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From:TheBahamasWeekly.com Organization of American States (OAS)
The Secretary General of the Organization of American States (OAS), Jose Miguel Insulza, today received the King Legacy Award for International Service at the 20thAnnual International Salute to Martin Luther King Jr. in Washington, DC, and in his acceptance speech remembered the tragedy of the people in Haiti who fight to triumph over the consequences of the earthquake of January 2010. Insulza praised the integrity and willpower of the Haitian people in overcoming the socio-economic impact of the earthquake. When talking about the complexity of the world’s reality, Insulza said that “if there is one message that this award has, it is that the independent world in which we now live requires a doubling of efforts to solve our problems peacefully.” This is why the OAS exists, he added, to fight for “justice, freedom and equality, and the elimination of every form of discrimination in the Americas.” The Director for International Programs at the University of the District of Columbia, Ambassador Dr. Denis Antoine, introduced the Secretary General as man who is a “bridge-builder and leader by consensus," and he underscored the commitment of the OAS in its objective of “strenghtening democratic regions in the world.” Other honorees at the event included: United States Representative Diane Watson; World Buddhist Leader and International Arts Master Dorje Chang Buddha III; Honorary Chair Dr. Klaus Scharioth; and the Assistant Secretary for Health at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Resources, Howard Koh, MD, MPH.
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