
For the first time, the Caribbean is fielding a candidate for the Secretary-General (SG) of the Organization of American States (OAS) post in the person of Hon. Albert Ramdin, Foreign Minister of Suriname.
For me, this is a big deal. It does not matter if Mr. Ramdin’s bid is successful. The mere fact that Caribbean governments have put to bed the notion that the Caribbean was satisfied with occupying only the Assistant Secretary-General (ASG) post of the OAS, is enough for me. This was a source of great personal distress during my long association with the OAS, especially during my 14 years of employment at OAS headquarters in Washington D.C. I could not understand why, despite having nominated candidates who have successfully managed several other global organizations, such as the Association of Caribbean States (ACS), the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO – TWICE) and the Commonwealth of Nations (TWICE), the region would not present a candidate for the OAS’s top post.
Nowhere in the OAS Charter is it written that the leadership of the OAS is reserved for candidates from Latin America. Consequently, I considered this “second-best” mentality mind-boggling, and an affront to every Caribbean citizen who knows that our region is endowed with people with the requisite skills-set and experience to lead the OAS.
My distress dropped to dangerous depths when about a decade ago, the Caribbean clothed itself in ignominy and farce, by fielding two candidates for ASG of the OAS. In so doing, it sent a clear message to the world that our ambitions as Caribbean people did not include leading the OAS. Moreover, by not supporting one candidate for the ASG position, the region proved yet again that it is locked in a ferocious war with itself.
Beneath the surface of a dignified battle between Ambassadors, Bayney Karran of Guyana and the eventual victor, Nestor Mendez of Belize, were strong currents of discord that survived nearly 2 years of active campaigning by both camps and animated discussions among Foreign Ministers and Heads of Government of CARICOM. The region’s leaders could not agree to support one candidate for the ASG post, just as they were unable to fall behind one candidate for the post of SG of the Commonwealth. And so, they left it to the other 19 OAS member states to do the job for them. In the end, Mendez defeated Karran by a whopping 24 votes to 10. Many observers believed that while Mendez was the clear winner, CARICOM was the clear loser. While either of the nominating countries (Belize and Guyana) may have considered their candidate as a better choice, there ought to have been a point when one country knew it could not win and withdrew from the race.
I accept that from time to time Caribbean governments will disagree on aspects of regional policy. However, the selection of a single candidate to contest the leadership of any international organization ought not to be a point of disagreement.
In the case of the OAS, the arithmetic is simple and clear. If the region remains steadfast in its support of Minister Ramdin, it stands an excellent chance of defeating Paraguay’s candidate for the SG post. As far as I am aware, CARICOM has not nominated a candidate for the ASG post, thus opening the possibility that the region may not occupy either post. But for me, this is a risk worth taking.
I hope that Minister Ramdin’s bid will cause CARICOM governments to take the OAS far more seriously than they have, especially over the past two decades.
For starters, regional governments MUST ensure that Minister Ramdin has a clear and compelling plan to restructure the OAS to make it fitter to discharge its significant responsibilities and functions enshrined in its Charter. Some commentators have argued in this newspaper and elsewhere that the Charter is deficient. I agree it’s not perfect. However, I do not believe it is imperfect enough to justify using up precious time and energy to perfect it. My preference is to see the resources of the OAS being spent on strengthening its relevance, internal management, and impact.
During my time at the OAS, I watched with deep despair as its development pillar was de-funded and resources re-directed to human rights and security. Proponents of this shift argue that: (1) other inter-governmental organizations (IGOS) are better resourced and positioned than the OAS to support sustainable development in member states, and (2) the proliferation of human rights abuses and security threats in the hemisphere warrants serious attention. The irony is that many IGOs continue to see great value in partnering with the OAS to advance the sustainable development agenda within the hemisphere. Moreover, the steady and deliberate weakening of the OAS’s development pillar is illogical, as without a solid foundation for inclusive, resilient and sustainable development, gains in security and human rights are not possible. As an example, all OAS Member States (except the USA) want to eliminate the existential threats posed by climate change to human and national development.
It’s also my hope that CARICOM governments will push for geographic equity in the staffing of the OAS. By any measure, the Caribbean is severely underrepresented within the GS/OAS, mainly because of the selective way language competency (specifically Spanish) has been used. I worked for many years with many OAS staff whose command of English was just as bad, if not worse than my command of Spanish.
As I see it, the Caribbean will have failed if Minister Ramdin’s tenure as SG does not bring about transformative change at OAS. I cannot say this will be easily accomplished. Ensuring that the General Secretariat is adequately funded looms as a massive challenge. Here, much will depend on the posture adopted by the USA and its allies within the OAS.
But for me, what’s important is that Minister Ramdin’s candidacy has helped to remove the mote of shame from my eyes.