By Sir Ronald Sanders
The upcoming election for the Secretary-General of the Organization of American States (OAS) on March 10, 2025, presents an opportunity to reshape the future of the institution.
The OAS has always been an organization where achieving broad consensus on contentious issues is difficult. In recent years, there has been an increasing focus on the ideological or national positions of some countries, which seek to use the OAS as a platform for advancing their own foreign policy objectives rather than bridging divides and building consensus on difficult issues. This situation has weakened the organization’s ability to function as a unifying force in the hemisphere. The OAS needs a new vision of how best it can serve the peoples of the Americas in addressing the shared and deep challenges that confront them. While this vision must ultimately come from governments themselves, a secretary-general who can bring a healing touch is essential to this process.
It is in this context that the 14 independent Caribbean Community (CARICOM) countries have decided to endorse Albert Ramdin, the Foreign Minister of Suriname, for the post of Secretary-General of the OAS at the election on March 10, 2025. Given the OAS’s current challenges, CARICOM’s decision to endorse Ramdin is both timely and fitting.
It is important to note that in supporting minister Ramdin, CARICOM countries are not seeking a dominant position in the OAS. If he is elected, CARICOM envisions minister Ramdin as a secretary-general who reflects the consensus of all member states, not one who takes instructions from any single country or bloc. The Western Hemisphere is at a crossroads. Issues such as climate change, migration, economic inequality, and threats to democratic governance demand coordinated and decisive action.
CARICOM’s support is rooted in the belief that, at this time, Ramdin is the candidate who possesses the most appropriate credentials for the role. This approach is consistent with CARICOM’s track record: at the last election for the post of secretary-general, Antigua and Barbuda, along with several other CARICOM countries, nominated and supported a non-CARICOM national, Maria Fernanda Espinosa of Ecuador. She was chosen by the majority of CARICOM countries not because of her nationality or gender, but because of her unparalleled experience, knowledge, fluency in all the languages of the Organization, and her vision for the Organization’s future. While Espinosa would be an excellent candidate even today, the lack of support from her own country during the last election underscores the challenges of securing the election of a candidate despite their excellent qualifications.
Regrettably, for many governments, they either want their own chosen national candidate or a candidate who aligns with their national or ideological objectives, while the real criteria for the candidate should be knowledge of the OAS, a vision for how it can serve the collective interest of the member states, and how to overcome its financial and governance challenges to make it relevant to the changing times and the peoples of the Americas.
This is why CARICOM has settled on endorsing Ramdin. He has decades of experience in diplomacy and governance, which, in this case, is bolstered by his 10-year tenure as Assistant secretary-general of the Organization. He knows very well what the pressing challenges are facing the Western Hemisphere today. This knowledge has been enhanced by his work as Suriname’s foreign minister, in which he has participated fully with foreign ministers of the Hemisphere.
Ramdin has already made it clear that, should he be elected as secretary-general, his key priorities would include reforming the OAS to address its financial and administrative challenges. The organization’s lack of sufficient financial support from its member states is a significant concern to all member states, including the US, which carries almost 50 percent of the burden. Without adequate funding to fulfil its mandates and deliver tangible benefits to the people of its member states, the OAS risks becoming little more than a debating forum that amplifies divisions rather than narrowing them. As the saying goes, “A house divided against itself cannot stand.” Ramdin has pledged to bring a renewed focus on securing resources, ensuring transparency in administration, and justifying expenditures.
Beyond all this, CARICOM countries, except Haiti, have been joining the OAS as active members since 1967. Haiti was a founding member in 1948. Despite this, and the fact that CARICOM countries represent 44 percent of the OAS membership, the Caribbean has never held the position of secretary-general. Minister Ramdin’s election would not only correct this inequity, but it would also be a recognition of the contribution that CARICOM countries have made to strengthening and developing the OAS.
Ramdin’s candidacy has been officially endorsed by CARICOM heads of government during their 46th Regular Meeting in February 2024 and reaffirmed by the Council for Foreign and Community Relations (COFCOR) in May 2024. These endorsements reflect CARICOM’s united commitment to advancing strong and effective leadership within the OAS. It is a call to all member states to support a candidate who is qualified and also dedicated to the principles that underpin the organization.
The election of Ramdin would signal a commitment to equity, inclusivity, representation, and the revitalization of an institution that remains critical to the Western Hemisphere’s stability and progress.
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