E-220-01
November
1, 2001
OAS
CALLS FOR ACTION TO DEAL WITH SOCIO-ECONOMIC The
Organization of American States (OAS) has called for more intensive
action to deal with the socio-economic impact of the recent terrorist
attacks on the United States. Eight
specific steps to accomplish this were identified in a resolution
adopted at a five-hour special session of the Permanent Council on
October 31, which heard from Secretary General Cesar Gaviria and
Inter-American Development Bank President Enrique Iglesias. The
resolution, presented to the Council by Ambassador Joshua Sears of the
Bahamas on behalf of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), provides a
framework in which the inter-American system can organize responses in
areas as diverse as tourism, the management of public records, and
financial flows. These socio-economic measures will complement the
anti-terrorism measures already underway in the hemisphere since
September 11. Among
the steps identified is a call for the Inter-American Agency for
Cooperation and Development (IACD) to present proposals and implement
measures to improve social and economic conditions, reduce poverty, and
provide quality education throughout the Americas. Inter-American
agencies are also asked to facilitate the economic recovery of member
states, and factor into their programs the needs of, and conditions in,
smaller, more vulnerable states. The
meeting drew the participation of twenty-eight Ambassadors to the
Organization who provided information about the sharp drops in economic
activity and government revenues, with damaging consequences for
employment and living standards throughout the hemisphere, with
particular repercussions for the small countries of the Caribbean and
Central America, which have particularly intense relationships with the
United States. **********
|