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 UNITED STATES OF AMERICAPOSITION PAPERESMOAS 2019United States of AmericaPosition Paper for the 2019 ESMOAS Summit of the AmericasI. GENERAL STATEMENTThe United States of America (USA) is honoured to be among the great nations of our American hemisphere to address the 2019 Summit of the Organization of American States (OAS), it is our great pride to be one of the founding members of the world’s oldest regional organization. The western hemisphere is a key priority to this administration, the USA stands by the beliefs of this organization, to promote peace and security, to defend democracy, to strengthen the territorial integrity, and above all, to offer a land of liberty.The USA is committed to work with our allies and partners across the region, to celebrate the diversity of our cultures and traditions, and encourages to understand that each region has its own unique identity that should not be disputed. But even though that makes every single nation in our organization different beyond number, we are still bound together by history, by geography and by our shared aspirations to make our hemisphere free.The current administration of the 45th president of the USA has put America’s security and prosperity first by giving the power back to the people. President Donald J. Trump has unleashed our economy like never before, and by reviving the American economy all the nations across the America’s can benefit from it. The United States is the number one trading partner in the western hemisphere, it is the largest source of foreign investment in the whole region, it has invested billions of dollars in the support and promotion of small and large businesses, and for the Hispanics, the unemployment has never been lower in the United States.We have a duty, as the largest regional organization, to take matters into our own hands and not let those whose thirst for control pushes them to believe that a country belongs only to them and that they are allowed to rule over people who only want to rule themselves. We live in a time of high stakes and clear choices.This delegation is here today to talk about issues that concern all of us here today, we need to have a stable economic flow within our organization to be able to continue or good work across the region; the USA is convinced that countries need to be ruled by elected leaders that prize liberty; Americans are convinced that our youth are the future of our nation and that they need to be nourished into respected citizens; this administration knows the difficulties that micro and small businesses face today and strongly encourages to support them along the way; the USA has been nothing but cooperative across the region to be sure that regional stability gets to its strongest point yet and has invested millions of dollars into improving border security; we’ve all seen gangs that plague cities and bring nothing but sowing fear into our communities that poisons our children and tear families apart, this delegation will not stand for this, now more than ever, our security cooperation is vital to the security of our hemisphere.With God’s help, together we will set new standards of living for our region and will decide the future of our hemisphere, the path to peace and progress and a better world for our people begins here, in the House of the Americas, in our proud Organization of the American States. II. PARTICULAR STATEMENTSA. General Committee (GC)Topic 1: ENSURING FAIR AND TRANSPARENT CAMPAIGNS AND ELECTIONSThe United States of America stands by the fact that a country can’t be completely democratic if all its citizens don’t have the same rights and opportunities to a fair and transparent election. The will of the voters should always be respected as elections are the pillar of democracy. And a healthy democracy is in the interest of every state and all of its associates to ensure a stable relationship with its people and a prosperous partnership with its allies. We can’t forget that one of the essential OAS purposes is “to promote and consolidate representative democracy”.The USA keeps pushing for an increase in voter turnout so the majority of its citizens has a say in every election, the 2018 landmark midterm elections revealed us a better turnout that any midterm election before in over a century with 53% of voters casting a vote according to the US Census Bureau’s Current Population Survey. This shows the will of the American people to have a voice and to fight for their God-given right to have freedom and decide the faith of their country, trusting it to not be corrupted, as corruption crumbles the basis of democracy and the biggest corruption of all is when people lose their voice. In the National Association of State Election Directors (NASED) conference of 2019 the USA Ambassador Gilmore asserted that one of the most transparent ways to promote democracy and to ensure that the government authorities derives from the will of its citizens is to have elections observations, this way citizens can be sure that their government is being monitored and held into account if they fail to do a free and fair elections. Since 2002 the United States has sent around 2,500 Americans to OSCE missions and has welcomed more than 850 OSCE observers on its territories, this shows the USA commitment of spreading democracy throughout the globe, and to be opened to missions in its territory to improve its electoral system and to be more responsive to the people’s needs. The historic moment we lived last year at the Summit of the Americas where every single nation that was there endorsed the Lima Commitment on “Democratic Governance Against Corruption” was a milestone for our hemisphere’s determination to not only eradicate corruption in our democratic systems but to also aim for prosperity since the OAS Charter states that “representative democracy is an indispensable condition for the stability, peace, and development of the region” . Topic 2: Addressing the Problems of a Shrinking OAS BudgetOur administration is focused on actions and results in improving our economic relationships