|
Last Updated: Feb 6, 2017 - 2:32:04 PM |
San Salvador -
Organization of American States (OAS) presents the official photo from
the 41 General Assembly in San Salvador which concluded on June 8th.
First row from left to right:
- Minister of Foreign Affairs of Paraguay, Jorge Lara Castro;
- the Permanent Representative of Nicaragua to the
OAS, Ambassador Denis Moncada
- Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade of Jamaica, Kenneth Baugh
- Minister of Foreign Affairs of the President of the Republic of Haiti, Daniel Supplice
- The Secretary General of the
OAS, José Miguel Insulza
- Minister of Foreign Affairs of El Salvador, Hugo Martínez
- Minister of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Trade and International Cooperation of Guyana, Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett
- Secretary of State in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Honduras, Mario Miguel Canahuati
- Secretary of External Relations of Mexico, Patricia Espinosa
- Vice President and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Panama, Juan Carlos Varela
- Under Secretary for Multilateral Affairs in the Ministry of Foreign Relations of Peru, Luzmila Sanabria.
Second row, from left to right
- Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of The Bahamas, Theodore Brent Symonette
- Permanent Representative of Antigua and Barbuda to the
OAS, Ambassador Deborah-Mae Lovell
- The Secretary General of the National Narcotics Secretariat of Uruguay, Milton Romani Gerner
- Minister of Foreign Affairs of Surinam, Winston Lackin
- Permanent Representative of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines to the
OAS, Ambassador La Celia A. Prince
- Deputy Minister and Coordinator General of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Dominican Republic, José Manuel Trullols
- Minister of Foreign Affairs of Saint Kitts and Nevis, Sam Condor
- Permanent Representative of Saint Lucia, Michael Louis
- Minister of Foreign Affairs of Trinidad and Tobago, Surujrattan Rambachan
- Permanent Representative of Venezuela to the
OAS, Ambassador Roy Chaderton
- Minister of Foreign Affairs, International Trade and Religion of Argentina, Héctor Timerman
- Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade of Barbados, Maxine O. McClean.
Third row, from left to right:
- United States Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs, William Burns
- Permanent Representative of Dominica to the
OAS, Ambassador Hubert John Charles
- Minister of Foreign Affairs of Colombia, María Ángela Holguín
- Minister of State of Foreign Affairs for the Americas and Consular Affairs of Canada, Diane Ablonczy
- Minister of Foreign Affairs of Bolivia, David Choquehuanca
- Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade of Belize, Wilfred Elrington
- Under Secretary General for Politics in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Brazil, Vera Lúcia Barrouin Crivano
- Minister of Foreign Affairs of Chile, Alfredo Moreno
- Minister of Foreign Affairs of Costa Rica, René Castro Salazar
- Permanent Representative of Ecuador to the
OAS, Ambassador María Isabel Salvador
- Minister of Foreign Affairs of Grenada, Karl Hood.
More
OAS photographs here »
The
Minister of Foreign Affairs of El Salvador, Hugo Martínez, as
representative of the host country, was today elected President of the
forty-first regular session of the General Assembly of the Organization
of American States (
OAS) at the first plenary
session held in the International Convention Center (CIFCO) in the
Salvadoran capital. The Salvadoran Foreign Minister was elected by
acclamation after the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Mexico, Patricia
Espinosa nominated him, with Guatemala seconding the motion.
Prior
to his election, the Provisional Presidency of the Assembly had been
held by Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett, the Guyanese Minister of Foreign
Affairs, who had been elected according to the order of precedence
stipulated in the Rules of Procedure of the General Assembly. She wished
the newly elected president "every success in his endeavors."
Foreign
Minister Martínez addressed the representatives of the member states,
saying it was a great honor to welcome them to El Salvador and thanking
them deeply for electing him president of the Assembly. In particular,
he thanked his colleagues from Mexico and Guatemala for nominating him
for the position.
The Salvadorean minister stated his "commitment
to doing my utmost to meet your expectations and ensure positive
results from this Assembly."
At the first plenary session, with the
OAS
Secretary General, José Miguel Insulza, in attendance, the delegations
adopted the agenda for the two-day meeting and installed the General
Committee, which will be presided over by the Permanent Representative
of Grenada to the
OAS and current Chair of the Permanent Council of the Organization, Ambassador Gillian Bristol.
Link to the official documents
of the 41st OAS General Assembly
All official documents of the 41st General Assembly of the Organization of
American States (OAS) being held in El Salvador will be available as they
become approved at the following link: :http://scm.oas.org/41ag
The documents will be made available in the four official languages of the
OAS (English, French, Spanish and Portuguese) as they are translated.
At the same link you will also find other recently published documents
related to the Assembly.
Forty-first
Regular Session of OAS General Assembly Concludes with Adoption of
Declaration of San Salvador
The
member countries of the Organization of American States (OAS),
meeting in San Salvador at the forty-first regular session of the
OAS General Assembly, today (June 8th) called for “strengthening bilateral,
subregional, regional, and international cooperation on
security-related matters,” in what was the first message of the
Declaration of San Salvador. The document, the result of an exchange
of views among the countries on multidimensional security,
strengthens their commitment to joint efforts to combat the violence
and crime that ravage their peoples.
The final declaration of
the Assembly session, which closed today in the Salvadoran capital,
stresses the importance of strengthening the capacity of states to
promote long-term public security policies and to address, prevent,
and fight threats to public security in a comprehensive, effective
manner. Among these threats, it identifies transnational organized
crime, illicit trafficking in arms, human trafficking, the smuggling
of migrants, the world drug problem, money laundering, corruption,
terrorism, abduction, criminal gangs, and crimes associated with the
use of technologies, including cyber-crime.
