Madam President of CEPCIDI, Ambassador Abigail Castro, Permanent Representative of El Salvador,
Distinguished Permanent Representatives,
Distinguished Permanent Observers,
Ambassador Alfonso Quinones, Executive Secretary of the Department for Integral Development and Director-General of the Inter-American Agency for Cooperation and Development,
Distinguished Alternate Delegates and Delegates,
Colleagues from the OAS,
Ladies and Gentlemen,

I believe that today marks an important day in our continued discussions on how to improve the service of the General Secretariat of the Organization of American States towards the member states. And those who have been here for a while must have a feeling of “déjà vu”, because it is true that many efforts have been made on several occasions, many initiatives discussed and here we are again to discuss how to move forward.

Against this background, Madam President, I take this opportunity to congratulate you on convening this special meeting of CEPCIDI in compliance with resolutions adopted during the past OAS General Assembly in Panama.

I must thank you also for this opportunity to share some observations on meeting the development needs of the member states. You will recall that I was able to share some of my views with the member states on May 17, 2007 when I addressed the Twelfth Regular Meeting of the Inter-American Council for Integral Development (CIDI).

As I did on that occasion, I offer these remarks today as part of an ongoing contribution to this constructive and important debate. My views are also presented in support of Secretary General Jose Miguel Insulza’s vision for a more cohesive approach in efforts towards peace, democratic governability and economic stability in the Americas. Of course, in the final analysis we will be directed by the observations, suggestions and decisions of the member states.

Today I want to share with you my perspectives on what we have in place in terms of development assistance structure, both in terms of the political mechanisms and the operational structures.

And in so doing I am encouraged by the recent discussions with the Chair of CEPCIDI and some Permanent Representatives on a range of development related issues within the OAS. These discussions have motivated me to pull together some ideas and formulate this presentation that I would like to share with you today for your consideration, all aimed at strengthening the political dialogue and consultation process, and enhancing the efficiency of our technical assistance to the member states.

Our discussions today are also guided by three resolutions which member states adopted during the recently held General Assembly in Panama City. Resolutions 2303, 2304 and 2305 refer to the need to strengthen mechanisms for policy dialogue for integral development, the need to strengthen technical cooperation for integral development and the need for strengthening the substantive policy dialogue in the framework of the Inter-American Council for Integral Development, respectively.

Let me also say at the outset that the suggestions which I will share with you today, regarding the institutional structure of the Inter-American Council for Integral Development (“CIDI”), have resulted from a process of observation and analysis over time - including during my terms as Vice Chair and Chair of CEPCIDI - and from ongoing consultations with Member States and the Technical Secretariat.

The views expressed need to be placed in the context of the policy framework which we over the past 30 months have adopted and applied as the three pillars of the OAS: democracy, integral development and multidimensional security. The OAS Charter and the Inter-American Democratic Charter are very clear about these three concepts and their “mutual and reinforcing relationship”. This is not only a relationship from the perspectives of policymaking and management, but also from the perspective of politics and the political dialogue in the same “consultative spaces” created for that purpose in the Permanent Council.

I place my remarks also in the context of what we all have come to share as the need for a more holistic, comprehensive and result-oriented development paradigm in the Americas that focuses on providing opportunity, equality, and equity to all in our societies.

There is no doubt in our minds that development challenges, if not addressed timely and effectively, can undermine democratic governability and political stability, deteriorate the security environment and in the end threaten democracy and democratic institutions.

I have spoken about the current development challenges our hemisphere and the member states are facing on many occasions, so let me today just conclude that the levels of poverty, social exclusion, inequality, discrimination, combined with other difficulties such as natural disasters, economic vulnerabilities, etc. cannot and should not be ignored.

And I believe that the inter-American system as a whole needs to respond to these needs and challenges in a more coordinated manner. I believe that the OAS has to provide the political leadership in a process that emphasizes development. One way to do that is to put in place mechanisms that can address these issues with a higher degree of political attention, managerial efficiency and operational effectiveness.

