Cooperation Agreement between the General Secretariat of the OAS

and the Club of Madrid

Ambassador Albert R. Ramdin,

Assistant Secretary General

September 22, 2009

Good afternoon. I would like to acknowledge the presence of Ms. Jennifer Shipley, former Prime Minister of New Zealand and co-chair of the Club of Madrid’s Shared Societies Project, who will not only sign this Agreement on behalf of the Club of Madrid but will also honor us with her participation as the keynote speaker at the XXXVII Lecture of the Lecture Series of the Americas.

I would also like to acknowledge the Chair of the Permanent Council, Ambassador Pedro Oyarce and extend a warm welcome to the delegation of the Club of Madrid that is with us this afternoon.

I am very pleased to be signing this Cooperation Agreement on behalf of the Organization of American States with the Club of Madrid, an institution we have regarded as a friend for many years. This Agreement, however, is not the trigger for cooperation between our institutions; in fact, we have been developing an important synergy between us for quite some time.

Only a few months ago, for instance, the OAS participated in a debate about the political dimensions in the region of the current economic crisis, which the Club of Madrid organized in Santiago de Chile. We were also invited to participate in the Club of Madrid roundtable with Alicia Bárcena, Executive Secretary of the Latin America Economic Commission (CEPAL).

Likewise, the Club of Madrid participated in the XVII OAS Policy Roundtable a few weeks ago, and of course, this afternoon Ms. Shipley will speak at the Lecture Series of the Americas in her capacity as Co-Chair of the Club of Madrid’s Shared Societies Project. These are but a few examples of how our institutions have naturally gravitated towards each other and set the stage over time for this moment in which we both commit to combine efforts, coordinate actions, consult, exchange information and move forward in a closer and more collaborative relationship.

I am particularly pleased that, out of all the very important programs of the Club of Madrid, today’s Lecture will focus on the Shared Societies Project because social inclusion is a crucial topic for me and has permeated much of my work as Assistant Secretary General. In November of last year, I attended the “Global Forum on Leadership for Shared Societies: Building a world safe for difference,” hosted by the Club de Madrid in Rotterdam, Netherlands. At this event, I referred to the need to recognize diversity in the Western Hemisphere, and to address the challenge in terms of inequality, discrimination, and exclusion. I pointed out that once diversity is widely acknowledged, necessary mechanisms must be created to ensure dialogue, and I emphasized that the responsibility for social cohesion is a collective duty that relies on political leaders and on civil society and religious organizations, and that the existence of institutionalized dialogue mechanisms to influence policy making is crucial to social inclusion in the Americas.

I am very glad to see that these thoughts that I shared on that occasion remain as central to the work of the Club of Madrid as they are to me and to the OAS.

In closing, I would like to welcome Ms. Shipley to the OAS and also welcome the Club of Madrid as a partner in promoting democracy. I look forward to continuing to work together in the areas where we know we have a common interest and to explore new opportunities to find innovative and effective ways to face our challenges and maximize opportunities for improving people’s lives.

Thank you