DEPUTY SECRETARY LANDAU: Mr. Secretary General, ministers, ambassadors, colleagues, and friends – a special thank you to President Mulino and to you, Foreign Minister Acha, for your generous hospitality.
Two hundred years ago, representatives of the newly independent republics of Spanish America gathered here in Panama. The challenges facing our hemisphere have changed, but the fundamental responsibilities of government haven’t. Every nation in this room has an obligation to protect its people, defend its borders, uphold the rule of law, and create the conditions for the free flow of commerce.
No country represented here wants gangs controlling neighborhoods, cartels controlling trade routes, or traffickers determining who and what crosses its borders. And yet, throughout our hemisphere, transnational criminal organizations continue to challenge the authority of legitimate governments and threaten the security of our citizens. That’s the world we’re living in, and this organization must be equal to it.
Last year, in the same forum, I issued a challenge. I said that this body doesn’t suffer from a shortage of meetings, declarations, or committees; what it suffers from is a shortage of results. I asked you to help me make the case to our President and our people that our substantial investment in this organization is worth it. So let’s take a look.
On Haiti, I’m pleased to report positive momentum. The OAS gave unanimous approval to support for the transition to the Gang Suppression Force, a decision that helped pave the way for the subsequent UN Security Council Resolution authorizing proactive counter-gang operations to neutralize, isolate, and deter the armed groups that have terrorized the Haitian people. The OAS has also provided an organizational home and diplomatic status for Special Representative Jack Christofides and his team.
On May 29th, I personally was able to visit the Gang Suppression Force on the ground in Haiti, and I was genuinely impressed by the progress I saw. I want to thank the Bahamas, Canada, El Salvador, Guatemala, and Jamaica for their leadership in the Standing Group of Partners. This is what results-oriented regional responses to crises look like, what this organization looks like when it works.
But I want to be clear-eyed: The work is far from complete. Renewal of the GSF mandate by the UN Security Council should not be taken for granted. It’s imperative that all of us increase our engagement with UN Security Council members and contribute to the GSF success – through funding, equipment, and personnel. Haiti can’t be allowed to slip back into chaos because we declared victory too soon.
On Honduras, we’ve heard directly from our Honduran allies how critical OAS support was in moving the elections forward and avoiding civil strife. I also want to commend the OAS observation teams on their recent successful deployments in Peru and Colombia.
But now we face another test, one that’s unfolding as we speak. Bolivia is facing a crisis. Bolivian citizens chose a clear new direction last year when they elected President Rodrigo Paz. That democratic mandate has been met with violence, perpetrated by those who lost at the ballot box. This isn’t a political dispute; it’s an assault on democracy itself. In political disputes, mobs don’t go out and block roads. They don’t prevent – by force – food and medicine from entering the city. They don’t set up barricades and try to force the president to resign.
The OAS deserves recognition for its electoral observation efforts in Bolivia. But democracy doesn’t end when the votes are counted and the observers pack up and go home. I ask you plainly: Once our statements about credible elections have concluded, how does this body respond when violent opponents seek to undo those results? And I therefore urge every member state in this room to heed Bolivia’s calls for meaningful action in support of elected government, peaceful democratic processes, and constitutional order. We’ve heard from many of you directly earlier today when the United States cohosted with Bolivia and Argentina an event to support Bolivia’s democratically elected governments and denounce those who seek to overthrow it.
On Cuba, I’ll be equally direct. Cuba is a failed state, friendly to our adversaries, 90 miles from the United States, with a long history of undermining democratic institutions and fomenting civil unrest across our hemisphere. Havana’s authoritarian, communist regime – which has been in power without an election for 67 years – is collapsing, and it must enact immediate economic and political reforms. It has no other choice.
We should similarly demand the same fundamental freedoms for the Nicaraguan people. There should be zero tolerance for totalitarian regimes in our hemisphere.
I’d also like to challenge this organization to be more proactive on the issue of illegal narcotics, particularly fentanyl, which causes countless deaths. There’s no doubt about the connection between drugs and organized crime, nor about the connection between organized crime and the subversion of our regional institutions. Narco-criminals threaten all of us, from Canada to Patagonia, and I hope this organization can start to take a more proactive role to address this threat.
I’m happy that the OAS has succeeded in delivering some real institutional reforms, but that agenda is far from over, particularly with respect to the Inter-American Human Rights Commission, where we’d like to see more action and less ideological drift.
Colleagues, the United States believes in the potential of this organization. Our country is uniquely positioned at this juncture to be an active partner in our hemisphere. We want this
organization to be part of the solution. We want to work with you. The people of this region aren’t waiting on our rhetoric; they’re waiting on our results. Let’s give them some.
Thank you very much. (Applause.)
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