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NEW US PERMANENT REPRESENTATIVE TO THE OAS PRESENTED CREDENTIALS

Ambassador Carmen Lomellin on Friday presented credentials to the Secretary General of the Organization of American States (OAS), José Miguel Insulza, to become the new Permanent Representative of the United States to the Organization.

At the event, which took place in the office of the Secretary General at OAS headquarters in Washington, D.C., the diplomat expressed hope that her knowledge of the Organization “will help to strengthen our shared commitment to work multilaterally to ensure that the OAS remains true to its core commitments to democracy, good governance and human rights -- as set forth in the Inter-American Democratic Charter.”

Ambassador Lomellin also stressed that “multilateral solutions require respectful dialogue and steady engagement.”

“I want to assure you that every member of our delegation stands ready to work with you, our fellow delegates, and the Secretariat on the very important issues that have been entrusted to all of us by the Summit process and the General Assembly”, she said to the Secretary General.

Secretary General Insulza thanked “the government of the United States for its support for this organization”, and said to Ambassador Lomellin that the OAS was “eager to continue working with you on the problems of social development, security, governance, on the issues that really unite us.”

The ceremony was also attended by the OAS Assistant Secretary General, Albert R. Ramdin, the Chairman of the Permanent Council and Ambassador of Colombia, Luis Alfonso Hoyos, and the permanent representatives to the OAS of Brazil, Canada, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Guyana and Saint Kitts and Nevis.

Ambassador Carmen Lomellin most recently served as Director of Outreach within the OAS Secretariat of External Relations and previously was Executive Secretary of the Inter-American Commission of Women (CIM). During the US Presidency of Bill Clinton she held the positions of White House Liaison for the US Office of Personnel Management and Director of that agency’s Office of International Affairs. She was an Advisor on Hispanic Affairs to the White House Office for Women’s Initiatives and Outreach.

The new Permanent Representative worked as Director of Leadership Development for the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund (MALDEF) and has spent a major part of her professional career and personal life working on women’s issues, particularly those in the United States Hispanic community. Ambassador Lomellin holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Business Management from St. Joseph’s Calumet College and a Masters in Business Administration in International Business from De Paul University, Chicago, Illinois.

Reference: E-404/09