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Last Updated: Feb 6, 2017 - 2:32:04 PM |
OAS photo
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The
Permanent Council of the Organization of American States (OAS) today
held a special meeting to pay tribute to the memory of Nobel Peace Prize
winner and former President of South Africa, Nelson Mandela, who passed
away last December 5.
The OAS Assistant Secretary General, Albert Ramdin, spoke on behalf of Secretary General José Miguel Insulza and quoted his words:
Nelson Mandela will be remembered not only for his leadership in the
liberation of his people and the African continent, but also for his
message of tolerance and humanity, an example for all those around the
world fighting for freedom, democracy, and respect for human rights.”
Mandela, he continued, was a man "who not only brought together the
people of South Africa but was also a leader, who inspired the peoples
of the Americas, with a significant impact on the world."
Ambassador Ramdin said that Mandela "belonged to all of us. What
he fought for, what he believed in and what he represents are
convictions, goals, and ideals shared by all who strive for peace,
equality and democracy." The high OAS official added that the former
South African president was "a leader among men, who recognized that
true peace requires commitment and political will and that changing the
course of history requires personal sacrifice and most of the time deep
pain."
"As the world bids farewell to Nelson Mandela, I cannot help but
wonder whether an era is over and whether this kind of courage and
conviction, which changed the course of the world, will be seen again,"
asserted Ramdin who noted that Mandela's life lessons should serve as an
example for OAS member states to continue to build a better hemisphere.
In this regard, he urged representatives of the Permanent Council to
reflect on Mandela’s contribution and to "analyze the challenges facing
the Americas through his eyes, promoting peace, fostering dialogue,
protecting the most vulnerable and speaking for those who have no
voice."
The Chair of the Permanent Council and Representative of Antigua
and Barbuda, Deborah-Mae Lovell, spoke of the example of struggle that
Mandela set and how the lessons of his life and legacy can be taken into
the work of the OAS. "How can we begin to express our appreciation to
an icon who not only changed a country but influenced the world? How can
we fully grasp the vision of a man who could harvest grace, majesty,
and dignity from brutality and hardship?" she asked.
Ambassador Lovell quoted the words of the African leader to
discuss how the OAS can apply his vision and legacy. "As Nelson Mandela
put it, overcoming poverty is not a task of charity, but an act of
justice. Poverty is not natural; it is man-made, and we can eradicate it
with the actions of human beings," she said. Mandela's legacy, she
concluded, "can be maintained if we strengthen the development agenda of
the OAS."
The Ambassador of South Africa to the United States, Ebrahim
Rasool, participated as a special guest in the meeting of the Permanent
Council, and he stressed that his country, his government and his
countrymen "are humbled by the way the world has responded to our
unbearable loss." "We are honored to know that a leader our country has
produced out of great adversity has found resonance in so many of your
people and in so many of your countries," he added.
Ambassador Rasool celebrated the diversity and unity displayed by
OAS member countries and drew parallels between the Americas and Africa.
"I look at this collection of countries, and I see many that have
shared with us being part of a common colony and, therefore, we were
bounded in a common anti-colonial struggle. I see, represented at this
table, the names of the countries which we have looked to for
inspiration on how we can create a human-right-based world, a better
world that advocates for those in need and fights for a more equal
society," he said.
The diplomat also recalled the significance of the dates of the
passing and funeral of the man considered the father of modern South
Africa. "It is no irony that Nelson Mandela passed away on December 5,
as we were finishing our commemoration of World AIDS Day; it is no irony
that, on December 10, International Human Rights Day, the world
gathered in Johannesburg for a global memorial service in honor of
Mandela, and it is no irony that he will be buried in his final resting
place on the eve of
December 16,
the Day of Reconciliation in South Africa,” said Ambassador Rasool, who
stated that that the work of Nelson Mandela must endure and serve as a
model to address major world problems. "Nelson Mandela would always be
the first to tell us that the transition he presided over was no
miracle; the admiration we have for him stems precisely from the fact
that he managed to show us what we can achieve. Wherever there is
conflict, inequality, raging poverty, marginalization, and isolation, we
need to continue building a world that is fundamentally gentler, more
caring and more embracing of difference,” he concluded.
During the special meeting, the permanent representatives of the
United States, Canada, Trinidad and Tobago, Nicaragua, Belize,
Venezuela, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Jamaica, Mexico, Bolivia,
Colombia, Saint Lucia, Argentina, Brazil, Saint Kitts and Nevis,
Guatemala, Honduras, Peru, Chile, the Dominican Republic, Haiti,
Paraguay, El Salvador, and Uruguay took the floor. In their
interventions, they highlighted Nelson Mandela’s legacy, life, and
virtues, and they asserted that the South African leader will always be
remembered as an example of dialogue, peace, tolerance, dignity and
humility, and as a hero, a fighter and a model of justice, compassion,
and reconciliation.
The Council decided to postpone until its meeting of
Wednesday, December 18,
the items it had planned to discuss today during its regular meeting
that was scheduled to take place after the tribute to Nelson Mandela.
For more information, please visit the OAS Website at www.oas.org.
© Copyright 2013 by thebahamasweekly.com
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