OEA - Documento CP ACTA. 2423 25 de 2025

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CP/ACTA 2423/23

17 abril 2023

ACTA

DE LA SESIÓN PROTOCOLAR

CELEBRADA

EL 17 DE ABRIL DE 2023

Para conmemorar el Día de las Américas y la Semana Panamericana

ÍNDICE

Página

Nómina de los miembros que asistieron a la sesión 1

Palabras del Presidente del Consejo Permanente de la Organización de los Estados

Americanos, Embajador Washington Abdala, Representante Permanente del Uruguay 3

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

señor Luis Almagro Lemes 4

Palabras del orador invitado, Senador Chris Dodd, Asesor Presidencial Especial para

las Américas del Gobierno de los Estados Unidos 6

Palabras de los Coordinadores de los Grupos Regionales o sus representantes 12

CONSEJO PERMANENTE DE LA ORGANIZACIÓN DE LOS ESTADOS AMERICANOS

ACTA DE LA SESIÓN PROTOCOLAR

CELEBRADA EL 17 DE ABRIL DE 2023

En la ciudad de Washington, D. C., a las diez y ocho de la mañana del lunes 17 de abril de 2023, celebró sesión protocolar el Consejo Permanente de la Organización de los Estados Americanos con el propósito de conmemorar el Día de las Américas y la Semana Panamericana. Presidió la sesión el Embajador Washington Abdala, Representante Permanente del Uruguay y Presidente del Consejo Permanente. Asistieron los siguientes miembros:

Embajadora María del Carmen Roquebert León, Representante Permanente de Panamá y Vicepresidenta del Consejo Permanente

Embajador Ronald Sanders, Representante Permanente de Antigua y Barbuda

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

Embajadora Lou-Anne Gilchrist, Representante Permanente de San Vicente y las Granadinas

Embajadora Yolande Yvonne Smith, Representante Permanente de Grenada

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

Embajadora Lou-Anne Gilchrist, Representante Permanente de San Vicente y las Granadinas

Embajadora Yolande Yvonne Smith, Representante Permanente de Grenada

Embajadora Luz Elena Baños Rivas, Representante Permanente de México

Embajador Hugh Adsett, Representante Permanente del Canadá

Embajador Josué Antinoe Fiallo Billini, Representante Permanente de la República Dominicana

Embajadora Alejandra Solano Cabalceta, Representante Permanente de Costa Rica

Embajador Héctor Enrique Arce Zaconeta, Representante Permanente de Bolivia

Embajador Samuel Hinds, Representante Permanente de Guyana

Embajador Agustín Vásquez Gómez, Representante Permanente de El Salvador

Embajador Leon Charles, Representante Permanente de Haití

Embajador Chet Donovan 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 Sebastián Kraljevich Chadwick, Representante Permanente de Chile

Embajador Luis Ernesto Vargas, Representante Permanente de Colombia

Embajador Francisco O. Mora, Representante Permanente de los Estados Unidos

Primera Secretaria Judith Anne-Rolle, Representante Interina del Commonwealth de Dominica

Consejera Sonia Rosita Boddie-Thompson, Representante Interina de Saint Kitts y Nevis

Consejero Gonzalo Mauricio Vásquez Orozco, Representante Interino de Guatemala

Ministra Carla María Cueva Navarro, Representante Interina del Perú

Ministra Consejera Saira Esmeralda Ponce Rosales, Representante Alterna de Honduras

Primera Secretaria Shirnaya Valin Stephen, Representante Alterna de Santa Lucía

Ministro Fernando Gustavo Sotelo Vitelio, Representante Alterno del Uruguay

Ministra Consejera Saira Esmeralda Ponce Rosales, Representante Alterna de Honduras

Primera Secretaria Shirnaya Valin Stephen, Representante Alterna de Santa Lucía

Ministro Fernando Gustavo Sotelo Vitelio, Representante Alterno del Uruguay

Ministro Aurimar Jacobino de Barros Nunes, Representante Alterno del Brazil

Segundo Secretario Rubén Alejo Perie, Representante Alterno de la Argentina

Ministra Zoraya Rossana Alas Candia, Representante Alterna del Paraguay

Ministra Nicholette Erane Simoni Williams, Representante Alterna de Jamaica

También estuvieron presentes el Secretario General de la Organización, señor Luis Almagro Lemes, y el Secretario General Adjunto, Embajador Nestor Mendez, Secretario del Consejo Permanente.

