Looking
Ahead to Windsor
Welcoming remarks for the Roundtable on
The Americas: Look Ahead to Windsor
by Hon. David Kilgour, M.P., Secretary of
State (Latin America and Africa)
April 26, 2000
Lester B. Pearson Building, Ottawa
Mesdames,
Messieurs, soyez les bienvenus !!
Thank you
for coming today. Your participation in
the roundtable organized by the Centre is
very important to us. Canada has an excellent
opportunity to make our presence felt at
the General Assembly of the Organization
of American States to be held in Windsor,
June (4-6). You are fully aware of the major
challenges facing the hemisphere, and your
experience and views on the issues are important.
These experiences or themes could be related
to education, to democracy, good governance,
sustainable development, indigenous peoples,
gender issues just to mention some.
Your contribution
today is a meaningful part of our policy
development process. Canadian civil society’s
positions on hemispheric issues is most
relevant. Challenges for the hemisphere
are so diverse and complex that no one should
expect to meet them without civil society’s
contribution and support.
This year’s
General Assembly is of particular importance
because it will be the last one before the
Summit of the Americas in April 2001. This
Summit, to be held in Quebec City, will
underscore Canada’s adherence to its
commitment to the Americas, made at the
Santiago Summit. This year’s General
Assembly, will also mark Canada’s tenth
anniversary as a member of the OAS.
Having been
honoured, in Minister Axworthy’s absence
due to Kosovo, to lead the Canadian Delegation
at the General Assembly in Guatemala City
in June 1999, I can attest to the relevance
and value of what is the highest level regular
hemispheric meeting. It is a good opportunity
to put people first in the hemispheric agenda.
The General
Assembly will serve as an excellent occasion
for Canada to advance foreign policy priorities;
among others: Human Security, Human Rights,
Indigenous issues, gender equality and corporate
social responsibility.
The Windsor
General Assembly will also be an important
event for Canadians to learn more about
their neighbours in the hemisphere and for
the Americas to get to know more about Canadians
as people, in addition to being better informed
about Canada’s policies.
A month ago,
we experienced the value of direct human
contact in building bridges amongst people,
when Canada hosted the Model OAS in Edmonton.
For many Canadian university students it
was the first opportunity to meet their
peers from the Caribbean, Central and South
America. It is likely that this was also
the first time for the participants from
the Caribbean, Central and South America
to meet Canadians in our own country.
It was most
encouraging to meet a number of the participants,
who were able to contribute to the debates
on hemispheric issues, I look forward to
their presentation of their excellent "Declaration
of Young Inter-American Leaders" in
Windsor.
With respect
to Canada’s agenda for the 30th OAS
General Assembly, I would like to review
some of the key issues in a bit more detail
as a means of setting the stage for your
own discussion.
As I am sure
you all know, Minister Axworthy addressed
the OAS Permanent Council on February 11,
outlining Canadian priorities for Windsor.
Human Security
will be high on the agenda.
Minister
Axworthy will lead a dialogue on Human Security
to take place during the Opening Plenary
Session of the General Assembly. The Minister
will distribute a discussion paper to his
colleagues to help focus the discussion,
which is aimed at further refining the concept
in the hemispheric context and identifying
areas where member states might pursue concrete
initiatives.
Specific
Human Security issues which will find a
place on the Windsor Agenda include War-Affected
children, Corporate Social Responsibility
and supporting the Inter-American Abuse
Control Commission’s efforts. You may
know that this Commission has developed
a Multilateral Evaluation Mechanism (MEM)
which is far more palatable to all the member
states who were unsatisfied with the previous
unilateral certification system. The MEM
will allow each country to evaluate their
performance in combatting illicit drugs
trafficking/ money laundering against a
set of criteria which have been accepted
by all member states. Some countries have
already accomplished impressive results
in the reduction of drug production, I am
thinking of Bolivia and Peru. Unfortunately
a great deal more needs to be done.
In Windsor,
we will pursue our collective effort to
improve human rights protection throughout
the Americas. Canada has been actively involved
in the OAS Committee on Juridical and Political
Affairs and the ad hoc working group established
in November 1999 in Costa Rica. We are expecting
reports in Windsor on their accomplishments.
We expect
that the Windsor General Assembly will welcome
the largest Civil Society contingent ever
to participate as observers in this hemispheric
meeting. You may recall that it was Canada’s
contribution to encourage greater consultations
with civil society, and it was only last
year that these consultations received support
from the OAS. The consultations with civil
society were conducted at the Ministerial
meeting for the Free Trade for the Americas
in Toronto last November.
Minister
Axworthy will be addressing a parallel conference
on Democracy in the Americas organized by
Canada’s International Centre for Human
Rights and Democratic Development and the
OAS Unit for the Promotion of Democracy.
I am certain that many delegates to the
General Assembly, including ministers will
want to take advantage of the opportunity
to meet representatives of civil society
from the Americas, and engage in an important
exchange of ideas.
Windsor should
also be the occasion to further refine and
improve coordination between the different
Inter-American institutions. As you may
already know, many Latin American and Caribbean
countries wish to see the OAS become more
effective.
It is hoped
that consultations with member states and
indigenous peoples will result in the revitalization
of the Inter-American Indian Institute,
giving it the opportunity to respond to
some of the pressing needs among the indigenous
peoples of the Americas. Our approach is
based on the principles of inclusion. No
one in any society should be left behind
because of greater cooperation among nations;
on the contrary, greater cooperation among
nations should be insurance for our most
vulnerable populations.
Foreign ministers
will be involved in bringing themes and
ideas for the next Summit of the Americas
in Quebec City. Minister Axworthy will be
leading a private dialogue with his colleagues
on the afternoon of Sunday June 4, prior
to the official inauguration of the General
Assembly.
I welcome
your comments and am available to answer
your questions. Departmental officials,
including Assistant Deputy Minister for
the Americas George Haynal, are looking
forward to your contributions, and are prepared
to answer your questions regarding the General
Assembly and the Summit of the Americas.
Thank you
very much!
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