Orchestras of the Americas for Social Inclusion_Organization of American States

The OAS Celebrates the Centennial of the House of the Americas

OAS Press release

The Organization of American States (OAS) celebrated yesterday the one hundred years of its headquarters located in Washington, D.C., known as the “House of the Americas.” A group of celebrities and politicians from the Americas gathered in the historic building for a gala event to celebrate the centennial.

OAS Secretary General José Miguel Insulza said in his speech that “from its very conception, this building was designed to celebrate the diverse cultures of the Americas and this happened several decades before the word ‘diversity’ became part of the mainstream.”

The event, hosted by the famous Mario Kreutzberger, Don Francisco, was attended by the Secretary of Labor of the United States, Hilda Solis; the democratic congressman and Chairman of the U.S. House of Representatives Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on the Western Hemisphere, Eliot Engel; the former President of Peru, Alejandro Toledo; the U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs, Arturo Valenzuela; the former Prime Minister of Jamaica, P.J. Patterson; the Foreign Minister of Haiti, Thérèse Marie Michèle Rey; the Governor of the State of Mexico, Enrique Peña Nieto, the President of the Andean Development Corporation, Enrique Garcia; the former OAS Secretary General, Luigi R. Einaudi; and businessmen Carlos Julio Ardila and Ali Moshiri, among others.

During the centennial celebration the Trust for the Americas announced that former president of the United States Bill Clinton received the Humanitarian Award in recognition of his dedication and continued service through the William J. Clinton Foundation, especially for the contributions it has made to many Latin American countries in areas such as climate change, HIV/AIDS, childhood obesity and economic development.

The Hollywood actor and goodwill ambassador for the Haitian youth, Jimmy Jean-Louis, was also present to remind attendees about the importance of the situation in Haiti. He introduced the performance of the Ensemble L'École de Sainte Trinité of Haiti. The funds collected from this and other events of the centennial celebration of the House of the Americas will contribute to finance and strengthen OAS programs in Haiti.

LINK: http://www.oas.org/OASpage/press_releases/press_release.asp?sCodigo=E-139/10