NASSAU, Bahamas, October 19, 2019 — Secretary-General of the Organization of American States (OAS), Mr. Luis Almagro, congratulated Prime Minister the Most Hon. Dr. Hubert Minnis on the Government’s leadership and response to Hurricane Dorian, during a courtesy call at the Office of the Prime Minister on Friday, October 18.
The Office of the Prime Minister said in a press release that the Prime Minister and Secretary-General Almagro “discussed Hurricane Dorian recovery and reconstruction efforts on Abaco and Grand Bahama, including the importance of adopting a renewable energy strategy as the country rebuilds with greater resilience.”
Prime Minister Minnis also pointed to the need for additional psychological counseling for affected residents, especially among children.
In a tweet on the Office of the Prime Minister’s Facebook page, the Prime Minister noted that they also “discussed rebuilding efforts on Abaco and Grand Bahama post Hurricane Dorian, how we can work together on renewable energy for affected communities and Climate Change.”
Secretary-General Almagro invited Prime Minister Minnis “to make a presentation to the OAS Permanent Council on Hurricane Dorian’s impact on The Bahamas in an effort to bring awareness to its member states and the wider global community,” according to the press release.
The Prime Minister thanked Secretary-General Almagro and his team for their visit and interest in continuing to help The Bahamas.
Secretary-General Almagro was accompanied on his courtesy call by Ms. Phyllis Baron, OAS Bahamas Representative, based at the OAS Country Office on Village Road in Nassau, and Mr. Chet Neymour, a Senior Advisor in the Office of the OAS Secretary-General and former Deputy Chief of Mission at The Bahamas Embassy in Washington, D.C. from 2009 to 2017.
According to the Office of the Prime Minister press release, the OAS has already donated $25,000 to the Hurricane Dorian relief effort through the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) and a number of OAS member-states have also offered support and financial assistance.
The release added: “The Canadian government has made a donation of $150,000. Costa Rica, Mexico and Dominican Republic provided assistance through emergency supplies. The Dominican Republic has also offered financial assistance in the amount of $100,000. Columbia offered technical and financial assistance, and the United States Government was instrumental in providing emergency rescue and evacuation assistance through the US Coast Guard.”
Minister of Foreign Affairs the Hon. Darren Henfield, Foreign Affairs officials and NEMA officials were also in attendance during the courtesy call.
Member states of the OAS approved the offer of The Bahamas to host the 50th General Assembly of the OAS in 2020 at the 49th General Assembly of the OAS held earlier this year in June in Medellin, Colombia.
A Uruguayan lawyer, diplomat, and politician, Luis Almagro was elected at the 10th Secretary General of the OAS on March 18, 2015, with the support of 33 of the 34 Members States, including one abstention. He officially took office on May 26, 2015.
As documented on its website, “The Organization of American States is the world’s oldest regional organization, dating back to the First International Conference of American States, held in Washington, D.C., from October 1889 to April 1890. That meeting approved the establishment of the International Union of American Republics, and the stage was set for the weaving of a web of provisions and institutions that came to be known as the inter-American system, the oldest international institutional system.
“The OAS came into being in 1948 with the signing in Bogotá, Colombia, of the Charter of the OAS, which entered into force in December 1951. It was subsequently amended by the Protocol of Buenos Aires, signed in 1967, which entered into force in February 1970; by the Protocol of Cartagena de Indias, signed in 1985, which entered into force in November 1988; by the Protocol of Managua, signed in 1993, which entered into force in January 1996; and by the Protocol of Washington, signed in 1992, which entered into force in September 1997.”
Continuing, the website adds: “The Organization was established in order to achieve among its member states—as stipulated in Article 1 of the Charter—’an order of peace and justice, to promote their solidarity, to strengthen their collaboration, and to defend their sovereignty, their territorial integrity, and their independence.’
“Today, the OAS brings together all 35 independent states of the Americas and constitutes the main political, juridical, and social governmental forum in the Hemisphere. In addition, it has granted permanent observer status to 69 states, as well as to the European Union (EU).
“The Organization uses a four-pronged approach to effectively implement its essential purposes, based on its main pillars: democracy, human rights, security, and development.”
