OAS MEMBER STATES HOLD DIALOGUE WITH PRIVATE SECTOR, PERMANENT OBSERVERS AND CIVIL SOCIETY
June 4, 2006
SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic—Delegates representing the member countries of the Organization of American States (OAS) met this morning with three groups that, through different types of endeavors, support the work of the OAS in the region. The discussions with the private sector, permanent observers and representatives of civil society took place in the context of the thirty-sixth regular session of the OAS General Assembly, which opens formally tonight.
The Secretary of State of Foreign Affairs of the Dominican Republic, Carlos Morales Troncoso, chaired the three meetings, accompanied by OAS Secretary General José Miguel Insulza and Assistant Secretary General Albert Ramdin. These dialogue sessions have become a traditional part of the annual General Assembly, helping to enrich the foreign ministers’ debates.
Dialogue of Heads of Delegation with Private Sector Representatives
During the first meeting, the OAS Secretary General and the Dominican Foreign Affairs Secretary underscored the importance of establishing a collaborative relationship between the public and private sectors to advance economic growth in the countries of the region.
Economic growth is essential, Insulza said, adding that sustaining high growth rates and ensuring that benefits reach all social sectors continues to be a major challenge. Insulza said the public sector must find ways to work with the business sector to address problems of poverty and the distribution of wealth in the hemisphere.
For his part, Morales Troncoso said the involvement of the private sector is necessary to identify viable strategies that help the region become more competitive in trade. This collaborative effort, he said, should be directed in ways that benefit institutions of higher education, to prepare the hemisphere to compete in the global marketplace.
Business leaders from around the region met in Santo Domingo during the last two days for the Private Sector Forum, where they examined challenges to strengthen competitiveness, create jobs and improve access to information technologies, among other issues. This morning, they presented an overview of the recommendations developed during that forum, including initiatives related to corporate social responsibility, the fight against corruption and the promotion of transparency. The member state representatives reaffirmed the role of public-private partnerships in this effort.
Dialogue of Heads of Delegation with Permanent Observers
In meeting with OAS Permanent Observers, Secretary General Insulza recognized their important support in the past year. Financial contributions from observer countries totaled $11.7 million, and other contributions such as equipment and scholarships amounted to $520,000. The donations support OAS programs in democracy, human rights, conflict resolution, drug abuse control and sustainable development, among other areas, the Secretary General explained.
“These contributions have helped us to be more effective and more active in areas that are important for the life of the Organization,” Insulza said. However, the Secretary General noted the need to create mechanisms for more direct links with the observers. “We should make an effort to review this situation and to have a mechanism that allows us to recognize much more efficiently and clearly the countries that have collaborated with us the most, especially in difficult times for the Organization,” he said.
The Permanent Observer of Spain, Ambassador Juan Manuel Romero de Terreros, expressed his country’s commitment to OAS principles and called for strengthening multilateral avenues to face the urgent challenges that arise in the region. The Spanish diplomat stressed the role of the OAS “in promoting and defending democracy, preventing conflicts, respecting human rights and international law, fighting drugs and organized crime, defending the environment, and combating poverty and social exclusion.”
For her part, Swedish Ambassador Lena Nordstrom noted that the OAS has become increasingly important in the integration of the Americas, and said Sweden is committed to continue supporting these efforts. Representatives of other observer countries also spoke at the meeting, including China, France, Greece, Israel, Italy, Nigeria, Norway, South Korea, Thailand and Turkey.
Dialogue of Heads of Delegation with Civil Society
At the meeting with representatives of nongovernmental organizations, Assistant Secretary General Albert Ramdin said civil society “plays a critical role as one of the partners in development in directing the course of the countries of the hemisphere, both in terms of social and economic development and in terms of political involvement. In that sense, your role is important and we recognize that.”
Several representatives of civil society presented recommendations they had developed during a roundtable held last month at OAS headquarters in Washington. Roberto Reyna, of the Organización Universitaria Interamericana, presented recommendations related to the theme of this year’s General Assembly: “Good Governance and Development in the Knowledge-based Society.” Rodnei da Silva Geledes, of the Instituto da Mulher Negra, addressed the issue of democracy promotion and the Declaration of Florida, adopted a year ago by the General Assembly.
Bevon Corrie, of the National Youth Development Network of Guyana, talked about social and economic development and the Declaration of Mar del Plata, adopted at the Fourth Summit of the Americas. Recommendations on promoting human rights were presented by María del Mar Monroy García, of the Comisión Mexicana de Defensa y Promoción de los Derechos Humanos. Finally, Juana Kuramoto, of the Grupo de Análisis para el Desarrollo, presented results of the Civil Society Virtual Forum, which took place May 15-26.