Washington, February 5, 2015.- The Secretary General of the Organization of American States (OAS), José Miguel Insulza, yesterday opened the Global Ties 2015 Meeting: "Latin America Dialogue: Strengthening Relationships in the Western Hemisphere through Exchange" with a speech in which he stressed the importance of international cooperation "based on trust, understanding and friendly relations between governments and people”.
Secretary General Insulza highlighted the links between the spirit of the meeting’s – focused on promoting dialogue in the region - and at the OAS, where the meeting takes place. "This is a very appropriate place for this dialogue, as this room has been used for over 100 years to foster peaceful democratic discussion and the promotion of hemispheric cooperation." Therefore, he said, "we are very happy to be hosting this event that celebrates the 75th anniversary of the International Visitor Leadership Program, an initiative that brings together citizens and emerging leaders from different countries to promote mutual understanding, friendship and the exchange of experiences across cultures”.
The leader of the hemispheric institution also recalled that in the OAS Charter, member states expressed their desire to achieve an order of peace and justice, to promote solidarity and to strengthen collaboration among the countries of the Americas, recognizing that "the spiritual unity of the hemisphere is based on respect for the cultural values of the American countries and requires their close cooperation for the high purposes of civilization.” In this regard, he noted that this objective can be achieved in different ways, emphasizing "the transformative power of communications to accelerate change in our societies, facilitating access to information, and increasing accountability in our governments." "Today we are more connected than ever, but fortunately we have not eliminated the need for people-to-people interactions," he said.
Secretary General Insulza said that contemporary international cooperation "is built on trust and understanding between governments and people, that can only be fully understood through the cultivation of friendly relationships." He added that in the framework of the OAS there are principles on which that understanding is based, namely those of mutual respect and tolerance for diversity of ideas, "which leads to compromises and constructive alternatives”.
In reference to the International Visitor Leadership Program, the Secretary General stressed the importance it attaches to culture as a channel of exchange and communication between countries. In that regard, he noted that at the Sixth Inter-American Meeting of Ministers and Highest Appropriate Authorities on Culture, held in August in Port au Prince, Haiti, leaders also recognized “the intrinsic value of culture as a distinctive, unique, and inseparable feature of all human beings and communities, its contribution to strengthening the social fabric of our societies. They also stressed the need to facilitate the exchange of experiences regarding public policies, training and the strengthening of institutional and human capacity building opportunities.” Similarly, he recalled the OAS programs that have contributed to that end, particularly the Scholarship Program and the Model OAS General Assembly, where students take the role of member states as part of discussions and negotiations.
The annual "Global Ties" national meeting, which will conclude tomorrow, is organized by various agencies of the U.S. government and the Global Ties U.S. organization, and is considered the leading forum for developing skills, identifying key trends, and sharing best practices in international exchange and nonprofit management. The meeting will also feature the participation of former President of Costa Rica, Oscar Arias; the Under Secretary for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs, of the U.S. Department of State, Richard Stengel; the President of Global Ties, U.S., Jennifer Clinton; and the Co-Chair of the Latin America Dialogue, James R. Jones, among others.