PALABRAS DEL PRESIDENTE DEL CONSEJO PERMANENTE DE LA ORGANIZACIÓN DE LOS ESTADOS AMERICANOS, EMBAJADOR WASHINGTON ABDALA,

REPRESENTANTE PERMANENTE DEL URUGUAY

El PRESIDENTE: Buenos días, distinguidos representantes permanentes e interinos de los Estados Miembros; Senador Christopher Dodd, Asesor Presidencial Especial para las Américas de los Estados Unidos; señor Luis Almagro, Secretario General; Embajador Nestor Mendez, Secretario General Adjunto; distinguidos observadores permanentes y público en general que está conectado con nosotros.

Good morning, everyone and thank you for joining us today for this important discussion on integration and inter-Americanism.

We are honored to have with us today, Mr. Christopher Dodd, whose expertise and leadership on this issue has been instrumental in promoting a more inclusive and more united society.

Good morning, everyone and thank you for joining us today for this important discussion on integration and inter-Americanism.

We are honored to have with us today, Mr. Christopher Dodd, whose expertise and leadership on this issue has been instrumental in promoting a more inclusive and more united society.

As we gather here today, it is clear that the world is facing many complex challenges that threaten our social, economic, and political stability, from rising inequality and social justice to political polarization and cultural conflicts, our societies are increasingly divided and fragmented. At the heart of this problem lies the issue of integration—how we can create more inclusive and cohesive communities that respect diversity and promote equality. Inter-Americanism, integrationism, the philosophy that guides our discussion today is the belief that we must work together to overcome this division and build a more integrative society.

Through the discussion, we hope to explore the challenges and opportunities of integrationism and how we can work together to promote a more inclusive and united future.

Y todo esto no arrancó hace poco tiempo, arrancó hace mucho tiempo. Estamos desde 1889 bregando por un ejercicio de interamericanismo y de esfuerzos por estar más juntos que nunca. No tengo que recordar a nadie el Congreso de Panamá de 1826, donde Simón Bolívar hizo lo que tenía que hacer.

Un detalle, estudiando este fin de semana sobre el año 1889, encontré que el patrón plata fue el eje con el cual se suponía que nos comunicábamos comercialmente. No hay manera de encontrar una personalidad [única] en este proceso de panamericanismo, de integración continental, es imposible. Es imposible conversar con ustedes y decir “Roosevelt, Kennedy”, pues está plagado de actores que comprendieron la noción de entendimiento entre nosotros.

Seguramente, las perspectivas que tengamos sobre un proceso de mayor cohesión, algunos lo miran desde el territorio de la inversión, la generación de trabajo, la cohesión. El Senador Christopher Dodd, de Los Ángeles, fue una pieza fundamental y, ahí, uno de los trabajos centrales fue el tema migratorio, y vaya si es un tema que aún hoy nos compromete; y nos compromete como un dato de la realidad.

Decía José Martí que la unión hace la fuerza y la cooperación hace el progreso. La unión hace la fuerza y la cooperación hace el progreso; y el tema es, entonces, seguir bregando en este camino, no abdicar de nuestra intensidad, de nuestra militancia ni de nuestra dedicación. No es novedad para nadie, lo sabemos todos, Senador Dodd, que este continente tiene todo para ser feliz, todo: agua, tierras arables, energía, absolutamente todo. Lo que a veces no tenemos es la cohesión suficiente entre todos para entender que más convergencia nos va a dar más felicidad.

Puede que esté yo muy solo en esto, pero no tengo, me parece, la idea de que lo importante sea ser más, en términos de potencia en el mundo como Continente, sino ser más felices entre nosotros mismos. Básicamente, esa es la idea: recorrer un camino de mayor cohesión hacia una idea de mayor felicidad, de mayor integración y de mayor entendimiento entre todos.

Soy muy respetuoso de los momentos de conferencias internacionales, de los momentos donde tenemos un punto de entendimiento, pero creo que los pueblos están pidiendo, por encima del entendimiento político, un entendimiento fáctico de la realidad, una convergencia fáctica en la realidad.

Ahí perdóneme, señor Christopher Dodd, usted conoce por sí mismo y por su hermano la vida de mi país. Si me perdonan los queridos colegas, mi Presidente, Luis Lacalle Pou, siempre está diciendo: “lo que podemos hacer por nosotros mismos y no mirando hacia el otro, sino hacia nosotros mismos como Continente único”.

