Restructuring of the OAS General Secretariat

Thank you very much, Mr. Chair.

The Delegation of the Dominican Republic wishes first to thank the Delegation of Saint Lucia and other delegations of our sister countries of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) for having proposed that our Permanent Council take up the subject of the restructuring of the General Secretariat of the Organization of American States (OAS).

On a first analysis, we consider this a very valuable proposal, with elements that must be considered. Regrettably, as it was received so recently, we are still in the process of analyzing it with due rigor and with the importance of the subject in mind.

It has always been said, Mr. Chair, in different settings of our Organization, that the OAS is what its Member States want it to be. In that sense, we, the Member States of this Permanent Council, the highest-level body in the day-to-day life of the OAS, bear a great responsibility, given the delicacy of the matters we regularly deal with in our regular and special meetings.

Improving the way the OAS functions has always been a concern within the different political bodies of our Organization, chiefly in this Permanent Council. In that regard, important components of this concern have recently been addressed in the Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Affairs (CAAP) and in the Working Group of the Committee on Juridical and Political Affairs (CAJP) for updating the Rules and Procedures of the Permanent Council and its subsidiary bodies.

We note that the proposals presented have implications for secretariats that work very actively on delicate matters related to strengthening or maintaining democracy in our countries and, for example, to the organization of our next Summit of the Americas, to be held in the United States.

Returning to the saying that the OAS is what its Member States want it to be, we note with pleasure the progress made in the work of the General Secretariat. We also value the professionalism and constant dedication of the staff of the General Secretariat in assisting the Member States to achieve our principal objectives related to the strengthening of democracy, respect for human rights, multidimensional hemispheric security and integral development; but we also note with concern how, over the past twenty years, we have diminished the operational capacity of the OAS through reductions in budgets and staff, which has entailed great challenges for the operations of the different secretariats and departments of the General Secretariat, as well as a progressive and worrying deterioration of the Organization's facilities. In that regard, we regard as positive the fact that the proposal does not address personnel matters but rather a simplification of operations to promote better performance and minimize duplication in the General Secretariat, which could potentially generate cost savings while allowing operations to remain aligned with the strategic objectives of institutional strengthening and administrative management in support of each of the pillars set out in the strategic vision of our Organization.

Dear colleagues, the Dominican Delegation reiterates its appreciation of this proposal on streamlining the work of the General Secretariat of our Organization. We believe, however, that the discussion must be broader and much deeper. In that regard, we suggest considering the formation of a Working Group that, going beyond the functioning of the General Secretariat, would hold an in-depth discussion on the future of the OAS, with a view to promoting debate on the revitalization of the Organization and redefining its priorities in an ever more fast-moving multilateralism. In this regard, the Dominican Republic is in the best spirit to contribute and to cooperate proactively in moving in that direction.

Thank you very much, Mr. Chair.