The Organisation of American States (OAS) says the Permanent Representative of Dominica Steve Ferrol has assumed the chair of the Permanent Council during a ceremony at the headquarters of the hemispheric organisation in Washington.
“The OAS, as the hemisphere’s principal political forum, has a unique role to play in promoting coherence, dialogue, and a shared sense of purpose,” Ambassador Ferrol said. “We will explore how the OAS can help build a more coordinated and inclusive hemispheric agenda.”
During the ceremony, the OAS said Ambassador Ferrol presented his work plan for the current quarter, which focuses on strengthening the governance and effectiveness of the Permanent Council, as well as reinforcing the role of the OAS in hemispheric integration.
The OAS said the plan also seeks to strengthen the organisation’s capacity to respond to the political, economic, social, and security challenges facing the hemisphere.
The OAS said the work plan is structured around three main priorities.
They are improving the governance and effectiveness of the Permanent Council through more strategic agendas, stronger follow-up on decisions, and closer coordination with the committees and the General Secretariat, with the goal of making the Council more predictable, efficient, and impactful; and strengthening the relevance of the OAS in addressing the hemisphere’s current challenges by promoting thematic discussions on issues such as democratic resilience, inclusive growth, digital governance, and cybersecurity, enabling the organisation to contribute more effectively to these priorities.
The other priority is reinforcing the role of the OAS in hemispheric integration by fostering dialogue among the region’s various cooperation mechanisms and promoting a more coordinated and inclusive hemispheric agenda through a series of integration dialogues and stronger engagement within the Inter-American System.
The OAS said the chairmanship will also place special emphasis on the needs and perspectives of small states and Small Island Developing States (SIDS), “underscoring that integration and cooperation must benefit all countries of the hemisphere, regardless of their size.”
The Permanent Representative of Brazil Benoni Belli will serve as vice chair of the Permanent Council, the OAS said.
It said the chair and vice chair of the Council rotate every three months among the OAS member states.
The OAS said the Permanent Representative of Costa Rica Alejandra Solano and the Permanent Representative of Canada Stuart Savage served as chair and vice chair, respectively, of the Council during the previous quarter.