Sesión protocolar

CONSEJO PERMANENTE DE LA ORGANIZACIÓN DE LOS ESTADOS AMERICANOS

ACTA DE LA SESIÓN PROTOCOLAR CELEBRADA EL

16 DE SEPTIEMBRE DE 2022

Nómina de los miembros que asistieron a la sesión

En la ciudad de Washington, D. C., a las dos y siete minutos de la tarde del viernes 16 de septiembre de 2022, celebró sesión protocolar el Consejo Permanente de la Organización de los Estados Americanos con el objeto de recibir al excelentísimo señor Chandrikapersad Santokhi, Presidente de la República de Suriname. Presidió la sesión Embajadora Lou-Anne Gaylene Gilchrist, Representante Permanente de San Vicente y las Granadinas y Presidenta del Consejo Permanente. Asistieron los siguientes miembros:

Embajador Josué Antinoe Fiallo Billini, Representante Permanente de la República Dominicana y Vicepresidente del Consejo Permanente

Embajador Everson Hull, Representante Permanente de Saint Kitts y Nevis

Embajador Anthony Phillips-Spencer, Representante Permanente de Trinidad y Tobago

Embajadora Rita Claverie Diaz de Sciolli, Representante Permanente de Guatemala

Embajadora Yolande Yvonne Smith, Representante Permanente de Grenada

Embajador Gustavo Tarre, Representante Permanente de Venezuela

Embajadora Luz Elena Baños Rivas, Representante Permanente de México

Embajadora María del Carmen Roquebert, Representante Permanente de Panamá

Embajador Carlos Alberto Raimundi, Representante Permanente de la Argentina

Embajador Washington Abdala, Representante Permanente del Uruguay

Embajadora Alejandra Solano, Representante Permanente de Costa Rica

Embajador Héctor Enrique Arce Zaconeta, Representante Permanente de Bolivia

Embajador Samuel Hinds, Representante Permanente de Guyana

Embajador Léon Charles, Representante Permanente de Haití

Embajador Otávio Brandelli, Representante Permanente del Brasil

Embajador Chet D. Neymour, Representante Permanente del Commonwealth de las Bahamas

Embajador Jan Marten Willem Schalkwijk, Representante Permanente de Suriname

Embajador Mauricio Montalvo Samaniego, Representante Permanente del Ecuador

Embajador Carlos Roberto Quesada, Representante Permanente de Honduras

Embajador Sebastián Kraljevich Chadwick, Representante Permanente de Chile

Señora Judith-Anne Rolle, Representante Interina de Dominica

Primera Secretaria Shirnaya Valin Stephen, Representante Interina de Santa Lucía

Ministra Adriana Maldonado, Representante Interina de Colombia

Ministro François Jubinville, Representante Alterno del Canadá

Señor Raúl Mariano Martínez, Representante Interino del Paraguay

Señor Thomas Hastings, Representante Interino de los Estados Unidos

Ministro Consejero Omari Seitu Williams, Representante Alterno de San Vicente y las Granadinas

Embajadora Wendy Acevedo, Representante Alterna de El Salvador

Ministra Consejera Christobelle Elaine Reece, Representante Alterna de Barbados

Ministra Carla María Cueva Navarro, Representante Alterna del Perú

Ministra Nicholette Erane Simoni, Representante Alterna de Jamaica

Ministra Consejera Cinnamon Elizabeth Bottaro, Representante Alterna de Belize

Estuvieron también presentes el Secretario General, Luis Almagro Lemes, y el Secretario General Adjunto, Embajador Nestor Mendez, Secretario del Consejo Permanente.

Aprobación del orden del día

La PRESIDENTA: Good afternoon.

I am pleased to declare open this protocolary meeting of the Permanent Council, which has been convened to receive the President of the Republic of Suriname, His Excellency Chandrikapersad Santokhi.