En estas mismas horas se está haciendo un ejercicio imponente en su país; no sé si ya largó el cohete, pero está por largar ese cohete que va a ser un ejercicio de mayor peso, mayor volumen, mayores toneladas. Este país puede grandes cosas, y nuestro continente, unido con este país, también puede grandes cosas. Todos podemos grandes cosas.

Por eso quería platicar sobre este ángulo, quizás más filosófico, más de sentirnos confiados entre nosotros mismos para poder, de alguna forma, entender que ese es el único camino inteligente que tenemos por delante. El único.

Era cuanto quería decir, y ahora voy a seguir con el protocolo, tal cual me lo manda el Secretario General Adjunto, así que, perfecto.

PALABRAS DEL SECRETARIO GENERAL DE LA

ORGANIZACIÓN DE LOS ESTADOS AMERICANOS,

SEÑOR LUIS ALMAGRO LEMES

El PRESIDENTE: Entonces, vienen ahora las palabras del Secretario General de la Organización de los Estados Americanos (OEA), señor Luis Almagro.

El SECRETARIO GENERAL: Gracias, señor Presidente.

SEÑOR LUIS ALMAGRO LEMES

El PRESIDENTE: Entonces, vienen ahora las palabras del Secretario General de la Organización de los Estados Americanos (OEA), señor Luis Almagro.

El SECRETARIO GENERAL: Gracias, señor Presidente.

El 14 de abril de 1890 se constituyó en esta ciudad la Unión Internacional de Repúblicas Americanas, en el marco de la primera Conferencia Internacional Americana. La Organización de los Estados Americanos (OEA), nuestra Organización, principal foro político del Hemisferio, es hija de esa iniciativa y de esos esfuerzos.

Agradecemos la presencia del Embajador Christopher Dodd y agradecemos al Embajador Francisco Mora por haber solicitado esta sesión del Consejo Permanente.

Esta Casa de las Américas es el sitio indicado para llevar a cabo la conmemoración de este aniversario del Día de las Américas y la Semana Panamericana.

Quienes asistieron a la reunión de 1890 en representación de los dieciocho Estados participantes, no solamente estaban colocando las bases para la posterior creación de la Unión Panamericana y de la OEA, sino adelantándose a su tiempo, de forma premonitoria, la primera institución de su clase en el mundo, que luego sería seguida por la Sociedad de las Naciones y la Organización de las Naciones Unidas (ONU).

Hoy en día, en este espacio hemisférico, continuamos honrando el propósito de un foro político y jurídico que atienda los principales temas de interés regional, representado en la defensa y promoción de la democracia, los derechos humanos, la seguridad multidimensional y el desarrollo integral.

El espíritu del panamericanismo se mantiene dentro de los ideales de preservación de la paz, eso que dicen los cuatro rincones, las cuatro esquinas de esta Sala, y de la solidaridad entre nuestros Estados Miembros, la colaboración entre las naciones de las Américas.

Sin ir más lejos, la próxima semana la ciudad de Denver acogerá la primera Cumbre de Ciudades de las Américas, en la que la OEA tendrá un papel destacado en temas de migración y transformación digital.

Con ese mismo espíritu de cooperación, asumimos también en los últimos años, como Organización, la coordinación regional, junto a la Organización Panamericana de la Salud (OPS), de la pandemia de COVID-19.

Señor Presidente, continuaremos trabajando incansablemente para que la democracia sea el único sistema legítimo de gobierno en la región, con el respeto y la promoción de los derechos humanos, a pesar de las amenazas que acechan, a pesar de las tentaciones totalitarias y dictatoriales.

La Carta Democrática Interamericana, que hemos definido como la verdadera constitución para las Américas, debe ser la mejor guía para contar con países donde el respeto a la institucionalidad, al Estado de derecho y a los derechos humanos sean la constante, como son la constante las palabras de Bolívar en el Congreso al que hacía referencia el Presidente del Consejo Permanente.

En el Hemisferio todavía debemos mucho a nuestros pueblos. Temas prioritarios como la pobreza, la inequidad, el deterioro al medio ambiente, la corrupción, la inseguridad, la migración, así como el respeto por los derechos de las mujeres, las minorías, las comunidades LGBTI, los pueblos originarios, los pueblos afrodescendientes y otros más, deben continuar formando parte de nuestros trabajos cotidianos y de nuestras prioridades.

Hace dos años, el Presidente Joe Biden, a un par de cuadras de donde hoy estamos reunidos, dijo, en sus palabras de conmemoración del Día Panamericano y la Semana Panamericana, que esta es la mejor manera de celebrar los principios democráticos que nos unen.

