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COLOMBIAN FOREIGN MINISTER ANNOUNCES THEME AND LOCATION
OF THE XXXVIII OAS GENERAL ASSEMBLY

“Youth and Democratic Values” will be the main theme of the XXXVIII General Assembly of the Organization of American States (OAS), according to the proposal presented today by the Colombian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Fernando Araújo Perdomo, during a Permanent Council meeting where he also announced that the city of Medellin will host the hemispheric gathering taking place June 1-3.

The top Colombian diplomat addressed representatives from the 34 OAS member countries on the key role of the youth and the need to provide the agendas of the hemisphere’s governments with the needed tools to promote more decisively the insertion of the young population in political, social and productive arenas.

“We are fortunate to live in a continent of young people. Close to one fifth of our population falls in the 15-24 years of age bracket. In many occasions, considered exclusively in their nature of beneficiaries of determined public policies, it is necessary to ponder about the opportunities that we are providing to the youth so that their citizen practice, their deliberating capacity and their active participation become expressions of the vitality of our democracies,” stated the Colombian Foreign Minister.

Araújo noted that the youth contribute to the present and future governance of the region and warned about the threats blooming for the young population in the hemisphere. “The youth, he said, is a vulnerable population. Crime, gangs, drug abuse, young pregnancy, school drop out and unemployment, place challenges on their capacity to completely develop and fulfill active roles as citizens.”

The Minister added that these constitute reasons for which his country wishes to invite other nations of the region to reflect jointly on the future of the continent. In this regard, he noted that addressing the issue of youth in the year that the OAS celebrates its 60th anniversary implicates projecting towards the spirit of the Organization towards the future.

The OAS Secretary General, José Miguel Insulza, highlighted the fact that the Assembly will take place in the same country where the Charter was signed in 1948 in the city of Bogotá.

“This therefore is a good moment to speak about the future, to speak about the youth and to talk about the great challenges that the Americas will face in the coming years. In some way, Medellin represents these challenges. A city that until recent years was fundamentally identified with a war, a conflict, drug trafficking, and with the cartels, today it is a city that sends Colombia and our hemisphere a message of progress and hope. We are delighted to be able to meet there among the celebrations for the 60 years of the Organization’s existence,” said Insulza.

During his remarks, Araújo also highlighted the role that the youth plays in building democratic and open societies, recalled that it was precisely the younger citizens in his country who last February 4 convoked the Colombian people to demonstrate, within the country and abroad, against “the kidnappings and terrorism of the FARC.”

“More than twelve million people in Colombia and some 150 cities around the world joined voices to condemn terror and violence. They youth, aware of their reasonability as citizens with rights and obligations, willing to get involved in the decisions that affect the democratic principles and values, have shown that they will guarantee democratic consolidation in our societies,” he said.

After the Foreign Minister’s remarks, the mayor of Medellin, Alonso Salazar Jaramillo, provided a brief presentation about his city and underscored the transformation that it has undergone in recent years, changing from one of the most insecure places in the region at the beginning of the 1990s, to a focal point of opportunity, investment, and security in his nation and the rest of South America.

Prior to both speeches, the Colombian Delegation, also composed by the Vice Minister of Multilateral Affairs, Adriana Mejia Hernandez, presented the members of the Permanent Council a video with the different aspects of economic, social and cultural life of the city that will host the XXXVIII OAS General Assembly.

Reference: E-032/08