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President of Guatemala and OAS Secretary General Participated in Voice of the Youth of the Americas Award Ceremony

The President of Guatemala, Otto Pérez Molina, and the Secretary General of the Organization of American States (OAS), José Miguel Insulza, participated on Wednesday in the award ceremony for winners of the contest "Voice of the Youth of the Americas: Preventing and Minimizing the Damage of Drugs," which took place in the Palacio Nacional of Guatemala City.

In his speech, President Pérez Molina underscored the importance of youth participation in the framework of the OAS Special General Assembly that will take place on Friday, September 19, and is focused on the problem of drugs in the Americas.  "This is not only refreshing for us, but it is also about listening to and hearing the voice of the youth, who are the ones who have much to say on this issue," said the Guatemalan President.

"The voice of the youth for Latin America is the most important voice.  Not only do they represent the majority of the region's population, but they also represent hope for our countries.  They represent change; they represent courage; they truly represent new ideas and changes, which we are waiting for," added President Pérez Molina, who also thanked Secretary General Insulza for giving impetus to the search for solutions to the problem of drugs in the Hemisphere.

In his remarks, Secretary General Insulza stated that "from the OAS, we argue that drug addiction is not, as traditionally thought, a "bad decision," voluntary and, thus, subject to modification by another decision.  On the contrary, we assert and are working towards the understanding that the addictive use of drugs is a disease and must be treated as such." The OAS leader recalled that "a new vision of the drug phenomenon will reach a culminating point here in Guatemala, with the holding of a Special General Assembly focused precisely on this issue."

"Another culminating point," said Secretary General Insulza, "is the conclusion of this contest, which has called on youth of our hemisphere to tell us how they understand and what they propose to help solve this serious issue." The head of the hemispheric institution reported that 60 entries from 18 countries were received, from which three winners were selected:  Juan Diego Galvis of Colombia; Carlos Rosales Abundiz of Mexico; and Camila Bustillo Enderiz of Uruguay.  The Secretary General congratulated the winners and all participants in general, emphasizing that "from all this energy and creativity, we come to the conclusion that this hemisphere has a bright future and that we, policy-makers, need to include the participation of our youth and civil society, as incubators of ideas and fresh perspectives."

The Minister of Interior of Guatemala, Mauricio López Bonilla, indicated that the high quality of the winning proposals demonstrates that it is possible to find "new ideas for solving the problems of the twenty-first Century." For his part, the Representative of Guatemala to the OAS, José María Argueta, said that the ideas that have emerged from the contest "bring us closer to give a more efficient and effective response and to better understand the problems of this population sector."

The contest was an initiative of the Government of Guatemala and the General Secretariat of the OAS that sought to encourage the participation of young people in order to look for solutions of collective public interest and participate in the discussion on the drug problem in the Americas, by proposing new approaches and views on the problem.

Of the three winning proposals, that of Juan Diego Galvis of Colombia, entitled "Deambularte," suggested the creation of centers for art, design, and Web functionality to provide tools and employment opportunities to young people and adults who "wander," in an effort to provide them with inspirational and creative purposes in their daily activities.  The project of Camila Bustillo and a team of five collaborators of the University of the Republic of Uruguay, entitled "Disminución de riesgo y daños frente al consumo de alcohol," proposed the creation of a "safe drinking" mobile application aimed at promoting the rational use of alcohol among youth, along with preventive measures.  Finally, the project "¿Marihuana? Infórmate y decide" of Carlos Rosales Abundiz of Mexico proposed preventive intervention for marijuana use in youth through the organization of youth forums as means to encourage reflection and awareness among peers.

A gallery of photos of the event is available here.

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

Reference: E-381/14