Expresamos nuestra determinación de trabajar juntos para superar los desafíos comunes que tenemos por delante, tenemos la capacidad de alcanzar ese futuro si nos congregamos y nos unimos en torno a un liderazgo democrático, basado en principios y cimentado en el Estado de derecho.

Hoy seguimos con las palabras del Presidente Joe Biden, esos son los principios básicos que hacen parte del día a día de nuestra Organización, y, por ese motivo, nuestro lema de trabajo diario es “llevar más derechos para más gente”.

Muchas gracias, señor Presidente.

El PRESIDENTE: Muchas gracias por sus palabras, Secretario General.

PALABRAS DEL ORADOR INVITADO, SENADOR CHRIS DODD,

ASESOR PRESIDENCIAL ESPECIAL PARA LAS AMÉRICAS DEL

GOBIERNO DE LOS ESTADOS UNIDOS

El PRESIDENTE: A continuación, me complace otorgar la palabra a nuestro invitado especial, el Senador Christopher Dodd, Asesor Presidencial Especial para las Américas del Gobierno de los Estados Unidos.

Senador Dodd, bienvenido a la Casa de las Américas, a la Organización de los Estados Americanos (OEA), tiene usted la palabra.

El ASESOR PRESIDENCIAL ESPECIAL PARA LAS AMÉRICAS DEL GOBIERNO DE LOS ESTADOS UNIDOS: Muchas gracias.

Con su permiso. Yo estuve con el Presidente Joe Biden este fin de semana pasado, en Orlando, y pasamos tres días como si fueran cien días. En esos tres días estuve trabajando y viajando con él.

Entonces, con su permiso, voy a hablar en inglés, y muchas gracias a todos por la invitación para pasar un tiempo con ustedes.

I know this room very well. Over my thirty-six years in Congress, I was at many, many meetings, celebrations, and various other events here in this wonderful building that has witnessed so many incredible achievements under the leadership of the Organization of American States (OAS).

So, I thank you, Mr. Secretary General, first of all, for your wonderful welcome. I feel very privileged to be here with all of you.

I want to thank, as well, Ambassador Washington Abdala, the distinguished members of the Permanent Council, permanent observers, Mr. Assistant Secretary General, the OAS staff who are here as well, and members of civil society for the chance to join you this morning for some brief remarks, four years to the date of our celebration of Pan American history and cooperation.

I am also delighted to be back in this room, this historic building—the House of the Americas, which it is called—for this session of the [Permanent] Council. On the occasion of Pan American Day and Pan American Week, I bring you warm greetings from President Joe Biden as his Special Advisor for the Americas. I also want to acknowledge the leadership of Ambassador Frank Mora, who we are so pleased to have at the OAS at long last. Frank, welcome here, once again, back in the place where you deserve to be.

It is fitting to begin today by recalling that this year marks the 240th anniversary of the birth of the great American liberator, Simón Bolívar, whose ideal of hemispheric cooperation inspired the creation of the Inter-American system. In furtherance of Bolívar’s vision, on April 14, 1890, eighteen nations of this Hemisphere came together to form the International Union of American Republics—the oldest regional international organization in the world, and the precursor to this, our modern Organization of American States.

Today, the OAS consists of diverse independent States dedicated to the principles of advancing peace, development, security, and democracy throughout the Americas. On my way into this Hall, I had the chance to see the “Peace Tree” that President Taft planted below in the Aztec Patio. The Peace Tree continues to stand as evidence of the deep and strong roots of the OAS.

Let me be clear: Joe Biden, my very good friend and President of the United States, is a champion of this Organization. He asked me to share with each of you a personal pledge of his and the U.S. commitment to the OAS.

The United States remains deeply interested in the future of the OAS and the Inter-American System. Colleagues and friends, I believe strongly that we need to, once again, recapture the spirit of Pan-Americanism that informs so much of our shared history, and our region’s future destiny as well.

It must seem odd, even quaint, to talk about Pan-Americanism in light of the differences we see in the region today.

But the reality is that regional integration is now a fact. In some ways, we are promoting regional integration as various governments throughout the Hemisphere, but in many instances, it is occurring in markets, in the private sector organizations, universities, the non-governmental organizations (NGOs) that exist, faith-based institutions, and by changing demographics. Clearly, as former Secretary of State John Kerry, my former Senate colleague, stated in this hall ten years ago, “the era of the Monroe Doctrine is over.” But I would also add, so also is the era of undervaluing the resources, both human and natural, that our Americas offers itself and the world in which we live.

