OEA/Ser.G
CP/doc.5257/16
23 December 2016
Original: English
ACTIVITIES OF THE ASSISTANT SECRETARY GENERAL OUTSIDE OF HEADQUARTERS, IN FULFILLMENT OF THE PROVISIONS
OF RESOLUTION AG/RES. 2889 (XLVI-O/16)
1
ACTIVITIES OF THE ASSISTANT SECRETARY GENERAL OUTSIDE OF HEADQUARTERS
January –December 2016
January
01/13/2016Guatemala City, Guatemala
Presidential Inauguration of H.E. Jimmy Morales Cabrera
Represented the General Secretariat at this event and held discussions with the incoming President and with Foreign Minister Carlos Raul Morales of Guatemala. Also visited the OAS Country Office and had a full briefing with the Staff.
The host Government provided courtesy accommodation.
01/26/2016Mexico City, Mexico
Forum: “Education in the Digital Era”organized by Universidad Internacional de la Rioja (UNIR) and theEFE News Agency
At the invitation of UNIR and Virtual Educa, the ASG participated as a panelist at this event and made a presentation on the OAS Scholarships program and other initiatives in the education portfolio. A parallel objective was to forge strategic partnerships with participating educational institutions interested in partnering with the OAS in areas of shared objectives.
The visit was financed entirely by the organizers.
February
02/03/2016Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic
Advance visit in preparation for the 46th Ordinary Session of the General Assembly. This was one of the pre-programmed visits as part of the preparations for the General Assembly, and was undertaken for the purpose of assessing preparations for the same. The ASG was accompanied by an OAS technical team who engaged their counterparts from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Dominican Republic on all relevant aspects of the General Assembly preparations.
The costs of the visit were built into the budget for the OAS General Assembly and were covered by the host Government.
02/15/2016Brussels, Belgium
Third EU-OAS PoliticalConsultations
Accompanied the Secretary General to meeting with EuropeanUnion,
to discuss OAS / EU ongoing cooperation projects and explore potential new areas of mutual interest for future collaboration.
02/27/2016Beijing, China
Official visit accompanying the Secretary General
Accompanied the SG to China to hold meetings with Ministry of Foreign Affairs officials and other Government representatives that manage the cooperation initiatives between the OAS and China.
The costs of the visit were funded entirely by the Government of China.
March
03/09/2016Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic
High-level seminaron Citizen Security in the Caribbean Basin: Our Collective Concern
At the invitation of the Government of the Netherlands, the ASG participated as a panelist in this high level seminar and made a presentation on the role of the OAS in strengthening security in the Caribbean region. The visit was also used to once again visit the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to deal with preparations for the General Assembly.
The Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs covered the cost of airfare and accommodation.
April
04/06/2016Nassau, Bahamas
Inter-American Development Bank’s Annual Meeting of the Boards of Governors
At the invitation of the Inter-American Development Bank, ASG attended the annual meeting of the IDB Board of Governors in Nassau in representation of the Secretary General. He also visited the OAS country office for a full briefing by the staff.
04/27/2016Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
2016 World Environmental Law Congress
ASG participated as a panelist in this event which was organized with OAS support. During the visit, the ASG also met with representatives of the United Nations Environment Program.
May
05/17/2016Montevideo, Uruguay
SIECA-ALADI-OAS Meeting
At the invitation of the Secretary General of ALADI, the ASG attended this meeting that was convened to identify and explore areas for joint cooperation and coordination between the sub-regional organizations. During this visit, the ASG paid a courtesy call with some members of Congress, and visited the OAS national office and the Inter-American Children’s Institute.
June
06/02/2016Havana, Cuba
7th Summit of Heads of State and/or Government of the Association of Caribbean States
The ASG attended the 7th Summit of the Association of Caribbean States in Havana, Cuba. During this visit, he also held bilateral meetings with the Secretary General of CARICOM, H.E. Irwin La Rocque the Prime Minister of St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Dr. The Hon. Ralph Gonsalves and the Attorney General of Jamaica, Hon. Marlene Malahoo-Forte.
06/24/2016Panama
Inauguration of the Expansion of the Panama Canal
At the invitation of the Government of Panama, the ASG attended the ceremonies for the inauguration of the Panama Canal expansion. During this visit to Panama, he also made a presentation to a group of local Judicial Facilitators that have been trained under the OAS Judicial Facilitators Program and are now working in Panama.
