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Friday, November 10, 2017 
AGCI and OAS sign cooperation agreement to allocate scholarships to CARICOM countries
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In order to promote human, social and economic development, the Chilean Agency for International Cooperation (AGCI) and the General Secretariat of the Organization of American States (GS/OAS) signed an agreement to implement the project "Chile-OAS Fellowships for the countries of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM)".

During the session, held within the framework of the forty-seventh regular session of the OAS General Assembly, it was established that the Government of Chile, through AGCI, will allocate US$250,000 to enable members of CARICOM countries to obtain scholarships.

The ceremony was led by the Executive Director of the Agency, Ambassador Juan Pablo Lira; and by OAS Secretary General, Luis Almagro.

Ambassador Lira emphasized that "education is a key factor in helping Caribbean countries to face the challenges of climate change". In addition, he noted that "the Government of Chile welcomes the possibility of cooperating with the Caribbean countries and the OAS because we know very well how important it is to have scholarships", recalling the natural disasters that the Caribbean region has faced in recent months.

Luis Almagro appreciated the contribution and highlighted the role played by the Organization's fellowships programme in the training of Caribbean youth. "Our unity and strength lies in the unity of our member countries and their ability to work together, as well as in the principles and values we share. This agreement with Chile and the CARICOM countries represents another step towards regional solidarity and cooperation".

This contribution will be managed by the Capital Fund of the OAS Scholarship and Training Program to finance studies in the area of disaster prevention in CARICOM countries. Fourteen of the 35 member countries of the OAS are also members of this community.

The member states that will benefit from this fellowship program are: Antigua and Barbuda, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Dominica, Grenada, Guyana, Haiti, Jamaica, Monserrat, Saint Lucia, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Suriname, and Trinidad and Tobago.

In addition, during the morning, Ambassador Lira was invited to the Permanent Council of the OAS to give a presentation on the AGCI's International Cooperation Policy, where he referred to Chile's graduation. "We have emphasized to our international cooperation partners that the idea of a graduation of Official Development Assistance (ODA) is based on a logic opposed to the inclusive and universal nature of Agenda 2030. Chile is considered a upper-middle-income country. However, this does not imply that we are talking about a developed country". He added that "the middle- and upper-middle-income countries conceal realities of deep inequality and poverty".

Review AGCI's Executive Director's presentation to the OAS: