Organization of American States Secretary General stresses need for strengthened regional co-operation in address to OSCE Permanent Council
VIENNA, 28 October 2010 - Jose Miguel Insulza, the Secretary General of the Organization of American States (OAS), in his address to the OSCE Permanent Council today emphasized the importance of strengthening co-operation between the two regional organizations on addressing security challenges on the basis of common goals.
"Both of our organizations share several goals which include the promotion of democracy and the rule of law, the protection and promotion of human rights, as well as freedom of expression and of the media," said Insulza. "Both the OSCE and the OAS address a wide range of security-related concerns, with the key aim to keep our populations safe."
Insulza spoke about a wide range of areas where the two organizations maintain a dialogue and share experiences, in particular combating terrorism, promotion of freedom of expression and electoral observation, as well as conflict prevention and resolution, a sphere where "regional organizations such as the OSCE and the OAS have a critical role to play to help the United Nations, that cannot be filled by others."
The address of the OAS Secretary General to the Permanent Council, which took place for the first time in the history of the organizations, Insulza said, "reflects the fact that we care about inter-regional collaboration".
"We must continue strengthening the ongoing co-operation and sharing best practices between our organizations in common challenges posed by terrorism, narco-traffic, and organized crime and trafficking of human beings. We must continue to stand firm to guarantee the integrity of democratic electoral processes and to protect freedom of expression and human rights of our citizens, thus strengthening the democratic institutions which we are trying to protect daily and which underpin the shared values that we hold so dear."
The Organization of American States comprising 35 states of the Americas is the world's oldest regional organization dating back to the Pan American Union of 1890, which was transformed into the OAS in 1948. The United States of America and Canada participate in both the OSCE and the OAS, and many other OSCE participating States are Permanent Observers to the Organization of American States.
The Permanent Council is a main decision-making body of the 56-country OSCE. It meets weekly in Vienna to discuss developments in the OSCE area and to make appropriate decisions.