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OAS and Vive con Esperanza Foundation to Cooperate in Promoting Sustainable Development and Disaster Risk Management

The Organization of American States (OAS), and the Vive con Esperanza Foundation will join forces to support the 2024 Continental Rally, a competition for elementary and middle schools in the Americas that promotes education for sustainable development and disaster risk management, under the theme "Digitalizing the Future".

The competition is open to all elementary and middle schools in the Americas that wish to promote sustainable and resilient education in their community. Interested schools should register here.

Once the competition has concluded, the OAS Executive Secretariat for Integral Development (SEDI) through its Department of Sustainable Development (DSD) and in collaboration with the Art Museum of the Americas (AMA), will host an interactive exhibition of entries from the 2024 Continental Rally at its headquarters in Washington, DC, to be held from April 21 to May 2, 2025. The exhibition will be prominently displayed at the Marcus Garvey Gallery in the OAS Main Building and on a digital platform accessible to schools across the hemisphere.

Applications for the 2024 Continental Rally regional art competition will be free and open to over 10,000 primary and secondary schools across the Americas until August 16, 2024. Photographs and digital art, utilizing artificial intelligence (AI), will be used to showcase the five key strategic pillars:

• health and well-being.
• equity and social inclusion.
• disaster risk management with an emphasis on school safety.
• resilience and adaptation to climate change.
• entrepreneurship, and sustainable economic development.

Entries will be evaluated by a jury of representatives from international organizations and experts in sustainable development. Winning schools will receive recognition and awards at both regional and international levels, in addition to being integrated into the International Committee of the Vive con Esperanza Award.

The OAS invites Ministries of Education and Environment, as well as the Disaster Risk Reduction Offices in member countries, to support this exciting initiative that links a wide variety of stakeholders, integrating the public sector with schools, NGOs, the private sector, development funds, and civil society, all working towards a hemispheric approach to the resilience of our communities across the Americas.

Executive Secretary Kim Osborne underscored the OAS’s readiness to collaborate and strengthen synergies, cooperation, and coordination in “harnessing the benefits of digital transformation, by promoting sustainable development through the integration of art, innovation, and technology.”

For more information on and how to participate in the 2024 Continental Rally "Digitalizing the Future please click here.

Reference: E-022/24