First meeting under the chairmanship of the Dominican Republic

Good morning, permanent and alternate representatives, permanent observers, Mr. Assistant Secretary General, officials of the General Secretariat.

The Secretariat having verified the quorum, I have the honor to declare open this regular meeting of the Permanent Council, the first under the chairmanship of the Dominican Republic. As this is the first regular meeting I conduct as Chair of the Permanent Council, I wish first of all to reaffirm the importance my country attaches to the Organization of American States (OAS) as the principal political forum in the Hemisphere.

As I said last Friday at the ceremony for the handover of the Chair, we take up this task with great responsibility, commitment and humility, in strict adherence to the pillars of the Dominican Government's new foreign policy, in a transparent and open manner, under the principles of international solidarity, respect for international law and human rights, the promotion of the values of democracy, the defense of our national interests, and the promotion of peace, justice, social development and a healthy environment.

During this quarter, in addition to watching over and working for the success of the fifty-first regular session of the OAS General Assembly, this Chair will give priority to the consideration of issues crucial to our region which, as you will have had the opportunity to see in the draft Work Plan of the Chair, relate to gender equity, violence against women, climate change, the protection and promotion of human rights and the defense of the values and principles of democracy.

Today it falls to me to conduct the debates of the Permanent Council and, as a Dominican, I will bring all my experience and ability to bear in being a catalyst for encounters and for dialogue. With the joy and enthusiasm that characterize us, I will seek synergies to move the relevant issues forward. I believe that something everyone has been able to sense in recent months is our interest, as the Dominican Republic, in making proposals for change in order to improve and to renew, to be more agile and more effective.

On another matter, allow me also to report that the Secretariat has been instructed to send, on behalf of the Permanent Council, the commemorative gavel to our esteemed colleagues Ambassador Washington Abdala, Permanent Representative of Uruguay, and Ambassador Harold Forsyth, Permanent Representative of Peru, who chaired and led our work at the head of this Permanent Council with particular skill from July 1 to August 10 and from August 11 to September 30, respectively. Thank you very much, Ambassadors, for your effort, your dedication and your commitment.

Dear colleagues, in accordance with Article 43 of the Rules of Procedure of the Permanent Council, I submit for consideration the draft order of business contained in document CP/OD-2345/21.