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News : International Last Updated: Feb 13, 2017 - 1:45:37 AM


Rhaming chairs first OAS council meeting
By Oswald Brown
Jul 13, 2016 - 4:15:53 PM

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His Excellency Dr. Elliston Rahming delivering his opening remarks at his first regular meeting as Chair of the Permanent Council of the OAS on Wednesday, July 13, 2016, in Simón Bolívar Hall at the OAS headquarters. At left is Nestor Mendez, OAS Assistant Secretary General, and at right is Gonzalo Koncke, Chief of Staff of OAS Secretary General Luis Almagro Lemes.

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- In his capacity as The Bahamas’ Ambassador and Permanent Representative to the Organization of American States (OAS), His Excellency Dr. Elliston Rahming presided over his first regular meeting as Chair of the Permanent Council of the Organization of American States (OAS) on Wednesday, July 13, 2016, in Simón Bolívar Hall at the OAS headquarters, 17th Street & Constitution Avenue, NW, Washington, DC.

Dr. Rahming, who is also The Bahamas’ Ambassador and Permanent Representative to the United Nations, officially assumed the chairmanship of the OAS Permanent Council on July 1 and will serve in that capacity for the next three months.

In his introductory remarks, after asking his colleagues to join him in “a moment of silence as we pay tribute to the life and service of the Honorable Patrick Manning, former Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago,” Dr. Rahming said that it “goes without saying that it is a great honor for The Bahamas, once again, to assume the Presidency of the Permanent Council of this ancient and august body.”

“We assume the mantle of leadership at a critical moment in the history of the Organization,” Dr. Rahming noted. “In a real sense, the OAS is at the crossroads, juxtaposed between a glorious past and an imposing future; nestled between reinventing its relevancy and clout, while supplanting its sustainability.”

Continuing, he added: “As Chair of the Council, it is my intention to focus on examining challenges associated with sustainable development in The Americas. It is a theme that we are all familiar with, in the wake of the Paris Agreement, the 2030 Agenda, and the recent OAS General Assembly in the Dominican Republic.

“It is my hope that my Chairmanship will effectively steer the organization closer towards becoming the institution that we all want. While the challenges to development in the Americas are manifold, I believe that the OAS has an indispensable role to play in assisting Member States to meet their evolving national and international obligations.

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WASHINGTON, D.C. -- His Excellency Dr. Elliston Rahming (center), Ambassador and Permanent Representative of The Bahamas to the OAS and the new Chair of the OAS Permanent Council, presents a commemorative gavel to his predecessor, His Excellency Juan José Arcuri (right), Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Argentina to the OAS, during a meeting of the Permanent Council on Wednesday, July 13, 2016. Ambassador Arcuri was Chair of the Permanent Council from April to June. At left is OAS Assistant Secretary General Nestor Mendez.

“In addition, I intend to use the Regional Coordinators Mechanism to continue towards efficient and effective dialogue among Member States.”

Declaring that during his chairmanship it is anticipated that a Budgetary Resolution will come before The Permanent Council, Dr. Rahming added, “I would also like to make mention of other outstanding resolutions, including the declaration entitled Finance and Banking Services: Challenges to Development in The Americas, which was previously presented by the delegation of Antigua and Barbuda and co-sponsored by the delegations of The Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Saint Lucia, and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines.

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Prior to going to the Simon Bolivar Hall to chair his first regular meeting of the Permanent Council of the OAS, His Excellency Dr. Elliston Rahming (left) and Mr. Chet Neymour, Deputy Chief of Mission at The Bahamas Embassy, look over a copy of his opening remarks in his office at the OAS.

“Over the next three months, more specifically, in addition to our regular PC meetings and meetings called to address urgent, unforeseen matters, I propose that in August we convene two special meetings to deal with “Reconceptualizing indicators of Development and Development needs within International Financial Institutions” as well as a session on “Examining the Challenges of Brain Drain within the Caribbean Region and the wider Americas”.

Additionally, he said, he proposes to convene “a Roundtable to dialogue on Access to aid and finance, a mandate emanating from the General Assembly Declaration.”

In September, it is proposed that time be set aside time to examine: The Paris accord on Climate Change and its implications for Latin America and the Caribbean, and “we want to assess contributions of the OAS toward the fulfillment of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG’s).”

“Also in September, it is my intention to organize a retreat to analyze practical approaches to institutional strengthening viz a viz of enhancement of the Permanent Council,” Dr. Rahming said. “The retreat should also provide an opportunity for candid discussions on the way forward amongst Council Members, away from the confines of these halls. At the end of the day, we should emerge with a written, working document to magnify and illuminate the way ahead.”

Dr. Rahming said it is also his intention to invite Member States to participate in a domino tournament and “taste of The Americas” fete “as a means of promoting greater dialogue, espirit de corps and fraternalism among representatives of Member States.”

Continuing, Dr. Rahming said, “Colleagues, we all know the procedural rules that govern us. Without being oppressive or mean-spirited, I intend to scrupulously follow the rules. This means that:

“We will generally meet on the first and third Wednesdays of each month.

“We will begin the meetings at 9:59am.

“Speakers who go beyond the ten-minute limit will be called on to wrap up.

“As Chair, my leadership style will be characterized by the four F’s: I will be Frank, Firm, Fair, yet Friendly.”

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