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Minister of State Peter Kent Attended Organization of American States (OAS) General Assembly in Honduras and Visited El Salvador and Costa Rica

Flags of the 39th Regular Session of the Organization of American States (OAS) General Assembly

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May 30 to June 5, 2009
El Salvador, Honduras and Costa Rica

The Minister of State of Foreign Affairs (Americas) travelled to El Salvador, Honduras and Costa Rica. In Honduras, he attended the 39th Regular Session of the Organization of American States (OAS) General Assembly, which took place in San Pedro Sula from June 2 to 3, 2009.

El Salvador

Minister of State Kent first travelled to El Salvador to attend the Pathways to Prosperity meeting. While in El Salvador, the Minister of State also attended the June 1 inauguration of Mauricio Funes, who was elected president on March 15, 2009, in an electoral process deemed free and fair by international observers.

Honduras

At the OAS General Assembly in Honduras, Minister of State Kent attended formal plenary sessions and a private dialogue of foreign ministers on priority issues. The Minister of State also participated in a ministerial-level meeting of the Summit Implementation Review Group to follow up on the Fifth Summit of the Americas, held in Trinidad and Tobago April 17-19, 2009. In addition, he held a number of bilateral meetings, including one with OAS Secretary General José Miguel Insulza and others with foreign ministers from Latin America and the Caribbean.

Organization of American States (OAS)

The OAS is the primary political forum of the Americas and is composed of 34 active member states. Canada is the second-largest financial contributor to the OAS, where it is a leading player in the promotion of democracy, human rights, security and civil society engagement. The theme for this year’s General Assembly was non-violence, an important topic for Canada and all OAS member states.

Costa Rica

Immediately after the General Assembly, Minister of State Kent travelled to San José, Costa Rica. He met with political leaders, such as President Oscar Arias Sánchez and the ministers of foreign affairs and of international trade, as well as key Canadian contacts in business and civil society.