Vice-Chancellor Nigel Harris of UWI
Rector Jean Vernet Henry of the State University of Haiti
Vice-Rector Wilson Laleau of the State University of Haiti,
Prof. Fritz Jean of the Notre Dame University,
Prof. Evens Emmanuel of Quisqueya University,
Ladies and Gentlemen:

Today, I am honored to have this opportunity, on behalf of the OAS, to facilitate the launching of a new partnership between the University of the West Indies and major universities in Haiti. This initiative is rooted in the idea that education is the cornerstone of human security, economic growth, citizen participation and good governance.

Therefore, the Organization of American States welcomes and fully supports these types of cooperation among regional institutions of higher learning. In fact, we hope that by creating a framework for future collaboration and the sharing of information and expertise, we shall have sown the seeds which will benefit the peoples in our hemisphere well into the future. I hope that our meeting can lay the foundation for meaningful collaboration on access to higher education in the region.

I thank the Vice-Chancellor of the University of the West Indies, Prof. Nigel Harris for his support. I am especially grateful for his openness to the idea of today’s meeting and for gracefully agreeing to host it. Also I express gratitude to the delegation from Haiti. Their very presence today reflects a commitment to building a productive relationship with the University of the West Indies.

Over the last six decades, the Organization of American States has remained a constant in a changing world. But I am pleased to say that the Organization has been able to adapt to the changing demands of its membership. Although its main objective is to strengthen peace and security in the Americas, its activities have served to consolidate democracy and promote socio-economic development. However, we are aware that none of these can be achieved without focused attention and appropriate investment in education. This is reaffirmed in the Inter-American Democratic Charter which states: “education is key to strengthening democratic institutions, promoting the development of human potential, and alleviating poverty and fostering greater understanding among our peoples.”

For their part, Heads of State and Government who met in Santiago, Chile during the Second Summit of the Americas declared: “Education is the determining factor for the political, social, cultural, and economic development of our peoples. We undertake to facilitate access of all inhabitants of the Americas to preschool, primary, secondary, and higher education, and we will make learning a lifelong process…”

Despite this recognition and the obvious goodwill; in many countries of the Americas, the ever-increasing burden being placed on the diminishing resources mean that investment in education and other social programs is on the decline. This is witnessed also among families in which reducing economic opportunities often make it difficult for thousands of young people to have full access to tertiary education. And even worse, some may not finish secondary education. This growing trend not only further limits opportunities for these young people as they reach working age, but it places many of them at severe social risk.

Therefore, it is extremely important for us to make every effort to reverse this trend. I believe that by developing programs which expand opportunities and access to higher education, we enable our peoples to realize their full potential. The collaboration we seek to institutionalize today can take many forms including using the availability of modern technology to promote access to educational opportunities. Such efforts will create important synergies and help to develop the necessary installed capacity, create pools of excellence, and improve our countries’ ability to accelerate economic growth and take advantage of horizontal cooperation.

The OAS remains fully engaged in expanding access to higher education throughout the hemisphere. Through our OAS Fellowship Program which dates back to 1958, the Organization has placed thousands of students in centers of higher learning throughout the Americas and delivered skilled professionals to the region. Their training and contribution are an important component in strengthening the foundations of our democratic societies and in disseminating the inter-American ideals that underpin the future of the Americas.

But I am also aware that we have lost many of our young people who, for any number of reasons - have opted not to return to their countries of origin. This is why I am convinced that a pragmatic, coordinated and forward-looking approach to education access and investment in economic development will help countries in the hemisphere, especially in the Caribbean, to better respond to the pervasive problem of “brain drain” and thereby retain the critical competence so germane to socio-economic development.

As you may know, this afternoon, we will launch the OAS Scholars Association of Jamaica, a model that has already taken root in other OAS member states. We expect that these associations will function as a reservoir of knowledge, expertise and relevant installed capacities from which our countries can benefit, share best practices, and exchange information.

