Media Center

Press Release

National Model OAS General Assembly for High Schools was Held in Chile

The First National Model of the General Assembly of the Organization of American States (MOAS) for High Schools took place on August 17-19, 2011, at the Faculty of Economics and Business of the University of Chile. The event was organized by the Institute of Public Affairs (INAP) of the University of Chile, with support from the OAS Department of International Affairs and with the participation of over 300 students from all regions of Chile.

The MOAS was inaugurated by the Undersecretary of Foreign Affairs of Chile, Fernando Schmidt; the President of the Chilean Senate, Guido Girardi; the Director of the INAP, Eduardo Dockendorff; the Chief of the project and coordinator of the MOAS, Francisca Quiroga; and the Director of the OAS Department of International Affairs, Irene Klinger.

Senator Girardi stressed the importance of using technology and social networking for the common good and for democracy, especially in the field of the parliamentary democratic system. He further referred to the agenda discussed by the students and to the shared responsibility for common challenges. The President of the Chilean Senate spoke about the "metamorphosis" that the world is facing at the turn of the century "with a reinstatement of fundamental values against unregulated globalization, from which a new society will emerge with greater respect for diversity, inclusion, community, dignity and solidarity."

The OAS Director of International Affairs, Irene Klinger, emphasized that the Inter-American Democratic Charter (IDC) "is the most important international instrument in the modern history of the region, especially its Article I, which proclaims the right of the people of the Americas to democracy and the obligation of governments to promote and defend it." Klinger added that "democracy is in the institutions, in the separation of state powers, in the fight against corruption, in the protection of human rights and individual freedoms, and in the way we live every day." The OAS official told the participants that the MOAS "is a space to discover the opportunities and constraints that influence the creation of hemispheric policies and to seek common solutions to regional problems." She closed by exhorting the students to "start designing today the world we will live tomorrow."

Dockendorff referred to the importance of quality education and the role of universities in generating a more participatory and engaged society, and welcomed the presence of students from the central region as well as public and private schools. The Deputy Foreign Minister for his part stressed the importance of exercises like this involving youth, and recalled the Tenth Anniversary of the IDC that will take place in Chile on September 3 - 4 with a high-level meeting of Foreign Ministers of the Americas to renew their commitment to democracy.

Teachers and students from INAP have been participating in Models OAS for universities since 2007. During the MOAS in Chile, participants worked in three committees in which they examined and discussed the following issues: promotion of democracy, the use of social networks to promote transparency in public administration, and traditional and non-traditional education programs, and for the protection of the environment. They also issued a declaration on "Democracy and the Inter-American Democratic Charter."

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

The closing session of the MOAS for high schools was attended by the Deputy Foreign Minister of Chile Schmidt, the Director of INAP, the Director of Chile’s Diplomatic Academy, Pablo Cabrera and the Director of the School of Government and Public Administration of the University of Chile, Cristian Pliscoff.

More infomation about the MOAS is available at www.moas.oas.org.

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

Reference: E-801/11