WASHINGTON, USA – The Organization of American States (OAS) and the National Association of Mayors and Governors of Municipalities and Departments with Afro-descendant population of Colombia (AMUNAFRO for its acronym in Spanish) agreed today to work together to promote greater participation of Afro-Colombian communities in the various public offices of the country, during a ceremony held at the headquarters of the hemispheric institution in Washington, DC.
The secretary-general of the OAS, Luis Almagro, highlighted AMUNAFRO’s work in favor of the rights of Afro-descendant Colombians and added that, despite the progress made in recent years, “there is still much work to be done.” “It is crucial to strengthen links with organizations such as AMUNAFRO, which carry forward a work agenda connecting directly with Afro-descendant populations and territorial leaderships. You can count on the OAS to make progress in this regard,” added secretary- general Almagro.
For his part, the executive director of AMUNAFRO, Jaime Asprilla, expressed his joy at the agreement reached with the OAS, “a very important Organization, not only for our region, but for the world.” “This memorandum of understanding that we signed today is going to be very useful for Colombia, it is a navigation chart that will serve as a guide and we hope that it will help us to bring development to our communities,” added the executive director of AMUNAFRO.
The agreement establishes a framework for cooperation on issues related to programs, projects and joint activities. The OAS Secretariat for Access to Rights and Equity will be in charge of coordinating the initiative. AMUNAFRO is a non-profit organization established to lead and execute strategies at the institutional level for the social and economic development of Afro-Colombian municipalities in Colombia.
