(CARICOM Secretariat, Georgetown, Guyana) Caribbean Community Secretary-General H.E Edwin Carrington says the election of CARICOM's candidate Ambassador Albert R. Ramdin to be the next Assistant Secretary-General of the Organisation of American States (OAS), is a reflection of CARICOM's growing influence in the Region.

In congratulating the senior Surinamese diplomat on his election to the second highest post on the hemispheric organisation, the OAS, Secretary-General Carrington said he was "well qualified and brings to the job a wealth of experience, which should make the OAS stronger and more responsive to the needs of its members".

Ambassador Ramdin has had a manifold record of service on behalf of Suriname and the Caribbean. Notably, he has served as Suriname's Permanent Representative to the OAS, Assistant Secretary-General (Foreign and Community Relations) with the CARICOM Secretariat, and as an Adviser to past OAS Secretary-General César Gaviria.

CARICOM Foreign Ministers at the Eighth Meeting of the Council for Foreign and Community Relations (COFCOR) in The Bahamas on June 2 reaffirmed his candidature, following repeated endorsements by CARICOM Heads of Government.

The CARICOM Secretary-General said he welcomes the pledge by Ambassador Ramdin in his acceptance remarks, to have as one of his priorities, "a Programme which recognises the multidimensional nature of security and development," a concept that CARICOM has been promoting for some time.

In addition, he noted the new OAS Assistant Secretary-General's observation that "the OAS needs to assert its relevance by developing a forward-looking agenda that responds to changing political, social, economic and security realities in the various sub-regions of the Americas and the world, while at the same time promoting critical development goals like maintaining democracy and good governance, upholding human rights, promoting social justice and equality, building sustainable economies, and reducing poverty."

"CARICOM looks forward to working with him," the CARICOM Secretary-General said.