The US Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, called on Friday to “raise our voices” in the face of democratic failures in the region, during his speech to the foreign ministers gathered in plenary session of the 53rd General Assembly of the Organization of American States ( OAS).
Blinken opened his speech at the OAS by assuring that while they were meeting, “several governments of the Americas are questioning the relevance of the OAS and democracy in general” which calls for strengthening “democracy in its enduring capacity for renewal and revitalization.”
Although he did not refer to specific countries in the region, the Secretary of State assured that they must continue to “highlight the widespread violations of human rights perpetrated by authoritarian governments and seek ways to hold them adequately accountable.”
His statements occur the same day that a resolution condemning Nicaragua is planned to be brought to a vote before the General Assembly – of which the US participated in its drafting – to demand that the government of Daniel Ortega, among other things, “cease the persecution of the Catholic Church” and guarantee the protection of human rights in the country.
“We have to speak up when our fellow democracies deviate from the principles that we have all repeatedly agreed to uphold. When democratically elected leaders in our region try to weaken the independent institutions that provide checks and balances…we cannot sit idly by, we have to speak up,” Blinken said.
On the other hand, Blinken called for the formal adoption of the Action Plan on Health and Resilience in the Americas.
“I ask this group to formally adopt that plan and chart a new course to strengthen public health in the Americas over the next seven years. In doing so, he will commit to investing more resources in our health systems and workforce, improving access to health services from primary care to mental health support,” Blinken said in his speech.
The ministers and ambassadors present approved by acclamation the implementation of the plan that was unveiled for the first time during the ninth Summit of the Americas held in Los Angeles in 2022, when the heads of state of the governments of the hemisphere committed to reaching a consensus on it. .
By approving the action plan, the ministers committed to implementing it by 2030. The document sets out nine concrete actions that include addressing the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, addressing the economic challenges of post-pandemic recovery, strengthening health systems, among others.
This, because according to the US official, the virus “revealed weaknesses” in the health systems in the Americas. In addition, the countries committed to incorporating new digital tools for health care institutions.
“The road to reaching the consensus has been easy, but I highlight the willingness and commitment of all the delegations to reach a successful conclusion,” said Julio César Arriola, Paraguay’s foreign minister after the plan was approved.
“We are sure that the plan will be an important tool to expand access to health services,” added Peru’s foreign minister, Ana Cecilia Gervasi.
Blinken promoted “shared commitments” among the region’s ministers that include “strengthening democracy” to “allow” governments to “take full advantage of the Inter-American Democratic Charter and expand our tools to build resilient democracies.”
The Secretary of State made an additional call to train young leaders and guarantee that OAS electoral observers “can operate free of threats of harassment or any other undue pressure.”
“We can address the biggest challenge facing our nations in a way that none of our countries could do alone. Working together we can build a future that really delivers concrete results for our people,” Blinken said.
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