Introductory remarks by
Ambassador Luigi Einaudi,
Assistant Secretary General of the Organization of American States
M. le Représentant du Premier Ministre
Mess. Les membres de la Troika
Mess. Les Coordinateurs Nationaux,
Ambassadeurs,
Mesdames et Messieurs, amis:
Je ne propose pas de vous présenter des points
concrets, mais de faire un commentaire générale à propos de comment
penser, ou plutôt, comment concevoir notre coopération en matière
de la démocratie.
Nous avons en la démocratie, un idéal commun. Et
dans ces dernières années nous avons aussi approximé en plusieurs
choses une pratique commune. C’est ce qui a permis les importantes
avances dans le droit international des Amériques en ce qui concerne
la défense de la démocratie, entre lesquelles je souligne la résolution
1080 de l’OEA et le Compromiso democratico du Mercosur.
Ces idéaux et pratiques nous ont permis, comme
nous l’a rappelé M. le Secrétaire Générale, César Gaviria, ce
matin, réagir efficacement devant les grandes crises politiques.
En l’an 2000, comme en 1990, les pais représentés
ici ont tous le droit d’être considérés démocratiques, un fait
qui rend possible notre solidarité. C’est dans un certains sens un
parallèle au niveau hémisphérique de l’héritage de Pierre Eliott
Trudeau que nous célébrons ici au Canada: La force d’un idéal
politique marié a la pratique.
This, it should be remembered, is precisely what we
also celebrate in Roosevelt Douglas of Dominica, a Caribbean country
that earlier gave us that giant of democracy Dame Eugenia Charles.
Dicho eso, es importante notar que la democracia es
algo que cada país tiene que construir de acuerdo con su propia
idiosincracia cultural humana e histórica. Además, como lo recordó
el Sr. Secretario General, el ideal democrático se refleja en dos
aspectos distintos: la organización del Estado – equilibrio de
poderes, descentralización - y en el funcionamiento del Estado – la
eficacia, por ejemplo, de los sistemas de educación, justicia, y
seguridad ciudadana.
La falta de capacidad estatal de proveer los
servicios y recursos necesarios para el desarrollo del ciudadano, sea
cual sea su raza, genero, edad, o clase social, es inevitablemente
considerada una falta de la democracia.
Following the Secretary General’s distinction,
the OAS may today be said to engage in two distinct types of
activities affecting democracy.
One is high-level political dialogue to facilitate
and respectfully accompany political efforts of member States to
resolve impasses and strengthen democracy. The OAS is currently deeply
engaged in such efforts in support of two member States: Haiti and
Peru.
The other is practical support for the actual
functioning of the democratic State. Here OAS programs, many of them
under the aegis of the Unit for the Promotion of Democracy, include
electoral observation and projects to assist the technical development
of civil registries, legislatures, the fight against corruption, for
the participation of civil society, and to strengthen the
administration of justice. On different but equally vital tracks are
the work of the Inter-American human rights system, and the
Inter-American Commission of Women.
Each of these different activities has different
requirements – for confidence levels, for consultations, for human
resources, and for physical and material support. I have barely begun
my term of Office as Assistant Secretary General, but I have already
been caught between two contradictory forces: the enormous need for
cooperation on democracy (not to mention its potential), and the lack
of the resources with which to plan and follow through effectively.
The answer, I believe, lies in recognizing that
support for democracy does not mean that a group of us –
luckier perhaps in our histories, economies, or social moments - point
our fingers at others who have fallen onto hard times. Rather, it
means that we have shared obligations to request and to give
assistance to each other to advance the interests of all our citizens.
And that in turn means that, if this is truly a
common interest we must not simply leave it to our Finance Ministers
to find the means for funding our activities. We must ensure that our
mandates - whether for high level political dialogue, or for practical
support for the functioning of the democratic State - are supported in
ways that reflect our mutual obligations and respective means, so that
we may act with the foresight and predictability that democratic
solidarity requires.