Our region’s dynamic and integrated relationship was on display at the Ninth Summit of the Americas in Los Angeles last June. The region’s leaders came together to reaffirm shared goals—promoting sustainability, resilience, and equity across the Hemisphere; advancing economic prosperity; strengthening democracies; mitigating the effects of climate change; fostering clean energy transitions; creating more resilient public health infrastructure; increasing access to digital technologies; and, protecting the most vulnerable among us. That was a tall order, and yet every one of those subjects was thoroughly discussed in Los Angeles at the Summit this past June.

Priority U.S. initiatives to address these common concerns and opportunities include Americas Partnership for Economic Prosperity, the Los Angeles Declaration on Migration and Protection, the Americas Health Corps, and the U.S.-Caribbean Partnership to Address the Climate Crisis 2030 (PACC 2030), which was launched by Vice President Harris at last year’s Summit of the Americas, is our flagship initiative to promote climate adaptation and resilience, as well as clean energy programs across the Caribbean region and elsewhere. This comprehensive, goal-oriented approach is supporting our Caribbean neighbors and others with the urgency that this moment demands.

The Biden-Harris Administration’s Root Causes Strategy was released in July 2021 and is making critical investments in addressing the drivers of migration from Central America, with a sharp focus on good governance. Our Call to Action, a public-private partnership supporting long-term development in Central America, is one way in which we are helping to create economic opportunity in the region. To build on momentum generated under this successful initiative, Vice President Harris launched the next chapter by announcing, “Central America Forward” plan. As of February 2023, companies within Central America Forward had committed more than US$4.2 billion in investment to the region. Central America Forward also includes new U.S. Government commitments to complement private sector investments in the region, including a new U.S. Government Northern Central America Investment Facilitation Team and commitments to combat corruption and protect labor rights in the region.

Mr. Chair, as we work to move forward with all these efforts, we will also be hosting local leaders from throughout the Western Hemisphere at the inaugural Cities Summit of the Americas in Denver, Colorado later this month, in fact, next week. Over 2,000 local leaders and organizations have registered for this two-day conference. We are very pleased to have the OAS engaged in this Summit on open government and regional migration. This is the first time ever to hold such a summit of local leaders throughout the Americas. Our efforts to improve economic conditions, strengthen security measures, and promote democratic values, must not be left alone to heads of state, but also include efforts at the local level throughout the Hemisphere.

And yet, despite these advances, we now know there is growing impatience for tangible progress in the region. Efforts by leaders to make democracy deliver have fallen short to put it mildly.

As the premiere multilateral institution in the Americas, many have looked to the OAS to find solutions to political impasses—while others in the region continue to question its viability and capacity to address these threats. Mr. Chair, our Pan-American—now our Inter-American—community is bound together and strengthened by diverse multilateral institutions, and they, too, are indispensable to achieving our common aspirations.

Their focus and memberships may vary, as we all know—some include the United States as members, others do not. But in every case, the effectiveness of these multilateral institutions depends upon members’ willingness to step up and to meet their obligations here, as well as in the Hemisphere. Mr. Chair, at the OAS, this means speaking up and defending democracy anywhere when it is under threat or assault.

Just as we committed to do this year in Los Angeles, and in keeping with the core mission of this Organization, we must step up and advance the full implementation of the Inter-American Democratic Charter. That is what our leaders envisioned when we gathered twenty-two years ago on that fateful and dreadful day of September 11, 2001, to adopt the Democratic Charter.

Former President Jimmy Carter, a great friend of this Organization, who attended every OAS General Assembly in Washington and even hosted the Assembly in Atlanta, Georgia in 1974 when he was the Governor of the state of Georgia, underscored this point clearly in his speech inaugurating the first Lecture Series of the Americas in 2005 before this very [Permanent] Council. Let me quote him if I can.

President Carter called on “all governments of the Hemisphere to make the [Inter-American] Democratic Charter more than empty pieces of paper, to make it a living document. The Charter commits us to help one another when our democratic institutions are threatened. The Charter can be a punitive instrument, providing for sanctions when a serious challenge to the democratic order occurs, but it is also an instrument for providing technical assistance and moral encouragement to prevent democratic erosion early in the game. Let us strengthen the Charter and not be afraid to use it.”

