By Caribbean News Global 
WASHINGTON, USA – December 2019, the ambassador of Antigua and Barbuda to the Organisation of American States (OAS), Sir Ronald Sanders, submitted the formal nomination of former UN general assembly president, Maria Fernanda Espinosa Garcés , for the post of secretary-general of the OAS – on behalf of prime ministers Gaston Browne and Dr Ralph Gonsalves, the heads of government of Antigua and Barbuda and St Vincent and the Grenadines jointly.
The election for the post of secretary-general will be held in March 2020. On Wednesday, María Fernanda Espinosa Garcés, the Caribbean candidate for secretary-general of the Organisation of American States (OAS) presented to the permanent council her vision and practical plans.
The following is Espinosa Garcés closing statement [Wednesday] to the permanent council.
“None of us can ignore the challenges facing this Organization and the need to transform it into a more solid institution with better management, more transparency and greater effectiveness in order to make progress on the four pillars of its work.
My nomination by Antigua and Barbuda; and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines – two Caribbean countries, although I am from Ecuador- demonstrates the spirit of community that lives among the peoples of our America.
That it is not nationality that matters, but confidence that a citizen of one of our states can serve the interests of all.
It is that spirit of family; that sense of common citizenship of the Americas that gives me cause to be proud to stand before you as a candidate who has traversed sub-regions to dare to represent all the Americas.
My professional background and my national and international experience allow me not only to understand what the OAS requires here and now, but also to recognize the correct role that the secretary-general must play in building consensus among member states to advance the collective agenda of member states.
The work in which I have been intensely engaged over the past 30 years has prepared me to serve the member states of this Organisation – without exception – in the fulfillment of its highest goals under all four pillars on which it stands.
I will work with the greatest commitment and responsibility for strengthening democracy, promoting and protecting human rights, fostering integral development, and promoting multidimensional security as set forth in the mandate and vision of our Organization.”
Related:
- Building a hemispheric identity, added value for the OAS
- Progress and challenges of the Indigenous Peoples of Abya Yala
