Credit: OAS /    Mr.  Leon Charles, Permanent Representative of Haiti, assumed the Chair of the OAS Permanent Council on April 1 for the April-June period. Charles is pictured with OAS Secretary General Luis Almagro at the OAS headquarters in Washington D.C. 

DIPLOMATIC  TIMES  STAFF

The Permanent Representative of Haiti, Leon Charles, assumed the Chair of the Organization of American States (OAS)  Permanent Council on April 1 for the April-June period. The Permanent Representative of Haiti warned of the dangers posed by the expansion of the coronavirus and called on governments in the hemisphere to face with open minds the challenges that the pandemic brings.

“In these difficult times, when COVID-19 represents an ever more serious threat for regional and global stability, the leaders of the region must show creativity and innovative spirit to contribute to the strengthening of health infrastructure,”

-Haiti Ambassador  Leon Charles

For his part, the outgoing Chair of the Council and Permanent Representative of Guyana, Riyad Insanally, recalled the challenges that the Organization faced during his term. “It was an honor and a privilege for Guyana to preside over the OAS Permanent Council during a particularly difficult period for our Organization and our Hemisphere. I wish all the best to the incoming Chair,” said Ambassador Insanally.

The Permanent Representative of Belize, Daniel Gutierrez, will serve as Vice Chair of the Council.

he Permanent Council is one of the two main political bodies of the Organization of American States, the other being the General Assembly. The Permanent Council is established under Chapter XII of the OAS Charter. It is composed of ambassadors appointed by the member states (one per state), and it meets regularly at OAS headquarters in Washington, D.C., United States. The chair of the Council rotates among these permanent representatives of the member states, with each country chairing the Council for a three-month period. Together, the General Assembly and the Permanent Council set broad priorities for the OAS; because it meets more regularly, however, the Council has immediate responsibility for directing the Organization’s ongoing actions.

The OAS  is the world’s oldest regional organization, dating back to the First International Conference of American States, held in Washington, D.C., from October 1889 to April 1890. The OAS brings together all 35 independent states of the Americas and constitutes the main political, juridical, and social governmental forum in the Hemisphere.