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Former Commonwealth Secretary General Shridath Ramphal Presented at the OAS his book "Glimpses of a Global Life"

The 58th Lecture of the Americas of the Organization of American States (OAS) welcomed the launch of the book "Glimpses of a Global Life," the memoirs of former Secretary General of the Commonwealth and former Minister of Foreign Affairs of Guyana, Sir Shridath Ramphal and paid tribute to the life and work of the Guyanese politician, considered an expert on good governance, integration, economic development and social justice in the Caribbean and elsewhere.

The OAS Assistant Secretary General, Albert Ramdin, who delivered the welcoming remarks on behalf of Secretary General, José Miguel Insulza, highlighted some of the major contributions of Sir Shridath Ramphal to the history of his country and the region, and assured that "the OAS is very pleased to be part of the launch of this long-awaited publication." About the book, the OAS senior official said that it is laid out "carefully and with humility. From my perspective, this is not just a memoir with personal insights, it’s also a commentary of an insider’s perspective on pivotal events that have shaped the world and the Caribbean in recent decades."

Ambassador Ramdin recalled that the impact of the work of Sir Shridath Ramphal was "very substantive" and said that his legacy "is real, because he is not only the man of the Caribbean who prioritized regionalism, he is the man who worked shoulder to shoulder with world leaders debating methods of foreign affairs and diplomatic relations; the man who formed a modern community of nations and made concrete and meaningful contributions to topics such as world trade, the apartheid and conflict resolution." "His memoirs are sorrowful and at the same time diplomatic enough to give us an idea of the reality behind some of the most important challenges in the recent history of the diplomatic world; the lessons and perspectives contained in this book are noteworthy and greatly appreciated," he concluded.

In his presentation, Shridath Ramphal said that "there is so much I could have written about, so many others who shared my global journeys that I should have written of. Alas, it would take another book to do so; it must suffice to plead that these are ‘glimpses’ only and to hope that in their own way they conjure up, especially for those who shared them."

Integration efforts in the Caribbean occupied much of his memoirs, explained the former Foreign Minister of Guyana and said that his book evokes the ambivalence and the steps in the formation of the West Indies Federation, its collapse, and the work of the West Indian Commission in charting the course for the region’s integral development. His presentation included quotes related to such events and to the efforts to promote the community of nations in the Caribbean as an entity with a global relevance.

Continuing with this narration, he said that "in March 1976 I discussed with the Permanent Representative of the Commonwealth at the UN the idea of requesting observer status for the Commonwealth Secretariat at the United Nations General Assembly, this would be symbolic of our internationalism, but on the practical side it would give us entitlement to all UN documents and to be represented in an observer capacity at all UN meetings." The idea was warmly received, cites Shridath Ramphal in his book, "it was consummated by a General Assembly consensus resolution, because the world had begun to see the Commonwealth not as an empire club, but as a global asset in the world’s search for a new way forward."

The book also details the processes that led to the recognition of the former Minister and his election as the second Secretary General of Commonwealth, "from my small perch in Guyana I had by 1974 come to the notice of the international community in a very positive way" explains the text that continues to describe that " a substantial element of this good opinion was a reflection of the standing Guyana itself was acquiring in all international theaters, especially as a reliable and effective advocate of the causes of developing countries, but it went beyond economic issues; I earned respect form Guyana´s principled positions, Guyana was recognized as being progressive but not extremist," he said.

The book launched today at OAS headquarters in Washington, DC shows the role played by the Commonwealth to help end the Unilateral Declaration of Independence of Southern Rhodesia which led to Zimbabwe's independence, the assistance provided to the struggle against apartheid and the release of Nelson Mandela. "The leadership that we exercised in the areas of South Africa and the restructuring of global economic relations played an important role in the perception that the international community had on us," said the former Secretary General of the Commonwealth.

The Chancellor of the University of the West Indies, George Alleyne, offered the introductory remarks on the presentation and spoke about the major contributions made by Sir Shridath Ramphal in the advancement of freedom, independence and good governance. "His roots are in Guyana, but his trunk is Caribbean and his branches spread all over the world, there are testimonies of the values of those branches wherever he set foot or had given a voice," he said. The book, continued Alleyne must be appreciated "as a tapestry of the life and times of a remarkable individual," whose figure reached its true dimension as head of the Commonwealth. "His status as a global player became iconic with his work at the Organization, where he undertook many initiatives that positioned it as a leader in many areas of international affairs," he said.

After the presentation of former Minister Shridath Ramphal, Assistant Secretary General Ramdin moderated a dialogue between the audience and author about his perspectives on the past and future of the region, an act that was followed by a book signing session.

Prior to the lecture, Secretary General Insulza and former Secretary Ramphal held a private meeting in which they discussed the political and economic progress of the countries of the Caribbean and the challenges for the region in the global context.

A gallery of photos of the event is available here.

The B-Roll of the event is available here.

For more information, please visit the OAS Website at www.oas.org.

Reference: E-497/14