During the ceremony, that took place at the headquarters of the hemispheric organisation in Washington, DC, Ambassador Friday welcomed the support shown by the Member States’ representatives in attendance, and recalled that “just about 40 years ago Grenada became an independent state, and one of the first organizations we joined was the OAS. Today, when we look back, we see the sense of solidarity and support we have received from this community of nations over the past 40 years, and it’s something we really appreciate.”
Referring to his country’s continuing contribution to the OAS, the representative of Grenada reiterated the commitment of his Government to the hemispheric institution and its ideals and stated that “Grenada is a partner that can further contribute to the ideas and work of this institution.”
In this regard, he explained that one of the main priorities of his country, and one which he hopes to work on during his period in the organization, is promoting sustainable development and issues related to addressing climate and development challenges for nations, such as education and information technology. “These are for us important areas that can help to complement and support the four pillars on which the Organization is based, and for that reason we want to work with you to identify areas where we can have greater impact, as well as to identify how this institution will work in the future,” he said.
Secretary General Insulza recalled the visits he has made to Grenada during his tenure and praised the work and effort made in rebuilding the country after the hurricanes that affected it almost a decade ago. “You are working very hard, and you should know that you can always count on the support of the OAS,” he said.
The leader of the hemispheric organization also noted that the Permanent Council has initiated a debate on the priorities of the organization. “Soon we will focus on the analysis of what we want the work of the OAS to be and the areas that we want to strengthen. We must then make decisions based on the challenges facing the region,” he said, and highlighted that the experience and knowledge of Ambassador Friday will be very helpful in this context: “I’m sure his presence in this debate will be of great help, given his experience in the private and public sectors, and his previous work with other multilateral institutions related to development.”
(Courtesy OAS)
