Key pillars to renew OAS

Key pillars to renew OAS

The president of Uruguay, JosÈ Mujica, told me: "The Organization for American States (OAS) deserves our undivided attention, it needs people capable of bringing it together, making a contribution, it is a worthwhile challenge. We need to lend a hand and build an OAS at the service of our peoples. Don't forget that this is the only forum where we can talk as equals among ourselves and with the North."

I responded: "This is what we have done in our own country ... . It is also one of the distinctive features of our national and international political action. Finding a consensus for the defence of human rights and democracy is part of our DNA."

Solidarity at home, expanding the individual human rights and guarantees. Equal opportunities for all, social justice and peaceful coexistence. This is what we can offer as the launch pad

to rebuild a much-needed solidarity between states, from the smallest Caribbean islands

to the great powers, including the medium-size and small economies configuring the Inter-American space. Without exclusions of any kind.

This is why Cuba will be invited to the 2015 Summit of the Americas in Panama - a

significant step for the Inter-American system.

The Americas and the Caribbean should become a region of shared prosperity, with opportunities for all citizens, independently of a person's social origin, race, gender or sexual orientation. That is my vision for our shared future.

To this end, the OAS must be the engine behind the most complete compliance with democracy, fostering strong institutions throughout the hemisphere. Democracy, freedom, development and human rights in peaceful coexistence are indispensable.

My commitment to the promotion, prevention and defence of human rights is consistent with our efforts at home. There is only one standard. You can have different sensitivities or emphases, but the Inter-American system must be based on its own norms, bodies and independence of action.

DIALOGUE

We will seek new and creative spaces for dialogue so that all voices are heard. We will ensure the system is supported by everyone, both in content and form, making it universal on the basis of these principles.

We must turn back the current trend in terms of citizen insecurity in the Americas. It is intolerable to have some regions spend close to eight per cent of their GDP in this matter, instead of development. This is not a battle that can be fought unilaterally. North-South cooperation is key, adapting it, obviously, to the specific circumstances of each country.

The Report on Drugs in the Americas presented by Secretary General JosÈ Miguel Insulza and the 2013 Antigua Declaration point to a new openness towards new approaches. This has motivated an open, inclusive discussion without past taboos and stereotypes.

Moreover, our efforts should be focused on a sustainable future. The impact of climate change increases the differences between those that can protect themselves from this scourge and those that cannot, most of the time, the poor. Central America and the islands of the Caribbean should become the main focus of the OAS, which, alongside other multilateral organisations, can strengthen and expand risk and disaster management mechanisms.

In addition, efforts to guarantee equal opportunities to citizens cannot be confined to this generation. Our children and grandchildren have the right to enjoy the environment and its natural resources and choose their own development options, instead of being forced to accept whatever is left following the plunder of today's production and consumption patterns.

The OAS is worth it; this is so because it represents a unique space for dialogue. There is no other platform like it, representing a rainbow of visions and ideas from around the continent. This diversity can act united as a powerful force if we manage to align it to the realities of the 21st century, giving it a much-needed mandate for renewal.

• Luis Almagro is Uruguay's foreign minister since 2010 and is a candidate for the post of secretary general to the OAS. Email feedback to columns@gleanerjm.com.