Suriname Assumes Chair of the OAS Permanent Council

The Permanent Representative of Suriname to the Organization of American States (OAS), Niermala Badrising, today assumed the Chair of the Permanent Council of the hemispheric institution, a position she will hold for the next three months.

Upon assuming the role, Ambassador Badrising expressed the honor and commitment the position implies and reiterated her "commitment to the highest standards to ensure Suriname effectuates the mandate and responsibilities entrusted to us” in a manner that is most beneficial for all.

"Suriname aspires to contribute to the strengthening of the work of our Organization," she said, and promised that her term as Chair will be equally mindful of the concerns, interests and needs of all member states. "As a country we have benefited significantly from the support of the OAS, and we hope to increase our recognition of the importance and critical nature of the work of the OAS," she said.

The Surinamese diplomat stressed the challenges and outstanding issues the Organization will be facing in the next quarter, including the election of the new Secretary General and Assistant Secretary General, scheduled for March 18, and the preparations for the Seventh Summit of the Americas, which will be held in Panama in April.

"We understand and anticipate that the upcoming months will directly impact the prospect and outlook of the OAS. A new leadership will ultimately influence the critical role of the OAS in furthering regional integration and integral development across our Hemisphere," she said and added that" our task is to collectively work to strengthen our Organization in order to retain our status as an effective multilateral entity." "I believe that we are well positioned to realize this goal and look forward to engaging with all parties during this most important period," she said.

Ambassador Badrising, who served as Vice Chair of the Council during the last three months, took over as Chair following the Permanent Representative of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, La Celia Prince, whom she thanked for her stewardship and leadership directing the Council, which she said set the stage for much of the work to be done in the coming months.

For her part, the representative of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines said it had been an "honor" to lead the work of the Council and expressed her gratitude for the responsibility entrusted to her and her team at the Mission, "particularly at this time, given the most pressing issues on the Organization’s calendar."

Ambassador Prince, who assumed the Vice Chair of the Council today, predicted a great performance for the new Chair and said that Ambassador Badrising is known for producing high quality work. "With her sharp acumen, and crisp understanding of multilateral diplomacy, we can expect the Council to be on sound footing as we embark in this new year” she said and concluded that “with the high standards and sharp skills with which she is already equipped, the success of the Council’s work is already assured.”

The event was attended by the OAS Secretary General, José Miguel Insulza; the Assistant Secretary General Albert Ramdin; and the Permanent Representatives of member countries and permanent observers.

The Permanent Council’s statutes establish that the Chair be held by each of the Permanent Representatives in turn, following the alphabetic order in Spanish of the names of their respective countries, and the office of Vice Chair, by identical standards, following reverse alphabetical order.

A gallery of photos of the event is available here.

The B-Roll of the event is available here.

The Video News will be available here.