Media Center

Press Release

New Permanent Representative of Guatemala to the OAS Presents Credentials

The new Permanent Representative of Guatemala to the Organization of American States (OAS), Ambassador José María Argueta, today presented to Secretary General José Miguel Insulza the credentials that accredit him to the hemispheric Organization.

During the ceremony, Ambassador Argueta outlined the main issues that he hopes to be able to promote in representation of his country, among which he emphasized the global drug problem, which was the central theme of the General Assembly of the OAS in June 2013 in Antigua, Guatemala. In that sense, he affirmed that he hopes to be able to promote a discussion that allows us to “move away from the positions that polarize dialogue and to begin to reflect on how we can deal with the scourge of drugs together, in an efficient manner.“

Likewise, he explained that throughout the year he hopes to “promote and deepen the forging of a consensus that will help to guarantee compliance with the purpose and principles of the OAS Charter.” In particular he pointed out that the promotion and defense of democracy and human rights and the consolidation of cooperation for social and economic development will be at the center of the work he undertakes.

The representative of Guatemala also referred to the ongoing dialogue relating to the Strategic Vision of the Organization and highlighted the need to “establish suitable and congruent baselines of a modern international Organization aimed at the realities of the 21st century.” “Guatemala firmly believes in the capacity of the member countries of the Hemisphere to govern this Organization and to address the major challenges of these complex times,“ he concluded.

In welcoming the representative of Guatemala, Secretary General Insulza emphasized the broad knowledge of the central challenges and issues of the Organization brought by Ambassador Argueta. “Democracy is the central issue of this Organization,” he affirmed, and explained that “in this context, the OAS has focused on the theme of drugs not only because of the serious risk that they represent and the way in which they affect the region, but also because we believe that the existence of organized criminal groups that abide by their own rules threatens democracy, the same way that extreme inequality does, both of them topics on which we have placed great emphasis in our Organization.”

In reference to the challenges that the region confronts on security, human rights and democracy, Secretary General Insulza affirmed that the OAS “has the instruments to confront these issues, among them the Inter-American Democratic Charter, the Social Charter of the Americas, the American Convention on Human Rights, and more recently, the Declaration of Antigua Guatemala, with which we hope to advance the process of combating drug trafficking.” In this regard, he urged that the substantive issues of the Organization be addressed during the current year and that “substance be put above the methods of our actions.”

“We are in an important moment,” said the leader of the hemispheric institution, citing among the remaining tasks continued advancement on the Strategic Vision, continued strengthening of the Inter-American System of Human Rights, the debate over the worldwide drug problem, beginning with the publication of the OAS report (Analytical Report and Scenarios Report)that he himself coordinated, and the numerous elections that will take place in the region over the next year, “which we should observe to draw conclusions that will strengthen our democracy.”

A gallery of photos of the event is available here.

The B-Roll of the event will be available here.

For more information, please visit the OAS Website at www.oas.org.

Reference: E-035/14