across America. Addressing the problem within the budget of the Organization of the American States, the United States of America is mindful that our country is the main financial contributor of the OAS providing more than 40% of the organization’s total budget. We do this because we do believe in everything the OAS stands for, we have had great leaders in our hemisphere that have fought for liberty and we hope to live up to their example. We have a tremendous opportunity in this organization to forge strong free, fair and reciprocal bonds within our nations. The OAS persistent budget problems have hampered the efforts of the organization to implement initiatives or to keep up with new programs. The OAS cannot continue the way it has been in the past decade, to rely just on one country to give almost half of its budget. It’s not sustainable nor fair to the administrations involved. The USA knows that for many of the governments involved, bolstering an organization that will look at their democracy, human rights promotion or their economic development is not a high priority to them, but we should let political inclinations aside and evoke the OAS charter that says “Economic cooperation is essential to the common welfare and prosperity of the peoples of the continent,”. Helping the OAS is not helping an external organization, is helping each other grow. Aiding our organization in these troubled times of economic setbacks should be a priority to each and every one of the nations that have signed the charter and has adopted our principles as their own.We should regroup and stick to our strategic plan that has four key transitions that will help us become the great hemisphere we are destined to become, we should work in a vision-driven, trust based collaboration. We ought to focus our efforts in interdependent integrated programs build from the four pillars of our organization; our budgets must be policy-driven that respond to member states’ directives and last but definitely not least we should complement all of the above with a result-based management that requires goals, indicators, deadlines and responsible parties in order to follow our roadmap and achieve and institutional strengthening we never had before as the most influential organization in the American continent that we are.B. Committee: Executive Secretariat for Integral Development (SEDI)Topic 1: Promoting Youth Participation in Government and CivicsThe United States delegation recognizes the importance of the participation of all the American citizens in the elections and civics, therefore is concerned because only 50% of the eligible young people (about 24 million youth, ages 18-29) voted in the 2016 general election of the United States. Very similar to the elections in the 2012 elections.Young people are the majority in the electoral roll, there are 46 million young people that can vote, while 39 million seniors are eligible to vote. That’s why we must focus on our young electoral roll. They are the voice of tomorrow and if they don’t vote, the government cannot work for all. Young people (ages 18-29) make up 21% of the voting eligible population in the U.S. The United States has only nine states that require one year of U.S. government or civics, while 30 states require a half year and the other 11 states have no civics requirement. State civics curricula are heavy on knowledge but light on building skills and agency for civic engagement. We must keep an eye on this, so our citizens have knowledge of the civics of our country and they could apply these civics in their life in the day to day, so we can build a society that its foundations are the civics of our great nation. The United States is a country that has been built based on the different values and civic of different races, ethnicities and ideas. So, as the country with the most cultural diversity we should celebrate and promote through our civics the vast mix of cultures that have made what the United States is ic 2: Encouraging the Growth of Micro- and Small- Business DevelopmentFor many decades it is known that small business is the backbone of America, but sometimes their importance is neglected to a certain extent, partly because of the press mainly focusing at the presence and impact of big companies.There are currently 30,2 million small businesses in the country that comprise a 99,9 % of all United States businesses, employing almost half of the labor force. This sector also plays a crucial role in stimulating economic growth and providing employment for vulnerable groups of society such as women,young entrepreneurs and poor communities. That ?s why this sector should not be neglected and there should be constant investment in the development of it. Examples for such investment in the future of micro and small business can be the SBA - The U.S. Small Business Administration,which is a government agency that provides support to entrepreneurs and small businesses. This program is dedicated to Investment in Micro-Entrepreneurs (PRIME) and provides also provides assistance to various organizations. These organizations help low-income entrepreneurs who lack sufficient training and education to gain access to capital to establish and expand their small businesses. The government of the USA is dedicating time and resources for the development of additional funds and organizations specially dedicated for assisting the growth of micro and small businesses in the USA, that can provide for people of challenging backgrounds to escape poverty or for young entrepreneurs or recent graduates, to gain experience and bring fresh ideas on the market. In this way social classes usually seeking social help and monetary aid can be given the opportunity to gain professional experience and be able to provide for themselves and their families. This will have a long-term positive effect on the country's budget and the taxpayers will be eased, bringing prospective prosperity for the country, as the percentage of people in social aid will go down and with the stimulation of this business sector, the economy of the whole country will be stimulated as well.?As