Democracy and Human Rights Focuses of 30th OAS General Assembly
 

The Organization of American States (OAS) held its thirtieth General Assembly in Windsor, Canada on June 4-6, 2000. The delegates addressed a range of issues during the course of the meeting, but two general themes stood out: democracy and human rights.

During his introductory address, OAS Secretary General César Gaviria Trujillo expressed grave concern over the future prospects of democracy in the Americas. Democracy is at risk, he claimed, because "it is not responding to the expectations of citizens." He went on to enumerate several countries in which democracy has faltered over the past year, including Paraguay, Ecuador and Peru. "The case of Peru," he noted, "deserves special attention. Our Mission there had to carry out its work in an atmosphere of deep mistrust of electoral authorities and of the government itself, as a result of a process created by the lack of an appropriate balance of power during the last decade."

The Assembly went on to address the issue of human rights-specifically, strengthening the Inter-American Convention on Human Rights. Paraguay's ambassador to the OAS, Diego Abente Brun, cited the member states' request for the introduction of a permanent representative reporting to the Secretary General and responsible for human rights protection in the hemisphere. He noted that every year, the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights reports on "the threats, disappearances, assaults and executions perpetrated against individuals and organizations dedicated to protecting human rights." The commission itself has expressed concern at the lack of such a representative charged with protecting the interests of these groups.

In its report to the Assembly, the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights paid special attention to Peru, citing the absence of an impartial system of justice in that country and courts "that have been used as a tool to persecute those who express their ideas in the press." The non-governmental organizations (NGOs) in attendance followed up on the discussion by presenting a package of initiatives designed to protect, promote and monitor human rights in the Americas. They urged the OAS to work to guarantee the rights and freedoms of citizens of the region.

Other important topics of discussion at the Assembly were human security (including transnational crime, drug trafficking and terrorism, as well as the creation of cooperative mechanisms to combat them), hemispheric security, land mine eradication, trade and integration, and civil society. In addition, the delegates addressed the OAS budget and the organization's financial health. The Assembly stressed the importance of OAS Missions around the world to encourage member states to renew their financial commitment. Some countries are far behind on their membership dues; in 1999, the OAS received only $35.9 million in dues, 48.8% of the total expected for the year. Because of these financial difficulties, the organization was forced to close its offices in Brazil, Chile and Colombia and to cut back on important cultural activities.

The many themes and initiatives raised at the OAS General Assembly highlight the contradictions and changes affecting Latin America today, trends which require a profound examination of the region's institutions and foreign policy. The OAS is an appropriate forum to discuss these problems and address the collective needs of the region's 700 million inhabitants. The test will be whether the commitments and perspectives raised at the meeting will lead to concrete results.

See: www.oas.org for more information.