Mr. Chair, these words compel us to continue to make progress and act, now more than ever. So, the United States looks to fellow OAS delegations to help revitalize and realize fully the Inter-American Action Plan on Democratic Governance adopted at the Ninth Summit. We are proud to be collaborating on efforts through the Permanent Council that support more proactive use of the [Inter-American] Democratic Charter and enhanced inter-parliamentary cooperation.

We also commend the efforts of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights for highlighting threats to democracy and human rights in the region and for holding all of us, including the United States, to account. The U.S. was pleased to welcome the Commission to California for its 186th period of sessions just last month at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA).

We commend the Commission, because deepening respect for democratic governance, human rights, and fundamental freedoms is a top priority for the United States and President Biden.

Recognizing human rights at home is a critical part of the President’s foreign policy vision. We cannot be credible advocates for democracy and human rights abroad if we are not demonstrating that commitment to these principles in our very own country.

The United States is proud of the role we play in advancing human rights and fundamental freedoms in the Americas and across the globe. None of us are perfect, as all of us know. But we strive to live up to our highest ideals and principles. We work to empower, defend, and lift up human rights defenders in all their forms, and to counter repressive tactics against citizens, dissidents, academics, journalists, and others targeted by authoritarian regimes.

Last month, President Biden co-hosted the second Summit for Democracy, along with leaders from Costa Rica, the Netherlands, the Republic of Korea, and Zambia—where we demonstrated that democracies can deliver and are delivering for their people.

The gathering’s outcome declaration, which many OAS member states have endorsed, underscored the following, and I quote from it: “freedom and democracy are strengthened through cooperation, and we commit to building stronger domestic, regional, and global partnerships that are more assertive in countering authoritarianism and corruption and that demonstrate that democracy delivers peace, stability, and prosperity for all.”

President Biden and I thank the OAS and the Inter-American Commission of Women (CIM) for supporting Summit for Democracy activities. We celebrate the ninety-fifth anniversary of the CIM this year, in fact, and the visionary leadership of its first president, the Pan American feminist Doris Stevens. It is wholly fitting, in my view, that Summit participants committed to redouble their efforts to “protect and uphold the human rights of all women and girls in all their diversity”—cognizant that “women’s rights are human rights.”

We also made major new commitments at the Summit for Democracy, including President Biden’s announcement of up to US$690 million over the next fiscal year for the Presidential Initiative for Democratic Renewal—supporting efforts at home and around the globe to make our democracies more resilient, by bolstering democratic reformers and independent journalists, defending free and fair elections, and advancing anti-corruption campaigns.

Colleagues, at the same time, we must recognize that inclusive economic growth remains essential to safeguard democracy. Without job creation and investment, the fragility of democracy quickly becomes apparent. Similarly, without security and law enforcement, democracy becomes vulnerable. Governments must provide freedom from fear for its citizens if democracy is to thrive. We all understand that democratic consolidation is not possible without a commitment to inclusive economic growth and citizen security. Failure to recognize the interdependence ensures the permanent fragility of democracy.

Allow me to touch on a few specific challenges and opportunities—and I emphasize both challenges and opportunities—we see impacting our approach to the region and here at the OAS.

I want to commend OAS recent efforts to identify ways to help Haiti address its acute and deteriorating security, political, and health crisis as well. Haiti’s current lack of stability is critical to the people of that country, obviously, but it is also important to our region as a whole.

There are some encouraging steps in Haiti. The February 6 appointment of the High Transition Council and naming of Supreme Court Judges. The OAS, I know, is working hard to play a supportive role. But Haiti’s political parties, civil society, the diaspora, and private sector must play a role in this process, working together in the interest of the Haitian people.

Those who impede this process of the welfare of the Haitian people will continue to face the possibility of U.S. sanctions. We also will continue to provide support of humanitarian efforts to ensure vulnerable groups have access to food, water, and health services.

We remain committed to working with our international partners, including through our vice-chairmanship of the new OAS Working Group on Haiti, to aid Haiti in combating gang violence and mitigate its security threats, while creating the conditions, we hope, for Haiti’s political actors and other stakeholders to reach a political accord and hold elections in that country.

Mr. Chair, the situation in Nicaragua remains a serious concern for our inter-American community, as well. While the United States believes the recent decision of the Nicaraguan government to release political prisoners was certainly a welcome step, it did not resolve our underlying concerns about the deterioration of human rights and the rule of law.

In fact, the decision of the Government of Nicaragua to revoke the citizenshi