The new Secretary General of the Organization of American States (OAS), Surinamese diplomat Albert Ramdin, has declared that the crisis in Haiti will be his top priority.
In his inaugural speech before the OAS Permanent Council, Ramdin said he intends to refocus the organization’s efforts on concrete results in response to the region’s political and humanitarian emergencies.
In a strong statement, Ramdin declared: “Nowhere else on the continent are democracy, the rule of law, security, human rights, and development more threatened than in Haiti. Haiti will be a priority for us.”
To address the crisis, he announced the reactivation of the “Group of Friends of Haiti,” a coordination mechanism for international aid, and expressed his intention to strengthen cooperation with other regional and global partners, including CARICOM and the United Nations.
He also reminded the council that the mandate of Haiti’s Transitional Presidential Council is set to expire in February. “We do not have much time,” he warned, stressing the urgency of taking action before this crucial political deadline.
In addition to Haiti, Ramdin identified Venezuela as another immediate priority, although he refrained from offering further details. His mandate, he said, will focus on delivering “results and concrete actions” in countries most affected by institutional, social, and economic crises.
During his speech — delivered in both English and Spanish — Ramdin emphasized cross-cutting issues such as gender equality, social equity, the migration crisis, and climate change. He announced the formation of working groups on these challenges, along with a structural reform of the OAS scheduled for July, aimed at making the organization “more effective and more sustainable.” He also noted the OAS’s financial dependence on the United States, its main contributor.
Throughout his campaign for the OAS leadership, Ramdin advocated for dialogue, regional cohesion, and less polarized governance, following years of internal tensions between left- and right-leaning governments within the organization.
His appointment comes as the OAS faces criticism, including from the United States. Secretary of States Marco Rubio recently voiced concerns before Congress about the organization’s capacity to manage the crisis in Haiti effectively, urging it to “intensify its efforts.”