this model is already successfully applied in the USA, it shall be taken as an example in the whole Latin American region, in order to eliminate a significant percentage of unemployment and poverty. A good example of a successful economic management and steadily growth can be taken from the rule of president Reagan in the USA, between 1981-1989. The four pillars of Reagan's economic policy were to reduce the growth of government spending, reduce the federal income tax and capital gains tax, reduce government regulation, and tighten the money supply in order to reduce inflation, which ended in prosperity for the country. That example can also be followed by the countries in Latin America.C. Secretariat for Multidimensional Security (SMS)Topic 1: Improving Cooperation on Border Security and Regional Stability In order to ensure the US' prosperity and security the US needs an overhaul of its immigration laws. The US has always been the “melting pot“ that welcomed 96+ the most immigrants worldwide based on our nation’s father George Washington`s words: “The bosom of America is open to receive not only the opulent and respectable stranger, but the oppressed and persecuted of all Nations And Religions; whom we shall welcome to a participation of all our rights and privileges[…]. In 1850, 2.2 million people immigrated to the USA, representing about 10% of the population. In the following 70 years the number rose to 13-15%, whereupon restrictive immigration laws were introduced which made the immigration of non-Europeans more difficult and reduced the number to 4%. Since then, the numbers have risen massively and reached 44.5 million immigrants in 2017. 23% of whom are foreign-born citizens who entered the country illegally which regarding to the CFR report "diminishes respect for the law, creates potential security risks, weakens labor rights, stains US relations with its Mexican neighbor, and unfairly burdens public education and social services in many states [...] the US must create a working immigration system that [...] ensures that whatever law is enacted by Congress are enforced thoroughly and effectively.” The increase in the number of illegal immigrants calls for an improvement, even a revolution, in border security, as our government is currently developing in order not to "weaken the American economy, jeopardize its diplomacy and to imperil a national security" according to the council of foreign relations. It is important to emphasize that the danger- both economically and juridical- comes exclusively from illegal immigration. Non-citizens accounted for one in four of all federal drug arrests, all federal property arrests and 28 percent of all federal fraud arrests while costing the nation more than 50 billion dollars a year. The US will always be pro immigration but anti illegal actions. The idea that George Washington had in mind is that everyone is welcome in the USA if: “[…] by decency and propriety of conduct they appear to merit the enjoyment.” And that includes entering our nation legally and fairly.We all know that Pro-America and Pro-Immigrant are synonyms and our government will turn America’s broken immigration system from a source of national division into a point of pride and national unity. According to the White House website, the President’s plan has two parts. First, it recognizes that?full border security?is the bedrock of any functioning immigration system and proposes functional, operational, and structural reforms to strengthen America’s border infrastructure and laws. Second, it creates a?new merit-based?legal?immigration system?that protects American wages and safety net programs, prioritizes immediate families, and creates a fair and transparent process for immigration to America […] while increasing diversity and equality. We must make our decisions according to the famous idiom: “The common good before the individual good. “There are four ways to legally enter the USA. Family sponsorship which accounts for about 2/3 of the green card holders, Employment which accounts for up to 140,000 visa holders per year, the Green Card Lottery which raffles up to 50,000 green cards per year or as a refugee. The task of the US is to protect fiscal barriers and at the same time try to help develop its own economy and that of migrant countries through e.g. “the eventual return of refugees to their home countries so that they can help to rebuild their own nations” according to President Trump. To curb illegal immigration, Trump’s Administration has introduced the following, measures: a 2000 mile long wall on the border to Mexico, 1.7 bio dollars more budget for border security, increase of screening of refugees and many more. The measures taken by the Trump Administration are already showing the first signs of success: In the last three years the number of U.S. Border Patrol Criminal Alien Arrests was cut in three ensuring the safety of migrating and the American ic 2: Addressing High Rates of Incarceration and Gang DevelopmentThe United States has a responsibility to protect the American society while promoting the economy. Therefore, there are correctional facilities for citizens of the country who do not abide by the law. The government's task is to shield dangerous people from society and to protect the population. The USA has one of the highest detention rates in the world. With 655 detainees per 100,000 inhabitants, the United States is the number one industrialized nation in detention. Also in first place are the USA with its total number of prisoners, with about 2.12 million people imprisoned in July 2019. A year earlier, 200,000 of 1.5 million U.S. detainees were connected to gangs. Furthermore, homicide rates and gang membership have begun to creep up since 2003. While neither issue has reached the magnitude of its peak, these increases have produced the need for more attention by the states. The implementation of proven strategies is essential if states are to tackle these recurring problems successfully. Law enforcement agencies in the United States maintain databases on gangs and gang members. At least 12 states have passed laws on the