8 January - The Press Department of the Organization of American States (OAS) confirms that yesterday, Wednesday, January 7, 2009, the OAS Secretary General, José Miguel Insulza, had a phone conversation with the President-elect of the United States Sates of America, Barack Obama. (more)

29 December - The Secretary General of the Organization of American States (OAS), José Miguel Insulza, expressed today his “absolute rejection” of the Israeli bombing of the Gaza Strip and urged its immediate halt. At the same time, he called for restoration of the cease-fire, an end to the embargo on the Gaza Strip, and the establishment of a new peace initiative. (more)

25 November - The Secretary General of the Organization of American States (OAS), José Miguel Insulza, congratulated the Government and the people of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, for the normality of the regional elections that took place yesterday in the country and praised the massive participation by Venezuela’s citizens, who went to the polls in a peaceful and orderly manner. (more)

17 November - The Secretary General of the Organization of American States (OAS), José Miguel Insulza, invited national summit coordinators responsible for debating the content of the Fifth Summit’s “Declaration of Commitment” to consider the economic challenges that the world’s economy is currently facing. This statement was done in the framework of the preparations for the Fifth Summit of the Americas that will be held in Trinidad and Tobago on April 17 – 19, 2009. (more)

11 November - Secretary General José Miguel Insulza has said the Organization of American States (OAS) is very concerned at the difficulties unfolding in Nicaragua as votes are being counted following last Sunday’s municipal elections across the country. (more)

10 November - Organization of American States (OAS) Secretary General José Miguel Insulza today conveyed his deepest sympathies over the death of more than 90 persons, most of them children, after a school building collapsed in Nérettes, on the outskirts of Port-au-Prince, Haiti, last Friday. The Haitian health authorities said the accident left some 150 injured. (more)

5 November - The Secretary General of the Organization of American States (OAS), José Miguel Insulza, sent today the following letter to the President-Elect of the United States of America, Barack Obama: (more)

7 October - Mexico City—Mexican President Felipe Calderón and OAS Secretary General José Miguel Insulza today inaugurated the First Meeting of Ministers Responsible for Public Security in the Americas, an OAS forum convened to consider joint strategies to tackle the scourge of crime and violence worldwide, and particularly in this hemisphere. Addressing top security officials from the 34 Member States, the Mexican leader praised the OAS’ initiative to bring the security ministers together to share experiences and devise a joint approach to transnational crime. He called on countries to collaborate to fight transnational crime on the basis of a collaborative approach, shared responsibility and respect for sovereignty. (more)

10 September - Despite progress in reducing extreme poverty and maintaining relative stability of democracy in the Americas over the last few years, Organization of American States Secretary General José Miguel Insulza acknowledged today that the hemisphere still faces significant challenges because of climate change, energy sustainability and steep food prices increases, among other factors. “The challenges are piling [up],” the Secretary General warned, citing the energy situation stemming from oil price hikes. He also cited the food crisis as a real problem for Latin America, explaining that given the steep increases in food prices it is quite possible that some of those who had emerged from the ranks of the poor last year could very well return to poverty. (more)

9 September - Renewing the call for a “new energy order,” OAS Secretary General José Miguel Insulza today argued strongly for stepped-up energy sector integration and cooperation among countries in the Americas as key to the objective of energy security. Insulza stressed that ensuring energy sector security in the Americas begins by acknowledging that current production, delivery and consumption patterns are unsustainable. He underscored the need to find a balance between national energy self-sufficiency initiatives on the one hand, and energy integration at the hemispheric level, on the other. Furthermore, the Secretary General noted, while the new energy order for the Americas is still taking shape, its foundation most certainly will based on energy integration but also on energy efficiency and diversification of energy supply as key principles. (more)

4 September - OAS Secretary General José Miguel Insulza, speaking in Canada yesterday, called on the Member States’ defense ministers to begin a study of new situations shaping up in Latin America and the Caribbean as a result of rising crime. He said these unfolding developments call for new thinking and discussion as regards the possible roles of various institutions in fighting crime in the Americas. Addressing the Eighth Conference of Defense Ministers of the Americas, in Banff, in the Canadian province of Alberta, Secretary General Insulza said he knows that this kind of cooperation involving defense agencies and public security institutions creates an undesirable situation, since “we are all aware of the specifics and differences between defense activities and public security activities.” (more)

19 August - The Secretary General of the Organization of American States (OAS), José Miguel Insulza, by means of a letter sent yesterday to the Prime Minister of Jamaica, Bruce Golding, congratulated the people of Jamaica for the gold and silver medals earned by Jamaican athletes at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. (more)

11 August - The Secretary General of the Organization of American States (OAS), Jose Miguel Insulza, has concluded a historic first visit to Belize. The stay, which took place August 7-9, was the result of an official invitation extended by the Prime Minister of Belize, Dean O. Barrow, during his trip to the OAS Headquarters in Washington, DC, in March 2008. (more)