Media Center

Press Release

Peruvian City of Arequipa Hosts 32nd Model OAS General Assembly for Universities

The 32nd Model OAS General Assembly for Universities of the Hemisphere (32nd MOAS) was inaugurated this Tuesday in the Peruvian city of Arequipa, in a ceremony that feature the presence of the Chief of Staff of the OAS Secretary General, Ambassador Hugo de Zela, the Permanent Representative of Peru to the Organization, Ambassador Juan Federico Jiménez, and the Rector of the Catholic University San Pablo de Arequipa, Germán Chávez Contreras.

The activity, organized jointly by the University and the OAS General Secretariat and which will be held until Friday, includes the participation of students and professors from 36 universities from 14 OAS member countries: Bolivia, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, El Salvador, United States, Guyana, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru and Venezuela, as well as the Observer country of France. The approximately 430 students will study and debate additional issues related to female political leadership; democratic governance; bioterrorist threats; development and water resources; and financing of priority projects in the Hemisphere.

The purpose of the MOAS program is the promotion of the democratic values among youth through a simulation of the OAS General Assembly, in which the students represent the member states and negotiate resolutions that promote democracy, human rights, hemispheric security, and the development of the Americas. Moreover, this exercise familiarizes students, teachers and academic institutions with the work of the OAS and its role as the principal political forum of the Hemisphere.

Ambassador Hugo de Zela, Chief of Staff of the OAS Secretary General, José Miguel Insulza, thanked the University for hosting the MOAS and emphasized the impact that this type of exercises has on youth, on an academic, professional and personal level. In addition, he referred to “education as a basic element for social and economic inclusion,” which is one of the issues that the students will be debating during the next three days.

The senior OAS official highlighted that to obtain a satisfactory result in the negotiations among the students, as in the real negotiations between countries, “it is very important to put yourself in one another´s shoes,” and reminded the students that “thanks to the MOAS you will face unexpected situations and you will know how to address them.” Ambassador de Zela concluded by saying that the proposal that emerge from the MOAS will be heard by the Secretary General, and that the OAS is hoping for new and younger perspectives to keep up to date.

IN the context of the event, Ambassador de Zela held a meeting with the 36 attending university professors, where he spoke about OAS activities related to democracy, human rights, development and security, including information about programs related to education and youth.

The Representative of Peru to the OAS, Juan Federico Jiménez Mayor, spoke to the students on behalf of the Peruvian Ministry of Foreign Relations and highlighted his pleasure in seeing the high number of female participants as delegates in the conference. Moreover, he highlighted the relevance of events like the MOAS “because they help for people to better understand the work of the OAS.”

The Rector of the Catholic University of San Pablo, Germán Chávez Contreras, welcomed the students and expressed the shared objectives of the MOAS program and the Universtiy in “the generation of room for dialogue, high level debates, in which democratic values are promoted in our youth, a main ingredient in strengthening international relations.” Moreover, he said “it is exciting to see how university student today, who will soon lead our nations, address issues as important to the lives of our communities.”

More information about the MOAS Program is available here.

Reference: E-311/14