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OAS and UN Sign Cooperation Agreement on Women’s Affairs

The Organization of American States (OAS) and the United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM) today signed a cooperation agreement that seeks to establish working mechanisms relating to issues on women.

The agreement, signed by the Secretary General of the OAS, José Miguel Insulza, and by the Director of UNIFEM, Inés Alberdi, will focus its goals on areas like Economic Politics and the empowerment of women; the strengthening of democratic political systems and electoral processes through the promotion of free and fair elections throughout the American continent; the fight against poverty and social exclusion, with a special emphasis on the social inclusion of women; the strengthening of the capacity of the most vulnerable groups (indigenous, Afro-descendants, and others); the elimination of all forms of violence against women; sustainable development; cultural diversity; and actions designed to guarantee the fulfillment of the Millennium Development Goals.

During the ceremony, which took place in the main building of the hemispheric organization in Washington, DC, the Secretary General asserted that with the signing of the Agreement, “we establish an important alliance between those institutions that share common goals and act in very diverse areas.” Insulza added that “we should transform this into an active, agile, modern, and efficient alliance that allows us to increase the potential for change currently driven by UNIFEM and the Inter-American Commission of Women (CIM) of the OAS."

“I am certain that the experiences and complementary function between the political dialogue of CIM and the operational capacity of UNIFEM will strengthen the bonds between politics, its implementation, and its real impact in the lives of women. Through this, the Inter-American Year of Women will see the beginning of the end of inequality and marginalization in our region,” asserted the topmost representative of the hemispheric organization.

In turn, UNIFEM’s representative thanked the Secretary General of the OAS for entering into the agreement and asserted that “now we will be able to collaborate more intensely and fundamentally with women and the representatives of their interests in the Latin American region.”

Also present at the ceremony were the Assistant Secretary General of the OAS, Albert Ramdin; the President of the Permanent Council and Representative of the United States, Carmen Lomellin; the Permanent Representatives of Panama, Ambassador Guillermo Alberto Cochez Farrugia, and of the Bahamas, Cornelius A. Smith; the President of the Inter-American Commission of Women, Wanda Jones; and the Secretary of CIM, Carmen Moreno.

A photo gallery of the event is available here.

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

Reference: E-258/10