The host Government provided courtesy accommodations.
July
07/08/2016Trinidad&Tobago
Prime Minister Manning State Funeral
ASG travelled to Port-of-Spain, Trinidad and Tobago, to represent the General Secretariat at the State Funeral for the late Prime Minister, Patrick Manning.
August
08/15/2016Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic
Presidential Inauguration
At the invitation of the Government of the Dominican Republic, the ASG travelled to Santo Domingo to represent the General Secretariat at the Inauguration of President Danilo Medina for his second term as President of the Dominican Republic. He also visited the OAS National Office to meet with the staff.
The host Government provided courtesy accommodation.
September
09/11/2016Bridgetown, Barbados
Foundational Skills Seminar with OAS National Offices
For the first time in over a decade, the representatives heading the OAS National Offices were brought together for a week long training session and to discuss improvements to the operations of the offices, coordination with headquarters, and information analysis and reporting. The ASG delivered the opening address at the workshop and participated in several sessions. He also presented a lecture at the University of the West Indies (UWI), Faculty of Law on “The role of the OAS in developing the hemispheric Agenda and CARICOM’s input into this process,” and had meetings with campus Principal, Professor Eudine Barriteau, on how the OAS and UWI can forge cooperation initiatives in the area of education.
The visit was fully funded by the European Union.
09/25/2016Toronto, Canada
6th Americas Competitiveness Exchange on Innovation
The ASG travelled to Toronto to participate as a speaker in the 6th Americas Competitiveness Exchange on Innovation. This event is an annual event organized by SEDIwhich brings together leading innovators, entrepreneurs, private sector leaders and Government representatives to network and learn from best practices in the field of innovation. During the visit to Toronto, the ASG met with the Honorable Navdeep Bains, Minister of Innovation, Science and Economic Development of Canada, as well as authorities of the Ontario Province.
09/28/2016Mexico City, Mexico
First Ministerial Level and National Authorities of the Americas Meeting on the Right to Identity
ASG participated as the opening speaker at this first of its kind meeting in Mexico City. During the visit, he also paid a courtesy call at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs where he met with Under-Secretary SocorroFlores and her team to begin preliminary discussions about the OAS General Assembly 2017.
October
11/03/2016 San Salvador - Tegucigalpa - Panamá City
Judicial Facilitators
At the invitation of the Manager of the Judicial Facilitators Program, the ASG travelled to three Central American countries to engage with private sector representatives with a view to securing their cooperation in funding phase two of the Judicial Facilitators program which has shown unquestionable positive results. The three capitals were visited during three days and productive meetings were held with Chambers of Commerce, leaders of industry and other key private sector actors.
The entire cost of the mission was funded by the Judicial Facilitators program using specific funds.
November
11/03/2016 Texas State University, San Marcos, Texas
Eugene Scala Mock Organization of American States (Model OAS)
The ASG was invited to participate as the key note speaker at this event which included participation of several universities from Texas, Louisiana and Mexico City. The presentation made by the ASG was entitled “The Role of the OAS in the Hemisphere.”
The costs of the visit were covered by the University of Texas.
11/7/2016 Strasbourg, France
Sixth High Level Meeting of the Inter-Regional Dialogue on Democracy
At the invitation of International IDEA, Sweden, ASG Mendez represented the OAS at the 6th High-level Meeting of the IRDD (Inter-regional Dialogue on Democracy). The ASG’s presentation focused on OAS advances in Gender equality in the Americas, as well as the challenges and opportunities that the OAS has identified in the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. In addition, he represented the OAS on a Policy Roundtable ”Regional Perspectives on the Implementation of 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development,” which was moderated by the Secretary-General of International IDEA.
The costs of participation were funded entirely by the organizers
December
12/12/2016 Belize City, Belize
Official travel to Belize
The ASG visited Belize where he met with the Deputy Prime Minister and the Minister of Foreign Affairs to discuss OAS cooperation activities in Belize including promotion of OAS scholarships. During his visit he also met with Mr. Rafael Manzanero, Director of Friends for Conservation and Development, a conservation NGO working to protect Belize’srainforests, and he visited the Small Business Development Center in Belize City, which is part of a successful OAS initiative. Finally, the ASG met with a group of Civil Society representatives who had assembled for a video conference consultation organized by the OAS Secretariat for Hemispheric Affairs in preparation for the Summit of the Americas.