Multi-dimensional programmes and projects of the OAS have impacted every sector of the Jamaican landscape, including in agriculture, education, culture, security, public sector reform, labour, tourism, gender, health and environment, as well as strengthening the functions of our judiciary system. We have also hosted workshops and high-level meetings, the most recent being the Fourth Ministerial Meeting of the Energy and Climate Partnerships of the Americas (ECPA) in February 2020. This has served to forge critical partnership initiatives which have been beneficial to our national development agenda, while also supporting development initiatives in the wider hemisphere.

Our commitment to regional peace and stability, undergirded by continued dialogue and mutual respect, has contributed to the hemisphere being known as a “Zone of Peace”. Indeed, we laud the significant role the OAS has played in achieving this reality.

Jamaica has also demonstrated its steadfast commitment to the preservation of democracy in the region through ongoing support of and participation in OAS Electoral Observer Missions. Most recently, in 2020, Jamaica’s former Prime Minister, the Most Honourable Bruce Golding, led the OAS Election Observer Mission to the Cooperative Republic of Guyana.

As a keen supporter of human rights, in 2019, Jamaica also became the first English-speaking Caribbean country to host a Period of Session of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR).

It is with great pride that we note that the OAS agreed to the permanent placement of a bust of our first national hero, the Right Excellent Marcus Mosiah Garvey, and the renaming of the Hall of Culture at OAS Headquarters in Washington, DC in his honour in October 2009. These actions demonstrate the respect and recognition accorded by the OAS membership to Jamaica’s active involvement in the work of the Organisation and, in so doing, have highlighted our place in its history.

We also recognize the many Jamaicans who have served with distinction at the OAS, whether as diplomatic representatives elected members of the various organs of the organization or as members of staff of the Secretariat. I commend and pay tribute to these Jamaicans for their invaluable contribution to strengthening and enhancing this partnership over the years.

The decision of the OAS to establish a National Office in Jamaica which has been in place since 1971, is one we continue to appreciate. This Office is doing important work and has served to extend the scope of the interaction of the OAS Secretariat with development entities in Jamaica.

As we look to the next 50 years of collaboration and joint action, Jamaica remains unwavering in its commitment to the tenets of the Organisation of American States. We will continue to work assiduously to deepen collaborative efforts and partnerships with fellow members, so as to secure and advance the welfare of the people in the Americas. We will also continue to work towards ensuring that the OAS remains a resilient, relevant and robust Organisation with the capacity to adapt to the evolving dynamism of the global community.