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New Permanent Representative of Uruguay to the OAS Presents Credentials

The new Permanent Representative of Uruguay to the Organization of American States (OAS), Hugo Cayrus, today presented to the Secretary General, José Miguel Insulza, the credentials that accredit him to the hemispheric institution.

During the ceremony, held at OAS headquarters in Washington, DC, Ambassador Cayrus said that he arrived at a crucial time for the Organization, following the recent approval by the Special General Assembly of the guidelines and objectives of the Strategic Vision "which was initiated by Secretary General Insulza, and then continued by the Council Working Group which was led by the Permanent Representative of Mexico, Emilio Rabasa." The initiative seeks to the reorganize priorities and mandates of the Organization with a view to updating it to face the challenges of the 21st century.

"For me it is an honor to have been appointed Permanent Representative to the OAS of my country, the Eastern Republic of Uruguay. A Chinese proverb says that a long journey begins with a first step and I am taking the first step today with the presentation of credentials," said Ambassador Cayrus, who also recalled that, among other important issues, the OAS is nearing the process of electing a new Secretary General, as Secretary General Insulza concludes his term on May 26, 2015.

For his part, Secretary General Insulza welcomed the new Uruguayan representative and thanked him for "his willingness to work in the Permanent Council, during these months of the year in which its schedule of activities picks up." The OAS leader said that on the agenda of hemispheric institution there are issues related to internal reorganization and more issues of concern to the citizens of the region, related to social issues.

First, the Secretary General Insulza said that following the adoption of the document on the Strategic Vision, the Organization should discuss and approve a new budget at a Special General Assembly to be held within a few weeks, for which "we must define the resources to spend on each activity."

Second, the leader of the OAS recalled that the Seventh Summit of the Americas will be held in April next year in Panama, in a meeting that will re-examine the issue of social inclusion. "This is an issue of great concern for our region, because it is not only related to poverty and high income inequality, but is also related to factors of discrimination against minorities, an issue that our Organization must address," he said.

Secretary General Insulza also noted that the Seventh Summit of the Americas will be held in the midst of a complex economic situation for some countries in the region, "therefore this issue will be present at the meeting, and other political issues too," he added.

The ceremony was attended by the Chair of the Permanent Council and Representative of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, La Celia A. Prince, the Assistant Secretary General of the OAS, Albert Ramdin, and several representatives of the member states.

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-409/14