Let us now consider what we have in place. This organigram represents all the mechanisms with regard to the consultative process on development issues in the OAS.

It is also important to note that the different building blocks have created a complex system of decision-making procedures and dialogue mechanisms, originally not envisaged and anticipated.

Many, within and outside the OAS, do not fully grasp the different entities involved and their specific mandates and responsibilities. Through a thorough reflection on how to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the existing structures, we can also enhance the level of confidence, which in turn may have a positive impact on the capacity of this institutional arrangement to attract the necessary funding.

I believe that, in analyzing the current structure, experience has shown that the debate on development issues does not draw the same political attention as was foreseen when CIDI and CEPCIDI were created.

Equally relevant in my view is to respond to concerns that have been raised by Member States with regard to what is perceived as a process that overly focuses on procedural and administrative matters instead of policy issues.

I believe we can improve on our service by taking a good look at what is in place now and see how we can address the needs and weaknesses identified.

One of these needs is to give equal prominence to the three priority areas on the OAS agenda – security, governance and development. In my view it is important to provide consistent mechanisms for the three priority areas of the OAS to relate with the Permanent Council and General Assembly. Currently, political and juridical issues are dealt with in the Committee on Juridical and Political Affairs, while security matters find a dialogue space in the Committee on Hemispheric Security. I believe that development, which is equally critical for member states and particularly smaller member states, should be accorded a similar structure.

In this light, I believe that within the several options available, member states may want to consider creating a Permanent Committee on Development as part of the Permanent Council.

If such an option were to be considered favorably, the functions of CIDI’s Permanent Executive Committee (“CEPCIDI”) could be delegated to the Committee on Development. To preserve the division of functions between the two Councils under the Charter, the Permanent Council, through its Committee on Development, could assume responsibility to CIDI for carrying out those functions, just as CEPCIDI is responsible to CIDI under the present Structure.

In this context it might be necessary to review the functions of the Inter-American Agency for Cooperation and Development to determine how the project selection and oversight functions of IACD Management Board could be reviewed in light of the establishment of the Committee on Development.

In this scenario, the secretariat functions for the IACD currently carried out by the Executive Secretariat for Integral Development (“SEDI”) in its current role as the IACD Secretariat under Articles 11 and 13 of the IACD Statute and the FEMCIDI Statute would remain with SEDI and require no major change.

I believe that by creating a Permanent Committee on Development we would be able to integrate more fully the issue of development into the policy agenda of the OAS.

It would also allow the Permanent Committee on Development to share with the Permanent Council critical and urgent policy and technical activities. The proposed change in the institutional arrangements would also streamline the process by which CIDI funnels policy input into the General Assembly, increase transparency and ultimately improve efficiency and effectiveness.

I believe that through a dedicated space for discussions of development issues in the political organ of the OAS we can better ensure that output of Ministerial Meetings are adequately transmitted for the consideration of the CIDI and the General Assembly. This will also allow for a more politically attractive CIDI agenda, which, I believe, will facilitate ministerial attendance at these meetings..

It is important to note that the suggested changes, if agreed after due consideration, would not incur additional cost to the Organization, and would not necessitate Charter changes.

In addition the proposed streamlining and unification of the calendar of meetings will no doubt also contribute to a more integral and efficient use of the available human and financial resources in the General Secretariat.

As Secretary to the General Assembly and the Permanent Council, I believe that it is important to continue supporting Member States and the Secretary General in enhancing the political processes of the Organization by more fully integrating the issue of Integral Development. This will also facilitate synergies between the political organs and the General Secretariat.

I hope these suggestions, put forward for your consideration, will contribute to the process of reflection and analysis in which Member States are currently engaged. Member states may wish to include in their deliberations also the streamlining of other institutional arrangements related to the development efforts of the OAS.

The General Secretariat looks forward to your guidance on these matters and stands ready to provide the necessary information or conduct further analysis if so required by member states.

I thank you for your attention and I look forward to the views of member states representatives.