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Last Updated: Feb 6, 2017 - 2:32:04 PM |
Secretary General Participates in “The Futuro: Talks About the Road Ahead” Symposium
From left to right:
José Miguel Insulza, OAS Secretary General
Luis Gutierrez, Representative, United States Congress
Date: January 19, 2013
Place: Washington, DC
Credit: Maria Patricia Leiva/OAS
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The
Secretary General of the Organization of American States (OAS), José
Miguel Insulza, today inaugurated the symposium "The Futuro: Talks on
the Road Ahead," an event taking place in the framework of various
activities surrounding the celebrations to mark the inauguration of
President Barack Obama. The meeting brought together at the headquarters
of the hemispheric institution leaders of influential Latino
organizations in the United States to discuss how Hispanics can increase
their participation in civic life, and translate that engagement into
policy outcomes.
The Secretary General welcomed the participants
expressing the conviction that "this event will serve to strengthen the
voice of the Latino community in the public arena in the United States
and beyond." Midy Aponte, Executive Director of the American Latino
Heritage Fund, Henry Muñoz, Executive Producer 2013 Latino Inaugural,
and David Simas, of the White House, also took part in the opening of
the symposium, held in the context of the celebrations for the
inauguration of President Barack Obama.
The leader of the
hemispheric organization recalled that the United States is the third
country in the world in terms of the size of its Latino population,
after Brazil and Mexico, and said there are many reasons for good
relations between the United States and Latin America. "We have a
balanced trade, much of U.S. investment goes to Latin America and,
despite the problems that exist, the region has never had more
democratic governments in all its history," he said.
"There are
many factors that unite us," stressed the Secretary General. "The OAS is
focused on democracy, human rights, development, and public safety, all
issues important to the United States, and we want to work together to
build this Latino community that will become more important every year,"
he concluded.
The Executive Director of the American Latino
Heritage Fund, sponsor of the event, explained that her organization was
created a year ago as part of the National Park Service of the United
States in order to "immediately and strategically integrate and
celebrate the cultural, economic and civic contributions of Latino
communities in our American story."
***image2\1***For his part, Henry Muñoz
stressed that the central message of the event is that "the election is
over, it's time to get to work," referring to the November elections in
which the President of the United States was re-elected. He explained
that the objective of the symposium is to discuss issues of importance
to the future of the country, including barriers and opportunities for
the Latino community in the economy, Latinos and the media, immigration
reform, education, and Latinos in positions of influence. All with the
central aim of creating "a real conversation that leads to a call for
action on behalf of our community," he added.
David Simas, who
researches public opinion for the White House, said the recent
re-election of Obama as President of the United States showed that "the
Hispanic community is central to the aspirations of all future
candidates." He explained that during his research for the campaign, he
realized that what Latinos in the United States want is generally the
same thing all citizens are looking for, and warned: “Don´t let anyone
ever categorize the hispanic community as something other than an
integral part of the long and fine tradition of the American dream.”
Various
leaders of the Latino community in the United States took part in the
event, including Congressmen Raul Ruiz, from California; Joe Garcia,
from Florida; Luis Gutierrez from Illinois; Los Angeles Mayor Antonio
Villaraigosa; and the Permanent Representative of the United States to
the OAS, Ambassador Carmen Lomellin.
For more information, please visit the OAS Website at www.oas.org.
© Copyright 2013 by thebahamasweekly.com
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