Questions to the candidates for Secretary General

Thank you very much, Mr. Chair.

In the interest of time, I will limit myself to two questions, addressed to all the candidates.

The first question is this: one of the pillars in which the Organization of American States can show the greatest success is the promotion and protection of human rights, and in that task the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) plays a fundamental role. The IACHR is financed with money from the Regular Fund but also with special funds or contributions. Do you believe the Commission should be financed entirely from the Regular Fund in order to achieve its full independence? Or do you rather favor the scheme of financing through specific funds? How do you assess this practice?

And the second question: some years ago the OAS published a report setting out the failures of the so-called war on drugs and calling for the exploration of alternative strategies. As candidates for Secretary General of the Organization, if the countries asked you for advice, or if it depended entirely on you, where do you think we should focus our efforts in order to move forward on this matter?

Thank you very much.