December 4, 2014 -- The Secretary General of the Organization of American States (OAS), José Miguel Insulza, highlighted the important role that the representatives of various social sectors play in the work of the institution he leads during his participation this week in the presentation of the 2014 Vidanta Awards in Nuevo Vallarta, Mexico, which were awarded this year to civil society organizations.
Secretary General Insulza said for the OAS it would be very difficult to make progress on issues of concern to the region without the support of non-governmental actors in a globalized and increasingly interdependent world. "The cooperation between the OAS and civil society is based on the significant contributions that they can make to the work of the Organization, in that they can introduce additional knowledge and information in the decision-making process, raise new issues and concerns that subsequently will be addressed by the Organization, provide expert advice in areas in which they are protagonists and contribute to the process of building consensus in many areas," he said.
Moreover, he said that today the protagonists of social movements in the region are not necessarily political parties or trade unions, but come from more excluded sectors, that call attention the most pressing matters to improve their own welfare: unemployment, homelessness, and demands for better education, criminality, inclusion and equal opportunities, among other issues. "Their common theme is the demand that, given the state of development of their countries, they are entitled to a better distribution of income or social benefits that the state can provide," he added.
The head of the OAS said the work of civil society organizations enriches the work of governments and ensures that the policies they adopt respond to the concerns of all to achieve greater well-being, to promote stronger democratic institutions, and create more inclusive and secure societies. "When we strengthen civil society, we are making an investment in the health of our communities, boosting economic growth and social development, promoting public safety, and ensuring full respect for the human rights of the most vulnerable populations, and the benefits can he seen throughout the region," he added.
The Award Recipients
Secretary General Insulza praised the work of the Vidanta Foundation and of its President, Roberto Rusell, for his commitment to continue with the Vidanta Award, which “gives visibility and contributes to the sustainability of the successful programs of civil society at the local, national and regional level aimed at reducing poverty and inequality.” Created in 2005, the Vidanta Foundation is a non-profit institution with the mission of promoting the social sciences and culture in Latin America. Among its main objectives are: the promotion of humanitarian and democratic values and civic culture in the general population; support for original projects and initiatives that contribute to reducing poverty and inequality in Latin America; to influence the formulation of public policies that help to strengthen democracy and promote the economic and social development of Latin America; to promote studies on international relations in Latin America; and to stimulate corporate social responsibility.
The OAS leader praised the four civil society organizations that were recognized with the Vidanta Award, which “deserve our highest recognition for the great contributions they have made to the reduction of poverty and inequality in our countries.”
First, he congratulated the organization Unidos por la Montaña of Mexico for offering a replicable model of how to bring the benefits of development to indigenous communities in isolated areas to help bring them out of extreme poverty. Secondly, Secretary General Insulza recognized the organization La Colifata, Salud Mental y Comunicación of Argentina, which was awarded the prize for having developed an innovative methodology for the use of media to generate consciousness about the rights of people who have been diagnosed with some kind of mental illness and for promoting tolerance and social reintegration. He also extended his congratulations to the Madera Verde Foundation, from Honduras, which "provides an example of good practices to optimize the responsible use of local resources and promote economic growth in rural areas."
Finally, the head of the OAS praised the organization Pro Mujer, Inc., winner of the "lifetime achievement" award, because over the course of 24 years of work it has made significant contributions to economic development, health and inclusion for women through its 164 community centers in Argentina, Bolivia, Mexico, Nicaragua and Peru. "Its programs have benefited more than 285,000 low-income women with scarce resources, providing new opportunities to access quality education, leaving behind their low socioeconomic status and becoming part of formal economic systems," he said.
The Vidanta Foundation Award was established in 2010 to recognize and support outstanding individual or collective work carried out in Latin America and the Caribbean to reduce poverty and inequality and combat discrimination. The OAS Department of International Affairs collaborates with the Vidanta Foundation for the development of the rules and regulations of the Award and to spread information about it to civil society organizations across the region.
The jurors of the 2014 Vidanta Award were former Uruguayan President Julio María Sanguinetti; the Executive Director of the Spain-Mexico Foundation, Ambassador Carmelo Angulo; Nora Lustig, Samuel Z. Stone Professor of Latin American Economic Studies at Tulane University (USA); the former Minister of Economy of Argentina and former Secretary General of the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) of the United Nations, José Luis Machinea; and the former Minister of Social Development of Chile and former Ambassador of Chile in Argentina and Mexico, Luis Maira.
Secretary General Insulza participated in the delivery of the Vidanta 2014 Award in the context of his attendance at the First Annual Meeting of the Council on Foreign Relations in Latin America and the Caribbean (RIAL) taking place in Nuevo Vallarta between December 3 and 5. The first annual meeting of the RIAL aims to analyze four reports on Mexico, Brazil, the United States and China. Among the participants are former Chilean President Ricardo Lagos (who is the current president of the RIAL); former President Sanguinetti; former Iberoamerican Secretary General (Segib) and former Director of the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) Enrique Iglesias; former President of the Dominican Republic Leonel Fernández; former President Martin Torrijos of Panama; and former Vice President of Guatemala Eduardo Stein, among others.
For more information, please visit the OAS Website at www.oas.org.
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