Sir Ronald Sanders, Antigua and Barbuda's Ambassador to the United States and to the Organization of American States (OAS), was formally installed as Chairman of the Inter-American Council for Integral Development (CIDI) on Wednesday at OAS headquarters in Washington, D.C. According to Antigua News Room, the appointment places one of the Caribbean's most experienced diplomats at the head of the hemisphere's principal forum for development policy and cooperation.
CIDI reports directly to the OAS General Assembly and serves as the primary hemispheric body for policy dialogue on development matters.
In his acceptance remarks, Sir Ronald centred his chairmanship on a defining question for the region: "How do we create the conditions for business success in the Americas, so that growth reaches our people?" He was clear that the question is fundamentally a development one. "Business is not a rival to development," he said. "Business is an integral partner in development. It is our enterprises, above all the micro, small, and medium firms, that create the jobs, the opportunity, and the inclusion that development promises."
Sir Ronald has structured his Work Plan around three interconnected pillars — Certainty, Capacity, and Capital — grounded in the principle that no Member State can advance development in isolation.
He used his address to underscore the centrality of development within the broader Inter-American system. "Development is not one subject among many at the OAS," he told the Council. "It is the foundation on which the rest of our work stands. Human rights cannot be enjoyed by people who cannot feed their families. Democracy is not sustained where citizens see no prospect of decent work. Security is not secured where young people have no place in the economy of their own country. If we neglect development, we weaken every other pillar of the Inter-American system."
On the importance of multilateralism for smaller nations, he was equally direct: "Multilateralism seats us at the same table despite differences in size and level of development. That equality is the foundation of our credibility."
Ambassador Sanders is Antigua and Barbuda's most senior diplomat and a prominent Caribbean voice on development, multilateralism, and small-state advocacy. He has served as President of the OAS Permanent Council on three separate occasions, experience that has positioned him as one of the Organisation's most seasoned hands in hemispheric decision-making.
He closed with a charge to fellow member states: "Every point of arrival is a point of departure. When the time comes for us to depart from this phase of our work on development, I ask you all to help produce meaningful results that our people can see, can feel and can measure."
