In his address to the plenary of the Organization of American States (OAS) General Assembly yesterday, Wednesday 18 March 2015, Dominican Foreign Relations Minister Andres Navarro argued in favor of a shift in direction at all levels of the organization. He said that the new structure should take into account the fact that the political order has changed over the last 50 years, with a notable impact on inter-American relations.
As reported in Listin Diario, during the 49th Extraordinary Session of the OAS, Navarro said that the organization was founded 67 years ago with 21 states, “with the objective of contributing to peace and justice, promoting solidarity, strengthening cooperation and defending sovereignty, territorial integrity and independence,” and currently has internal political structures that should be adapted to the new realities that the hemisphere is experiencing. He also suggested a change in the role that the organization should play.
During the assembly, a new Secretary General, 51-year old Luis Almagro of Uruguay was chosen to head the OAS. Almagro is a lawyer, diplomat and politician who served as his country’s Minister of Foreign Relations from 2010 to 2015.