[El proyecto de orden del día contiene los siguientes puntos:

1. Palabras de bienvenida de la Presidenta del Consejo Permanente de la Organización de los Estados Americanos, Embajadora Lou-Anne Gaylene Gilchrist, Representante Permanente de San Vicente y las Granadinas

2. Palabras del Secretario General de la Organización de los Estados Americanos, Luis Almagro

3. Palabras del Presidente de la República de Suriname, excelentísimo señor Chandrikapersad Santokhi]

The order of business is approved.

Approved.

I invite all meeting participants to rise as we welcome His Excellency Chandrikapersad Santokhi.

[El Presidente Santokhi, su comitiva oficial y el Secretario General ingresan al Salón de las Américas]

Palabras de bienvenida de la Presidenta del Consejo Permanente de la Organización de los Estados Americanos, Embajadora Lou-Anne Gaylene Gilchrist, Representante Permanente de San Vicente y las Granadinas

La PRESIDENTA: His Excellency Chandrikapersad Santokhi, President of the Republic of Suriname; Ambassador Albert Ramdin, distinguished Minister of Foreign Affairs, International Business and International Cooperation of Suriname; distinguished members of the official delegation; Ambassador Marten Schalkwijk, Permanent Representative of Suriname to the Organization of American States (OAS); distinguished permanent and interim representatives of the member states; Mr. Luis Almagro, Secretary General; Ambassador Nestor Mendez, Assistant Secretary General; distinguished permanent observers; ladies and gentlemen.

It is my honour, as Permanent Representative of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines and Chair of the Permanent Council of the Organization of American States, to warmly welcome to the House of the Americas, the President of the Republic of Suriname, His Excellency Chandrikapersad Santokhi.

Excellency, the OAS Permanent Council extends to you cordial greetings, in solidarity, as fellow nations of this Hemisphere and we welcome you to the Organization of American States. Excellency, given your previous tenure as Chair and Vice-Chair of the Inter-American Drug Abuse Control Commission (CICAD), you are keenly aware of the pressing issues facing our Hemisphere today. Additionally, your presence today solidifies Suriname’s commitment to advancing the work of the OAS considering our Organization’s admirable role as the Hemisphere’s main political forum for dialogue and conflict resolution. We also acknowledge your Government’s firm commitment to supporting the core pillars of the OAS in matters related to peace and security, integral development, strengthening democracy, and protecting human rights.

Mr. President, you are joining us at a critical moment as our Organization will soon be holding its Fifty-second regular session of its General Assembly in Peru, during which the member states will engage in dialogue and address the theme of the regular session of the General Assembly, “Together against inequality and discrimination.” We are certain that Suriname will contribute robustly to these discussions.

As the Permanent Representative of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, a fellow Caribbean Community (CARICOM) sister nation, we share a deep commitment to advancing initiatives within the CARICOM region and the broader Hemisphere in the areas of economic integration, human and social development, and security, which redound to the benefit of our people.

Mr. President, thank you for joining us today.

Palabras del Secretario General de la Organización de los Estados Americanos, Luis Almagro

La PRESIDENTA: Following the order of business of this protocolary meeting, at this time I am pleased to offer the floor to the Secretary General of the Organization of American States, Mr. Luis Almagro.

Mr. Secretary General, the floor is yours.

El SECRETARIO GENERAL: Thank you, Madam Chair. Excellency, I am deeply honored to welcome you to the House of the Americas, a place you know very well because you were for 15 years the Official Representative of Suriname in the Inter-American Drug Abuse Control Commission (CICAD), and you were elected as a Chair of CICAD for one year.

Mr. President, your presence here today is a signal of your country’s commitment to multilateral cooperation and collaboration. You assume your office in July 2020, following a very competitive May 2020 General Elections in Suriname. As is known by many, these elections were the first observed by the Organization of American States (OAS) during the COVID-19 pandemic, which was officially declared on March 11 of that year. The Mission of the May 25 elections was innovative and working under very unusual and challenging circumstances. This Department of Electoral Observation and Cooperation (DECO) nonetheless was able to accomplish its task and delivered an observation process in accordance with recognized international standards.

