A summit of challenging horizons.On January 10 OAS OAS See: Option adjusted spread Secretary General Cesar Gaviria addressed a distinguished audience at the Inter-American Dialogue The Inter-American Dialogue (IAD, and also known as "the Dialogue") is a non-profit organization located in Washington, DC. The IAD was begun in 1982, and its website bills the organization as the "premier center for policy analysis, exchange, and communication on issues in Western in Washington, D.C., on the future of the Americas. "The future of the hemisphere started almost exactly one month ago as the Summit of the Americas The Summit of the Americas is the name for one of a sequence of summits bringing together the countries of the Americas for discussion of a variety of issues. These encounters are organized by a number of multilateral bodies led by the Organization of American States. completed its work in Miami," stated Gaviria. "This was not a meeting out of which a `Marshall Plan' or another `Alliance for Progress' was launched," he continued. "The Miami Summit tore down the wall that separated the North from the South of the hemisphere and closed a dangerous and fearsome chapter in our history. In the past, our collective action was motivated by fear. Today, enlightened self-interest Enlightened self-interest is a philosophy in ethics which states that persons who act to further the interests of others (or the interests of the group or groups to which they belong), ultimately serve their own self-interest. commands us to draw from our shared values to confront our common challenges." The OAS leader went on to discuss the importance of an effective and relevant inter-American system, without which "the nations of the hemisphere will not be able to promote and perpetuate the hold of democracy." He emphasized that a revitalized OAS could exercise a great deal of positive influence in international events. One of the concrete results of the Summit of the Americas was the commitment by all of the elected heads of state and government of the Americas to the Declaration of Principles, a plan of action outlining a "partnership for development and prosperity, democracy, free trade, and sustainable development" in the Americas. This document specifies the following areas as ones in which the OAS will have a paramount role: * strengthening democracy * promoting and protecting human rights * combating corruption * eliminating the threat of national and international terrorism * promoting free trade in the Americas * supporting telecommunications and information infrastructures promoting cultural values * combating the problem of illegal drugs and related crime * cooperating in science and technology * strengthening the role of women in society * working together for pollution prevention Secretary General Gaviria stated that "the Inter-American system has been challenged to build an architecture for the Americas that will deliver on the expectations that have been raised in Miami." He underscored the fact that the sister organizations of the hemisphere - the Inter-American Development Bank Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) international organization founded in 1959 by 20 governments in North and South America to finance economic and social development in the Western Hemisphere. , Pan American Health Organization The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) is an international public health agency with 100 years of experience in working to improve health and living standards of the countries of the Americas. It serves as the specialized organization for health of the Inter-American System. and the OAS - will work together to implement the changes called for in the Declaration of Principles. "The countdown to the year 2005 has already begun," remarked Gaviria at the Inter-American Dialogue. "By then the Americas will have completed the huge task of creating a single marketplace free of tariffs for trade and investment." Gaviria went on to reiterate his inaugural challenge: "I was not elected to manage the status quo [Latin, The existing state of things at any given date.] Status quo ante bellum means the state of things before the war. The status quo to be preserved by a preliminary injunction is the last actual, peaceable, uncontested status which preceded the pending controversy. . So, I invite you to join me in the daunting daunt tr.v. daunt·ed, daunt·ing, daunts To abate the courage of; discourage. See Synonyms at dismay. [Middle English daunten, from Old French danter, from Latin task of building a better future for all of the Americas." |
|
||||||||||||||
Printer friendly
Cite/link
Email
Feedback
Reader Opinion