development and use of gang databases, including how data should be collected, stored and exchanged.This makes it difficult to verify politicians who claim gang violence is on the rise and who want to pursue strict immigration and crime control policies. Prison officers also process and record such information in their database, as many gang members are former inmates or will become so in the course of their lives. A remarkable number of prisoners in US federal prisons were of black or African American origin. By 2019, there were nearly 420,000 black prisoners. They accounted for 38% of all prisoners in the US, but only 12% of the total US population. Hispanic prisoners account for about 32% of all prisoners. There are about 2,000 gang murders per year, or 13 percent of all murders in the US. These take place both inside and outside prisons.On an individual level, gangs offer a form of extended family and protect it to the youth. At some point, young people have to take one side or the other out of fear for their personal safety. Although the feeling of protection is very real for young people, gangs benefit from that fear. In the absence of strong ties to a family, gangs fulfill a need for youth to be accepted and to be a part of something-part of a family, whatever form it happens to take. While the financial benefits of selling drugs at school or in the community can pull young people into gangs, alcohol and drug use exacerbate the gang problem. Poverty and living conditions of the young people oblige them to make a financial contribution to the family and to the material needs. Gangs are an accessible source of money and offer young people a quick way to get to it. Detention is accompanied by the 13th Amendment to the US Constitution, which states that "neither slavery nor involuntary servitude shall exist in the United States or in any place under its jurisdiction except as punishment for crimes against which the party has been duly convicted". Prison work programs vary widely. Some are uncompensated tasks of prison maintenance, others are for maintenance tasks of local government, yet others are for local businesses and yet others are closer to internships. Modern reasons for prison work programs are often the reduction of insult and reacclimatization in society. The idea is that such work programs make it easier for the prisoner to find a job after release rather than resort to crime. The National Institute of Justice reports that over 75% of released prisoners are re-incarcerated within five years, 84% of state prisons offer high school classes and 27% of state prisons offer college courses. Almost all federal prisons offer vocational training. Studies have shown that prison training courses drastically reduce the relapse rate. In some states prisoners enrolled in college classes have an 18% re-offending rate, while prisoners who do not attend college courses have a 40% re-incarceration rate. By reducing the relapse rate, prison education programs ultimately save state money. For example, Nevada reduced the state prison population by 1.6% between 2008 and 2009, saving the state $38 million. Such interventions can be most effective if they are integrated into a strategic problem solving framework.References: 13th Amendment. (n.d.). Retrieved October 25, 2019, from . (1991). Representative Democracy. ResolutionAdopted at the Fifth Plenary Session.Retrieved from Alien Statistics Fiscal Year 2019. (2019, October 23). Retrieved October 23, 2019, from , S. H. (n.d.). Retrieved from , J. A. (n.d.). Retrieved from Impact For Good. (2019, June 27). Retrieved October 20, 2019, from , J. (2019, April 30). The gap between the number of blacks and whites in prison is shrinking. Retrieved October 25, 2019, from , C. (2019, October 8). How Many Small Businesses Are in the U.S.?: Fundera. Retrieved October 20, 2019, from M. Tisch. (2016). Young Voters in the 2016 General Election. 2016, de CIRCLE Sitio web: HYPERLINK "; , P. J. (2018). Organization of American States: Background and Issues for Congress. Congressional Research Service, 4–5. Retrievedfrom . (n.d.). Principles. About the OAS,Who We Are. Retrieved from . (n.d.). Purpose. About the OAS,Who We Are. Retrieved from . (2018). REMARKS BY VICE PRESIDENT PENCE DURING A PROTOCOLARY MEETING AT THE ORGANIZATION OF AMERICAN STATES. MediaCenter, Speeches. Retrieved from . (n.d.). With a Vision, a Plan and a Defined Method, the OAS is Building toward the Future. Retrieved October 20, 2019, from of Capital Access. (n.d.). Retrieved October 20, 2019, from . President Donald J. Trump's Humanitarian and Responsible Approach On Refugees Protects the Welfare of American Citizens. (2019, September 26). Retrieved October 23, 2019, from Trump's Bold Immigration Plan for the 21st Century. (2019, May 21). Retrieved October 23, 2019, from Perspectives on Immigration. (2015, February 12). Retrieved October 23, 2019, from , D., & Densley, J. (2019, October 6). Is gang activity on the rise? A movement to abolish gang databases makes it hard to tell. Retrieved October 25, 2019, from , J. (2013, May 6). The Fiscal Cost of Unlawful Immigrants and Amnesty to the U.S. Taxpayer. Retrieved October 23, 2019, from Shapiro, Catherine Brown. (2018). A Look at Civics Education in the United States. 2018, de American Federation of Teachers Sitio web: HYPERLINK "; , C. (n.d.). The Economic Impact of Prison Rehabilitation Programs. Retrieved October 25, 2019, from States Census Bureau. (2018). Voting and registration. Public Sector. Retrieved from . Immigration Policy. (2009, August 1). Retrieved October 23, 2019, from Mission to the OSCE. (2019). “Free and Fair Elections are the Foundation of Every Healthy Democracy,” Ambassador Gilmore says at NASED Conference. Press Release. Retrieved fromYouth gangs - gang-related homicides in the United States 2006-2012. (n.d.). Retrieved October 25, 2019, from , J., Zong, J. B. J., Batalova, J., & Burrows, M. (2019, July 10). Frequently Requested Statistics on Immigrants and Immigration in the United States. Retrieved October 23, 2019, from ................
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