Mr. President, you have been at the vanguard for the consolidation and promotion of democracy and development in Suriname. You have served as a parliamentarian and an opposition leader for many years. Your strong ideas, perseverance, dedication to the cause and leadership have all placed you where you are today at the helm of the Republic of Suriname. Indeed, you have been a strong champion of democracy.

Is even more significant that you led your country with a multi-ethnic society with diverse interests, but in which these societal groups live and work together peacefully. This is not an easy feat. Your governing coalition is testament to what is possible when political forces and interests put vested interests aside and work for the good of the country. This does not mean that there are not problems or challenges, but your diversity is your strength, which allows conflicts to be resolved harmoniously. Suriname is therefore an example to the international community of multi-ethnic social coexistence.

Mr. President, as current Chair of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), you exercise leadership on many issues confronting our region. This includes addressing the continuing fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic, the impact of climate change, particularly on a small, vulnerable country and island nations, combating food insecurity and threat of transnational organized crimes. On each of these issues, be rest assured of the full support and cooperation of the OAS in search for solutions.

We must continue to implement policies that seek to eliminate poverty and strengthen our efforts to spur economic growth and more urgently help countries of our region confront the threat of climate change. Mr. President, your country has been running a carbon negative economy due to its vast forestry, serving as a carbon sink for the world. It is why I am pleased to learn that forest wildfires in your country have reduced significantly by approximately 53 percent last year than in the previous year. However, the issue of climate change is worsening, and it is not just or fair for your country that contributes not even half a percent towards the world’s greenhouse emissions, much like the majority of CARICOM countries, to be punished by what can be controlled, which is the way we live our lives and decide to operate our industries.

Sincerely, Mr. President, these are root problem that requires not only attention, but action and appropriate funding to foster a climate resilient environment for the region. It is our duty to tackle the climate crisis, a task that will require the investment of significant new resources. Climate change has brought with the high cost and its mitigation and adaptation, its forces upon us have a price. We hope that international financial institutions will help with urgent resources. We also must continue with our fight against organized crime, especially in the field of drug trafficking and money laundering. As you did in Suriname when you acted as Minister of Justice, your commitment to the rule of law and its heavy handed application to all is well known.

Excellency, thank you for taking the time to be with us today and we look forward to joining hands with you and the people of Suriname in building a sustainable, resilient, and equitable future for the Americas.

Thank you very much.

La PRESIDENTA: Thank you, Mr. Secretary General.

Palabras del Presidente de la República de Suriname, excelentísimo señor Chandrikapersad Santokhi

La PRESIDENTA: I now have the distinct honour to offer the floor to His Excellency Chandrikapersad Santokhi, President of the Republic of Suriname.

Mr. President, you have the floor.

El PRESIDENTE DE LA REPÚBLICA DE SURINAME: Thank you, Madam Chair. Muchas gracias, Ambassador Lou-Anne Gilchrist, Chair of the Permanent Council; Mr. Luis Almagro, Secretary General of the Organization of American States (OAS); distinguished permanent representatives; distinguished representatives of the permanent observers to the Organization of American States; distinguished delegates; the staff of the Organization of American States Secretariat; ladies and gentlemen.

Madam Chair, I thank you, and the Permanent Council for this opportunity to address this esteemed organization. It is an honor, for me, to address the permanent representatives of member states that make up the Western Hemisphere, a Hemisphere, that is one of the most peaceful, regions in the world.

Let us not forget, one thing: We all—no one exempted—depend on each other. We live in an inter-connected world, and as such one will not stand, if all others, do not remain standing. That is the consequence of globalization. We have to work, towards a more inclusive and united Americas. One, which is not build on conditions upfront, not on ideology or political convenience. The time for that has past. I know the OAS from a number of years back when I was involved with the work of the Inter-American Drug Abuse Control Commission (CICAD). I was police Commissioner and for fifteen years the Representative of Suriname to CICAD. I was also Vice Chair, and Chair of this important body of the OAS. We actually did a lot of good work through CICAD, and I hope that it is still going on.

