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OAS Permanent Council Pays Tribute to the Legacy of Simón Bolívar in Commemoration of his Birth

The Permanent Council of the Organization of American States (OAS) today held a protocolary session at which representatives paid tribute to the memory, work and legacy of Simón Bolívar and the continued validity of his thinking and evoked the need to continue working for the unity and freedom of the peoples of the Americas, 231 years after his birth.

Upon opening the session, the Chair of the Permanent Council and Permanent Representative of Saint Lucia to the OAS, Sonia Johnny, said that while Bolívar was born in what is today Venezuela, he is "an illustrious citizen of the Americas." She added that "today we gather to pay tribute to a man who worked tirelessly to form a great brotherhood among our nations, united, equal and free. United in the fight against injustice."

The Chair of the Council noted that the meeting in honor of the Liberator is an opportunity to reflect on his political views and to "work together to strengthen democracy in our nations, as well as to achieve progress and welfare for all Americans."

The Secretary General of the OAS, José Miguel Insulza, said the ceremony honoring the Liberator Bolívar is linked to the main aims of the Organization. "One of the great legacies of the Liberator was his dream of a united Hemisphere, of the Americas at peace. That dream was first forged in his youth together with other liberators, was first set forth in the Charter of Jamaica, was consolidated more than ever in the great battles of independence culminating in Ayacucho, and was finally launched at the Congress of Panama some years later," said Secretary General Insulza.

The head of the Organization said that the OAS is an institution that "has always sought to fulfill the dreams of unity and peace that marked our liberators; is the world's oldest regional organization, and we can criticize it and discuss its shortcomings, but this is the Organization in which all the independent states of our vast region are members, and that maintains a dialogue that guarantees unity, peace and regional stability."

On behalf of the states of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), the Permanent Representative of Antigua and Barbuda, Deborah-Mae Lovell, said that Bolívar lived "a short and extraordinary life" and freed six countries in the region. Ambassador Lovell recalled that the Liberator is honored in the Americas and the world with hundreds of statues and streets named after him, and as an example recalled that in her country, teenagers and children play in "Bolívar Park" and that the Council held its meeting today in "Simón Bolívar Hall.”

The Permanent Representative of Belize, Nestor Mendez, who delivered his speech on behalf of the Central American Integration System (SICA), said Bolivar's vision of a unified America is still alive today -through the OAS-, and is still under construction. He indicated that the struggle “for equality and justice, and freedom for all" continues today, and added "the chains of oppression have been broken, but the liberation from poverty, racism, discrimination and from injustice has yet to be achieved.”

The Permanent Representative of Ecuador, Marco Albuja, on behalf of the Latin American Integration Association (ALADI), said Bolivar was "a tactical diplomat, military strategist and a naïve politician." Ambassador Albuja stressed that the Liberator made two oaths at Mount Sacro, a public one, that was that he would not rest until the shackles of colonial power were broken, while the other was to achieve the Confederation of American Republics.

The Permanent Representative of Canada, Allan Culham, said the legacy of Simón Bolívar in the region is immense, and for the country of his birth the anniversary is an opportunity to "reflect on the history of the Americas and to strengthen the ties we share with you as neighbors in this Hemisphere, and is also an opportunity to reaffirm our commitment to continue his legacy of unity, freedom and hemispheric cooperation for future generations."

The protocolary meeting of the Permanent Council of the OAS was preceded by a ceremony in which the Chair of the Council, the Secretary General of the OAS and several Permanent Representatives to the OAS placed a floral offering in front of the statue of Simon Bolivar in Washington, DC.

A gallery of photos of the event is available here.

A gallery of photos of the floral offering is available here.

The audio of the event is available here.

The video 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-318/14