Media Center

Press Release


OAS Assistant Secretary General Reiterates Commitment to Haiti during Meeting with Congresswoman Yvette Clarke

  June 16, 2010

The Assistant Secretary General of the Organization of American States (OAS), Ambassador Albert Ramdin, met with Congresswoman Yvette Clarke (D-NY) on Capitol Hill to exchange views on the situation in the Caribbean and discuss initiatives in the region, especially on Haiti.

In particular, Ambassador Ramdin spoke about the support of the OAS for Haiti in the areas of election assistance, the strengthening of the civil registry and national identification systems, and the modernization of the cadastral system.

The Prime Minister of Haiti, Jean-Max Bellerive, has expressed his support for the OAS program on cadastral systems. Among activities hosted at the OAS this month is the Technical Coordination Meeting on the "Modernization of Cadastre and Land Rights Infrastructure in Haiti" Program to be held on June 17, 2010. This seven-year program, developed by the OAS in consultation with Haitian authorities, will allow for land rights security and support for land management, among other things.

"Credible elections in Haiti are essential to the ongoing reconstruction process and democratic stability,” said Ambassador Ramdin while recalling that the OAS is significantly intensifying its support for the National Office of Identification (ONI) to update voters lists and the distribution of ID cards for the upcoming elections. The Assistant Secretary General also emphasized to Congresswoman Clarke that the OAS will continue to work to keep Haiti's reconstruction at the top of the agenda of the inter-American system.

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

Reference: E-243/10