Madame Chair, The OAS is much more than a political Organization because it has all these other organizations, and committees, which are part of the OAS system. If we look at the list of these entities, there are at least 15.

There are Committees, Commissions and Councils on Human Rights, juridical matters, against terrorism, on women, on integral development, and on telecommunication. There is a Court on Human Rights and a Defense Board. There are institutions and centers on agriculture, children, geography and history, and justice studies and we should not forget the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), which is a very important organization on Health for all our countries. The OAS also stood at the birth of the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB). In addition, there are different projects, programs, and scholarships.

Madam Chair, I mention these because it means that many people and organizations are involved in the work of the OAS through all these entities. They contribute to the well-being of our people and our Hemisphere in ways that some of us may forget. The variety of entities and projects also demonstrates clearly that the OAS is doing substantial work in many areas, and that it is not just a political body, which holds long meetings and adopts resolutions about conflict areas.

Madam Chair, I wanted to present this rich perspective of the OAS as a multilateral Organization, which has expertise in different areas because I know that its work is not always appreciated enough. As President of Suriname, who has been part of CICAD for many years, I had a positive experience with the OAS, and I want to express that positive view of the OAS. I wanted to encourage all of you, including the Secretariat, and all entities to keep this good work going. I know that the Organization is struggling a bit with its budget, but do not let that discourage you.

Since July 1 of this year, Suriname has assumed the Chairmanship of CARICOM and I want to report some of the issues, that are of importance to the Caribbean region. In fact, yesterday I was part of a meeting of some CARICOM leaders, with Vice President Kamala Harris of the United States, and President Luis Abinader of the Dominican Republic. That meeting was the concrete result of the agreement that was made between the United States and the Caribbean nations that were present at the Summit of the Americas in June this year. Shortly after the Summit, three high-level Joint Committees were formed. Yesterday, the three reports on Food Security, Energy Security, and Financing were presented and discussed.

The themes of the Committees, reflect some of the main issues that we are confronted with within the Caribbean, and by extension in the wider region, and the world: Insecurity with respect to food and energy, and access to financing. The reports detail, some of these issues further. Then there is the overall threat of climate change, which is especially threatening for small societies with small economies that do not have the vast reserves that large countries have. One dramatic climate disaster can wipe out a few percentages of the gross domestic product (GDP) of a small country. Together with the United States, we will be working to address some of these issues under the umbrella of the United States-Caribbean Partnership to Address the Climate Crisis 2030 (PACC 2030).

I mentioned some of the main issues for the Caribbean, and of course, I hope that these issues will also be addressed by the different bodies of the OAS. This means that the OAS should be able to also function as a center of knowledge because it should be able to assemble enough expertise from its member states and its immediate surroundings to address all major issues. Small countries do not have the vast pool of experts that are available here in Washington DC, and so we should be able to put specific requests to the OAS to assist when we are dealing with issues that do not need a lot of money, but primarily need some good advice.

The OAS could give some guidance with these issues, and point us in the right direction. Today, I had meetings with the Interamerican Monetary Fund (IMF) and the IDB to discuss a number of issues. Suriname made an agreement with the IMF in December 2021 for a three-year program. This was based on our own Recovery Plan for the Economy and to restructure the relatively huge debt burden, which otherwise would eat up the bulk of our income. When we concluded, the program with the IMF, the circumstances in the world were different.

We implemented many reforms and worked on the restructuring of the debt, but when the situation in the world changed, under influence of the war in Ukraine and its effects on supply chains, we were confronted,—as all of your countries—, with import inflation and more insecurity. The high inflation we have experienced in the past years in Suriname was supposed to drop, but when it did not happen, the government had to take some additional measures.