The complete text
of the Declaration of San Salvador is available here.
The
countries affirmed that public security policies “require the
participation and cooperation of multiple actors,” such as
individuals, government at all levels, civil society, communities,
the mass media, the private sector, and academia. Public policies
should also be “comprehensive” and include “a gender perspective,”
taking into account the needs of vulnerable groups and promoting
human rights.
The links between security and development, the
need to deal with poverty and discrimination, and climate change
also are addressed in the Declaration, since they affect the
security and well-being of citizens that will make democratic
development possible. The top OAS body declared its commitment to
“reinforce inter-American partnership for integral development and
to strengthen cooperation mechanisms and actions to urgently address
extreme poverty, inequity, and social exclusion.”
Final
plenary session
At the fourth and final plenary session
of the General Assembly, the foreign ministers discussed the
long-standing dispute between the United Kingdom of Great Britain
and Northern Ireland and the Argentine Republic regarding
sovereignty over the Malvinas Islands; maritime access for the
Republic of Bolivia; and the holding of the Sixteenth Pan American
Games in 2011 in Guadalajara, after a presentation by Minister
Aurelio López Rocha, Secretary of Tourism of the Mexican State of
Jalisco. The representatives also heard statements by the
Inter-American Commission of Women, the Inter-American Juridical
Committee, the Inter-American Court of Human Rights, and the
Inter-American Commission on Human Rights.
Question of the
Malvinas Islands
On the topic of the Malvinas Islands,
the Minister of Foreign Affairs, International Trade, and Worship of
Argentina, Héctor Timerman, asked the member countries to support
Argentina’s claim. He said that “at no time has Argentina failed to
express its willingness to negotiate in search of a peaceful
settlement to the dispute,” but stated that, “unfortunately, Britain
still declines to resume bilateral dialogue, in violation not only
of repeated resolutions of the United Nations and this
Organization.” He then urged the member countries to support his
country “with the conviction that your voice will have to be heard,
because, in embracing this cause, you will be the voice of those who
forged our history.”
In their statements, the delegates of
the member countries expressed their support to the Government of
Argentina, endorsing “the legitimate rights of that country,” and
advocated a resumption of negotiations between the two countries
involved in the prolonged dispute.
Maritime Access for
Bolivia
On the topic of maritime access for Bolivia, the
Bolivian foreign minister, David Choquehuanca, gave a historical
summary of the agreements and developments in this area. He noted
that for 132 years his country, “using the power of dialogue and
reason, has appealed for the right to return to the sea.” He also
said that “regional integration will not be possible as long as this
wound, which affects all of South America, remains open,” and
appealed for support from the member countries. He said “Bolivia is
a country of nature, location, and decision, convinced of the need
for integration.” As such, he continued, his country “will not close
the door to dialogue.” He raised the possibility of arranging formal
bilateral negotiations. Foreign minister Choquehuanca closed his
statement by saying that “international law, the peaceful settlement
of disputes, and direct dialogue with all actors involved in a
problem are valid, coherent paths toward a solution to the
landlocked state imposed on Bolivia.”
The Minister of Foreign
Affairs of Chile, Alfredo Moreno, in response to that statement,
commented that “Chile has stated, and reaffirms, its willingness to
continue dialogue to achieve mutually acceptable solutions that
represent benefits for both peoples, are forward-looking, and
reflect the spirit of integration and solidarity that should prevail
among sister and neighbor nations.” Foreign minister Moreno added
that, in that same spirit, “Chile is more than willing to continue
exploring with Bolivia the concession of lands and facilities with
which to conduct the activities it requires and improve its maritime
status.” In conclusion, he noted the importance of working together,
in a context of mutual respect and “the inviolability of treaties,
and in the context of true integration."
After hearing the
statements of the foreign ministers of both nations, the heads of
delegation who spoke advocated dialogue, bilateral talks, the path
of peace, and consensus in this matter.
Central American
Security Strategy
In the context of the Assembly
session’s central theme, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of
Guatemala, Haroldo Rodas, spoke on the Central American Security
Strategy and the International Conference in Support of the
Strategy, which his country will host on June 22 and 23 of this
year. He explained that the aim of the event is “to obtain political
and financial support, and monitoring, for implementation of
specific measures contained in the Strategy.“ The General Assembly
adopted a resolution in support of the
Conference.
Election of members of committees and
commissions
At the close of the fourth plenary session,
elections were held for officers of organs, agencies, and entities
of the Organization. Elected to serve on the Inter-American
Commission on Human Rights were: Rosa María Ortiz (Paraguay), Felipe
González (Chile, reelected), Tracy Robinson (Jamaica), and
Rose-Marie Bella Antoine (Belize).
Also elected, as new
members of the Inter-American Juridical Committee, were Carlos
Alberto Mata Prates (Uruguay) and Luis Motreno Guerra
(Ecuador).
Elected to the Justice Studies Center of the
Americas (JSCA) were Santiago Pereira Campos (Uruguay), Justice Marc
Rosemberg (Canada), and Pedro B.A Dallari (Brazil).
Reelected
to the Administrative Tribunal and the Board of External Auditors,
respectively, were United States citizens Andre M. Surena and James
L. Gillette.
Lastly, it was decided by acclamation that the
forty-second regular session of the General Assembly of the
Organization of American States will be held in the city of
Cochabamba, Bolivia, from July 8 to 10, 2012.
© Copyright 2011 by thebahamasweekly.com
Top of Page
|