(EDITOR’S NOTE: The Organization of American States (OAS) has scheduled a special General Assembly for Friday, March 20, 2020, to elect the Secretary General and the Assistant Secretary General for the 2020-2025 period. My FACEBOOK MEMORIES post today is an article on the election of the current Secretary General and Assistant Secretary General that I posted five years ago, on March 19, 2015, when I was Press, Cultural Affairs and Information Manger at the Embassy of The Bahamas in Washington, D.C. for four-plus years before the change of government in The Bahamas in May of 2017.
When my diplomatic contract was not renewed, l decided to remain in D.C. and established THE BROWN AGENCY LLC, which offers a variety of services including writing press releases and editing, among other public relations functions. I also publish the online publication BAHAMAS CHRONICLE, which was established to keep Bahamians and nationals from other Caribbean Community (CARICOM) countries in the diaspora up-to-date on selected news from their respective countries. I have submitted a proposal to The Bahamas government for me to continue doing what I did at the Embassy on a contractual basis through THE BROWN AGENCY, and I was told more than a year ago by Ambassador Sidney Colliie that it had been approved and sent to the Attorney General’s Office for review.” For whatever reason, however, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has not yet implement it. Given the fact that THE BROWN AGENCY LLC is having difficulties attracting clients, I certainly hope that Foreign Affairs Minister Darren Henfield uses his influence to remove the “red tape” that’s preventing his Ministry from responding positively to my proposal.)
OAS ELECTS NEW LEADERSHIP
WASHINGON, D.C. — The Organization of American States (OAS) on Wednesday, March 18, elected a new Secretary-General and Assistant Secretary-General during a Special General Assembly held at the main building of the OAS on 17th Street, N.W.
Representatives of the 34-member states of the organization elected former Uruguayan Foreign Minister Luis Almagro as the next Secretary-General during a morning session that continued well into the afternoon and later during the day, they elected His Excellency Nestor Mendez, Belize Ambassador to the United States and Permanent Representative to the OAS, as the next Assistant Secretary-General of the hemispheric institution.
Ambassador Almagro, who was the only candidate for the Secretary-General position, was elected with 33 votes in favour and one abstention.
Ambassador Mendez, on the other hand, was challenged for the Assistant Secretary-General post by Ambassador Bayney Karran, Permanent Representative of Guyana to the OAS. He won with 24 votes against 10 for Ambassador Karran.
The incoming Secretary-General is scheduled to assume office on May 25 and the incoming Assistant Secretary-General will assume office in July 12. Both will have a five-year term.
His Excellency Dr. Elliston Rahming, Bahamas Ambassador to the United Nations and Permanent Representative to the OAS, was among those voting in both elections and, like all the other representatives of the member states, he congratulated both winners during brief addresses.
In welcoming the election of Ambassador Almagro as the incoming Secretary-General, Ambassador Rahming noted that he had “chosen to seek the leadership of the Organization at a most challenging moment.”
“The Organization is indeed at historic crossroads,” Ambassador Rahming declared. “Amongst the many challenges with which you will have to contend is the work of preserving this body as the premier political forum of the hemisphere, shoring up fiscal governance and management reforms and ensuring greater geographic representation in the Secretariat so that this Organization more accurately reflects the great diversity and talent of the hemisphere. We note with anticipation your commitment to implement an affirmative action approach to balance the human resources of the Organization.”
Ambassador Rahming added: “Most importantly we need to continue to work towards enhancing the relevance and impact of the Organization for the lives and aspirations of every day citizens of our Countries. This election and the plans going forward are therefore of great importance for the sub-region. The circumstances that the new administration will inherit and will have to address will require strong support from the majority of member states and focused attention on the part of the Secretariat. We expect that you will, with haste, begin the work of galvanizing efforts towards this end.”
Describing what took place during the election process as a “reaffirmation of the commitment to principles of democracy that are espoused in the very Charter of our Organization,” Ambassador Rahming said the 33 votes the new Secretary-General received “represent a resounding mandate for the commitments you have made to reform this body Mr. Secretary General elect.”
“My country, and certainly the CARICOM region, supports the robust agenda you have committed to and is prepared to work with you to continue to move closer towards the OAS we all want,” Ambassador Rahming said.
In congratulating Ambassador Mendez upon his election as incoming Assistant Secretary General, Ambassador Rahming noted that he has had “the privilege of working with Ambassador Mendez for close to two years now and I know that he is as amicable as he is stalwart, as principled as he is judicial and as wise as he is consultative.”
“He really is the consummate diplomat and his skills and dynamism certainly will need to be brought to bear to navigate the many challenges on the horizon for this Organization,” Ambassador Rahming said. “He also represents a country that continues to display leadership in the CARICOM Region and a commitment to an effective and cooperative inter-American system. The fact that his country straddles more than one region of this Organization we hope means he will provide important balance in the leadership of the Organization.”
Ambassador Rahming added, “As I indicated this morning, the Organization that you are confronting is one that has many balls in the air at the moment. We are moving on a course of necessary reform and recalibration and steady and sure hands are required to continue to provide leadership for the process. We are certain that your tenure as a diplomat in these halls will prove a tremendous asset in the dispensation of your new responsibilities. We would wish to underscore our desire that the incoming administration works as a cohesive team and that there is balance in the delineation of both political and administrative executive duties.
Ambassador Rahming said The Bahamas is “convinced that we have a strong incoming leadership team and we expect that you will help this Organization to continue to achieve its best aspirations by a demonstration of mutual respect and a penchant for consensus building.”
