Foreign Secretary Luis Videgaray: Many thanks to the media, not only for being here tonight at this brief press conference to close the 47th General Assembly of the Organization of American States, but also thank you for your work and your patience during these intense three days that began very early on Monday.
Without a doubt, the General Assembly has fulfilled its objectives: the resolutions that the delegations of the 34 member States worked on for many weeks, months in the Organization of American States-- many of these had results.
I would like to highlight the resolutions. First, an Action Plan on Indigenous Peoples to give effect to the Declaration on Indigenous Peoples was adopted yesterday. It is a very important issue for the whole region of the Americas, for the whole hemisphere, and for Mexico it is particularly important.
We are a nation where indigenous peoples form a fundamental part of our history and, above all, our present, our opportunities, and we are determined that this Action Plan now becomes a reality.
Secondly, the resolution that was just been adopted on migration. For Mexico—a country that at the same time is one of origin, destination, a country of transit and a country of return for migrants; a country that every year receives an ever-increasing number of migrants from the south, migrants who go north every year or return from the north—this resolution has special significance because it reflects the contribution of our hemisphere to the global discussion that will occur in the United Nations on migration. Where we believe in fundamental values such as recognizing the dignity and human rights of migrants regardless of their legal status in a country where their contributions to the culture, economy and daily life of the societies of their host countries are recognized and where the special vulnerabilities of migrant groups, including minors, the elderly and those with disabilities, vulnerabilities that are sometimes double or triple, are also recognized.
This consensus, that was unanimously adopted today by the OAS General Assembly, represents a paradigm that brings the American continent to the global discussion and, of course, I also have to mention a resolution that for Mexico is special, because it was Mexico--and here I'm not speaking on my own behalf but rather on behalf of Mexican diplomacy, starting with our ambassador to the Organization of American States Luis Alfonso de Alba and the entire team—that, with great tenacity, started a year ago to work on increasing the budget of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights and the Inter-American Court of Human Rights.
This just became a reality a few minutes ago here in Cancun, when the resolution to double the budget of these two bodies of the inter-American human rights system over three years was adopted.
The importance of this decision goes far beyond the strictly administrative or financial. It is a decision that strengthens the autonomy of these bodies by reducing their dependence on voluntary donations. It will also give continuity to the work programs of these institutions.
These are just three of the very encouraging resolutions that were adopted today. They are issues that are key for our discussions these days, in the hemisphere and in the world, and Mexico is grateful to have been the host. I want to thank the OAS for allowing us to host this event that had concrete results. Where, I insist, there are many people who aren't on the television or the front page of the newspapers, but who are the people that made it possible for everything to happen.
To the entire team at the Foreign Ministry, the entire OAS team starting with its Secretary General, Luis Almagro; Assistant Secretary General Néstor Méndez, thank you very much, thank you for trusting in Mexico, thank you for working with Mexico to create a better hemisphere, a freer, more prosperous hemisphere. As we have said, the goal of this assembly--through dialogue and concertation--is to achieve prosperity for all of us who are part of this continent. Thank you.
