|
 FORT
LAUDERDALE, Florida- Ambassador Albert R. Ramdin, a Surinamese diplomat,
was elected Tuesday evening to be the next Assistant Secretary General of
the Organization of American States. Ramdin emerged victorious on a vote
of 19 to 14, with one abstention, among the 34 member states, as the
hemisphere’s foreign ministers gathered at the OAS General Assembly
session in Fort Lauderdale. The other candidate was the former Nicaraguan
foreign minister Ernesto Leal.
“I intend to do my utmost to uphold the principles of the founding
charter and to enhance the effectiveness and relevance of the
inter-American system,” Ramdin pledged in his acceptance remarks to the
foreign ministers as the 35th regular General Assembly session moved
towards its close Tuesday night. “I fully intend to repay your trust in
me by working to the best of my ability to make the OAS stronger and more
responsive to the wishes and needs of all the members.”
Signaling top priorities he intends to help the new Secretary General,
José Miguel Insulza, advance, Ambassador Ramdin said the OAS needs to
assert its relevance by developing a forward-looking agenda that responds
to changing political, social, economic and security realities in the
various sub-regions of the Americas and the world. Combating illegal drug
trafficking, corruption, transnational crime and HIV/AIDS, and promoting
pre-emptive action to mitigate the impact of natural disasters featured
among challenges he highlighted.
He said that to truly fulfill its hemispheric role the OAS must firmly
commit to helping states on critical development goals like maintaining
democracy and good governance, upholding human rights, promoting social
justice and equality, building sustainable economies, and reducing
poverty—"in short, a program that recognizes the multi-dimensional nature
of security and development." Ramdin also paid tribute to current
Assistant Secretary General Luigi Einaudi, who was also the focus of a
resolution the Assembly adopted in honor of his dedicated service to the
hemisphere.
Suriname’s Foreign Affairs Minister, Maria E. Levens, thanked the OAS
nations for electing her government’s candidate, who was also promoted by
the Caribbean Community (CARICOM). Levens emphasized that Ramdin’s
election “marks a historic moment in Suriname’s history and relationship
with the OAS.”
Nicaragua’s Foreign Affairs Minister, Norman Caldera and El Salvador’s
Ambassador to the OAS, Abigail Castro de Pérez, both hailed Ramdin’s
elevation to the OAS’ second highest post. “CARICOM has won, the Americas
has won, and we all are winners,” Caldera said. For her part, Ambassador
Castro de Pérez underscored the opportunity now open for the OAS to move
forward in helping to tackle the important challenges facing the
hemisphere’s nations.
|