In addition to the OAS Fellowship Program, the Department of Human Development continues to work with universities throughout the Americas, many of which have become part of a “Consortium of Universities” which are able to participate in the Fellowship program. The OAS goes even further in its support of regional universities and has partnered with many of them on a number of significant programs. To illustrate, I draw your attention to the professional Masters Program in International Trade Policy (MITP) with the University of the West Indies (Cave Hill Campus); the Course on Multilateral and Regional Trade issues for Latin American Officials with the George Washington University in the United States, and the Lecture Series of the Americas with the University San Martin de Porras in Peru.

The OAS has also had a long association with universities in Haiti - one which dates back to the early 1970s. Jointly with the Association of Universities and Research Institutes in the Caribbean (UNICA), the OAS has provided technical assistance to the State University of Haiti as part of a program of structural and organizational reform. This support permitted the reorganization of that institution bringing all the faculties and institutes under one umbrella. And recently, we started discussions on the establishment of an executive program with the National Institute of Administration, Management and Higher International Studies of the State University of Haiti, where OAS experts and others will hold training seminars to strengthen governance.

In the Caribbean, I know similar linkages do exist among universities. For example, the distance learning program (CUPIDE) which we think can be strengthened, broadened to other areas and replicated. We already have a good basis and successful precedent on which to build. I believe that the University of the West Indies and Universities in Haiti can benefit greatly from their individual strengths. For the Caribbean, and especially for CARICOM, such collaboration can be a positive impetus for integration and to open doors to more cultural interaction and understanding; strengthening of language capacity which, as we know, is increasingly important in a global economy.

I would remind you that this specific idea of inter-university collaboration was first suggested in the margins of the 28th Regular Session of the Conference of Heads of State and Government of CARICOM convened in Barbados, July 1-4, 2007. On that occasion, I reiterated the proposal for the possible establishment of a Campus of the University of the West Indies in Haiti. I proposed this within the context of the demand for higher education and limited access in Haiti. I thought then and still believe that this is a great opportunity for enhanced understanding among the people of the Caribbean and for the implementation of the CARICOM Community instruments.

But after careful consideration and consultations with stakeholders in Haiti through the OAS Country Office, we concluded that a more effective approach to the initiative would be to facilitate collaboration among institutions of higher education and leave them the space to develop programs that their individual institutions deem appropriate. We are pleased that the University of the West Indies and its Haitian counterparts embraced this view, allowing for today’s event.

I believe that all involved in this process have significant contributions to make and will take full advantage of this initiative. The University of the West Indies’ strategic plan indicates clearly their openness to engage and share expertise. This new partnership will ultimately feed the process for strategic transformation of the education landscape of the Caribbean Community; facilitate enhancement of socio-cultural linkages, the exchange of relevant knowledge and improve the region’s linguistic competitiveness.

It seems clear to me that universities in Haiti have a critical role to play in expediting this process and in promoting broader understanding of Haiti’s culture and challenges, expanding academic programs, launching research initiatives, and promoting exchanges of students and faculty, among other important programs.

Finally, as you may have noted in the concept paper for this meeting, the key objectives of the proposed collaboration are: (a) to assist in the strengthening of Haiti’s integration in the Caribbean Community, as a full fledged member of that sub-regional integration system; (b) to foster exchange of information, technology and know how between Haitian universities and the University of the West Indies on a more structural basis; (c) to encourage student exchange between Haitian universities and the University of the West Indies with the aim of raising awareness, understanding and knowledge of Haitian circumstances; and (d) to build capacity in Haiti through joint programs and courses in middle management, administration, etc., so as to strengthen capacity within key institutions and promote good governance.

It is my firm belief that this important first step will serve to accelerate the process of transformation of our societies in the Caribbean. I therefore look forward to the discussion and to the eventual design of appropriate mechanisms for effective follow-up and concrete future results.

I thank you for your attention.