We needed to talk with the IMF about an adjusted program, where the redesign will align with the challenges, we face in the effective execution of the Extended Fund Facility. I can say that the IMF agreed with us, and we had a good meeting. We also spoke with the IDB about the project portfolio we have with them, focusing on improving social and physical infrastructure, and supporting an increase in productive capacity and jobs. We came to an agreement with the IDB as well. Today, we have also the support from the IDB Director that also the IDB program will be amended and adjusted and will have more direct involvement on the impact on micro level and to bring relief in social programs and food security programs to our people.

We all know that the work of the OAS rests on four pillars, namely democracy, hemispheric security, integral development and human rights. Democracy, rule of law, human rights and good governance, must remain the principles upon which our politics and policies must be built. Often democracy and human rights are dominating in the discussions, but today I have pointed primarily to issues of development.

As governments, we always try to find ways to improve life for our people, or at least try to avert disasters and decline. We try to feed our people, we try to provide energy at acceptable prices, and we need to get access to finance to get business and projects going. These issues require good governance and an atmosphere of trust, which also means the absence of human rights violations and moreover a democratic society and policy. At the same time, these issues are part of our security issues, including hemispheric security.

For the Caribbean, the pillar of integral development is an important one, but it will not stand alone if it is not supported by the other three pillars. Nevertheless, we think, that we should focus on integral development first because, as I have pointed out, the other aspects are interwoven with real development.

Specific attention needs to be given to the challenges of Small Island Developing States (SIDS) and countries with low-lying coastal areas. CARICOM and Central American nations especially require this attention to secure accessible development financing, resolve the debt burden, and a path towards sustainable growth. In this regard, I want to urge this Permanent Council to have a special meeting on these economies and review the procedures and mechanisms through which these countries are categorized. I believe that part of the discussion must include a thorough consideration of the multidimensional vulnerability index, as proposed by the Caribbean Community.

Yesterday, ladies and gentlemen, the President of the Dominican Republic addressed this Permanent Council on an important topic: The political, social, and security crisis in our sister member state, the Republic of Haiti. I can share with you that the Caribbean Community is committed to discussing with the Haitian leadership and involved stakeholders, ways to effectively deal with the gangs, and improve the security situation. Only in a stable climate, free, fair and credible elections can be held. And only then, a process of governance and development can seriously start. In all these activities, towards Haiti, we must be directed by the sitting Government in Haiti, and we need to align international and regional support, so as to make the best use of the resources made available.

Madam Chair, distinguished representatives, I have come to the conclusion of my remarks. I just want to reiterate that the Organization of American States is deserving of our support. Let us cherish and strengthen the entities, which are part of the OAS family, and have the courage to make changes where the Organization can be more effective. Moreover, let us show the people in our nations that the OAS is working steadfastly for their development, but also stimulates democracy and security, and looks out for their human rights.

In these days of uncertainty, the OAS must be a trusted and guiding force in the Western Hemisphere. It requires us to think boldly and commit to decisions that will help resolve our problems and build on the opportunities towards a politically stable and economically prosperous Hemisphere.

I thank you, for your kind attention, and wish all of you a most productive Fifty-second regular session of the OAS General Assembly in the beautiful country of Peru in early October next month.

I thank you, and God bless you all! Muchas gracias.

La PRESIDENTA: Thank you very much, Mr. President.

Ladies and gentlemen, that concludes this protocolary meeting. Thank you all for attending.

Before adjourning the meeting, I would like to extend to all distinguished participants the cordial invitation to attend a reception being offered by the Permanent Mission of Suriname in the Patio Azteca in honour of His Excellency Chandrikapersad Santokhi.

At this time, in keeping with social distancing measures, I ask those present to kindly rise from their seats and individually greet His Excellency the President of the Republic of Suriname. We will start with the delegation closest to the exit.

Thank you all very much.

The meeting is adjourned.

[Se levanta la sesión a las 2:36 p.m.]

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