ACTING SECRETARY GENERAL OF THE ORGANIZATION OF AMERICAN STATES
AT THE CEREMONY FOR THE SIGNATURE OF THE ARRANGEMENT BETWEEN THE GENERAL SECRETARIAT OF THE OAS AND THE GERMAN GOVERNMENT

January 24, 2005 - Washington, DC


CONCERNING THE IMPROVEMENT OF DECENTRALISED STRUCTURES FOR THE APPLICATION OF QUALITY CRITERIA IN THE ENVIRONMENTAL AND FOODSTUFFS SECTOR IN LATIN AMERICA

• The First Meeting of Ministers and High Authorities of Science and Technology of the Hemisphere was held in Lima, Perú on November 11 & 12, 2004.

• I helped open the meeting, and can attest to the fact that it reflected both the realization that science and technology is vital to improving the well-being of ordinary people and to the energy and intelligence brought to OAS programs in this area by Director Alice Abreu, who is joined here today by our new Executive Secretary for Integral Development, Dr. Brian Stevenson.

• Since 1982 the German Government, through different agencies such as the German Cooperation Agency GTZ and the German National Metrology Institute PTB, has provided significant technical assistance and monetary resources to promote the development of Small and Medium Enterprises in OAS member states.


• Today we welcome the renewed commitment of the German Government to cooperate with the OAS on a new project “Improvement of Decentralized Structures for The Application of Quality Criteria in the Environmental and Foodstuffs Sector in Latin America”.

• This project will allow member states to provide competent services within the framework of conformity assessment in the environmental and foodstuff sector with emphasis on Small and Medium Enterprises. The value of the support that will be provided by the Government of Germany exceeds EU 308,000.

• “The Creation of Employment to Fight Poverty and Strengthen Democratic Governance” is the focus of the next Summit of the Americas, scheduled to take place in Mar del Plata, Argentina in November 2005.

• External funds are very important for the OAS, constituting seed money to generate additional resources to strengthen activities in member states.

• I am sure that the accord we have signed today will make a significant contribution to the coordination of different government agencies and regional institutions to help achieve our common aim of promoting social inclusion and fighting poverty.

• Mr. Ambassador, allow me to express our appreciation through you to the German Government for its continued support of the work of the OAS in promoting development and integration in the Western Hemisphere.