WASHINGTON, D.C. –The Permanent Representative of Jamaica to the Organization of American States (OAS), Audrey Marks, on Monday, July 17, assumed the Chair of the OAS Permanent Council until September 30, 2023.
During the ceremony, Ambassador Marks said, “I look forward to a very productive chairmanship that will result in tangible and fruitful outcomes for the benefit of our hemisphere,” and highlighted that the OAS General Assembly in June “reminded us of the inextricable links between human rights, democracy and sustainable development.”
The new Chair of the Permanent Council said that many countries in the region, especially in the Caribbean, continue to face challenges such as “food and energy insecurity, non-communicable diseases, challenges to democratic governance and development agendas which are constantly undermined by crime and violence,” adding that multilateral mechanisms such as the OAS Permanent Council “have an even greater role to play as it allows the further deepening of our engagement, in our efforts to collectively address these challenges plaguing our region.”
The Permanent Representative of Honduras, Carlos Quesada will serve as Vice Chair of the Council during the July-September period.
Jamaica takes the Chair of the Council from Uruguay, whose Permanent Representative, Washington Abdala, held it from March to June.
The Chair of the Permanent Council rotates every three months among the member states of the Organization, in alphabetical order. The Vice Chair also rotates every three months, but in reverse alphabetical order.
During the ceremony, the accredited diplomatic body bid farewell to the Permanent Representative of Brazil, Otávio Brandelli, who is ending his functions at the hemispheric Organization.
